El Alamein

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El Alamein
العلمين
Marina
Location in North Africa
Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Country  Egypt
Governorate Matrouh
Time zone EST (UTC+2)

El Alamein (or Al 'Alameen) (Arabic: العلمين‎‎, IPA: [elʕælæˈmeːn], literally "the two flags") is a town in the northern Matrouh Governorate of Egypt. Located on the Mediterranean Sea, it lies 106 kilometres (66 mi) west of Alexandria and 240 kilometres (149 mi) northwest of Cairo. As of 2007, it has a local population of 7,397 inhabitants.[1]

Climate

El Alamein has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh), in common with most of the Middle East and north Africa. However, like the rest of the northern coast of Egypt, its climate is slightly less hot, compared to the rest of Egypt, because of the prevailing Mediterranean Sea winds.

Alamein is also known for its unpolluted environment, air, and beaches.[citation needed]

Climate data for El Alamein
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 17.8
(64)		 18.7
(65.7)		 20.3
(68.5)		 23.5
(74.3)		 25.7
(78.3)		 28.8
(83.8)		 29.5
(85.1)		 30.5
(86.9)		 28.7
(83.7)		 27.5
(81.5)		 23.6
(74.5)		 19.7
(67.5)		 24.53
(76.15)
Daily mean °C (°F) 12.4
(54.3)		 13.3
(55.9)		 14.9
(58.8)		 17.7
(63.9)		 20.5
(68.9)		 23.8
(74.8)		 25.2
(77.4)		 25.7
(78.3)		 24.4
(75.9)		 22.1
(71.8)		 18.3
(64.9)		 14.4
(57.9)		 19.39
(66.9)
Average low °C (°F) 7
(45)		 7.9
(46.2)		 9.5
(49.1)		 12
(54)		 15.4
(59.7)		 18.8
(65.8)		 20.9
(69.6)		 21
(70)		 20.1
(68.2)		 16.7
(62.1)		 13
(55)		 9.2
(48.6)		 14.29
(57.78)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 29
(1.14)		 17
(0.67)		 8
(0.31)		 2
(0.08)		 1
(0.04)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 5
(0.2)		 21
(0.83)		 24
(0.94)		 107
(4.21)
Source: climate-data.org[2]

Tourism

El Alamein war museum

El Alamein has a war museum with collectibles from "the civil war" and other North African battles.

Military cemeteries

Germany

Visitors can also go to the Italian and German Military Cemetery on Tel el-Eisa Hill just outside the town. The German cemetery is an ossuary with the remains of 4,200 German soldiers, built in the style of a medieval fortress.

Italy

The Italian cemetery is a mausoleum containing 5.200 tombs. Many tombs bear the soldier's name; many are simply marked "IGNOTO", i.e. unknown.

Greek

There is a separate Greek cemetery at El Alamein.

Commonwealth of Nations

There is also a Commonwealth war cemetery, built and maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, with graves of soldiers from various countries who fought on the Allied side. Buried here are 6,425 identified Commonwealth service personnel and 815 unidentified ones, besides 102 of other nationalities.[3] These include four Victoria Cross recipients:[4]

Others buried here include:

This has monuments commemorating Greek, New Zealand, Australian, South African, Indian and Canadian forces. The cemetery entrance is through the Alamein Memorial and there is also a separate Alamein Cremation Memorial to 603 Commonwealth service personnel who died in Egypt and Libya and were cremated in line with their religion.[7]

The names of 213 Canadian airmen appear on the Alamein Memorial in Egypt.[8]

The cemetery was designed by Sir J. Hubert Worthington.[9]

World War II

Two important World War II battles were fought in the area.

  • At the Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October – 4 November 1942) Allied forces broke the Axis line and forced them all the way back to Tunisia. Winston Churchill said of this victory: "Now this is not the end; it is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." After the war, he wrote: "Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein, we never had a defeat."

Gallery

  • Cross of Sacrifice, El Alamein Commonwealth cemetery

  • South African Memorial El Alamein.jpg

    South African Memorial El Alamein Commonwealth cemetery

  • El Alamein Commonwealth cemetery plaque- '1939–1945 The land on which this cemetery stands is the gift of the Egyptian people for the perpetual resting place of the sailors, soldiers and airmen who are honoured here.'

  • El Alamein Commonwealth cemetery

  • El Alamein Italian memorial entrance.jpeg

    El Alamein Italian memorial entrance

  • El Alamein German memorial

  • El Alamein Commonwealth cemetery 'A soldier of the 1939–1945 war known unto God'

  • In El Alamein museum

  • Египет48.jpg

    German Cannon

  • The list of fallen German soldiers

  • Египет111.jpg

    German Memorial

  • British Crusader tank

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ [1] CWGC Cemetery Report, El Alamein War Cemetery.
  4. ↑ [2] Burial locations of VC holders in Egypt.
  5. ↑ [3] CWGC Casualty record Richard George Arthur Barclay.
  6. ↑ [4] CWGC Casualty record Henry Rew.
  7. ↑ [5] CWGC Cemetery Report, Alamein Cremation Memorial.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ http://www.cwgc.org

External links

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