Port Said (
Arabic: بورسعيد bōr sa`īd) is Egypt's third city, its second seaport and the entry point of the
by the Mediterranean. It has a cosmopolitan heritage seems especially in its various architectural styles for its buildings, It is situated on one bank of the canal, facing its twin city, Port Fouad (Bur Fouad).
History
Port Said was founded by Sa'id of Egypt on Easter Monday, April 25, 1859, when Ferdinand de Lesseps gave the first symbolic swing of the pickaxe to signal the beginning of construction.
The Lighthouse of Port Said was built in 1869 by Francois Coignet using reinforced concrete for the first time in history, the height of the lighthouse is 56 meters. The lighthouse now is the only original building still standing in Port Said.
Port Said flourished particularly during the nineteenth and the first half of the twentieth century when it was inhabited by various nationalities and religions most of them were from Mediterranean countries, they coexisted intolerance forming a real cosmopolitan community.
Since its establishment Port Said had a prominent place among Egyptian cities and we do not exaggerate if we said among global cities as well, for instance, the city was the third in Egypt to witness a film screening after Cairo and Alexandria in the year 1898, also it enjoyed electricity in 1891, nine years after New York City.
Rudyard Kipling described the vitality of Port Said's community when by saying "If you truly wish to find someone you have known and who travels, there are two points on the globe you have but to sit and wait, sooner or later your man will come there: the docks of London and Port Said."
Port Said suffered from several wars and played a historic role during the Suez crisis in 1956 that failed to achieve any of its objectives.
Today's Port Said is considered one of the Egyptian business centers, as it was declared a duty-free port in January 1976, attracting people from all over Egypt.
Climate
Port Said has a hot desert climate (BWh) but highly influenced by the sea breeze, with sunny hot humid summers and mild slightly wet winters. The daytime can be humid in summer, with summer temperatures averaging 31 °C (88 °F), but evenings are usually cooler and breezy, especially by the Corniche. Winters can get cool, with daytime highs down sometimes to 12 °C (53 °F), with occasional rain. Humidity is high throughout the year. The best time to visit Port Said is in spring (March-June) and autumn (September-November), preferably in early autumn when the sea water is warmer since it's at its busiest in summer when Egyptians flock down to escape the searing heat of Cairo.
Information
Egyptian Tourist Authority has offices at 8 Palestine st., ☎ +20 66 3235289, Port Said Airport (El Gamil Airport), ☎, Port Said Railway Station, ☎.