Zagazig

The city was founded in the 19th century on the site of a village called Nazlat az-Zaqāzīq which was named after the Zaqzuq family. The family's name itself comes from a dialectal word zaqzuq or ziqziq which means "a small creature" (e.g. a fish or a mouse) and comes from a Coptic word ϫⲉⲕϫⲓⲕ "ant or other insect". The ruins of the ancient Egyptian city of Bubastis are located southeast of town. Bubastis was the ancient capital of the 18th nome, and is home to the feast celebrating the cat goddess Bastet. Bubastis is the Greek version of the Egyptian language name Pr-Bastet "House [Temple] of Bastet". Bubastis became the capital of Egypt in the 22nd and 23rd Dynasties. There are remains of the temples built by Osorkon II and Nectanebo II. Catacombs where the sacred cats were buried are located behind the remains of an Old Kingdom chapel from the period of Pepi I Meryre. ==Geography==

Climate Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as hot desert (BWh), as the rest of Egypt. }} ==Notable people==

• The Abaza family, the largest family in Sharqia and Egypt's largest Circassian community. • Abdelhalim Hafez, Egyptian singer and actor • Ahmed Urabi, colonel who led the revolt against the British in 1882 • Carmen Suleiman, singer • Mohamed Morsi, the fifth president of Egypt • Salama Moussa, Coptic Egyptian journalist, philosopher and social critic • Ahmed Zaki, actor • John Traicos, international cricketer of Greek origin • Rushdy Abaza, actor • Fekry Pasha Abaza, journalist and political activist • Mohamed Abdelmonem, football Player ==See also==