List of cities and towns in Egypt

The cities and towns of Egypt are the urban administrative units of the Republic of Egypt. Egypt comprises 249 populated cities within the country's 27 governorates.^[1][2] Some of these cities fall directly under the authority of the governorate in which they are located, while others are managed by the New Urban Communities Authority, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities. The New Urban Communities Authority was established to create new urban centers to attract residents away from the Nile Valley and Delta.^[3]

Besides being one the first states in the history of the world, and one of the oldest cradles of human civilization, Egypt is also one of the oldest in terms of urban development.^[4][5] Urban formation in the country began in prehistoric times, starting with the formation of villages consisting of groups of Egyptian families living together in one place, on or near the banks of the Nile River.^[6] Each village had its own deity. The Egyptians then began to utilize the Nile River, digging canals and waterways to facilitate agriculture. Cities began to emerge through the merging of groups of villages, each with its own ruler and deity. Temples were built, markets arose, and trade and industry flourished alongside agriculture throughout ancient Egyptian history. Some ancient cities have survived to the present day for thousands of years.^[7] The establishment of cities has continued throughout history as needed, whether to attract populations and reduce overcrowding in certain areas, or for specific purposes such as industry and trade, or as garrisons and border posts to protect the country along its land or sea borders. The Egyptian Constitution guarantees the possibility of establishing new administrative units, such as cities, and modifying or abolishing their administrative boundaries, taking into account economic and social conditions as regulated by Egyptian law.^[8]