| Ismailia | |
| Native Name: | Arabic: الإسماعيلية |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Pushpin Map: | Egypt#Africa |
| Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 300 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Egypt |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Egypt |
| Subdivision Type1: | Governorate |
| Subdivision Name1: | Ismailia |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 68.8 |
| Population As Of: | 2021 |
| Population Total: | 429,465 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | auto |
| Population Density Metro Km2: | auto |
| Population Density Metro Sq Mi: | auto |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Ethnicities |
| Population Density Blank1 Km2: | auto |
| Population Density Blank1 Sq Mi: | auto |
| Population Demonym: | Ismailiata |
| Timezone: | EET |
| Utc Offset: | +2 |
| Coordinates: | 30.5833°N 48°W |
| Elevation M: | 14 |
| Area Code: | (+20) 69 or (+20) 64 |
Ismailia (Arabic: الإسماعيلية , lesmæʕiˈlejjæ/) is a city in north-eastern Egypt. Situated on the west bank of the Suez Canal, it is the capital of the Ismailia Governorate. The city had an estimated population of about 430,000 in 2021 (about 750,000, if including surrounding rural areas). It is located approximately halfway between Port Said to the north and Suez to the south. The Canal widens at that point to include Lake Timsah, one of the Bitter Lakes linked by the Canal.
Ismailia was founded in 1863, during the construction of the Suez Canal, by Khedive Ismail, after whom the city is named. Following the Battle of Kafr-el-Dawwar in 1882 the British established a base there.
The head office of the Suez Canal Authority is located in Ismailia at the shore of Lake Timsah. It has a large number of buildings dating from British and French involvement with the Canal. Most of these buildings are currently used by Canal employees and officials.
During World War I the British had an air base there and the Battle of Romani took place nearby. Ismailia War Cemetery was designed in 1919 by Sir Robert Lorimer marking the casualties of the battle.[2]
In 1973 the Battle of Ismailia took place in the city.
In October 2023, a massive fire broke out in the security directorate of the city, leaving the building fully burned with 38 injured and 1 dead. [3] [4]
The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in Ismailia by Hassan al-Banna in March 1928. An underground paramilitary wing was established in the 1940s, primarily to contest the British occupation of Egypt. In the early 1950s, Ismailia hosted the British Military HQ and the Civilian Administration Centre of the Canal Zone. An attack on an Egyptian government building and army barracks manned by auxiliary policemen by a British Army force on 25 January 1952 was a key event leading to the overthrow of King Farouk I later that year and the Egyptian Revolution that followed. British forces pulled out of Ismailia in 1954.
On 17 December 1982 an Eparchy (Eastern Catholic Diocese) of Ismayliah was established on territory split off from the Coptic Catholic Patriarchate of Alexandria (Alexandrian Rite in Coptic language), which remains its Metropolitan. Its episcopal see is St. Mark's cathedral.
Ismailia has several public and private schools. Ismailia is the home of the Suez Canal University, established in 1976 with the help of the Chinese Government to serve the region of Suez Canal and Sinai. Suez Canal University now is one of the fastest growing educational institutions in Egypt with many students studying abroad.
Ismailia hosts two important festivals each year. The first is the International Film Festival for Documentaries and Shorts that is held in June.[5] In June 2014, the 17th consecutive festival was organized. The second is the Ismailia International Folklore Arts Festival that is held in September. In this festival folkloric troupes from all around the globe meet in Ismailia, where they perform folkloric dances representing the culture of their countries.[6]
Ismailia does get tourists from within Egypt, but is not a major tourism destination for international tourists. The city is approximately a ninety-minute automobile drive from Cairo. From Ismailia it is approximately a four-hour drive to Sharm el-Sheikh in South Sinai. Driving to the Taba Border Crossing at Taba and the Rafah Border Crossing at Rafah are both approximately four-hour drives. A major attraction is the Ismailia Museum which was built in 1932. Visitors will find a variety of significant archaeological finds especially from sites in the Ismailia governorate such as Tell el-Maskhuta, from North Sinai, and from Upper Egypt.
Ismailia is home to the third most successful club in Egypt (in the field of Football, Ismaily SC. The club's performance is considered a major political issue, and can tend to dictate the city's mood. The team enjoys brief stints of competition for local and international competition, but its financial situation prevents these stints from extending beyond a few years. The team has won the Egyptian League three times (1967, 1991, 2002), the Egyptian Cup twice (1997, 2000), and the African Cup of Champions Clubs once in 1969 as the first Egyptian and Arab Club team to have won this league.
Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as hot desert (BWh).
The hottest recorded temperature was on 14 June 1944 while the coldest recorded temperature was in January.[7]