Sallum | |
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Location in Egypt | |
Coordinates: 31°30′13″N 25°06′54″E / 31.50361°N 25.11500°ECoordinates: 31°30′13″N 25°06′54″E / 31.50361°N 25.11500°E | |
Country | Egypt |
Governorate | Matruh |
Elevation | 3 ft (1 m) |
Population (2006) | |
• Total | 14,393 |
Time zone | EST (UTC+2) |
Sallum, As Sallum, or Sollum (Arabic: السلوم "Alternative", Egyptian Arabic pronunciation: [essælˈluːm], Latin: Catabathmus Maior; Plynos Limen; Tetrapyrgia) is a village in Egypt, near the Mediterranean Sea, east of the border with Libya, and around 145 km (90 mi) from Tobruk.
Sallum is mainly a Bedouin community. It has little if any tourist activity or organized historical curiosities. It is a regional trading center.
Sallum was the ancient Roman port of Baranis, and there are some Roman wells still remaining in the area. It rests on the Northern coast of Egypt, but the location along the border with Libya, about as far west as one may travel in Egypt, means that it is out of the way of almost everything, with few attractions other than a World War II Commonwealth war cemetery. There is a local post office and a National Bank of Egypt branch.
Sallum is mentioned, in historical terms, to denote the extent of the initial Italian invasion into Egypt, from Libya, and the Italian Tenth Army built a series of forts in the vicinity of Sallum and Sidi Barrani.
There was fighting near Sallum in the Libyan-Egyptian War of 1977.
Sallum was a destination point during the total solar eclipse on March 29, 2006, as expeditions traveled to the best observation point.
Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as hot desert (BWh), as the rest of Egypt, but typically as the northern coast of Egypt, has its temperatures moderated by blowing winds from the Mediterranean Sea.