Kafr el-Sheikh (arab. كفر الشيخ‎) is a city in Egypt, in the middle-northern part of the Nile Delta, the administrative center of the province of the same name. Population 147,393 inhabitants (2006). The two central streets are An-Nabawi El-Muhandis and El-Khalifa El-Maamoun.

History
Known since ancient Egypt under the name Dambilfon. Later, the city began to be called Talha in honor of the Maghreb (Moroccan) Sheikh Talha Abi Said Al-Talmasani, who arrived here in 1204 and was buried in a mausoleum in the city of Kafr el-Sheikh. The city has had its modern name since 1952. Before the formation of the province of Kafr el-Sheikh, it was part of the province of Gharbiya, the center of which was then the city of El-Mahalla-el-Kubra.

Education
In 2006, the republican order number 126 was issued on the formation of the University of Kafr el-Sheikh. Prior to this, the university was a branch of the University of Tanta. The university has 9 faculties: commerce, engineering, veterinary medicine, humanities, pedagogy, etc.

Kafr El Sheikh Area
Kafr el-Sheikh, in addition to being the administrative center of the governorate, is also the center of the district. The district has 469,893 inhabitants (2003). The area is 425.78 km². The proportion of illiterates is 39%. There are 9 rural local communities in the district, which include 38 villages and 246 small settlements.

Notable residents and natives
Hussam Ghali – football player, Tottenham FC player
Saad Zaghlul, Prime Minister of Egypt
Muhammad Atta – suicide bomber