Dakahlia Governorate

Dakahlia (Arabic: محافظة الدقهلية Muḥāfaẓah el Daqahliyah, pronounced [ed.dæʔæhˈlejjæ]) is an Egyptian governorate lying northeast of Cairo, Egypt. Its area is approximately 3,500 km². Although the capital of the governorate is Mansoura, it got its name from the ancient town of Daqahlah (Arabic: دقهلة, from Coptic: ⲧⲕⲉϩⲗⲓ, lit. 'shrine') which is located in the modern Damietta Governorate.^[5]

Dakahlia Governorate
Governorate
Sunset in Mansoura with the Nile River
Flag
Dakahlia Governorate subdivisions (Marakiz)
Dakahlia Governorate on the map of Egypt
Country	Egypt
Seat	Mansoura (capital)
Government
• Governor	Tarek Marzouk[1]
Area
• Total	3,500 km2 (1,400 sq mi)
Population  (January 2023)[2]
• Total	7,013,271
• Density	2,000/km2 (5,200/sq mi)
GDP [3]
• Total	EGP 294 billion (US$ 18.7 billion)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EGY)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
HDI (2021)	0.748[4] high · 7th
Website	www.dakahliya.gov.eg

History

Archaeology

According to Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, in February, 2020, Egyptian archaeologists have uncovered 83 tombs dating back to 4,000 B.C, known as the Naqada III period. Various small pottery pots in different shapes, as well as some sea shells, makeup tools, eyeliner pots and jewels, were also revealed in the burial.^[6][7]

In April 2021, Egyptian archeologists announced the discovery of 110 burial tombs at the Koum el-Khulgan archeological site. Of these, 68 oval-shaped tombs date back to the Predynastic Period, while 37 rectangular-shaped tombs were from Second Intermediate Period. The rest of the tombs date back to the Naqada III period. The tombs also contained the remains of adults and a baby (buried in a jar), a group of ovens, stoves, remnants of mud-brick foundations, funerary equipment, cylindrical, pear-shaped vessels and a bowl with geometric designs.^{[8][9][10][11][12]}

Municipal divisions

The governorate is divided into municipal divisions and in January 2023 had an estimated population of 818,012. At times, there is a kism and a markaz with the same name.^[2]

Municipal Divisions

Anglicized name	Native name	Arabic transliteration	Population (January 2023 Est.)	Type
Aga	مركز أجا	Agā	567,756	Markaz
El Gamaliya	مركز الجمالية	Al-Gamāliyah	138,291	Markaz
El Kurdi	قسم الكردى	Al-Kurdi	45,592	Kism (fully urban)
El Mansoura	مركز المنصورة	Al-Manṣūrah	650,178	Markaz
El Mansoura 1	قسم اول المنصورة	Al-Manṣūrah 1	360,534	Kism (fully urban)
El Mansoura 2	قسم ثان المنصورة	Al-Manṣūrah 2	270,948	Kism (fully urban)
El Manzala	مركز المنزلة	Al-Manzilah	360,649	Markaz
El Matareya	مركز المطرية	Al-Maṭariyah	202,191	Markaz
El Senbellawein	مركز السنبلاوين	As-Sinbillāwayn	605,340	Markaz
Beni Ebeid	مركز بنى عبيد	Banī Ubayd	141,856	Markaz
Belqas	مركز بلقاس	Bilqās	568,532	Markaz
Dikirnis	مركز دكرنس	Dikirnis	379,591	Markaz
Gamasa	قسم جمصة	Gamaṣah	4,520	Kism (fully urban)
Maḥallat Damanah	مركز محلة دمنة	Maḥallat Damanah	67,665	Markaz
Minyet El Nasr	مركز منية النصر	Minyat an-Naṣr	287,468	Markaz
Mit Ghamr	قسم ميت غمر	Mīt Ghamr	156,109	Kism (fully urban)
Mit Ghamr	مركز ميت غمر	Mīt Ghamr	694,047	Markaz
Mit Salsil	مركز ميت سلسيل	Mīt Salsīl	73,417	Markaz
Nabaroh	مركز نبروة	Nabarūh	301,631	Markaz
Shirbin	مركز شربين	Shirbīn	454,737	Markaz
Talkha	مركز طلخا	Ṭalkhā	421,037	Markaz
Timay El Imdid	مركز تمى الأمديد	Timay al-Imdīd	209,103	Markaz

Population

According to population estimates, in 2015 the majority of residents in the governorate lived in rural areas, with an urbanization rate of 28.2%. Out of an estimated 5,949,001 people residing in the governorate, 4,271,428 people lived in rural areas as opposed to 1,677,573 in urban areas.^[13] By 2018, the population had increased to an estimated 6,577,000.^[14]

Overview

The Urology and Nephrology Center of Mansoura University Faculty of Medicine also features a renowned kidney center. Founded in 1983. Under the management of Dr. Mohamed A. Ghoneim.

Cities and towns

• Aga
• Bilqas
• Damas
• Dikirnis
• El Gamaliya
• El Kurdi
• El Matareya
• El Senbellawein
• Gamasa
• Gogar
• Mansoura
• Manzala
• Mit Elkorama
• Mit Ghamr
• Mit Salsil
• Nabaroh
• Sherbin
• Temay El Amdeed
• Talkha

Industrial zones

According to the Governing Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), the following industrial zones are located in Dakahlia:^[15]

Zone name
Southwest Gamasa Industrial Zone
El Asafra Industrial Zone

Notable people

Main category: People from Dakahlia Governorate

Arts

• Ahmad Hasan al-Zayyat, writer and intellectual
• Anis Mansour, writer
• Ali Mahmoud Taha, romantic poet
• Adel Emam, movie and stage actor
• Faten Hamama, actress and producer
• Hassan el-Imam, film director
• Iman Mersal, poet
• Khaled El Nabawy, actor
• Mohamed Abla, artist
• Mahmoud Mokhtar, sculptor
• Naguib Surur, poet and playwright
• No'man Ashour, poet and playwright
• Ramy Essam, musician
• Sherif Mounir, movie and stage actor
• Umm Kulthum, renowned singer and songwriter

Journalists

• Ahmed Mansour (journalist)
• Mohamed Makhzangi, journalist and writer
• Mohammed Hussein Heikal, journalist, writer and politician
• Magdi Mehanna

Politics

• Ali Pasha Mubarak, one of the most influential and talented of Egypt's 19th century reformers
• Ayman Nour, politician
• Ahmed Gamal El-Din Moussa, former minister
• Ahmed Lutfi el-Sayed, intellectual, secularist and nationalist
• Abdel Latif Boghdadi, politician
• Khaled Ali, lawyer and Acitvist
• Khairat el-Shater, Islamic political activist
• Mahmoud Sabry El Shabrawy, professor, parliamentarian, intellectual and speaker
• Mohammed Mahdi Akef, former head of Muslim Brotherhood
• Mohamed Abdul Salam Mahgoub, politician
• Omar Abdel-Rahman, Muslim leader and activist
• Sami Hafez Anan, military officer
• Salah Nasr, former intelligence agency directory

Religion

• Gad el-Haq, former Grand Imam of Al-Azhar
• George El Mozahem, Coptic Orthodox martyr and saint
• Mohamed Metwally Al-Shaarawy, Islamic scholar
• Mahmoud Zakzouk, academic and politician

Science

• Farouk El-Baz, space scientist
• Mohamed Ghoneim, urologist
• Saad Eddin Ibrahim, academic and sociologist
• Selim Hassan, Egyptologist

Sports

• Ōsunaarashi Kintarō (Abdelrahman Shalan) sumo wrestler
• Abdel-Zaher El-Saqqa, footballer
• Amr Marey, footballer
• Hussam El-Badrawi, sports shooter
• Mahmoud Fathalla, footballer
• Mahmoud El Khatib, footballer
• Mahmoud Abou El-Saoud, footballer
• Mohamed El Shamy (footballer, born 1996)
• Mimi El-Sherbini, footballer
• Salah Soliman, footballer