Regional Committee for the Promotion of Tourism

The district of Abu Qir

The area of Abu Qir is a famous suburb east of Alexandria and has a historical reputation and dates back to the 6th century BC, when King Nektanibu who ruled in 360 BC imposed duties on all ships entering Egypt through the Canopus estuary sector. "It is one of the stranded branches of the Nile River and the name" Canopus "is the ancient name of Abukir, which changed to the name of monk Kiir" Abakir "was a saint and doctor who lived there. Christians from all over the world came to him during the Roman persecution and helped greatly with the spread of Christianity in his day. The proof of the importance of Abu Qir was also that Abu Qir Street was its old name "Viacanobia" and "Abu Qir Street" is still present in our time despite the passage of time, but with the arrival of Alexander the Great Egypt, the image of "Canopus" changed completely as it ordered its port to be transferred to the eastern port of the island of Faros, weakening its economic importance. It also ordered the transfer of its commercial markets downtown to Bab Al-Shams, which is now near the east gate and led to people moving out of it to secure resources and traders moving their activities to the new port as well. away and Canopius was neglected commercially after pulling the rug out of it and no one knows the secret of Alexander's hatred of Canopus, despite his pious, rich, cultural and religious reputation.
The reputation and long history of Abu Qir is not limited to prehistoric times, due to the position of Abu Qir and the naval battle of Abu Qir and the defeat of the French campaign led by Napoleon at the hands of the English "Nelson" Commander, but also because from the ancient years when the Alexandrians and Macedonians came to Abu Qir suburb where Hunting was a hobby of all kinds. In the 20th century, Abu Qir continued to be a resort for leisure and summer vacations. One of the most famous inhabitants was Prince Omar Touson, known as the Prince of the Poor, for his many charitable works that belonged to him in vast tracts around Abu Qir Bay.
The name "Toson" was also honored by a large area today. Omar credited with discovering the ancient ruins of Abu Qir, sees that Abu Qir is plentiful with many relics and archaeological sites, including the "Nelson" island named after the English leader Nelson, 10 kilometers from the middle of the sea. in 1998, at the bottom of the sea around the island number of 200 archaeological pieces, show the nature of life and culture of the inhabitants of the old island, and some of the inscriptions and ancient tombs that have been forgotten and where there is a large number of French polemical ships sank, either in the neighborhood or the sea, the Dead Sea, found in the Dead Sea area has many coins and equipment For war and vessels carried by these ships, in addition to many of the monuments dating from the Greek and the Roman era in Alexandria, but also in the archaeological sites of Tabia Cosa Pasha, one of the 23 strongholds established by Mohammed Ali Pasha, to protect Alexandria.
Abu Qir is known for its famous fish taverns, which attract a large number of visitors to Alexandria, as well as the presence of a market for the sale of fresh live sea fish. There are also many mosques and ancient churches, such as the Abacar church named after him and John, as well as the Roman Church of St. George. There is also one of the branches of the Arab Academy of Sciences and Technology and Maritime Science and Technology. The University of Alexandria and Abu Qir's School of Physical Education also includes summer camps for young people from all provinces for recreation and education. The population is 350,000 people in the Abu Qir area.

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