Kafr El Sheikh

Kafr El Sheikh (arz: كفر الشيخ kɑfɾ eʃˈʃeːx) ("village of the Sheikh") is an Egyptian city and the capital of Kafr El Sheikh Governorate, Egypt, about 134 km north of Cairo, in the Nile Delta of lower Egypt. As of 2023, the city had a population of around 186,857.^[1]

Kafr El Sheikh was earlier known as Duminqun (arz: دمينقون), but was officially named Fuadiyah or Fouadiyah (arz: فؤاديه) in honour of King Fuad I of Egypt. After the 1952 Revolution and the subsequent abolition of the monarchy, the governorate took the name of its capital city Kafr El Sheikh. This name, adopted in 1955, means "the village of the chief".^[2][3][4] In 2006 the University of Kafr El Sheikh was established.

Etymology

The modern name of the city means "village of the sheikh", and refers to sheikh Talhha at-Tilmisānī, who died here in 1234.^[5] The older name of the city, Dumaynaqun (Arabic: دُمِيْنقُون), is reconstructed from Coptic by Engsheden as ("island") + a personal name. This pattern is widely represented in Egyptian toponymy, so the name is expected to be Egyptian, but he proposes Nikon (Ancient Greek: Νίκων), which is unattested in Coptic sources, unable to find a suitable Egyptian name.^[6] In fact, a personal name Akon (Coptic: ⲁⲕⲱⲛ) is contained in place names like Pmounakon (Coptic: ⲡⲙⲟⲩⲛⲁⲕⲟⲛ, lit. 'the well of Akon') in the Hermopolite nome and Tmounakon (Coptic: ⲧⲙⲟⲩⲛⲁⲕⲱⲛ, lit. 'the island of Akon') near Oxyrhynchus, the latter of which could share its etymology with Dumaynaqun.^[7][8]

Climate

Kafr el-Sheikh is classified by Köppen-Geiger climate classification system as hot desert (BWh).

Economy

The economy of Kafr El Sheikh is primarily driven by its strategic position in the Nile Delta, making it Egypt's leader in aquaculture and a vital agricultural hub.^[9]

Kafr El Sheikh is considered the capital of fishing of Egypt, producing nearly one-third of the nation's fish. It hosts major projects like the Baraket Ghalyoun fish farm, the largest of its kind in the Middle East.^[10]

Kafr El Sheikh is the home to various factories, including a rice mill, a poultry forage factory and a sugar beet factory.^[11]

Culture

Museum

The city museum showcases artifacts, mostly from Buto. Notable exhibits include artifacts depicting the conflict between Horus and his uncle Set, as well as a remarkable statue of Horus the Falcon. The museum also highlights the period when the city of Sakha hosted the journey of the Holy Family in Egypt. The city of Fuwwah, known for its Islamic heritage, is also featured. The Kafr El Sheikh Museum was inaugurated by President El-Sisi in 2020.^{[citation needed]}

Religious landmarks

Mosques

• Talha al-Tlemceni
• Abaza
• Al Malek
• Ibn Taimia
• Al Israa
• Ebad al Rahman
• Al Falaheen
• Al Fath (Stadium mosque)
• Al Khayat
• Abo al Azaem
• Sidi Qutb
• Al Rahman (Mosque of el 47 square)
• Sheikha Zahra Coptan

Churches

• Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Sakha
• Evangelical Church
• Church of St.Demiana and forty Virgins
• Saint George's Church

Infrastructure

Education

The Governorate of Kafr el Sheikh is the holder of prestigious schools. It also has a university that has the following faculties:

• Faculty of Medicine
• Faculty of Commerce
• Faculty of Engineering
• Faculty of Agriculture
• Veterinary school
• Faculty of Arts

Sport

Kafr El Sheikh owns Kafr El Sheikh SC which competes in the Egyptian second division league.^{[citation needed]}

Notable people

• Hamdeen Sabahi, Egyptian politician, the leader of the Dignity Party and one of the leaders of the Egyptian opposition before the 2011 Egyptian revolution
• Trezeguet, Egyptian footballer
• Osama Anwar Okasha, Egyptian screenwriter and journalist
• Saad Zaghloul, Egyptian nationalist and politician
• Mohamed Atta, ringleader of the September 11 attacks and hijacker-pilot of American Airlines Flight 11.

See also

• List of cities and towns in Egypt

References

1. ^ Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, Egypten. Accessed 11 November 2006.
2. ^ Room, Adrian (2006). Placenames of the World: Origins and Meanings of the Names for 6,600 Countries, Cities, Territories, Natural Features, and Historic Sites. 2nd ed. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. p. 185. ISBN 978-0-7864-2248-7. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
3. ^ الأسعد بن مماتي. قوانين الدواوين
4. ^ Carsten Peust (2010). Die Toponyme vorarabischen Ursprungs im modernen Ägypten. p. 56.
5. ^ Die Toponyme vorarabischen Ursprungs im modernen Ägypten. 2010. p. 56.
6. ^ Engsheden, Âke. Ancient Place-Names in the Governorate of Kafr el-Sheikh. Peeters. p. 147. ISBN 978-90-429-4175-5.
7. ^ "TM Places". trismegistos.org. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
8. ^ Clackson, S.J. Coptic documents relating to the monasteries of Apa Apollo at Bawit and Titkooh in the Hermopolite nome. University of London. p. 68.
9. ^ Alkhawaga, Abdalmonem; Mohamed, Mohamed; Zeidan, Bakenaz; Elshemy, Mohamed; Elshinnawy, Ahmed (2025-04-12). "Assessment of land use/land cover changes for Kafr El-Sheikh governorate, Egypt, utilizing remote sensing". Scientific Reports. 15 (1): 12600. doi:10.1038/s41598-025-96601-7. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 11993567
10. ^ Oyinlola, Muhammed A.; Shaheen, Hussam; Habashi, Nada; Attia, Sameh; Teh, Lydia C. L.; Nasr-Allah, Ahmed; Cheung, William W. L. (2026-03-30). "Projecting the future of aquaculture in Egypt under climate and socio-economic scenarios". Aquaculture. 615. doi:10.1016/j.aquaculture.2026.743677. ISSN 0044-8486
11. ^ Kafr Elsheikh Governrate "Kafr Elsheikh Governrate". Archived 2007-10-23 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2007-12-03. sic