Port Said (Egypt)
Hi I’m Port Said!
I am a north Egyptian city situated at the northen entrance of the Suez Canal. I have 28 square miles (72 square kilometers) approximately. I was founded in 1859,as a working camp to house the workers building the Suez Canal.Much of the city was built on a section of Lake Manzala. Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean sea to the Gulf of Suez and the Red Sea with a length of 163 Km.
I was damaged during the Suez crises and the wars of 1967 and 1973,but the city was rebuilt and now is a pleasant city of 400.000 inhabitants. I am also considered a summer ressort by Egyptians and there are nice bungalows along the beaches.We speak Arabic but as we are very international we also speak English.
The big ships wait to enter the Suez Canal and the taxes they pay have been a high income for Egypt.
I have several twin cities but my favorite is Port Fouad,just opposite me, considered for some as the same city. There are free ferries connecting the two cities all day long.My other sister city is Volgogrado, in Russia.
I have an important harbor constructed in 1868, when the Canal’s construction was finished. In the 19th century It became important because all the major maritime powers had consulates in that port.We were so important that I am going to tell you something.Did you know that New York and Port Said, Egypt have something in common? Originally, American's statue of Liberty was to be placed not in New York but at Port Said. The Statue of Liberty was really inspired by the huge statues at Abu Simbel. Auguste Bartholdi, the sculptor of the statue designed the American Lady of Liberty as 'Egypt carrying the light of Asia'.They decided that the project was too expensive, so the 'Light of Asia' was sent to the US instead, where she became the Statue of Liberty.
nowadays I’m a commercial city in activities like fishing and industries and we export Egyptian products like cotton and rice.Thereis also a fueling station for ships that pass through the Suez Canal and other of my atractions is that I am duty free port.
I’m an historic and touristic city too,with two different museums: the first one has artifacts from most periods of Egypt's past, including pharaonic and prehistoric, and the other has some small displays of pharaonic, Islamic wars, artifacts from the Suez Crises and the 1967 and 1973 wars.
I have several gas-fired electrical generating plants. My ports abide to International conventions associated to marine environment protection and I am a member in two associations: REMPC Center, to protect the Mediterranean Sea from pollution, and for a state of Mediterranean .
Definitely, it is a good idea to spent time visiting me, my interesting museums and fantastic places will tell you perfectly who I am.
