Living like an Ottoman in Rosetta

Al Ahram Weekly (Nevine el Aref)

Famous for the discovery of the Rosetta Stone, the black basalt slab that was the key to deciphering hieroglyphs and uncovering the lives of ancient Egyptian kings, Rosetta, or Rashid, has much more to provide to its visitors.

It is not only a site but the home of unique Ottoman, Mameluke and colonial monumental edifices.

In ancient times, Rosetta was the principal port of Egypt, but declined after the founding of Alexandria in 332 BC and remained neglected for centuries. During the Coptic and Fatimid periods, Rosetta regained its reputation as Egypt's main port in the 16th century but declined once again as Alexandria's trade with Italian cities flourished. The Mamelukes showed interest in Rosetta and its port, leaving architectural treasures modern visitors cherish, but the city's architectural core belongs to the Ottoman period, specially the time from 1520 to 1800.

Since the Ottomans conquered Egypt in 1517, Rosetta became the Egyptian port closest to Istanbul. By the 17th century it was a bustling cosmopolitan centre with a population including Greeks, Turks, Nubians and Europeans.

See the above page for more.