Damietta

Damietta, Damiata, or Domyat (دمياط) is a port and the capital of the governorate of Domyat, Egypt. It is located at the intersection between the Mediterranean Sea and the Nile, about 200 km north of Cairo.

History
In Ancient Egypt, the city was known as Tamiat, but it became less important in the Hellenic period after the construction of Alexandria.

The Abbasids used Alexandria, Damietta, Aden and Siraf as entry ports to India and the Tang Empire of China.

Damietta was important in the 12th and 13th centuries during the time of the Crusades. In 1169, a fleet from the Kingdom of Jerusalem, with support from the Byzantine Empire, attacked the port, but it was defeated by Saladin.

During preparations for the Fifth Crusade in 1217, it was decided that Damietta should be the focus of attack. Control of Damietta meant control of the Nile, and from there the crusaders believed they would be able to conquer Egypt. From Egypt they could then attack Palestine and recapture Jerusalem. When the port was besieged and occupied by Frisian crusaders in 1219, Francis of Assisi arrived to peaceably negotiate with the Muslim ruler. In October 1218 reinforcements arrived including the Legate Pelagius with the English earls Ranulf of Chester, Saer of Winchester and William Aubigny of Arundel together with one Odonel Aubigny, Robert Fitz Walter, John Lacy of Chester, William Harcourt and Oliver the illegitimate son of King John. In 1221 the Crusaders attempted to march to Cairo, but were destroyed by the combination of nature and Muslim defenses.

Damietta was also the object of the Seventh Crusade, led by Louis IX of France. His fleet arrived there in 1249 and quickly captured the fort, though he refused to hand it over to the nominal king of Jerusalem, to whom it had been promised during the Fifth Crusade. However, Louis too was eventually captured and defeated and was forced to give up the city.

Because of its importance to the Crusaders, the Mamluk Sultan Baibars destroyed the city and rebuilt it with stronger fortifications a few kilometres from the river.

Damietta postal code (zip)

 * kornish elnile 34511
 * el Aser 34512
 * harit elperka 34513

Monuments

 * Amr Ibn Al-a'as Mosque (Al-Fateh) the 2nd mosque to be built in Egypt and Africa by the Arabs after entering Egypt. It has been converted to a church twice during occupation by the crusaders and Louis IX of France son Jean Tristan was Baptised by vice of the Pope in this Mosque.


 * Al-Matbuly Mosque dating to Mamluk era.
 * Al-Maainy Mosque dating to Al-Naser Mohammed Ibn Qalawon regin.
 * Al-Bahr Mosque dating to Ottmon rule era.
 * Al—Hadidy Mosque in Faraskour 200 years old.
 * Tabiet Ahmed Urabi, ruins of Damietta Fort at Ezbet El-Borg.
 * Al-Radwaniya Mosque dating to Mamluk era.
 * The Old Bridge " Elkobri Elqadeem" dating to early 1900s.
 * Souk Al-Hesba, the old dowm town, dating to Abbasi rule era.

Damietta today
Today there is a canal connecting it to the Nile, which has made it an important port once again. The modern city has a population of about 1,093,580 (2006). It contains the SEGAS LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) plant, which will ultimately have a capacity of 9.6 million ton/year through two trains. The plant is owned by Segas, a joint venture of the Spanish utility Unión Fenosa (40%), Italian oil company Eni (40%) and the Egyptian companies EGAS and EGPC (10% each).The plant is unusual since it is not supplied from a dedicated field, but is supplied with gas from the Egyptian grid. EMethanex, the Egyptian division of Methanex Corporation a Canadian owned company, is currently building a 3600 MTPD methanol plant. Construction is scheduled to be finished in mid 2010.

Notable natives

 * St. Sidhom Bishay, coptic martyr.
 * Kamal al-Din Muhammad ibn Musa Al-Damiri, (1344–1405), writer on canon law and natural history.
 * Moustafa Mosharafa, physicist and contributor to the theory of relativity
 * Zahi Hawass, Egyptologist
 * Farouk Shousha, poet. Previously head of Egyptian Radio. (El Soaraa village)
 * Taher Abou Fasha, poet, author of the 1985 TV movie script Alf-Layla w'Layla (1001 Nights, الف ليلة وليلة).
 * Professor Shawky Daif, Professor of Arabic language and member of the Egyptian Arabic Language Academy. (Awlad Hamam village)
 * Professor Hamdy Elsayed, physician & cardiologist, former head of Egyptian medical syndicate, politician & member of people's assembly. (Awlad Hamam village)
 * Professor Abdel Halim Montaser Head of Kuwait University since its establishment.
 * Shiekh Rizk Khalil Habba The former head of Egypt Quran reciting authority
 * Professor Abdel Rahman Badawi, professor of philosophy. One of his students is Anis Mansour.
 * Abbas Al-Tarabily, journalist.
 * Madkour Abou El-Ezz, military pilot & former head of [EAF].
 * Mohamed Fahim ElGindy, who established and developed the furniture industry during 20th century in Damietta.
 * Salah Montaser, journalist.
 * Ahmed Awwad, official spokesman of presidential office.
 * Raafat el-Haggan (Rifaat Al-Gammal), Egyptian spy.
 * Essam Al-Hadary, FC Sion & Egypt's goal-keeper.
 * Besheer El-Tabei the football player.
 * Samir Zaher, head of Egyptian football association.
 * Professor Aisha Abdel Rahman (Bent Al Shatea), journalist & Muslim philosopher.
 * Abdel Raoof Al-Reedy, former Ambassador of Egypt to USA & United Nations.
 * Dr. Zaki Naguib Mahmoud, writer and phliosopher.
 * Professor Maher Fawzy, professor of anesthesia at Cairo University & a pioneer in pain management in Egypt & Arab countries.
 * Diaa eldin Daoud, Politician and former head of the Democratic Arabic Nasserian party.
 * Rifaat el-Mahgoub, former Head of the Egyptian Parliament and a member of the ruling National Democratic Party.
 * Hasaballah El-Kafrawy, former ministr of housing and intiator of modern Egyptian housing planning.
 * Hamdy Ashour, former governor of Cairo.
 * Dr Helmy Al-Hadidy, Former minister of health.
 * Dr. Mohammed Hassan El-Zayyat, former minister of forigen affairs.
 * Sa'd Ardash, one of the Egyptian theater pioneers.
 * Rifaat El-Fanagiley, Captain and Right hand shooter of Al-Ahly & Egypt team in 1950s & 1960s.
 * Ali Salem the political playwright.
 * Riyad el-Sonbaty the Composer.
 * Yousry Al-Gindy the writer.
 * Yusuf Idris the writer & Psychaitrist.
 * Farag Foda secular writer shot to death in his office on 8 June 1992 by two Islamic fundamentalists from the Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya group.
 * Dorreyia Sharf el-Din the media reporter and writer
 * Salama al-Dommiaty the Cairo Patessiare.
 * Professor Muhammed Mahmoud Ghali, founder of Languages and Translation Faculty at Al-Azhar University, and Translator of meanings of The munificent Quran

Economic activity

 * White Dammiat Cheese (Domiati) and other dairy products that spread in Egypt, Greece, Cyprus, Sudan and Turkey.
 * Furniture & wood work antiques
 * Pattisiare and Egyptian desserts.
 * Weaving and clothes (Now vanishing)
 * Containers transport through the new port
 * Fishing

Domyat in culture

 * A frigate of the Egyptian Navy bought from US Navy USS Jesse L. Brown (FF-1089) was renamed the Damyat after Damietta.
 * Amietophrynus kassasii (Baha El Din, 1993) "Damietta Toad" one of the genus Amietophrynus.
 * It was visited by LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin in 1929.
 * Seat of the Coptic Orthodox Metropolis of Damietta, Kafr-el-Sheikh, and Bararye, under jurisdiction of H.E. Metropolitan Bishoy.
 * The Greek Orthodox bishop was based in Damietta in the church of Agios Nikolaos.