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Arish

File:نخيل_العريش.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ238452· pop 53· linked from 553 articles

Also known as al-ʿArīš, ʻArish, el-ʻArīsh

Arish or El-Arish (, ) is the capital and largest city of the North Sinai Governorate of Egypt, as well as the largest city on the Sinai Peninsula, lying on the Mediterranean coast northeast of Cairo and west of the Egypt–Gaza border. Its estimated population was 204,391 in 2023.

OverviewAI-generated

Arish, known natively as العريش, is a city in Egypt that serves as the capital of the North Sinai Governorate. Located at an elevation of 15 meters above sea level, the city is situated in the Africa/Cairo time zone. It is distinct from the similarly named Al-ʽArish.

The population of Arish is recorded as 204,391, while another source lists it as 199,243. The city has been the site of the Siege of El Arish. Arish is described in the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary.

Synthesized by Vinony from 45 facts across 7 sources: Wikidata, Open Meteo, Openweathermap, OpenStreetMap, GeoNames, Vinony graph, Geo. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Weather now

cached 14h ago
24°clear sky
83% 2.1 m/s OpenWeatherMap

7-day forecast

via Open-Meteo

Place details

Locality
Arish
Region
شمال سيناء
Country
مصر
Population
199,243
Timezone
Africa/Cairo

via OpenStreetMap · GeoNames

Air quality

56US AQIModerate
PM2.5
11.9 µg/m³
PM10
22.8 µg/m³
As of 2026-08-11 04:00 · Open-Meteo

Key facts

Settlement.name
Arish
Settlement.native_name_lang
Coptic
Settlement.other_name
El-Arish
Settlement.settlement_type
City
Settlement.image_skyline
نخيل العريش.jpg
Settlement.imagesize
275px
Settlement.image_caption
Beach in the city of Arish
Settlement.image_flag
North Sinai Flag (Old).svg
Settlement.flag_size
100px
Settlement.pushpin_map
Egypt Sinai#Egypt
Settlement.pushpin_label_position
top
Settlement.pushpin_relief
yes
Settlement.pushpin_map_caption
Location within the Sinai Peninsula##Location within Egypt
Settlement.subdivision_type
Country
Settlement.subdivision_type1
Governorate
Settlement.area_total_km2
308
Settlement.elevation_m
15
Settlement.population_total
204,391

via Wikipedia infobox

Travel guide

Understand

A seaside city with potential for tourism, Arish has been a focal point of terrorist activity with several attacks having taken place in and near the city.

Get in

As of 2021, it is not possible to fly into Arish as () remains closed due to a deteriorating security situation.

It is possible to travel overland from Cairo and other cities in the Sinai Peninsula with both public transport and private vehicle. The border with Gaza is open as of early 2023, but there is always a risk of closure. The nearest border crossing with Israel open for tourists is in Taba, almost to the south.

Stay safe

See the warning on the Egypt article.

Travel guide from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0)

~12 min read

Encyclopedic overview

22 sections
Contents
  • Etymology
  • Geography
  • Climate
  • History
  • Foundation
  • Antiquity
  • The Brook of Egypt
  • After the Arab Conquest
  • Modern war and conflict
  • World Wars I and II
  • Israeli wars
  • El Arish massacre
  • Islamic State in the Sinai Peninsula
  • 2020s Israel-Hamas Gaza War
  • Graves
  • Australian graves from WWI
  • Mass graves from 1967
  • Infrastructure
  • Transport
  • Education
  • References
  • See also

Arish or El-Arish (, ) is the capital and largest city of the North Sinai Governorate of Egypt, as well as the largest city on the Sinai Peninsula, lying on the Mediterranean coast northeast of Cairo and west of the Egypt–Gaza border. Its estimated population was 204,391 in 2023.

In antiquity and the Early Middle Ages, the city was known as Rinokoroura (, ). ʻArīsh is located at the mouth of Wadi al-Arish, a long ephemeral watercourse. The Azzaraniq Protectorate is on the eastern side of ʻArīsh.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Arish” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (20)

On the map

3 mapped locations