El Matareya
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El Matareya المطرية |
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|---|---|
 El Matareya
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| Coordinates: 31°12′N 32°12′E / 31.200°N 32.200°E | |
| Country |
 Egypt
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| Governorate | Dakahlia |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 300,000 |
| • Ethnicities: | Egyptians |
| Time zone | EST (UTC+2) |
El Matareya (Arabic: المطرية pronounced [el.mɑ.tˤɑ.ˈɾej.jɑ]) is a region (markaz) 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 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. 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.
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-Ahram 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 were taken to help the people construct their city and money was given to all those who suffered losses.
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