For Egypt, on the territory of which kingdoms existed 3000 years before our era, Port Said, named after the then ruler of the country, Mohammed Saeed Pasha, is not even young - he has an
infant age. It was conceived as an integral part of the infrastructure of the Suez Canal opened in 1869.
Channel Significance
1858 is the date of foundation of the city. The Suez Canal Administration is located on the opposite side of the artificial watercourse, in the satellite city of Port Fuade. Port Said is the northern gate of the canal, while on the south side it is closed by Suez. The importance of the city, located on the Mediterranean coast, is great, since the Suez Canal is one of the most important artificial waterways in the world. It shortens the way from Europe to the Indian Ocean basin by tens of times, and, importantly, this road is safe.
Water around
Port Said itself is a free port - since 1974 a free economic zone has been declared here, that is, due to duty-free import of goods, they are cheaper here than in all of Egypt. Around the city there is a lot of water - the Mediterranean Sea, the Nile, and the "Egyptian Hong Kong" (as its inhabitants call it) is built on a sand spit that separates the sea from the largest salt lake in Egypt - Manzala, which in itself is an interesting object, because here flamingos and white stork, common collar (bustard), heron and pelican nest.
The pearl of northeast Africa
At the northern gate of the canal, passing ships are loaded with fuel (their annual number exceeds 25,000 units). Besides the fact that Port Said is a large industrial site, it is also a resort town, known in this status since the mid-19th century.
The city has a very interesting architecture - many of the original buildings have been preserved. Wooden houses are interconnected by a maze of balconies and ladders. And some, perhaps deliberate dilapidation of the old part of the city gives it a kind of charm and mystery.
Modern, civilized, but with the aroma of antiquity
Someone called these interweaving stairs labyrinths in the style of the Dutch artist Moritz Cornelis Escher. To understand what is at stake, you can take a look at one of his pictures.
Below is a real photo, Port Said on which looks a little different, but something common is visible.
Yes, and "Escher's style" sounds mysterious and tempting, and for sure there are tourists who want to see a piece of colonial antiquity.
Some sights of the city
This city has other chips that only belong to it, which can serve as a good advertisement. So, the world-famous American Statue of Liberty was originally made for this gate of the Suez Canal, and it was called The Light Asia (Light of Asia). But due to the high cost of transportation and installation, this idea was abandoned. Noteworthy for Russian tourists may be the fact that the city has been a twin city of Volgograd since 1962, it has the eponymous square and Russkaya Street. There is also a cemetery of our compatriots - 30 sailors from the cruiser Peresvet, whose bodies were not swallowed by the sea, are buried here. (In 1917, after leaving the canal for unknown reasons, a Russian ship exploded.)
Large seaport
Where is Port Said located? The city is 200 km from the capital of Cairo. This is the easiest way to get here by bus. Almost at the same distance (222 km or 138 miles by sea) the city is located from Egyptian Alexandria. These two sea cities and the Dumyat located between them are the largest ports of this camp. By itself, Port Said (Egypt) is charming, but not particularly in demand by tourists seeking resorts in the Red and Mediterranean Seas. Although here, in the north of the Sinai Peninsula, there are amazing beaches surrounded by luxurious palm trees.
Guarded facility
Nearby is the miracle of engineering technology, which is simply interesting to look at - the Suez Canal. We must take into account the fact that the channel, which brings a third of the country's income, is more than carefully guarded. But there are certain places where you can admire this miracle and even take pictures of it. The ships sailing in the desert are very reminiscent of the stunning footage from the world-famous masterpiece "Lawrence of Arabia", when the camera shows the sea liner rushing along the sand a little below. The aroma of antiquity of certain parts of the city and the most beautiful mosque, visible from afar, give the city only its inherent charm.
Conquered part of Sinai
The Grand Mosque of Port Fuad, the city that forms an agglomeration with Port Said, was built in 1993-1994 in honor of Ahmed Fuad I (like the town itself, founded in 1927), King of Egypt and Sudan, the first to receive this title. She is very beautiful and visible from everywhere. It can be noted that a small section of the Sinai Peninsula belongs to Egypt, and it is here that the main air defense point of the country is now located. There is a free ferry service every 10 minutes between two settlements spread out on both banks of the canal.
Memory of the war
It should be noted that Port Said is a hero city, at one time opposing large enemy forces in several episodes, of which the most significant is the resistance to the Anglo-French contingent during the Suez War in 1956, which occurred after the nationalization of the Nasser Canal. There are many monuments and obelisks reminiscent of those events. In addition, it is a civilized, richest and largest city on the canal. The Military Museum is very interesting.
Wonderful sea voyage
If you do not set a goal to spend the whole vacation only in this village, then a day trip here will not disappoint anyone. Beautiful comfortable buses and minibuses regularly run between Port Said and Cairo with Alexandria. The travel time is 3 and 4 hours, respectively. A bus ticket, for example, from Cairo to Port Said, costs $ 3.5. It takes much longer to travel by train - more than 5 hours. A trip from Alexandria to Port Said by sea along the northern coast of Africa may turn out to be extremely interesting. The age difference between these cities is striking: Alexandria was built by Alexander the Great in 332 BC, and Port Said in the second half of the 19th century.
Guarantee of a wonderful, good rest
If you spend your entire vacation in this port city, then hotels for every taste are at the disposal of tourists. It should be noted that Port Said is not very concerned about advertising its tourist merits and the possibilities of travelers' receptions. In a few guidebooks, information about hotels available to most citizens (from $ 30 per day) is not available at all. And there are more than ten pieces of them only in the center, and information about them with marks on the map can be found in the public domain, where enthusiastic tourists who have already seen and loved Port Said put them. 4 and 5 star hotels, such as Grand Albatros Port Said, Resta Port Said and Helnan Port Said, have comprehensive information about themselves in any Egypt travel guide, and on the websites you can find out all the smallest details, including the cost of living and any of the services available. And, of course, you can book any room in advance.
Not fully appreciated
Despite the harshness of the Egyptian police and the status of the canal as a military facility, every year an increasing number of tourists visit Port Said. The city has a variety of reviews, but for the most part they are positive, if not enthusiastic. In some hotel everything is fine, but the rooms do not have internet, someone is not happy with the level of cleanliness in other hotels. But after all, always and necessarily in any matter there is that very fly in the ointment. The Bolshoi Albatros Hotel, which does not have free Wi-Fi, but can use the World Wide Web for $ 4 per hour, is unusually beautiful, which can confirm the photo below. Right from the windows of many hotels you can watch the progress of huge ships and barges along the canal.
Port Said is not inferior to the quality of service and level of facilities to any of the most popular Egyptian resorts. The main attraction of this city is the embankment, beautiful and spacious. The Suez Canal administration building is very impressive. Resting in Port Said, you can visit any interesting object in Israel or in Egypt itself. The unique museum of the city has unique collections for all periods of the country's history.