El Matareya
Encyclopedia
El Matareya is a region in Egypt
. Located in the Dakahlia Governorate
, it lies on the Lake Manzala
coast in the northeastern part of the country.
The region should not be confused with the district of Mataria in Cairo
. El Matareya has a population of around 300,000 inhabitants, and consists of two main districts: Al-Ghasna and El-Obeyeen. It was announced as a separate city in the 1930s, with many villages following in it.
The city played a heroic role during the French campaign on Egypt, where the fishermen joined the resistance forces led by the Egyptian leader of the struggle against colonialism in this region, Sheikh Hassan Tobar
. When the French battleships moved from Damietta
towards Matareya to attack, they were surprised by 100 fishermen boats opposing them. At last, the city was occupied by the French
in October 1798.
The fishermen of Matareya played an important role in the digging of the Suez Canal
, since they delivered water from the city to the workers in Port Said
.
newspaper published in its issue dated June 26, 1997, a detailed study on the burning of the city by Dr. Younan Labib Rizk. Khedive Abbas II
visited the city upon the fire and ordered reconstruction of its mosques. He also gave a certain amount of money to the people of the city for reconstruction. Also many other steps where taken to help the people construct their city and money was given to all those who suffered losses.
until 1929 and then followed Manzala
until it was announced a city itself and a Centre (markaz) with many villages following it. The streets of the city were very impressive and surprising for visitors since they have been designed and organized perfectly and are almost unique in the world. It was arranged like a chess table that if you stood at the beginning of a street you can see its end without any hindrance, and it is still this way until now.
In this period the city had two mayors, Mohamed Zinedine Azzam was the mayor of Al-Ghasna and Kamel Dawood El-Rayes was the mayor of El-Obeyeen.
The fishing industry in the city was affected much since Lake Manzala dried up from 720000 acres (2,913.7 km²) to 120000 acres (485.6 km²). The remaining lake was divided into several influence regions.
and visited the house he lived in during his stay in the city which was Ramshackle at that time.
, who came from Port Said in a boat. Men of the revolution accompanied the late president as Hussein al-Shafi, Kamal El-Din Hussein, Abdel Hakim Amer
, Salah Salem
, and others. Then the late president left Matareya heading towards it's neighboring city Manzala , which was decorated too to receive the president.
. Many fishermen volunteered to join the Coastguard to be trained on using weapons and defending their points. These exercises came to fruition, where some fishermen caught an Israeli pilot after they forced him to jump off his plane when they shoot at it. Many other achievements were credited to the people of the city in this war.
and some many others.
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...
. Located in the Dakahlia Governorate
Dakahlia Governorate
Dakahlia Governorate is an Egyptian governorate lying north east of Cairo. Its area is about 3,500 km² and it has a population of about 5 million. The capital is Mansoura.-Overview:...
, it lies on the Lake Manzala
Lake Manzala
Lake Manzala is a brackish lake, sometimes called a lagoon, in northeastern Egypt on the Nile Delta near Port Said and a few miles from the ancient ruins at Tanis. It is the largest of the northern deltaic lakes of Egypt. As of 2008 it is 47km long and 30km wide.-Geography:Lake Manzala is long but...
coast in the northeastern part of the country.
The region should not be confused with the district of Mataria in 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...
. El Matareya has a population of around 300,000 inhabitants, and consists of two main districts: Al-Ghasna and El-Obeyeen. It was announced as a separate city in the 1930s, with many villages following in it.
History
The city consisted of two main islands named Al-Ghasna and El-Obeyeen. They were distinct islands until 1903 when the government issued a decree to unite both islands under the name Matareya city. Transportation between the two islands was via wooden boats until the waterway separating the islands was dried up. The first brick houses in the city were built in the 1750s with the roofs being made of wood.The city played a heroic role during the French campaign on Egypt, where the fishermen joined the resistance forces led by the Egyptian leader of the struggle against colonialism in this region, Sheikh Hassan Tobar
Hassan Tobar
Sheikh Hassan Tobar was a rich Egyptian patriot who fought the French during their campaign on Egypt. He was the Sheikh of the city of Manzala in Dakahlia Governorate. He was also considered the first official Egyptian millionaire.-Bibliography:...
. When the French battleships moved from Damietta
Damietta
Damietta , also known as Damiata, or Domyat, is a port and the capital of the Damietta Governorate in Egypt. It is located at the intersection between the Mediterranean Sea and the Nile, about north of Cairo.-History:...
towards Matareya to attack, they were surprised by 100 fishermen boats opposing them. At last, the city was occupied by the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in October 1798.
The fishermen of Matareya played an important role in the digging 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...
, since they delivered water from the city to the workers in 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...
.
The great fire of 1907
The city was destroyed by a devastating fire in 1907. Many people died in the fire and all what was left of the city was ash and remains of dead animals. Al-AhramAl-Ahram
Al-Ahram , founded in 1875, is the most widely circulating Egyptian daily newspaper, and the second oldest after al-Waqa'i`al-Masriya . It is majority owned by the Egyptian government....
newspaper published in its issue dated June 26, 1997, a detailed study on the burning of the city by Dr. Younan Labib Rizk. Khedive Abbas II
Abbas II of Egypt
HH Abbas II Hilmi Bey was the last Khedive of Egypt and Sudan .-Early life:...
visited the city upon the fire and ordered reconstruction of its mosques. He also gave a certain amount of money to the people of the city for reconstruction. Also many other steps where taken to help the people construct their city and money was given to all those who suffered losses.
1930s and 1940s
Matareya has followed DikirnisDikirnis
Dikirnis is a town in the center of the Dakahlia Governorate of Egypt. It is situated about 20 km east of El Mansoura, the capital of Dakahlia.-Overview:...
until 1929 and then followed Manzala
Manzala
El Manzala is a region in Egypt. Situated in the Dakahlia Governorate, it lies on the Lake Manzala coast in the northeastern part of the country.-Divisions:El Manzala comprises villages such as:* Awlad Soboor...
until it was announced a city itself and a Centre (markaz) with many villages following it. The streets of the city were very impressive and surprising for visitors since they have been designed and organized perfectly and are almost unique in the world. It was arranged like a chess table that if you stood at the beginning of a street you can see its end without any hindrance, and it is still this way until now.
In this period the city had two mayors, Mohamed Zinedine Azzam was the mayor of Al-Ghasna and Kamel Dawood El-Rayes was the mayor of El-Obeyeen.
The fishing industry in the city was affected much since Lake Manzala dried up from 720000 acres (2,913.7 km²) to 120000 acres (485.6 km²). The remaining lake was divided into several influence regions.
Embracing the late president Anwar El Sadat
In 1942, People's Artist Zakaril Hijawi hosted Anwar El Sadat in Matareya (which was Hijawi's hometown). Sadat worked on the car that moved from Matareya to the Suez Canal, delivering arms to guerrillas and men of the revolution. Years later when Sadat became president, he came back to the city to lay the foundation stone for Al-Salam CanalAl-Salam Canal
Al-Salam Canal is a canal built as a part of the Toshka Project. It starts west of the Suez Canal and stretches southwest towards Lake Manzala, then south to drain at Al Sarow drainage. It then moves east and then again south to Hadoos drainage. It then moves east under the Suez Canal in some...
and visited the house he lived in during his stay in the city which was Ramshackle at that time.
Role in the Tripartite Aggression
The city was the second line of defense after the Suez Canal during the Tripartite Aggression against Port Said on October 26, 1956. The city was burning by aerial bombardments by the intense aggression. Thousands of boats and fishing boats transported every second hundreds of the wounded and injured to be resuscitated in Matareya. Also the people of Matareya welcomed all immigrants from Port Said and other cities along the Suez Canal.Abdel Nasser's Visit
On December 24, 1961, the city was decorated to receive late President Gamal Abdel NasserGamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein was the second President of Egypt from 1956 until his death. A colonel in the Egyptian army, Nasser led the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 along with Muhammad Naguib, the first president, which overthrew the monarchy of Egypt and Sudan, and heralded a new period of...
, who came from Port Said in a boat. Men of the revolution accompanied the late president as Hussein al-Shafi, Kamal El-Din Hussein, Abdel Hakim Amer
Abdel Hakim Amer
Mohamed Abdel Hakim Amer was an Egyptian general and political leader. Born in Astal, Samallot, in the Al Minya Governorate in 1919, he served in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, took part in the 1952 Revolution and commanded the Egyptian Army in the Suez Crisis, the North Yemen Civil War and the...
, Salah Salem
Salah Salem
Salah Salem was an Egyptian military officer and politician.-Education and military career:Salim was born in Sinkat, Sudan in 1920. He was raised, however, in the Hilmiyyat Jadida neighborhood of Cairo. There he was educated at the Ibrahimiyyeh School, and later, in 1938, he graduated from the...
, and others. Then the late president left Matareya heading towards it's neighboring city Manzala , which was decorated too to receive the president.
Role in the War of Attrition
The city had an important role in the War of AttritionWar of Attrition
The international community and both countries attempted to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict. The Jarring Mission of the United Nations was supposed to ensure that the terms of UN Security Council Resolution 242 would be observed, but by late 1970 it was clear that this mission had been...
. Many fishermen volunteered to join the Coastguard to be trained on using weapons and defending their points. These exercises came to fruition, where some fishermen caught an Israeli pilot after they forced him to jump off his plane when they shoot at it. Many other achievements were credited to the people of the city in this war.
Anwar El Sadat's Visit
At 12 noon on November 27, 1979 the helicopter landed in Matareya carrying the President and his comrades. The late president visited the city to lay the foundation stone for Al-Salam Canal. The city was decorated like never before for that historical day.Famous Families of the City
- El Rayes
- Azzam
- El Shennawy
- Al Nagdy
- Farrag
and some many others.