Beheira Governorate

Beheira Governorate
Governorate
Flag of Beheira Governorate
Flag
Official logo of Beheira Governorate
Beheira Governorate subdivisions
Beheira Governorate subdivisions
Beheira Governorate on the map of Egypt
Beheira Governorate on the map of Egypt
Coordinates: 30°37′N 30°26′E / 30.61°N 30.43°E / 30.61; 30.43
Country Egypt
SeatDamanhur (capital)
Government
 • GovernorJacqueline Azer[1]
Area
[2]
 • Total
9,826 km2 (3,794 sq mi)
Population
 (January 2024)[3]
 • Total
6,992,742
 • Density711.7/km2 (1,843/sq mi)
GDP
[4]
 • TotalEGP 289 billion
(US$ 18.4 billion)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EGY)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
ISO 3166 codeEG-BH
HDI (2021)0.718[5]
high · 16th
Websitebehira.gov.eg

Beheira (Arabic: محافظة البحيرة Moḥafzet el Beḥēra, IPA: [moˈħɑfzˤet elbeˈħeːɾæ], "the governorate of the Lake") is a coastal governorate in northern Egypt. Located in the northern part of the country in the Nile Delta, its capital is Damanhur.

Overview

Wadi El Natrun - El Alamein Rd, El Beheira Governorate, Egypt

Beheira Governorate enjoys an important strategical place, west of the Rosetta branch of the Nile. It comprises four important highways, namely the Cairo-Alexandria desert road, the Cairo agricultural road, the international road, and the circular road. Beheira Governorate is also home to a number of the most important Coptic monasteries in Wadi El Natrun (Scetes).[2][6]

Beheira consists of 13 marakez and 14 cities, and contains important industries such as cotton, chemicals, carpets, electricity, and fishing.

The governorate has a noteworthy number of archaeological sites, including at Abu El Matamir, Abu Hummus, Damanhour, Rosetta (Rashid), and Kafr El Dawwar.[7] Coins, lamps, animal bones, and pottery from Roman and later Eastern Roman (Byzantine) eras are some of the archaeological finds discovered at Kom El Giza, and Kom El Hamam in Beheira.[8]

In 2017, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi appointed the first female governor in the country's history, Nadia Ahmed Abdou, for Beheira Governorate.[9]

Municipal divisions

The governorate is divided into the following municipal divisions for administrative purposes, with a total estimated population as of January 2024 of 6,992,742. In some instances there is a markaz and a kism with the same name.[3]

Municipal Divisions
Anglicized name Native name Arabic transliteration Population
(January 2023 Est.)		 Type
Abu El Matamir مركز ابو المطامير Abū al-Maṭāmīr 603,640 Markaz
Abu Hummus مركز أبو حمص Abū Ḥummuṣ 581,820 Markaz
El Delengat مركز الدلنجات Ad-Dilinjāt 400,570 Markaz
Mahmoudiyah مركز المحمودية Al-Maḥmūdiyah 305,974 Markaz
Rahmaniya مركز الرحمانية Ar-Raḥmāniyah 176,315 Markaz
Badr مركز بدر Badr 208,542 Markaz
Damanhour قسم دمنهور Damanhūr 327,352 Kism (fully urban)
Damanhour مركز دمنهور Damanhūr 586,244 Markaz
West Nubariyah قسم غرب النوبارية Gharb an-Nūbāriyah 130,405 Kism (urban and rural parts)
Hosh Essa مركز حوش عيسى Ḥawsh 'Īsā 339,556 Markaz
Edku مركز إدكو Idkū 257,873 Markaz
Itay El Barud مركز إيتاى البارود Ityāy al-Bārūd 476,197 Markaz
Kafr El Dawwar قسم كفر الدوار Kafr ad-Dawwār 344,133 Kism (urban and rural parts)
Kafr El Dawwar مركز كفر الدوار Kafr ad-Dawwār 749,595 Markaz
Kom Hamada مركز كوم حمادة Kawm Ḥamādah 496,752 Markaz
Rosetta مركز رشيد Rashīd 309,188 Markaz
Shubrakhit مركز شبرا خيت Shubrākhīt 302,429 Markaz
Natrn Valley مركز وادى النطرون Wadi an-Natrun 90,576 Markaz

Population

According to population estimates, in 2024 the majority of residents in the governorate lived in rural areas, with an urbanization rate of only 19.5%. Out of an estimated 6,992,742 people residing in the governorate, 5,629,157 people lived in rural areas as opposed to only 1,363,585 in urban areas.[10]

Archaeology

IIn March 2026, archaeologists from the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced Ithe discovery of a 5th-century CE building at the Qalaye site in Hosh Issa, identified as a monastic guesthouse from the early period of Coptic monasticism. The structure, consisting of multiple rooms and functional spaces, was likely used to host visitors and monks, reflecting a transition from isolated ascetic practices to more organized, semi-communal religious life. Architectural features, including decorated elements and designated communal areas, provide valuable insights into the evolution of early monastic complexes and daily life within one of Egypt’s major monastic centers.[11][12][13]

Cities and towns

Notable people

Industrial zones

According to the Governing Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), the following industrial zones are located in Beheira:[14][2]

Zone name
New El Nubaria Industrial Zone

Projects and programs

In 1981, the Basic Village Service Program (BVS), under the auspices of USAID, had several water, road, and other projects, going on in several markazes in Beheira Governorate.[15]

In 2018 the governorate council discussed a campaign of mosquito control and animal control to avert the spread of preventable diseases.[16]

References

  1. ^ "Et guide: 19 women appointed in Egypt's cabinet, governors reshuffle". 3 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "El-Beheira Governorate". sis.gov.eg. 24 May 2016.
  3. ^ a b https://www.capmas.gov.eg/Admin/Pages%20Files/202331512347%D8%B9%D8%AF%D8%AF%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%83%D8%A7%D9%86%20%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89%20%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%88%D9%89%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%83%D8%B2%20%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%82%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%85%20%D9%81%D9%89%201%D9%80%201%D9%80%202023.pdf. Retrieved 2 April 2023. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. ^ "GDP BY GOVERNORATE", mped.gov.eg
  5. ^ "Sub-national HDI - Subnational HDI - Table - Global Data Lab". globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  6. ^ "Al-Buḥayrah GOVERNORATE, EGYPT". britannica.
  7. ^ Wilson, Penelope Grigoropoulos, Dimitris (2009). West Delta Regional Survey, Beheira and Kafr el-Sheikh provinces. Excavation memoir. London : Egypt Exploration Society. ISBN 9780856981944. OCLC 690191661.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
  8. ^ Bergmann, Marianne; Heinzelmann, Michael. "Schedia Project at Kom El Giza / Kom El Haman" (PDF). archaeologie.uni-koeln.de. University of Goettingen/Germany at Schedia.
  9. ^ "Egypt's first-ever female governor marches to a different drummer". Al-Monitor. 2017-02-22. Archived from the original on 2017-02-23. Retrieved 2017-02-22.
  10. ^ "Population Estimates By Sex & Governorate 1/1/2015" (PDF). CAPMAS. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-10-19. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  11. ^ "Egypt uncovers 5th-century Coptic monastic guesthouse in Beheira - Coptic - Antiquities". Ahram Online. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  12. ^ "Egypt, 5th century A.D. building found linked to early phase of Coptic monastic life". www.finestresullarte.info. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  13. ^ Carvajal, Guillermo (2026-03-23). "Archaeological discovery from the 5th century in the Nile Delta: the second-largest monastic complex in the history of Egyptian Christianity". LBV Magazine English Edition. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  14. ^ "Industrial Zones of Governorate". Ministry of Investment Egypt. Archived from the original on 2018-11-23. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  15. ^ "Egypt: The Basic Village Services Program" (PDF). USAID. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-10-19. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  16. ^ Qassam, Hamdi (19 November 2018). "Secretary General discusses stray dogs and mosquitoes in the lake". Al Masry Al Youm. Archived from the original on 2018-11-20. Retrieved 2018-11-20.
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