Beheira Governorate (Arabic: البحيرة, “the lake”) covers the western Nile Delta between Alexandria and the Rosetta branch of the Nile. Its capital is Damanhur, and CAPMAS estimated 6,830,189 residents in January 2023 across 9,826 km². Roughly four residents in five live in villages rather than towns.
| Capital | Damanhur |
|---|---|
| Population | 6,830,189 (January 2023 estimate) |
| 2017 census | 6,171,613 |
| Area | 9,826 km² |
| Density | 695 per km² |
| Divisions | 15 markazes and 3 kisms |
| Coordinates | 31°02′N 30°28′E |
| Postal code | 22511 (Damanhur) |
| Phone code | 045 |
Towns and Villages in Beheira Governorate
Beheira is administered as 15 markazes plus urban kisms at Damanhur, Kafr El Dawwar and West Nubariya. Each markaz holds dozens of villages and hundreds of izbas, the small farm hamlets that carry a family or landowner name.
Markazes and kisms
| Division | Population (Jan 2023) | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Kafr El Dawwar | 749,595 | Markaz |
| Abu El Matamir | 603,640 | Markaz |
| Damanhour | 586,244 | Markaz |
| Abu Hummus | 581,820 | Markaz |
| Kom Hamada | 496,752 | Markaz |
| Itay El Barud | 476,197 | Markaz |
| El Delengat | 400,570 | Markaz |
| Kafr El Dawwar | 344,133 | Kism |
| Hosh Essa | 339,556 | Markaz |
| Damanhour | 327,352 | Kism |
| Rosetta | 309,188 | Markaz |
| Mahmoudiyah | 305,974 | Markaz |
| Shubrakhit | 302,429 | Markaz |
| Edku | 257,873 | Markaz |
| Badr | 208,542 | Markaz |
| Rahmaniya | 176,315 | Markaz |
| West Nubariya | 130,405 | Kism |
| Wadi El Natrun | 90,576 | Markaz |
Gazetteers record 1665 named settlements inside the governorate boundary, far more than any single page can carry. The 250 listed below are the largest and best-documented, grouped by the part of Beheira they sit in and ordered alphabetically.
Rosetta, Edku and the northern coast
The northern strip follows the Rosetta branch to the sea and takes in Lake Edku. Rosetta and Edku are the two coastal towns; the villages behind them farm rice and reclaimed lakebed.
- Abu Kharash
- Abu Yahya
- Ad Dawdarah
- Al Amiriyah ash Sharqiyah
- Al Aqari al Bahariyah
- Al Ashrak
- Al Atf
- Al Busayli
- Al Fathiyah
- Al Ghabishah
- Al Gharabawi
- Al Habilah
- Al Hammad al Gharbi
- Al Hammad ash Sharqi
- Al Hulwani
- Al Kafr al Jadid
- Al Labbani
- Al Lawiyah
- Al Mahmudiyah
- Al Malaqah Raqm Ithnan
- Al Malaqah Raqm Wahid
- Al Manashilah
- Al Manshiyah al Kabirah
- Al Masadah
- Al Muaddiyah
- Al Qahwaqiyah
- Ali el-Gharbiya
- Ar Rahmaniyah
- As Sihma
- As Sitt Amirah
- Asad
- Ash Shamasimah
- Dabbun al Khawajah
- Dabbun al Malik
- Dayrut
- Dibi
- Dirshabah
- Disya
- Idku
- Rosetta
Kafr El Dawwar and Abu Hummus
This is the densest rural belt in the governorate, packed between the Mahmoudiyah Canal and the Alexandria road. Kafr El Dawwar is the industrial anchor.
- Abd el-Wahhab
- Abis al Mustajaddah
- Abu Hummus
- Abu Kabariyah
- Abu Rabih
- Ad Darawiyah
- Ad Dasasinah
- Al Abadiyah
- Al Akrishah
- Al Ali
- Al Baslaqun
- Al Bayda
- Al Fakhurah
- Al Gharaq
- Al Hamra al Bahriyah
- Al Hamra al Qibliyah
- Al Hilbawi
- Al Hirfah
- Al Izbah ash Sharqiyah
- Al Jaradat
- Al Jizah
- Al Kanayis
- Al Karyun
- Al Khadrah
- Al Mahrusah
- Al Qadisiyah
- Al Qarawi
- Al Wastaniyah
- Ammurah
- An Nabarawiyah
- An Nakhlah al Bahariyah
- An Nakhlah al Qibliyah
- An Nashw al Bahri
- An Numayri
- Ar Ramlah
- Ar Rawdah
- As Sakhrah
- As Sanahirah
- As Saraniyah
- Az Zarqa
- Balaqtar
- Balba
- Bardalah
- Barsiq al Balad
- Bawadi
- Bildu
- Birkat Ghattas
- Bisintaway
- Bulin
- Dahr Sanad
- El-Masani
- Ezbet Ali Pasha
- Ezbet Doma
- Ezbet Farid Banub
- Ezbet Imbarka
- Ezbet Muhammad Ali
- Izbat Ali as Sayyid
- Kafr ad Dawwar
Damanhur and Shubrakhit
The centre of the governorate around the capital. Damanhur is the market and rail town for the whole northern Delta west of the Rosetta branch.
- Abu Durrah
- Abu Himar al Kabir
- Ad Darisah
- Al Aslab
- Al Awja
- Al Basatin
- Al Ghaffarah
- Al Izbah al Bayda
- Al Jarayisah
- Al Makhaid
- Al Manshiyah al Ibrahimiyah
- Al Manshiyah as Saghirah
- Al Muaysirah
- Ar Rajayibah
- Ar Rawaqah
- Ar Ridan
- Ar Rubdan
- As Safasif
- Ash Shahabiyah
- Ash Shawkah
- Bani Hilal
- Bastarah
- Buwayt
- Dahshur
- Damanhur
- Dinshal
- Disunis Umm Dinar
- El-Qarawi
- Ezbet el-Ghalaba
- Ezbet Libda
- Ezbet Mazyad
- Ezbet Omar Fadil Bey
- Ezbet Shiha
- Ezbet Tarabamba
- Ezbet Zuheil
- Farnawa
- Ibadiyat Damanhur
- Iflaqah
- Imri
- Kafr Bani Hilal
- Kafr Khudayr
- Kafr Mustanan
- Shubrakhit
Hosh Essa and Abu El Matamir
West of Damanhur the farmland thins into the Nubariya reclamation scheme. Many settlements here were founded from the 1960s and carry named or numbered plots.
- Abbas al Aqqad
- Abd al Azim Abu al Ata
- Abd al Halim Mahmud
- Abu al Matamir
- Abu al Matamir al Bahri
- Abu ash Shuqaf
- Abu Bakr as Siddiq
- Ahmad Shawqi
- Al Abqaayn
- Al Adl
- Al Amal
- Al Azimah
- Al Barnuji
- Al Butah
- Al Faransawiyah
- Al Ghayatah
- Al Iman
- Al Kardud
- Al Kawm al Akhdar
- Al Mahdiyah
- Al Manshiyah as Sughra
- Al Misayri Raqm Ithnayn
- Al Misayri Raqm Wahid
- Al Qarinayn
- Al Yasiniyah
- An Nubariyah
- Hawsh Isa
Itay El Barud, Kom Hamada and El Delengat
The southern third of the governorate, on the agricultural road towards Tanta and Cairo. It holds more villages than any other part of Beheira.
- Absum al Gharbiyah
- Absum ash Sharqiyah
- Abtuk
- Abu Manjuj
- Abu Samadah
- Abu Suayfah
- Abyuqa
- Ad Dahriyah
- Ad Daramalliyah
- Ad Dilinjat
- Ahmad Rami
- Al Allamiyah
- Al Awamir
- Al Balakus
- Al Haddayn
- Al Hajar al Mahruq
- Al Imam al Ghazali
- Al Imam al Husayn
- Al Izbah al Jadidah
- Al Jabrawah
- Al Kahilah
- Al Khaliliyah
- Al Khawalid
- Al Kifah
- Al Misin
- Al Qalawat
- Al Uyun
- Al Wafaiyah
- Al Yusufiyah
- Amlit
- An Naqidi
- An Nibayrah
- An Nijaylah
- An Nuqrash
- Armaniyah
- Arraqat Hamid
- As Sawalim al Bahriyah
- As Sawalim al Qibliyah
- As Sawwaf
- As Sayyad
- Ash Shuayrah
- Asmaniyah
- At Tud
- Awad Abu Dujayjah
- Az Zafarani
- Barrim
- Biban
- Birqamah
- Damatyuh
- Daqduqah
- Dast al Ashraf
- Dimisna
- Dirshay
- Ezbet Abu Zeid
- Ezbet Deif Alla el-Lafi
- Ezbet Deif Alla Sultan
- Ezbet Doctor Zeifal
- Ezbet el Darawsha
- Ezbet el-Gababsa
- Ezbet el-Khorsa
- Ezbet Elwani
- Ezbet Foda
- Ezbet Hakara
- Ezbet Lutaiyif
- Ezbet Matrud
- Ezbet Max Rino
- Ezbet Radi
- Ezbet Shurba el-Sharqiya
- Ezbet Sidi Isa
- Itay al Barud
- Kawm Hamadah
Wadi El Natrun and Badr
The desert south-west, along the Cairo-Alexandria desert road. Wadi El Natrun is a depression of salt lakes and Coptic monasteries; Badr is a reclamation district.
- Abu al Khawi
- Al Birijat
- Al Jaar
- Al Muminin
- Al Wihdah
- Alqam
- As Sukhnah
- Ash Shajaah
- At Tayriyah
- Badr
- Madinat Wadi an Natrun
Geography
Beheira occupies the whole western Delta, from the Mediterranean shore at Rosetta and Edku south to the desert edge at Wadi El Natrun. The Rosetta branch of the Nile forms its eastern boundary for most of its length. Lake Edku, a shallow brackish lagoon, sits behind the coast and drains through a single sea outlet.
West of the cultivated land the Nubariya canal feeds a reclamation belt that has pushed farming into desert since the 1960s. The governorate borders Alexandria to the north-west and Matrouh to the west. Across the Rosetta branch to the east lie Kafr El Sheikh and Gharbia, with Monufia to the south-east and Giza to the south.
Demographics
The 2017 census counted 6,171,613 residents. CAPMAS estimated 6,830,189 in January 2023 and 6,992,742 a year later. About 80.5% of the population is rural, one of the highest shares in Egypt, and the governorate has no city approaching the size of Damanhur. Density averages 695 people per km², but that figure misleads. The desert markazes of Wadi El Natrun and Badr cover most of the land area and hold under 300,000 people.
Economy and Local Life
Beheira is one of Egypt’s leading agricultural governorates. Cotton, rice, wheat, maize and sugar beet dominate, and the reclaimed land west of the canal supplies citrus, grapes and vegetables for export. Fishing works Lake Edku and the Rosetta estuary, and Edku has a sizeable fleet.
Industry concentrates at Kafr El Dawwar, where the cotton spinning and weaving mills have run since 1938. Chemical and salt works operate around Wadi El Natrun. Damanhur is the commercial centre, with the largest weekly market and the governorate’s main hospitals and courts.
History
Damanhur was the ancient town of Hermopolis Parva, dedicated to the god Horus. Rosetta grew as a Mediterranean port in the Ottoman period, when the Nile mouth there carried most of Egypt’s trade with Europe. In July 1799 French soldiers rebuilding Fort Julien near Rosetta uncovered the Rosetta Stone, the trilingual slab that gave Champollion the key to hieroglyphs.
Wadi El Natrun has held Coptic monasteries since the fourth century. Four remain active: Deir Anba Bishoy, the Syrian Monastery, Baramus and Saint Macarius. The governorate took its modern form in the nineteenth century, when the Mahmoudiyah Canal opened the western Delta to year-round irrigation.
Getting There
Damanhur lies about 160 km north-west of Cairo and 60 km south-east of Alexandria. The Cairo-Alexandria agricultural road runs through Itay El Barud and Damanhur. The desert road crosses the south past Wadi El Natrun and Sadat City. Trains on the Cairo-Alexandria main line stop at Itay El Barud and Damanhur, roughly two hours from Cairo. Rosetta is reached by the coastal road from Alexandria, about 65 km.
FAQ
What is the capital of Beheira Governorate?
Damanhur is the capital. It sits in the centre of the governorate on the Cairo-Alexandria rail line.
How many villages are in Beheira?
Gazetteers record 1665 named settlements across the governorate, from market towns down to single-family izbas. The 250 largest are listed on this page.
What is the population of Beheira Governorate?
CAPMAS estimated 6,830,189 people in January 2023, rising to 6,992,742 in January 2024. The 2017 census counted 6,171,613.
How many markazes does Beheira have?
Fifteen markazes, plus urban kisms at Damanhur, Kafr El Dawwar and West Nubariya.
What is the postal code for Damanhur?
Damanhur uses 22511, and the telephone area code across the governorate is 045.
Where was the Rosetta Stone found?
At Fort Julien just outside Rosetta, in Beheira, in July 1799.