Kafr El Sheikh كَفرُ الشَّيْخ
City
Flag Seal
Kafr El Sheikh Location in Egypt
Coordinates: 31°06′42″N 30°56′45″E / 31.11167°N 30.94583°E / 31.11167; 30.94583
Country	Egypt
Governorate	Kafr El Sheikh
National day	4th of November
Named for	A Sufi Saint
Area
• Total	19.3 km2 (7.5 sq mi)
Elevation [1]	14 m (46 ft)
Population  (2023)
• Total	~186,857 (Estimate)
• Egypt	98.042.000
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3
Area code	(+20) 47
Website	http://www.kafrelsheikh.gov.eg

Kafr El Sheikh (Egyptian Arabic: كَفرُ الشَّيْخ pronounced [kɑfɾ eʃˈʃeːx]) is an Egyptian city and the capital of Kafr El Sheikh Governorate, Egypt, about 134 km north of Cairo, in the Nile Delta of lower Egypt. As of November 2006, the town had a population of around 500,000.^[2]

Kafr El Sheikh was earlier known as Duminqun (Arabic: دُمِيْنقُون), but was officially named Fuadiyah or Fouadiyah (Arabic: فُؤادِيَّة) in honour of King Fuad I of Egypt. After the 1952 Revolution and the subsequent abolition of the monarchy, the governorate took the name of its capital city Kafr El Sheikh. This name, adopted in 1955, means "the village of the chief".^[3][4][5] In 2006 the University of Kafr El Sheikh was established.

Etymology

The modern name of the city means "village of the sheikh", and refers to sheikh Talhha at-Tilmisānī, who died here in 1234.^[6] The older name of the city, Dumaynaqun (Arabic: دُمِيْنقُون), is reconstructed from Coptic by Engsheden as ⲑⲙⲟⲩⲓ ("island") + a personal name. This pattern is widely represented in Egyptian toponymy, so the name is expected to be Egyptian, but he proposes Nikon (Ancient Greek: Νίκων), which is unattested in Coptic sources, unable to find a suitable Egyptian name.^[7] In fact, a personal name Akon (Coptic: ⲁⲕⲱⲛ) is contained in place names like Pmounakon (Coptic: ⲡⲙⲟⲩⲛⲁⲕⲟⲛ, lit. 'the well of Akon') in the Hermopolite nome and Tmounakon (Coptic: ⲧⲙⲟⲩⲛⲁⲕⲱⲛ, lit. 'the island of Akon') near Oxyrhynchus, the latter of which could share its etymology with Dumaynaqun.^[8][9]

Education

The Governorate of Kafr el Sheikh is the holder of prestigious schools. It also has a university that has the following faculties:

• Faculty of Commerce
• Faculty of Engineering
• Faculty of Agriculture
• Veterinary school
• Faculty of Arts

Main sights

Museum

The city museum showcases artifacts, mostly from Buto. Notable exhibits include artifacts depicting the conflict between Horus and his uncle Set, as well as a remarkable statue of Horus the Falcon. The museum also highlights the period when the city of Sakha hosted the journey of the Holy Family in Egypt. The city of Fuwwah, known for its Islamic heritage, is also featured. The Kafr El Sheikh Museum was inaugurated by President El-Sisi in 2020.^{[citation needed]}

Mosques

• Talha al-Tlemceni
• Abaza
• Al Malek
• Ibn Taimia
• Al Israa
• Ebad al Rahman
• Al Falaheen
• Al Fath (Stadium mosque)
• Al Khayat
• Abo al Azaem
• Sidi Qutb
• Al Rahman (Mosque of el 47 square)
• Sheikha Zahra Coptan

Churches

• Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Sakha
• Evangelical Church
• Church of St.Demiana and forty Virgins
• Saint George's Church

Industry

Kafr El Sheikh is the home to various factories, including a rice mill, a poultry forage factory and a sugar beet factory.^[10]

Sport

Kafr El Sheikh owns Kafr El Sheikh SC which competes in the Egyptian second division league.^{[citation needed]}

Climate

Kafr el-Sheikh is classified by Köppen-Geiger climate classification system as hot desert (BWh).

Notable people

• Hamdeen Sabahi, Egyptian Politician, the leader of the Dignity Party and one of the leaders of the Egyptian opposition before the 2011 Egyptian revolution
• Trezeguet, Egyptian footballer
• Osama Anwar Okasha, Egyptian screenwriter and journalist
• Saad Zaghloul, Egyptian Nationalist and politician