Fortified city theatre for the wars between Byzantine and Arabs, Damietta, which today has around one-hundred thousand inhabitants, was already in ancient times, famous for its textile craftsmen who made beautiful brocades and for its tailor’s workshops that prepared royal clothing.
The mosque in Abul el Ma’ta, wanted by the Muslims, was later changed by Luis IX into a catholic cathedral, then practically abandoned, today the ex-cemetery that surrounds it is a great market of birds, where the impassioned of pigeons gather.
Between the two cities of Samannud and el-Maniera, there is the Behbet el-Hagar village, near it there are the Iseum ruins, which in the Egyptian epoch was called Hebit, there was a great temple dedicated to Iside, destroyed in the I century and later used as a quarry for other constructions, colossal decorated ruins have remained.
On the way there is Samannud, of which Manetone was native, the first author of the history of Egypt.
To reach Damietta from Cairo there are two roads, the first one goes along the right bank of the Nile, the second one crosses the river at the Mit Ghamr city, it passes Zifta and goes on toward Mahalla, joining the Nile again on its right bank, a little before entering the city.
It’s to be remembered that right around Damietta, many places are famous for the battles fought by the Crusades .