Tanta
طنطا | |
---|---|
Counter-clockwise from top: Tanta Overview, Ahmad Al-Badawi Mosque, Sheikha Sabah Mosque dome, Sabil Ali-Bek | |
Nickname: Tanta | |
Coordinates: 30°47′N 31°0′E / 30.783°N 31.000°E | |
Country | ![]() |
Governorate | Gharbia |
Area | |
• Total | 50.5 km2 (19.5 sq mi) |
Elevation | 12 m (39 ft) |
Population (2021)[1] | |
• Total | 576,648 |
• Density | 11,000/km2 (30,000/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+02:00 (EET) |
Area code | (+20) 40 |
Tanta (Egyptian Arabic: طنطا Ṭanṭa pronounced [ˈtˤɑntˤɑ], Coptic: ⲧⲁⲛⲧⲁⲑⲟ) is a city in Egypt. Tanta had a population of 658,798 in 2018, making it the fifth most populous city in Egypt.[2] Tanta is located between Cairo and Alexandria: 94 km (58 mi) north of Cairo and 130 km (81 mi) southeast of Alexandria. The capital of Gharbia Governorate,[3] it is a center for the cotton-ginning industry.[4]
One of the major railway lines goes through Tanta.[5][6] Annual festivals are held in Tanta for one week beginning on 11 October celebrating the birthday of Ahmad al-Badawi, a revered Sufi figure of the 13th century, who founded the Badawiyya Tariqa in Egypt and is buried in Ahmad Al-Badawi Mosque, the main mosque of Tanta. Tanta is known for its sweet shops and roasted chickpeas.[7]
Overview
[edit]The older name of the city is Tandata (Arabic: طندتا) which comes from its Coptic name ⲧⲁⲛⲧⲁⲑⲟ[8] (late Coptic [dɑnˈdɑto]).
With its large cotton plantations, in 1856, Tanta became a stop on the railway network, primarily for the benefit of exporting its cotton to European markets.[9] The area around Tanta was mostly fields but Tanta had grown into a large crowded city.[10]
This city is a center of celebration in late October at the end of the cotton harvest. Three million people,[3] from around the Delta and other parts of the Arab world, come for the Moulid of Sayid Ahmed el-Badawi,[11] which is a colorful,[12] religious, eight-day celebration. The moulid is centered around the mosque and tomb of Sayid Ahmad al-Badawi,[13] who founded one of Egypt's largest Sufi orders known as Ahmadiyyah or Badawiyya.[14] He was born in Morocco, but emigrated to Arabia, and later was sent to Tanta in AD 1234 as a representative of the order from Iraq. He was granted permission to start a new order in Tanta and it soon flourished into one of Egypt's largest Sufi brotherhoods.[11]
Tanta is famous for its sweet candy made of gelatin, coconut, sesame, peanuts, and chickpeas. Large quantities are sold during the mulid (Arabic: المولد) festivals when many Egyptians visit the city.[15] The sweets have been considered a delicacy since the 1800s.[16]
Tanta has many cotton processing factories and textile industries,[11] and is also a university town with Tanta University since 1972.[17]
The people of Tanta are called by Egyptian slang Tantawi.[18][19]
Sites
[edit]- Montazah garden
- Tanta stadium
- Tanta sporting club
- Tanta teachers club
- Tanta University
- Virgin Mary Coptic Orthodox church, which is over 200 years old[20]
- Saint George Cathedral
- Saint Peter Catholic basilica
- The Museum of Tanta contains items from ancient nearby sites of Sais, Naucratis, and Buto, such as pottery and statues.[21][22]
- ٍStrong Cafe
- Ozone Coffe Shop
- Zoozoo and Doodoo
- El Mahallah is a large industrial town near Tanta, famous for its textiles.[11]
-
Tanta's city center, Elgeish street.
-
Tanta's railway station at night
-
Mosque of Elsayyed Elbadawi
-
Saint George Cathedral Church
-
Tanta Railway Station
-
palace in Tanta which was used as a primary school named flowers school
-
Tanta Montaza park
-
Tanta museum
-
Tanta university administration
-
Sweets from Tanta
Climate
[edit]As all of Egypt, has a hot desert climate (BWh), according to Köppen-Geiger climate classification system.
Climate data for Tanta, Egypt (1961–1990) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 29.2 (84.6) |
32.0 (89.6) |
36.8 (98.2) |
41.6 (106.9) |
45.3 (113.5) |
44.7 (112.5) |
41.5 (106.7) |
42.5 (108.5) |
41.2 (106.2) |
38.7 (101.7) |
35.6 (96.1) |
28.2 (82.8) |
45.3 (113.5) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 18.7 (65.7) |
19.4 (66.9) |
22.1 (71.8) |
27.1 (80.8) |
31.0 (87.8) |
33.6 (92.5) |
33.1 (91.6) |
32.7 (90.9) |
31.6 (88.9) |
29.2 (84.6) |
24.2 (75.6) |
20.3 (68.5) |
26.9 (80.4) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 12.0 (53.6) |
12.8 (55.0) |
14.5 (58.1) |
18.4 (65.1) |
22.1 (71.8) |
25.4 (77.7) |
26.0 (78.8) |
25.8 (78.4) |
24.2 (75.6) |
21.6 (70.9) |
17.5 (63.5) |
13.5 (56.3) |
19.5 (67.1) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 6.5 (43.7) |
6.6 (43.9) |
7.8 (46.0) |
11.2 (52.2) |
14.3 (57.7) |
17.3 (63.1) |
19.7 (67.5) |
19.7 (67.5) |
17.8 (64.0) |
15.3 (59.5) |
11.5 (52.7) |
8.0 (46.4) |
13.0 (55.4) |
Record low °C (°F) | 0.2 (32.4) |
0.4 (32.7) |
0.8 (33.4) |
4.6 (40.3) |
8.3 (46.9) |
12.0 (53.6) |
14.8 (58.6) |
16.4 (61.5) |
13.7 (56.7) |
9.1 (48.4) |
5.0 (41.0) |
1.6 (34.9) |
0.2 (32.4) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 13 (0.5) |
8 (0.3) |
7 (0.3) |
3 (0.1) |
2 (0.1) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
2 (0.1) |
4 (0.2) |
12 (0.5) |
51 (2.1) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 1.7 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 6.6 |
Average relative humidity (%) | 72 | 69 | 68 | 60 | 57 | 58 | 66 | 71 | 69 | 67 | 70 | 71 | 66.5 |
Average dew point °C (°F) | 6.6 (43.9) |
6.5 (43.7) |
8.0 (46.4) |
9.8 (49.6) |
11.7 (53.1) |
15.3 (59.5) |
18.8 (65.8) |
19.4 (66.9) |
17.4 (63.3) |
14.3 (57.7) |
10.7 (51.3) |
7.9 (46.2) |
12.2 (54.0) |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 205.6 | 198.8 | 256.7 | 280.3 | 325.1 | 357.9 | 332.6 | 342.8 | 280.5 | 278.0 | 229.7 | 205.3 | 3,293.3 |
Source: NOAA[23] |
Notable people
[edit]- Magda al-Sabahi or Magda Sabbahi = Magda (1931–2020) actress
- Huda Sultan (1925–2006) singer and actress
- Kamal Amin (1923–1979), artist[24]
- Mahmoud Zulfikar (1914–1970), Film director
- Khairy Beshara, film director
- Abdu al-Hamuli (Arabic: عبده الحامولى) (1836–1901), singer
- Mahmoud Khalil Al-Hussary, (1917–1980) reciter of the Qur'an[25]
- Mohamed Fawzi (1918–1966), composer, singer, and actor[26]
- Naima Akef (1929–1966), actress and circus player
- Doria Shafik (1908–1975), leader of the Women's Liberation Movement in the early 1950s[27]
- Ahmed Hijazi (1936–2011), known as "Hegazy", a caricature artist[28]
- Nasr Abu Zayd (1943–2010), thinker and liberal theologian [29]
- Ahmed Khaled Tawfik (1962–2018), author[30]
- Amina Rizk (1910–2003), actress
- El-Sayed Nosseir (1905–1977), Olympic Gold medal winner in weightlifting[31]
- Hilana Sedarous first female Egyptian doctor and first female Egyptian gynaecologist
- Maximos V Hakim, Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch[32]
- Nabil Farouk, novelist[33][34]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Egypt: Governorates, Major Cities & Towns - Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
- ^ World Gazetteer. "Statistical information on Tanta, Egypt". Archived from the original on 8 December 2012. Retrieved 2016-11-14.
- ^ a b Raafat, Shaimaa (October 21, 2014). "Tanta receives 3 million visitors participating in Moulid Al-Sayed Al-Badawy festival". Daily News Egypt. Archived from the original on 17 November 2016. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
- ^ Chaichian, Mohammad A. (2009). Town and Country in the Middle East: Iran and Egypt in the Transition to Globalization, 1800–1970. Lexington Books. ISBN 9780739126776. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
- ^ Ayyad, Mohamed (July 27, 2015). "Siemens, Egyptian Railway sign MoU to develop major lines' sign lighting". Daily News Egypt. Archived from the original on 17 November 2016. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
- ^ Seif, Ola R (October 12, 2015). "Train of thoughts". ahram online. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
- ^ Dan, Richardson; Jacobs, Daniel (February 1, 2013). The Rough Guide to Egypt. Penguin. ISBN 9781409324263. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
- ^ Peust, Carsten. Die Toponyme vorarabischen Ursprungs im modernen Ägypten. p. 94.
- ^ Chaichian, Mohammad A. (2009). Town and Country in the Middle East: Iran and Egypt in the Transition to Globalization, 1800–1970. Lexington Books. p. 131. ISBN 9780739126776. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
- ^ Huston, Perdita (2001). Families as We are: Conversations from Around the World. Feminist Press at CUNY. p. 63. ISBN 9781558612501. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
streets in Tanta Egypt.
- ^ a b c d Richadson, Dan; Jacobs, Daniel (August 2, 2010). The Rough Guide to Egypt. Penguin. ISBN 9781405387736.
- ^ Denny, Frederick (September 21, 2015). Introduction to Islam. Routledge. p. 245. ISBN 9781317347279. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
- ^ Brockman, Norbert (13 September 2011). Encyclopedia of Sacred Places, Volume 1. p. 321. ISBN 9781598846546. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
- ^ el-Aswad, El-Sayed (July 13, 2012). Muslim Worldviews and Everyday Lives. Rowman Altamira. p. 77. ISBN 9780759121195. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
- ^ Marcus, Antoine (13 February 2016). "A Glimpse of Tanta, Egypt's "Boss Town"". Egyptian Streets. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
- ^ Karl, Baedeker (1885). Egypt: Handbook for Travellers : Part First, Lower Egypt, with the Fayum and the Peninsula of Sinai. Harvard: Karl Baedeker. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
- ^ "Tanta University History". Tanta University. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
- ^ Marcus, Antoine (13 February 2016). "A Glimpse of Tanta, Egypt's "Boss Town"". Egyptian Streets. Archived from the original on 11 October 2016. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
- ^ Elsamadouny, Zeyad. "Night Ride in Tanta". Youtube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
- ^ "Christianity in Ebiar Village Tanta". A Sense of Belonging. 13 December 2011. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
- ^ "SCA Tanta Museum". Supreme Council of Antiquities. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
- ^ Hudson, Kenneth; Nicholls, Ann (June 18, 1985). The Directory of Museums & Living Displays. Springer. p. 208. ISBN 9781349070145. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
- ^ "Tanta Climate Normals 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on October 4, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ "Kamal Amien Bio". Fine Art Gov Egypt. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
- ^ "Mahmoud Khalil Al Hussary". Assabile. Archived from the original on 19 November 2016. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
- ^ "Mohamed Fawzy (1918–1966) محمد فوزي". El Cinema. Archived from the original on 16 November 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
- ^ Smith, Bonnie G. (2008). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History: 4 Volume Set. Oxford University Press, USA. p. 27. ISBN 9780195148909.
- ^ Mahmoud, Sayed (October 24, 2011). "Hegazy, Master of Egyptian cartoons". ahram online. Archived from the original on 16 November 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
- ^ "Professor Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd". Philosophers of the Arabs. Archived from the original on 17 November 2016. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
- ^ Yaqoob, Tahira (March 16, 2012). "Ahmed Khaled Towfik, Egypt's doctor of escapism". Archived from the original on 17 November 2016. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
- ^ "Sayed Nossier". SR / Olympic Sports. Archived from the original on 2015-02-20.
- ^ "Patriarch Maximos V (George) Hakim †". Catholic Hierarchy. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
- ^ "Dr. Nabil Farouk Biography". Rewayat Club. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
- ^ Almazroui, Ayesha (March 8, 2015). "If we want to keep Arabic alive, don't blame English". The National. Archived from the original on 16 November 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
External links
[edit]- Egypt: Handbook for Travellers : Part First, Lower Egypt, with the Fayum and the Peninsula of Sinai by Karl Baedeker (1885)
- Families as We are: Conversations from Around the World by Perdita Huston, 2001
- The Encyclopædia Britannica: a dictionary of arts, sciences, literature and general information by Hugh Chisholm, 1910
- The Coptic Diocese of Tanta