About Port Said
The city of Port Said is one of the three cities located on the Suez Canal together with Ismailia and Suez. It was established in 1860 and was originally known as "the General City of the Canal."
The history of Port Said has always been associated with the history of the whole nation of Egypt the people of the city were always reacting towards national events. This fact is clearly reflected in the tripartite aggression of France, Britain, and Israel on the city of Port Said and how the inhabitants of the city protected it bravely against the armies and the forces of these countries. At the beginning of 1976 Port Said was declared a free tax zone and this attracted a lot of tourists. Many large touristic ships visit Portsaid to spend a day in the city before going on with their journey to other ports of the Mediterranean Sea.
Port Said's Location
The city of Port Said is located in the Northern edge of the Suez Canal with the Mediterranean Sea to its north, the governorate of Ismailia to its south, the area of North Sinai to the east, and the governorate of Damietta to its west. The geographical location of Port Said has always played a major role in the history of the city and the whole region as it is located at the intersection of the trading routes between the East and the West.
Surface Area And Climate of Port Said
The surface area of Portsaid is estimated to be 1,350 square kilometers and the city consists mainly of five large neighborhoods: Port Fouad, El Shareq, El Arab, El Dawahy, and El Zohour which was established late in the year 2000. The climate of Port Said, the same as many cities and ports situated on the Mediterranean Sea, is moderate all year long but it might get a little cold and rainy in the winter.
The Old Lighthouse Of Port Said
The Old Lighthouse of Port Said is among the most important attractions of the city as it was among the first buildings to be constructed with concrete in the whole world. The lighthouse was constructed in 1869 in the reign of Khedive Ismail to guide ships passing through the Suez Canal which was opened in the same year. The Old Lighthouse of Port Said has an octagonal shape and a height of 56 meters. The lighthouse has a large ball at its top that was used to determine the power and the direction of the wind.
The Military Museum Of Port Said
The Port Said Museum was opened to the public in 1964, eight years after the December 23, 1956 victory of the people and army of Port Said over the invading armies of Israel, Britain and France.
The surface area of the Port Said Museum is 7,500 square meters and it is located about 300 meters away from the Shohada’ or the Martyrs Square and the main administration building of the governorate of Port Said. The Port Said National Museum consists of a one-floor building and it hosts some of the spoils the Egyptian forces were able to gather from Israelis in the War of the 6th of October. The Port Said Museum also hosts a large collection of military tools, equipment, Israeli tanks, canons, guns, and some parts and sections of military aircraft.
The Museum is divided into three halls. The first hall is called the “All Time” hall and it includes different types and forms of weapons and military equipment that date back to ancient Egypt and the Pharaonic times. The item that catches the eyes of the visitor as soon as he enters the second half of the Port Said are the various displays of items from the Tripartite Aggression on Portsaid after the former Egyptian president, Gamal Abdel Nasser declared the nationalization of the Suez Canal.
The first item the guests view in the hall of the Tripartite Aggression on Portsaid is the front page of Al Ahram newspaper number 25437 dated the 27th of July 1956. The headline of the front page reads “the president announces, in the name of the nation, that we have regained our money and rights”.
The Rest of the front page of Al Ahram covers the news of the nationalization of the Suez Canal and the forming of the Board of Directors of the Authority of the Suez Canal. The next item located in this hall is a plate announcing the presidential decree of nationalizing the Suez Canal and other plates from France and Britain to the Egyptian and Israeli forces in order to stop their fighting and clashes together.
On the right-hand side of the hall, there is a diorama of the battles of resistance of the people of Portsaid in the area of Al Gmail. There is a model of the speech of the president Mohamed Abdel Nasser in El Azhar Mosque, some colored portrays of some scenes of the battle, and then at the end some of the belongings of the British officer Meir House like his pistol, cap, camera, watch, and pipe. Above this collection of Meir House, there is a portrait representing the scene of how Meir House was kidnapped, then some weapons and equipment, and a photo of the former governor of Portsaid as he was one of the champions of this battle.
In the middle of this hall, there is a small model of El Borlos naval battle and the photos of some martyrs who died in the battle. There are also some examples of the publications that were spread to encourage the people to revolt against the British occupation.
The National Museum Of Port Said
The National Museum of Port Said is situated in a distinctive location at the intersection of the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. The Museum hosts more than 9,000 displays dating back to the Pharaonic, Greco-Roman, Coptic, and Islamic periods of Egyptian history.
The 23rd of July Street and Palestine Street, situated in front of the Ferdinand de Lesseps touristic path, were established over a surface area of around 13000 square meters.
The Museum was founded in 1963 and the construction work was halted from 1967 until 1973 because of the series of wars Egypt had with Israel. The museum was even hit with two military missiles in 1967. Eventually, the museum was opened for public visits in 1986.
The Museum originally consisted of a large museum garden and a two floor building that display a large number of displays dating back to different periods of the Egyptian history. Since the re-opening of the museum in 1986, many people from all over Egypt have visited the museum to see its many remarkable interesting displays. However, unfortunately the museum is no longer open.
The Crisis Of The National Museum Of Port Said
The crisis of the National Museum of Port Said started when many cracks and fissures appeared on the walls of the building of the museum which threatened the safety of the displays beginning in the 2000s. Although it was restored three times with a budget of 75 million Egyptian pounds, the experts noted that rebuilding the museum from the very beginning would be a better idea. This was why the museum was fully destroyed in 2009 and the displays were all put in storage rooms. Unfortunately, since that date, the construction work on the new museum has not begun.
The officials of the governorate of Port Said have denied rumors that said that the land where the new National Museum of Portsaid was sold to some investors but until today the building work is still not being started. Officials of Port Said have demanded that the museum be rebuilt quickly to be added to the few other touristic attractions of the city like the military museum. They have added moreover that the closure of the National Museum of Port Said is a disaster for the local economy, especially considering its marvelous location near the port of the city that welcomes thousands of tourists every week.
The Suez Canal Authority Building4
The Suez Canal Authority Building is one of the most important historical buildings in Port Said. It was constructed in 1895 and was used as the headquarters of the Suez Canal in the city of Port Said to monitor the traffic of the ships passing through the canal.
The building was bought by the British authorities during World War I to become the base of the British army in the Middle East before the British occupation left Egypt in 1956.
Hours Of Operation
Sat-Thurs: 9AM-4PM
(sometimes closed at lunch)
Fri: 9-11AM, 1-4PM
Ticket Cost
Foreign: LE 12 - and there are 50% reduction forbearers of International Student ID Card.
Location
Corner of Palestine St. and 23 July St., Port Said.
View Larger Map
Directions
- By Taxi: ask for "met-haf Por-said "
- Contact: Phone: (066) 237 419 or phone: (064) 322749
- No flash photography allowed
