Port Said

Port Said, the Egyptian port at the N entrance to the Suez Canal, c. 1880.

Port in Egypt, on reclaimed land at the north end of the Suez Canal; population (1996 est) 469,500. Industries include, as well as fishing, the manufacture of chemicals, processed food, and cigarettes.

It has a large harbour and discharging basin. It was founded in 1859 when construction of the Suez canal began. The port was bombed by British and French forces and temporarily occupied by them in December 1956. During the 1967 Arab-Israeli War the city was damaged and the canal blocked; Port Said was evacuated by 1969 but by 1975 had been largely reconstructed. It was formerly the most important coaling station in the world.