Abu Qir

The town's present name is Arabic for "Father Cyrus", one of a pair of fourth century Christian martyrs venerated as Saints Cyrus and John by the Coptic Church.[1]

Near the village are many remains of ancient buildings, Egyptian, Greek and Roman. About 3 kilometers (2 mi) southeast of the village are the ruins of Canopus. A little farther east, the now-dry Canopic branch of the Nile entered the Mediterranean.[2]

Stretching eastward as far as the Rosetta mouth of the Nile is the spacious Abu Qir Bay (Khalīj Abū Qīr), where on 1 August 1798, Horatio Nelson fought the Battle of the Nile, often referred to as the "Battle of Aboukir Bay". The latter title is applied more properly to an engagement between the French expeditionary army and the Turks under Mustapha Pasha fought on 25 July the following year; see Battle of Abukir of 1799.[3] Later in the war, on 8 March 1801 at the beginning of the Battle of Alexandria, units of the British army commanded by Sir Ralph Abercromby landed from their transports near the town, and faced strenuous opposition from General Louis Friant's French forces entrenched on the beach.[4] The battle continued on down the peninsula toward Alexandria and didn't end until 22 March.[4]

The town contains a castle that was used as a state prison by Muhammad Ali in the early 19th century.[2] The prison was known as Liman Abu Qir.[5]

In 2000, an Italian archaeological team discovered the remains of British officers, sailors, marines, women, and children on Nelson's Island, which lies in the bay.[6][7]

Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as hot desert (BWh), but it lies at the northern coast of Egypt, moderating its temperatures. Due to its proximity to Alexandria, it has a very similar climate. The wettest places in Egypt are Rafah, Alexandria, Abu Qir, Rosetta, Baltim, Kafr El Dawwar, Mersa Matruh.

• History of Christianity in Egypt
• HMS Aboukir
• Lake Mariout

• Baynes, T. S., ed. (1878), "Canopus" , Encyclopædia Britannica, 5 (9th ed.), New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, p. 23
• Griffith, Francis Llewellyn (1911), "Canopus" , in Chisholm, Hugh (ed.), Encyclopædia Britannica, 5 (11th ed.), Cambridge University Press, p. 203CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

Attribution:

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911), "Aboukir", Encyclopædia Britannica, 1 (11th ed.), Cambridge University Press, p. 69

• Texts on Wikisource:
  • Vailhé, Siméon (1908). "Canopus". Catholic Encyclopedia. 3.
  • "Aboukir". Collier's New Encyclopedia. 1921.