Al Qantarah esh Sharqiya
Encyclopedia
Al Qantarah El Sharqiyya (30.85° N 32.31° E) is a northeastern Egypt
ian city on the eastern side of the Suez Canal
located in the Egyptian governorate
of Shamal Sina'
. 160 kilometers northeast of Cairo
and 50 kilometers south of Port Said
.
Alternate Names: Mahattat al qantarah ash sharqiyah, El Qantara, El Qantara East, El-Qantara East Station, El-Qantara El-Sharqiya Station, Mahattat al Qantarah al Sharqiyah, Qantarah esh Sharqiya, Al Qantarah Ash Sharqiyah, El Kantara, Kantara, or Al Qantarah.
In Al Qantarah there is a high-level fixed road bridge, the Mubarak Peace Bridge over the canal. The Arabic al qantara means "the bridge".
During World War I
, Kantara, as it was referred to by the Allied troops, was the site of Headquarters No. 3 Section, Canal Defences and Headquarters Eastern Force during the latter stages of the Defence of the Suez Canal Campaign and the Sinai Campaign of 1916. It became the main supply depot for all British, Australian and New Zealand operations in the Sinai from 1916 until final demobilization in 1919. A massive distribution warehouse and hospital centre was located in the town that supplied and supported the numerous units in the area.
Beginning in January 1916 a new railway was constructed from the town to Romani and eastwards through the Sinai to El Arish and Rafa on the border with the Ottoman Empire.
Outside of town there is located a Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Cemetery and Memorial. The cemetery was begun in February 1916 and was in use until late 1920. After the war, the cemetery was doubled in size to accommodate graves brought from other cemeteries and desert battlefields, notably those from Qatia
, Rumani
, Magdhaba
, El Arish and Rafa
. The cemetery contains 1,562 Commonwealth burials of the First World War and 110 from the Second World War. There are also 341 war graves of other nationalities in the cemetery. The Kantara Memorial bears the names of 16 New Zealand World War I servicemen who died in action at Rafa and Rumani and have no known grave. In 1961, 283 World War I Indian serviceman who were interned in the now inaccessible Kantara Indian Cemetery were commemorated with panels bearing the names of the dead affixed to the wall behind the Stone of Remembrance to form the Kantara Indian Cemetery Memorial.
The town's importance as a hospital centre was renewed during World War II
when General Hospital No. 1 was located there from July 1941 to December 1945 and General Hospitals Nos. 41 and 92 were located there for differing periods. No. 8 Polish General Hospital was constructed adjoining the war cemetery.
During the 1967 Six Day War Israel
captured the town. Egypt recaptured the town at the start of the 1973 Yom Kippur War
during The Crossing
and held the town until the ceasefire was negotiated. Egypt regained formal control over the town in 1974.
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian city on the eastern side of the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
located in the Egyptian governorate
Governorates of Egypt
Egypt is divided for administrative purposes into 27 governorates . Egyptian governorates are the top tier of the country's five-tier jurisdiction hierarchy. A governorate is administered by a governor, who is appointed by the President of Egypt and serves at the president's discretion...
of Shamal Sina'
Shamal Sina'
North Sinai Governorate is one of the governorates of Egypt. Located in the eastern part of the country, it encompasses the northern half of the Sinai Peninsula. Its capital is the city of Arish.-External links:* Official website...
. 160 kilometers northeast of Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
and 50 kilometers south of Port Said
Port Said
Port Said is a city that lies in north east Egypt extending about 30 km along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal, with an approximate population of 603,787...
.
Alternate Names: Mahattat al qantarah ash sharqiyah, El Qantara, El Qantara East, El-Qantara East Station, El-Qantara El-Sharqiya Station, Mahattat al Qantarah al Sharqiyah, Qantarah esh Sharqiya, Al Qantarah Ash Sharqiyah, El Kantara, Kantara, or Al Qantarah.
In Al Qantarah there is a high-level fixed road bridge, the Mubarak Peace Bridge over the canal. The Arabic al qantara means "the bridge".
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Kantara, as it was referred to by the Allied troops, was the site of Headquarters No. 3 Section, Canal Defences and Headquarters Eastern Force during the latter stages of the Defence of the Suez Canal Campaign and the Sinai Campaign of 1916. It became the main supply depot for all British, Australian and New Zealand operations in the Sinai from 1916 until final demobilization in 1919. A massive distribution warehouse and hospital centre was located in the town that supplied and supported the numerous units in the area.
Beginning in January 1916 a new railway was constructed from the town to Romani and eastwards through the Sinai to El Arish and Rafa on the border with the Ottoman Empire.
Outside of town there is located a Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves, and places of commemoration, of Commonwealth of Nations military service members who died in the two World Wars...
Cemetery and Memorial. The cemetery was begun in February 1916 and was in use until late 1920. After the war, the cemetery was doubled in size to accommodate graves brought from other cemeteries and desert battlefields, notably those from Qatia
Affair of Katia
The Battle of Katia was an engagement fought east of the Suez Canal and north of El Ferdan Station, in the vicinity of Katia and Oghratina, on 23 April 1916 during the Defence of the Suez Canal Campaign of World War I...
, Rumani
Battle of Romani
The Battle of Romani was fought east of the Suez Canal, near the Egyptian town of Romani and the site of ancient Pelusium on the Sinai Peninsula during the First World War...
, Magdhaba
Battle of Magdhaba
The Battle of Magdhaba took place on 23 December 1916 south and east of Bir Lahfan in the Sinai desert, some inland from the Mediterranean coast and the town of El Arish...
, El Arish and Rafa
Battle of Rafa
The Battle of Rafa took place on 9 January 1917 at el Magruntein to the south of Rafa, close to the frontier between the Sultanate of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and the Ottoman Empire, and in the area to the north and east of Sheikh Zowaiid...
. The cemetery contains 1,562 Commonwealth burials of the First World War and 110 from the Second World War. There are also 341 war graves of other nationalities in the cemetery. The Kantara Memorial bears the names of 16 New Zealand World War I servicemen who died in action at Rafa and Rumani and have no known grave. In 1961, 283 World War I Indian serviceman who were interned in the now inaccessible Kantara Indian Cemetery were commemorated with panels bearing the names of the dead affixed to the wall behind the Stone of Remembrance to form the Kantara Indian Cemetery Memorial.
The town's importance as a hospital centre was renewed during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
when General Hospital No. 1 was located there from July 1941 to December 1945 and General Hospitals Nos. 41 and 92 were located there for differing periods. No. 8 Polish General Hospital was constructed adjoining the war cemetery.
During the 1967 Six Day War Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
captured the town. Egypt recaptured the town at the start of the 1973 Yom Kippur War
Yom Kippur War
The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War , also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the Fourth Arab-Israeli War, was fought from October 6 to 25, 1973, between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria...
during The Crossing
The Crossing
Operation Badr or Plan Badr was the code name for the Egyptian military operation to cross the Suez Canal and seize the Bar-Lev Line of Israeli fortifications on October 6, 1973...
and held the town until the ceasefire was negotiated. Egypt regained formal control over the town in 1974.