ISMAILIA

ismailia, a town of lower egypt, the central station on the suez canal, on the n.w. shore of lake timsa, about 50 m. from the mediterranean and the red sea, and 93 m. n.e. of cairo by rail. pop. (1907) 10,373. it was laid out in 1863, in connexion with the construction of the canal, and is named after the khedive ismail. it is divided into two quarters by the road leading from the landing-place to the railway station, and has numerous public offices, warehouses and other buildings, including a palace of the khedive, used as a hospital during the british military operations in 1882, but subsequently allowed to fall into a dilapidated condition. the broad macadamized streets and regular squares bordered with trees give the town an attractive appearance; and it has the advantage, a rare one in egypt, of being surrounded on three sides by flourishing gardens. the quai mehemet ali, which lies along the canal for upwards of a mile, contains the chalet occupied by ferdinand de lesseps during the building of the canal. at the end of the quay are the works for supplying port said with water. on the other side of the lake are the so-called quarries of the hyenas, from which the building material for the town was obtained.