Abuqir Attractions

Twelve km/7.5mi northeast of the Montazah Palace, on a promontory defended on all sides by old forts, is the fishing village of Abuqir (Aboukir). The Battle of the Nile (August 1, 1798) was fought in Abuqir Bay, in which Nelson inflicted an annihilating defeat on the French fleet. Here, too, in 1799, Napoleon defeated a numerically much superior Turkish force; and here in 1801 Sir Ralph Abercromby defeated the remnants of the French army and compelled them to evacuate Egypt. Southwest of the village is the site of the important ancient port of Canopus, of which only scanty remains survive; the site is now in a military area and closed to the public.