PORT SAID (sah'ed), a seaport of Egypt, at the entrance of the Suez Canal, in 31° 15' 35" N., 32° 19' 20" E., and 145 m. by rail N.E. of Cairo, pop. 104,603 (1927), lies on the western side of the canal on the low, narrow and treeless strip of land which separates the Mediterranean from Lake Menzala, the land at this point being raised and its area increased by the draining of part of the lake and by the excavation of the inner harbour. The outer harbour is formed by two breakwaters which protect the entrance to the canal; altogether the harbour covers about 57o acres and accommodates ships drawing 28 ft. The port possesses a floating dock 295 f t. long, 85 ft. broad and 18 f t. deep, capable of lifting 3,500 tons, and a patent slip taking 30o tons and ships drawing 9 f t. 9 in. of water. On the western breakwater is a colossal statue of Ferdinand de Lesseps by E. Fremiet, unveiled in 1899, and a lighthouse 174 ft. high. Among the few buildings
of note in the town are the offices of the Suez Canal Company and the British barracks, the last having been built by Prince Henry of the Netherlands (d. 1879) as a depot for Dutch trade.
Port Said dates from 1859. Originally it depended entirely upon the traffic of the canal, being the chief coaling station of all ships passing through and becoming the largest coaling station in the world. In 1902, however, a new industry was added in the export of cotton from the eastern provinces of the Delta, the cotton being brought from Mataria by boat across Lake Menzala. In 1904 the opening of a standard gauge railway to Cairo placed Port Said in a position to compete with Alexandria for the external trade of Egypt generally, besides making it a tourist route to the capital from Europe.