Bashmur

Bashmur (Arabic: آلباشمر, Coptic: Ⲡⲓϣⲙⲟⲩⲣ) was an area in Egypt in which the Coptic Christians revolted against Arab rule in the VIII and IX centuries.

Location

The boundaries of al-Bashmur have not been constant throughout the centuries. Perhaps from the mid-eighth to the mid-ninth century, al-Bashmur encompassed the entire marsh region northeast of Fuwwah (Coptic: Ⲙⲉⲗⲉϫ, Melej) extending as far to the east as just north of Dikirnis. Later it may have been limited to the eastern part of this area. The name al-Bashmur survives in this region as the name of a Nile canal that breaks off about 4.5 miles (7 km) east of al- Mansurah by al-Salamun and runs through the area between the Damietta arm of the Nile and Dikirnis before emptying into the al-Sirw canal some 3.5 miles (5.5 km) south of Daqahliah.

See also

• Bashmurian revolt

• Persecution of Copts

Bibliography

• Maspero, J., and G. Wiet (1914-1919). Matériaux pour servir à la géographie de l'Egypte. Cairo.

• Timm, S. (1984) Das christlich-koptische Ägypten in arabischer Zeit, Vol. 1, pp. 354-56. Wiesbaden.