Al 'Arish
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Al 'Arish (alternate spelling El Arish) is the capital and largest city (with 114,900 inhabitants as of 2002) of the Egyptian governate of Shamal Sina', lying on the Mediterranean coast of the Sinai peninsula, 344 kilometers (214 miles) northeast of Cairo.
The city sprung up around a Bedouin settlement in the vicinity of the ancient Ptolemaic Dynasty outpost of Rhinocolura. In the Middle Ages pilgrims misidentified the site as the Sukkot of the Bible. Arish means "palm huts" in Arabic corresponding to the Hebrew Sukkot. New fortifications were constructed at the original site by the Ottoman Empire in 1560. During the Napoleonic Wars, the French laid siege to the fort, which fell after 11 days on February 19, 1799. The fort was destroyed by British bombers during World War I.
An increasingly popular tourist destination, El Arish is situated at Template:Coor dm.