Beheira (, ; ) is a coastal governorate in northern Egypt. Located in the northern part of the country in the Nile Delta, its capital is Damanhur.
Overview
Beheira Governorate enjoys an important strategical location, west of the Rosetta branch of the Nile. It comprises four important highways, namely the Cairo-Alexandria desert road, the Cairo agricultural road, the international road, and the circular road. Beheira Governorate is also home to a number of the most important Coptic monasteries in Wadi El Natrun (Scetes).
Beheira consists of 13 marakez and 14 cities, and contains important industries such as cotton, chemicals, carpets, electricity, and fishing.
The governorate has a noteworthy number of archaeological sites, including at Abu El Matamir, Abu Hummus, Damanhour, Rosetta (Rashid), and Kafr El Dawwar. Coins, lamps, animal bones, and pottery from Roman and later Eastern Roman (Byzantine) eras are some of the archaeological finds discovered at Kom El Giza, and Kom El Hamam in Beheira.
In 2017, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi appointed the first female governor in the country's history, Nadia Ahmed Abdou, for Beheira Governorate.
Municipal divisions The governorate is divided into the following municipal divisions for administrative purposes, with a total estimated population as of January 2024 of 6,992,742. In some instances there is a markaz and a kism with the same name.
+ Municipal Divisions Anglicized name Native name Arabic transliteration Population(January 2023 Est.) Type Abu El Matamir 603,640 Markaz Abu Hummus 581,820 Markaz El Delengat 400,570 Markaz Mahmoudiyah 305,974 Markaz Rahmaniya 176,315 MarkazBadr 208,542 Markaz Damanhour 327,352 Kism (fully urban) Damanhour 586,244 Markaz West Nubariyah 130,405 Kism (urban and rural parts) Hosh Essa 339,556 Markaz Edku 257,873 Markaz Itay El Barud 476,197 Markaz Kafr El Dawwar 344,133 Kism (urban and rural parts) Kafr El Dawwar 749,595 MarkazKom Hamada 496,752 Markaz Rosetta 309,188 Markaz Shubrakhit 302,429 Markaz Natrn Valley 90,576 Markaz
Population According to population estimates, in 2024 the majority of residents in the governorate lived in rural areas, with an urbanization rate of only 19.5%. Out of an estimated 6,992,742 people residing in the governorate, 5,629,157 people lived in rural areas as opposed to only 1,363,585 in urban areas.
Archaeology In March 2026, archaeologists from the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced the discovery of a 5th-century CE building at the Qalaye site in Hosh Issa, identified as a monastic guesthouse from the early period of Coptic monasticism. The structure, consisting of multiple rooms and functional spaces, was likely used to host visitors and monks, reflecting a transition from isolated ascetic practices to more organized, semi-communal religious life. Architectural features, including decorated elements and designated communal areas, provide valuable insights into the evolution of early monastic complexes and daily life within one of Egypt’s major monastic centers.
Cities and towns Abu Hummus Abu El Matamir Damanhur Edku El Delengat El Mahmoudiyah El Rahmaniya Itay El Barud Hosh Essa Kafr El Dawwar Kom Hamada Rosetta Shubrakhit Wadi El Natrun El Nubaria
Notable people Mahmud Shaltut, former Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Pope Benjamin I of Alexandria, former Pope of Alexandria & Patriarch of the See of St. Mark Mohammed al-Ghazali, Islamic Scholar Hassan Shehata, football manager Karim Hafez, footballer
Industrial zones According to the Governing Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), the following industrial zones are located in Beheira: Zone nameNew El Nubaria Industrial Zone
Projects and programs In 1981, the Basic Village Service Program (BVS), under the auspices of USAID, had several water, road, and other projects, going on in several markazes in Beheira Governorate.
In 2018 the governorate council discussed a campaign of mosquito control and animal control to avert the spread of preventable diseases.
References
External links El Watan News of Beheira Governorate