Al-Arish is an ancient city located on the shore of the Mediterranean, near the end of the eastern border of the land of Egypt. In the Roman era, it was called Rhino Coroura, meaning “cut off the noses.” The reason for the name is due to what “Strabon” mentioned that it was a place where criminals were exiled after having their noses cut off.
Al-Arish was mentioned in some ancient sources as “Arousch.” In Arabic, it means the roof, the canopy, or the arbour for the vineyards, which is the wood that is erected on which grapes are raised.
While the Israelis were in Arish after the 1967 war, they discovered a pharaonic temple or a pharaonic site dating back to the 18th Dynasty.
Abu al-Makarem says: There are two churches in them, but they are in ruins.. They were recently renovated.
Pope Shenouda III inaugurated them and ordained His Eminence Anba Makari, the first bishop of Sinai, in 1996 AD, and he took the city of Al-Arish as his headquarters.
It was mentioned by most of the historians, including “Yaqut” in “Musharak Al-Buldan” and he said about it: “It is a city that was the first Egypt to work in terms of the Levant on the coast of the Roman Sea in the middle of the sand, and they used to send criminals and those accused of high treason to this city to cut their noses.”
Among the ruins of the Al-Arish area are the remains of ancient churches that were built there, the walls of a Roman fortress and the remains of Roman houses. In the south of the city are the remains of the Al-Arish Castle, which was established in 1560 AD by Sultan Suleiman Khan I, known as Suleiman the Magnificent, from the Ottoman era.
