MANSURAH, AL-

also spelled El-mansura, capital of ad-Daqahliyah muhafazah (governorate) on the east bank of the Damietta Branch of the Nile Delta, Lower Egypt. It originated in AD 1219 as the camp of al-Malik al-Kamil, nephew of the Saracen Salah ad-Din (Saladin). It was occupied briefly by crusaders, who in 1250 were decimated by the Muslim forces of Turan Shah, who captured their leader, King Louis IX (later St. Louis) of France, and most of his knights and held them for ransom. The name al-Man surah (Arabic: the Victory) apparently dates from this battle, which contributed significantly to the ultimate defeat of the Frankish expedition. The modern city, on al-Bahr as-Saghir (canal linking the Damietta Branch with the lagoon of Buhayrat al-Manzilah), is a market centre for the cotton, rice, and flax of the northeastern delta. Industrial activities include cotton ginning, cotton and rice processing, flour milling, and textile weaving. The al-Mansurah Polytechnical Institute was established in 1957, and al-Mansurah University in 1972; the Institute of al-Mansurah is a section of the al-Azhar University at Cairo. Historic structures include a fort named after Louis IX and the Sanga Mosque. Al-Mansurah is linked to Talkha, on the west bank of the Damietta Branch, by a railway bridge. Pop. (1983 est.) 310,900.