SHIBIN AL-KAWM

also spelled Shebin El-Kom capital of Al-Minufiyah muhafazah (governorate), Lower Egypt. It lies 37 miles (60 km) northwest of Cairo in the southern Nile River delta. Its centre, 10 miles (16 km) east of the Rosetta Branch of the Nile, is situated on the west side of the Shibin Canal, which flows north from Al-Khayriyah Dam to irrigate a rich alluvial region growing cotton, flax, and cereals. Shibin Al-Kawm's manufactures include textiles and cigarettes. It is the site of the Higher Institute of Agriculture and of the Shibin Al-Kawm Institute, an affiliate of Cairo's Al-Azhar University. The town is linked to Tanta, Minuf, and Tala by the Cairo-Tanta Railway. Pop. (1986 est.) 135,900.