Marsa Matruh

[
Egypt: Site of Marsa Matruh (top left).]

Marsa Matruh (Arabic مرسى مطروح [Marsā Maṭrūḥ] ) (known in Ptolemaic and Byzantine times as Paraitonion (Παραιτόνιον) and in Roman times as Paraetonium) is a seaport in Egypt. It stands some 240 km (149 miles) west of Alexandria, along the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, on the main highway from the Delta to the Libyan border. Another highway leads south from the town, headed for the Western Desert and the oases of Siwa and Bahariya.

Marsa Matruh's main function nowadays is to serve as a getaway resort for Cairenes eager to flee the capital in the sweltering summer months. It is served by Marsa Matruh Airport.

History

During World War II, the British Army's Baggush Box was located to the east. During this period, Marsa Matruh was the terminus for a single-track railway which passed through El Alamein.

ee also

* Northern coast of Egypt

References

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