El Mahalla El Kubra

El Mahalla El Kubra consists of two words: El Mahalla in Arabic means "district" or "encampment", El Kubra means "great". Hence the title collectively means "The Great Encampment".{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Al-Mahallah-al-Kubra|title=Al-Maḥallah al-Kubrā|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=2018-06-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623171010/https://www.britannica.com/place/Al-Mahallah-al-Kubra|archive-date=2018-06-23|url-status=live}} The name is probably a rough translation of its Coptic Egyptian equivalent ti-Šairi ({{Langx|cop|ϯϣⲁⲓⲣⲓ|lit=cohabitation, residence}}).{{Cite web|url=http://coptot.manuscriptroom.com/crum-coptic-dictionary/?docID=800000&pageID=584|title=Crum Coptic Dictionary - CoptOT Public|website=coptot.manuscriptroom.com|access-date=2020-01-06}}

In the Chronicle of John of Nikiu el-Mahalla is also given a name Didouseya{{Cite journal |last=Maspero |first=Jean |last2=Wiet |first2=Gaston |date=1919 |title=Matériaux pour servir à la géographie de l'Égypte |journal=MIFAO |volume=36 |pages=164}}, which could be equated with Theodosiou ({{Langx|cop|ⲑⲉⲟⲇⲱⲥⲓⲟⲩ}}). It is given as Theodosiou Nixis ({{Langx|cop|ⲑⲉⲟⲇⲱⲥⲓⲟⲩ ⲛⲓⲝⲓⲥ}}) by Daressy, but it's rather an equation of two nearby towns (Theodosiou and Nixis, modern Nawasa ({{Langx|ar|نَوَسا}})), common for Coptic Scalae, rather than a compound name.{{Cite journal |last=Daressy |first=G. |date=1894 |title=Les Grandes Villes d'Égypte a l'Époque Copte |journal=Revue Archéologique |volume=25 |pages=196–215 |issn=0035-0737 |jstor=41729502}} The modern area Suq al-Laban is located on Didouseya Hill.{{Cite web |title=سوق اللبن |url=https://www.marefa.org/%D8%B3%D9%88%D9%82_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%86 |access-date=2023-04-19 |website=المعرفة |language=ar}}

The city was also known as Mahalla Daqla ({{Langx|ar|محلة دقلا}}), where second word could be a corruption of Dakahla.

An ancient village Sandafa ({{Langx|ar|صندفا}}, {{Langx|cop|ⲥⲉⲛⲧⲉϥⲉ}}) was located south of el-Mahalla. North of it was a village Hureyn Baharmis ({{Langx|ar|هورين بهرمس}}), the name of which suggests that it was an ancient river-port ({{Langx|cop|ⲡϩⲟⲣⲙⲟⲥ|lit=the port|translit=phormos}}),{{Cite web |last=Peust |first=Carsten |title=Die Toponyme vorarabischen Ursprungs im modernen Ägypten |url=http://www.peust.de/ortsnamen_original.pdf |page=17}} whose namesake is mentioned in Demotic sources ({{Langx|egy|Ḥwrn.t}}{{Cite web |last=Peust |first=Carsten |title=Die Toponyme vorarabischen Ursprungs im modernen Ägypten |url=http://www.peust.de/ortsnamen_original.pdf |page=17}}). In 1844 the city absorbed both villages.{{Cite web |title=الأرشيف المصرى للحياة والمأثورات الشعبية |url=http://www.nfa-eg.org/Search/Place_Details.aspx?ID=179 |access-date=2023-04-19 |website=www.nfa-eg.org}}

El Mahalla El Kubra was designated as the capital of Gharbia Governorate in 1320 by Ibn Qalawun, before it was relocated to Tanta in 1836.{{citation needed|date=June 2019}}

File:Nasser in Tanta, Aug 8 1959.jpg waves to crowds in El Mahalla El Kubra as he departs the city, 1959]]

File:Egypt-portfolio-1A.jpg.]]

Over 15,000 protesters clashed with police in El Mahalla in 2006, following the publication of a cartoon mocking Islam in Denmark.{{cite news|title=Danish Cartoon Editor on Indefinite Leave|newspaper=The New York Times|date=11 February 2006|last=Bilesfky|first=Dan}}

Later in 2006 textile workers struck to protest market reforms, demanding better living conditions.

Beginning in April 2008 the city held mass demonstrations protesting the election results of President Hosni Mubarak, claiming election fraud and demanding better wages. Security forces were ordered to crack down on the dissidents, and in May they killed two or three in the city and injured dozens.{{cite news|last=Knickmeyer|first=Ellen|title=Fledgling Rebellion on Facebook Is Struck Down by Force in Egypt|newspaper=Washington Post|date=18 May 2008}}{{cite news|last=Shenker|first=Jack|title=Egypt's frustrated young wait for their lives to begin, and dream of revolution|date=23 January 2011|newspaper=The Observer (England)}} Images of protesters in Mahalla overturning billboards of Mubarak were viewed by some Egyptians as a turning point in Egyptian politics, according to The Washington Post. The Observer has written that protests in El Mahalla from 2006 to 2011 spearheaded larger political changes throughout Egypt. A Facebook group established by 28-year-old engineer Ahmad Maher to support striking textile workers in El Mahalla gained 70,000 followers and helped organize support for the strikers nationally.{{cite news|first=Sonia|last=Verma|title=How Egypt got here: A brutal beating and a penchant for Facebook has protesters eager to brave the streets|newspaper=The Globe and Mail|date=27 January 2011}}

In 2011, protests in Mahalla contributed to the collapse of the Mubarak dictatorship.

On 15 July 2012, 25,000 workers from El Mahalla El Kubra's Misr Spinning and Weaving Company went on strike, demanding increased profit sharing, better retirement benefits and a replacement of the management.{{cite news|last=Stern|first=Johannes|url=http://www.wsws.org/articles/2012/jul2012/egyp-j18.shtml|title=Egyptian workers mount mass strikes against US-backed junta|date=18 July 2012|access-date=8 December 2012|newspaper=World Socialist Web Site|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121027234950/http://www.wsws.org/articles/2012/jul2012/egyp-j18.shtml|archive-date=27 October 2012|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}} The Misr workers were joined by workers from seven other textile factories in the region, and strikes also broke out among doctors and health workers, university workers, and ceramics workers in other parts of Egypt.

Clashes between protesters supporting or opposing the Muslim Brotherhood on November 28 left over 100 people injured.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/clashes-spread-beyond-cairo/2012/11/28/2ec91b2c-afc6-48c4-86ee-30d90b8ba71f_video.html|title=Clashes Spread Beyond Cairo|newspaper=Washington Post|date=28 November 2012|access-date=8 December 2012}}{{dead link|date=June 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} On December 7, the city declared itself autonomous from Egypt,{{cite news|url=http://dailynewsegypt.com/2012/12/07/mahalla-announces-autonomy/|newspaper=Daily News Egypt|first=Sara|last=Bakr|title=Mahalla announces autonomy|date=7 December 2012|access-date=8 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121209011017/http://dailynewsegypt.com/2012/12/07/mahalla-announces-autonomy/|archive-date=9 December 2012|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}} as workers and students, declaring themselves independent from the "Muslim Brotherhood State", cut rail lines and blocked entrances to the city.{{cite news|last=Stern|first=Johannes|date=8 December 2012|access-date=8 December 2012|newspaper=World Socialist Web Site|title=Protests spread throughout Egypt against Islamist dictatorship|url=http://wsws.org/articles/2012/dec2012/egyp-d08.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121211085114/http://www.wsws.org/articles/2012/dec2012/egyp-d08.shtml|archive-date=11 December 2012|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}} Protesters stormed the city council and announced their intentions to replace it with a revolutionary council.

{{See also|Nile Delta#Climate}}

The Köppen–Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as hot desert (BWh).

{{Weather box|width=auto

| metric first = yes

| single line = yes

| location = El Mahalla El Kubra

| Jan high C = 18.6

| Feb high C = 19.6

| Mar high C = 22.4

| Apr high C = 26.4

| May high C = 31.2

| Jun high C = 32.8

| Jul high C = 33.5

| Aug high C = 33.6

| Sep high C = 31.8

| Oct high C = 28.9

| Nov high C = 24.8

| Dec high C = 20.4

| Jan mean C = 12.1

| Feb mean C = 12.8

| Mar mean C = 15.3

| Apr mean C = 18.7

| May mean C = 22.8

| Jun mean C = 25.2

| Jul mean C = 26.6

| Aug mean C = 26.5

| Sep mean C = 24.7

| Oct mean C = 22.2

| Nov mean C = 18.9

| Dec mean C = 14.2

| Jan low C = 5.6

| Feb low C = 6

| Mar low C = 8.2

| Apr low C = 11

| May low C = 14.5

| Jun low C = 17.7

| Jul low C = 19.7

| Aug low C = 19.4

| Sep low C = 17.6

| Oct low C = 15.6

| Nov low C = 13

| Dec low C = 8

| Jan precipitation mm = 14

| Feb precipitation mm = 10

| Mar precipitation mm = 7

| Apr precipitation mm = 4

| May precipitation mm = 3

| Jun precipitation mm = 0

| Jul precipitation mm = 0

| Aug precipitation mm = 0

| Sep precipitation mm = 0

| Oct precipitation mm = 3

| Nov precipitation mm = 7

| Dec precipitation mm = 12

| source 1 = climate-data.org{{cite web|title=Climate: Mahalla al Kubra - Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table|url=http://en.climate-data.org/location/726/|publisher=climate-data.org|access-date=13 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826181804/http://en.climate-data.org/location/726/|archive-date=26 August 2014|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}

}}

El Mahalla El Kubra contains Misr Spinning and Weaving Company, the largest cotton manufacturing company in Egypt, and the clock of Big Ben is made by this company.

El Mahalla El Kubra is home to the largest public sector Egyptian textile company, the Misr Spinning and Weaving Company, employing over 27,000 workers.

The city has two football teams: Ghazl Al-Mehalla and Baladeyet Al-Mahalla.

• Mahmoud Mokhtar, a legendary Egyptian sculptor
• Salah Zulfikar, legendary actor
• Cyril of Alexandria, Patriarch of Alexandria from 412 to 444
• Ahmed Elmohamady, Egyptian Footballer
• Shawky Gharieb, former footballer and coach
• Mohamed Elneny, footballer
• Reham Abdel Ghafour, actress

• List of cities and towns in Egypt
• April 6 Youth Movement

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category-inline|El-Mahalla El-Kubra|El Mahalla El Kubra}}

{{Cities of Egypt}}

{{Egyptian Cities}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Populated places in Gharbia Governorate