El-Mansura, Egypt
Tourism

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from which the Bahr el-Sughayyar branches off here to flow into Lake Manzala.

The city has an entirely European aspect, with modern buildings in Western style in addition to many mosques of little architectural interest. It is a market and processing center for the agricultural produce of the Delta, with several large cotton factories, and also has metalworking industries.

History

El-Mansura (the "Victorious") was founded by Sultan Malik el-Kamil in 1221 to replace Damietta, which had fallen to the Crusaders. In 1249 a Crusading army led by Louis IX of France succeeded, after hard fighting, in crossing the Ushmum Canal (now the Bahr el-Sughayyar) to El-Mansura, but were then surrounded and defeated by the young Sultan El-Moazzam Turanshah. Their fleet was destroyed, their supplies were cut off and finally, after great slaughter, Louis himself was taken prisoner in April 1250, and was released (on May 6, 1250) in return for a heavy ransom and the surrender of Damietta.

Visitors are still shown a small house near the Mosque of El-Muwafiq which is said to be Louis IX's prison, and a spot near the point where the Bahr el-Sughayyar branches off the Nile is reputed to be the site of the Crusaders' camp.