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Zagazig (Arabic: الزقازيق, romanized: az-Zaqāzīq, Egyptian Arabic pronunciation: [ez.zæʔæˈziːʔ], locally [ez.zæɡæˈziːɡ]) is a city in Egypt. Situated in the eastern part of the Nile delta, it is the capital of the governorate of Sharqia.
Zagazig
الزقازيق | |
|---|---|
.jpg)     Overview of the city of Zagazig | |
  Zagazig Location within Egypt | |
| Coordinates: 30°34′N 31°30′E / 30.567°N 31.500°E | |
| Country | Egypt |
| Governorate | Sharqia |
| Founded | 1830 |
| Area | |
• Total | 14.0 km2 (5.4 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 16 m (52 ft) |
| Population (2021)[1] | |
• Total | 430,445 |
| • Density | 31,000/km2 (80,000/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| Area code | +(20) 55 |
It is located on the Muweis Canal and is a hub of the corn and cotton trade. There is a museum of antiquities, the Sharkeya National Museum (sometimes called the Amed Orabi Museum, at Herriat Raznah) that contains many important archaeological exhibits (currently closed for restoration).[2]
Zagazig University, one of the largest universities in Egypt, is also located in the city, with colleges in different fields of science and arts. The Archaeological Museum of the University of Zagazig exhibits significant finds from the nearby sites, Bubastis (Tell Basta) and Kufur Nigm.[3]
Zagazig is the birthplace of famous Coptic Egyptian journalist, philosopher and social critic, Salama Moussa, and famous Egyptian songwriter Morsi Gameel Aziz.
The most notable streets in Zagazig are Farouk Street, Government Street, Abu Hamad and El Kawmia Street.
History
editThe city was founded in the 19th century on the site of a village called Nazlat az-Zaqāzīq which was named after the Zaqzuq family.[4] The family's name itself comes from a dialectal word zaqzuq or ziqziq which means "a small creature" (e.g. a fish or a mouse)[5] and comes from a Coptic word ϫⲉⲕϫⲓⲕ "ant or other insect".[6][7]
The ruins of the ancient Egyptian city of Bubastis are located 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) southeast of town. Bubastis was the ancient capital of the 18th nome, and is home to the feast celebrating the cat goddess Bastet.
Bubastis is the Greek version of the Egyptian language name Pr-Bastet "House [Temple] of Bastet". Bubastis became the capital of Egypt in the 22nd and 23rd Dynasties. There are remains of the temples built by Osorkon II and Nectanebo II. Catacombs where the sacred cats were buried are located behind the remains of an Old Kingdom chapel from the period of Pepi I Meryre.
Geography
editClimate
editKöppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as hot desert (BWh), as the rest of Egypt.
| Climate data for Zagazig | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 20.0 (68.0) |
21.1 (70.0) |
23.9 (75.0) |
27.8 (82.0) |
32.2 (90.0) |
33.9 (93.0) |
35.0 (95.0) |
33.9 (93.0) |
32.2 (90.0) |
30.0 (86.0) |
26.1 (79.0) |
22.2 (72.0) |
28.2 (82.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 12.2 (54.0) |
12.3 (54.1) |
15.0 (59.0) |
18.9 (66.0) |
22.2 (72.0) |
26.1 (79.0) |
27.2 (81.0) |
27.2 (81.0) |
23.9 (75.0) |
22.2 (72.0) |
17.8 (64.0) |
15.0 (59.0) |
20.0 (68.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 5.8 (42.4) |
6.5 (43.7) |
8.5 (47.3) |
11.4 (52.5) |
15.1 (59.2) |
17.8 (64.0) |
19.6 (67.3) |
19.7 (67.5) |
17.9 (64.2) |
16.0 (60.8) |
12.8 (55.0) |
8.1 (46.6) |
13.3 (55.9) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 9 (0.4) |
10 (0.4) |
6 (0.2) |
2 (0.1) |
2 (0.1) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
2 (0.1) |
4 (0.2) |
10 (0.4) |
45 (1.9) |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 83 | 79 | 75 | 67 | 60 | 62 | 68 | 73 | 78 | 80 | 82 | 83 | 74 |
| Source: Arab Meteorology Book[8] | |||||||||||||
Notable people
edit- The Abaza family, the largest family in Sharqia and Egypt's largest Circassian community.[9][10]
- Abdelhalim Hafez, Egyptian singer and actor
- Ahmed Orabi, colonel who led the revolt against the British in 1882
- Carmen Suleiman, singer
- Mohamed Morsi, the fifth president of Egypt
- Salama Moussa, Coptic Egyptian journalist, philosopher and social critic
- Ahmed Zaki, actor
- John Traicos, International cricketer of Greek origin
- Rushdy Abaza, actor
- Fekry Pasha Abaza, journalist and political activist
- Mohamed Abdelmonem, Football Player
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b c "Egypt: Governorates, Major Cities & Towns - Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information". citypopulation.de. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
- ^ Catalogue: Mohamed I. Bakr, Helmut Brandl, Faye Kalloniatis (eds.): Egyptian Antiquities from the Eastern Nile Delta. ʾĀṯār misrīya (Museums in the Nile Delta. Vol. 2). Opaion, Cairo/ Berlin 2014, ISBN 978-3-00-045318-2.
- ^ Catalogue: M. I. Bakr, H. Brandl, F. Kalloniatis (eds.): Egyptian Antiquities from Kufur Nigm and Bubastis. ʾĀṯār misrīya (Museums in the Nile Delta. Vol. 1). Opaion, Cairo/ Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-00-033509-9.
- ^ رمزي, محمد. القاموس الجغرافي للبلاد المصرية. pp. 89–92.
- ^ Behnstedt, Peter & Woidich, Manfred (1994). Die ägyptisch-arabischen Dialekte. Band 4: Glossar Arabisch-Deutsch. Wiesbaden. p. 188.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Coptic Dictionary Online". coptic-dictionary.org. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
- ^ Sobhy, Georgy (1950). Common words in the spoken Arabic of Egypt, of Greek or Coptic origin.
- ^ "Appendix I: Meteorological Data" (PDF). Springer. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
- ^ "عائلات تحكم مصر.. 1 ـ عائلة الباشوات". Albawabhnews.com. 26 March 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
- ^ "عرب أم شركس أم خليط منهما ؟. عائلات الأباظية في مصر تتكيف نموذجياً مع المتغيرات الاجتماعية والتقلبات السياسية". Archived from the original on 27 December 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
External links
edit
- LookLex: Egypt: Zagazig
- Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.