Port Saidis a city that lies in north eastEgyptalong the coast of theMediterranean Sea.The city was established in 1859 during the building of the Suez Canal.It thrives on being aduty-freeport, as well as a tourist resort especially during summer. It is alsohome to theLighthouse of Port Said(the first building in the world built fromreinforced concrete).
There are numerous old houses with grand balconies on all floors, giving the city a distinctive look. Port Said's twin city isPort Fuad, which lies on the eastern bank of the canal. The cities are connected by freeferriesrunning all through the day, and together they form ametropolitan areawith over a million residents that extends both on the African and the Asian sides of the Suez Canal. The only other metropolitan area in the world that also spans two continents isIstanbul.
Port Said acted as aglobal citysince its establishment and flourished particularly during the nineteenth and the first half of the twentieth century when it was inhabited by various nationalities and religions. Most of them were from Mediterranean countries, and they coexisted in tolerance, forming acosmopolitancommunity.