El Alamein

This article is about the city. For other uses, see El Alamein (disambiguation).

El Alamein (Arabic: العلمين, romanized: al-ʿAlamayn, lit. 'the two flags', IPA: [elʕælæˈmeːn] ^ⓘ) is an Egyptian city in the northern Matrouh Governorate. Located on the Mediterranean Sea, it lies 106 kilometres (66 mi) west of Alexandria and 300 kilometres (186 mi) northwest of Cairo. The town is located on the site of the ancient city Antiphrai (Greek: Ἀντίφραι). The city is divided into three main areas: El Alamein, Sidi Abdel Rahman, and Tel El Eis village.^[2]

El Alamein العلمين al-ʿAlamayn
City
Marina's Porto Resort The German Memorial Alamein Port Alamein Church Alamein Military Museum The Mediterranean Marina Alamein Arch Site Tomb
El Alamein Location in Egypt
Coordinates: 30°50′N 28°57′E
Country	Egypt
Governorate	Matrouh
Area
• Total	342.0 km2 (132.0 sq mi)
Population  (2023)
• Total	12,580
• Density	36.78/km2 (95.27/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
[1]

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
2007	7,397	—
2017	10,013	+35.4%

The city's economy is mainly based on its natural resources of petroleum, which is explored by several Egyptian companies, and the tourist areas where a number of luxury hotels and tourist resorts are located, such as the tourist town of Marina.^[3][4]

Tourism

Military cemeteries

Germany

There are Italian and German military cemeteries on Tel el-Eisa Hill outside the town. The German cemetery is an ossuary, built in the style of a medieval fortress.

Italy

The cemetery of the Italian War Memorial at El Alamein contains 5,200 graves.

Greek

There is a Greek cemetery at El Alamein.

Commonwealth of Nations

The Commonwealth Alamein Memorial and attached war cemetery, built and maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, has graves of soldiers from various countries who fought on the Allied side. Buried here are 6,425 identified Commonwealth service personnel, 815 unidentified ones, and 102 of other nationalities.^[5] These include four Victoria Cross recipients:^[6]

• Private Percy Gratwick, Second Australian Imperial Force
• Private Arthur Stan Gurney, Second Australian Imperial Force
• Sergeant William Bill Kibby, Second Australian Imperial Force
• Private Adam Wakenshaw, Durham Light Infantry

Others buried here include:

• Squadron Leader George Barclay, Royal Air Force Battle of Britain fighter pilot^[7]
• Major Henry Rew, Royal Tank Regiment^[8]

This has monuments commemorating Greek, New Zealand, Australian, South African, Indian and Canadian forces. The cemetery entrance is through the Alamein Memorial and there is also a separate Alamein Cremation Memorial to 603 Commonwealth service personnel who died in Egypt and Libya and were cremated in line with their religion.^[9]

The names of 213 Canadian airmen appear on the Alamein Memorial in Egypt.^[10]

The cemetery was designed by Hubert Worthington.^[11]

Beaches

Many Egyptians, particularly the upper and middle class travel to El Alamein during summer to flee the summer heat in other cities and towns.

Climate

El Alamein has a hot desert climate, Köppen climate classification BWh, common with most of the Middle East and North Africa. However, like the rest of the northern coast of Egypt, its climate is slightly less hot, compared to the rest of Egypt, because of the prevailing Mediterranean Sea winds.

Climate data for El Alamein
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	17.8 (64.0)	18.7 (65.7)	20.3 (68.5)	23.5 (74.3)	25.7 (78.3)	28.8 (83.8)	29.5 (85.1)	30.5 (86.9)	28.7 (83.7)	27.5 (81.5)	23.6 (74.5)	19.7 (67.5)	24.5 (76.2)
Daily mean °C (°F)	12.4 (54.3)	13.3 (55.9)	14.9 (58.8)	17.7 (63.9)	20.5 (68.9)	23.8 (74.8)	25.2 (77.4)	25.7 (78.3)	24.4 (75.9)	22.1 (71.8)	18.3 (64.9)	14.4 (57.9)	19.4 (66.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	7 (45)	7.9 (46.2)	9.5 (49.1)	12 (54)	15.4 (59.7)	18.8 (65.8)	20.9 (69.6)	21 (70)	20.1 (68.2)	16.7 (62.1)	13 (55)	9.2 (48.6)	14.3 (57.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	29 (1.1)	17 (0.7)	8 (0.3)	2 (0.1)	1 (0.0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	5 (0.2)	21 (0.8)	24 (0.9)	107 (4.1)
Source: climate-data.org[12]

World War II

Bernard Montgomery watches his tanks move up during the Battle of El Alamein.

Two important World War II battles were fought in the area:

• At the First Battle of El Alamein (1–27 July 1942), the advance of Axis troops on Alexandria was blunted by the Allies, stopping the Italian and German forces that were trying to outflank the Allies' position.
• At the Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October – 4 November 1942), Allied forces broke the Axis line and forced them all the way back to Tunisia. Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister at the time, said of this victory: "Now this is not the end, it is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." After the war, he wrote: "Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein, we never had a defeat."

Gallery

• 
  Cross of Sacrifice, El Alamein Commonwealth cemetery
• 
  South African Memorial El Alamein Commonwealth cemetery
• 
  El Alamein Commonwealth cemetery plaque – 1939-1945 – The land on which this cemetery stands is the gift of the Egyptian people for the perpetual resting place of the sailors, soldiers and airmen who are honoured here.
• 
  El Alamein Commonwealth cemetery
• 
  Italian War Memorial at El Alamein
• 
  El Alamein German memorial
• 
  El Alamein Commonwealth cemetery – A soldier of the 1939-1945 war known unto God
• 
  In El Alamein museum
• 
  German cannon
• 
  The list of fallen German soldiers
• 
  German Memorial
• 
  British Crusader tank

See also

• Egypt portal

• El Alamein Fountain (war memorial commemorating the battle, in Sydney, Australia)
• El Alamein International Airport
• Enham Alamein (village in Hampshire in England, renamed after the battle)
• Marina El Alamein (tourist resort)
• New Alamein