Rosetta

Rosetta, a town of the Nile delta, on the old Bolbitic arm, 9 miles from the Mediterranean and 44 miles by rail NE. of Alexandria, which outstripped it. In the time of the Crusades it was a place of great strength; and St Louis made it the basis of his crusading operations. Sultan Beybers, after that (in 1251) founded the present city farther inland. The Arabs call it Raschid, believing that Haronn al-Raschid founded the old city. Pop. (1882) 16,666. A few miles to the north of the town was discovered the Rosetta Stone, which gave the first clue to the interpretation of the Hieroglyphics (q.v.). At Rosetta too are barrage works for holding up the Nile water until it can be directed into the irrigation channels. These works, originally constructed by Mougel Bey (1843-61), were almost entirely rebuilt by Sir C. Scott Moncrieff in 1886-90. The barrage is 508 yards long, and has 61 arches.