Bir al-Abd

Bir al-Abed (Arabic: بئر العبد, romanized: biʾr al-ʿabd; Egyptian Arabic: بير العبد) is one of the cities of North Sinai in the north east of Egypt. It is the capital of Bir al-Abd Markaz, located on the international coastal road on the shores of Lake Bardawil.

Bir al-Abed بئر العبد
City
Flag
Bir al-Abed Location in Egypt
Coordinates: 31.018056°N 33.011111°E / 31.018056; 33.011111
Country	Egypt
Governorate	North Sinai
Population  (2015)
• Total	~87,219
Time zone	UTC+2 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (not observed)

1974 excavation in Bir al-Abed: an ancient silo

History

On 9 August 1916, the Battle of Bir el Abd, which was part of the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of the First World War, occurred. Following the British success in the battle of Romani, ANZAC Mounted Division, with the 5th Mounted Brigade under command, was tasked to follow a retiring Turkish Army force. British patrols discovered them on 8 August and the remainder of the ANZAC Division got into a position to attack the next day. The assault was launched on early 9 August and became a day of attack and counter-attack. Finally in the early evening Chauvel, commanding the ANZAC Division, ordered his troops to withdraw leaving the Turkish force in command of the battleground.^[2]

On 24 November 2017, in the al-Rawda mosque near the town, known as the birthplace of the founder of Sufism in the Sinai Peninsula, was attacked by around forty gunmen during Friday prayers. The gun and bomb attack killed at least 305 people and injured more than 100 others, making it the deadliest attack in Egyptian history.^{[3][4][5][6][7]} The mosque is on the road between El Arish and Bir al-Abed.^[8]

On 12 October 2019, a blast killed nine members from the same family when they were returning from an olive farm and wounded the other six during the battle against the insurgency in the area.^[9][10]

See also

• Northern coast of Egypt
• Sheikh Zuweid
• Gaza Strip

References

1. Fewster, Basarin, Basarin 2003, pp.xi–xii
2. At the time of the First World War, the modern Turkish state did not exist, and instead it was part of the Ottoman Turkish Empire. While the terms have distinct historical meanings, within many English-language sources the term "Turkey" and "Ottoman Empire" are used synonymously, although many academic sources differ in their approaches.^[1] The sources used in this article predominantly use the term "Turkey". .
3. "Egypt attack: More than 230 killed in Sinai mosque". BBC News. 24 November 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
4. "The Latest: Egypt says death toll in mosque attack up to 200". Associated Press News. 24 November 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
5. "Deadly blast strikes mosque in Egypt's Sinai". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
6. "Egypt mosque attack: Death toll rises to 235, state media says". Retrieved 24 November 2017.
7. "Sinai mosque massacre: What we know". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2017-11-24.
8. Lee, Ian; Laura Smith-Spark; Hamdi Alkhshali (2017-11-25). "Egypt hunts for killers after mosque attack leaves at least 235 dead". CNN. Retrieved 2017-11-25. Gunmen fired on people fleeing after explosions took place at the mosque between Bir al-Abed and the city of al-Arish.
9. AP (23 October 2019). "Egyptian officials say 9 killed in explosion in north Sinai". Times of Israel. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
10. "Unidentified missile kills family in Bir al-Abd, Egyptian security forces thwart suicide attack in Arish". Mada Masr. 14 October 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2020.