Bilbeis

The city was important enough in the Roman provinceofAugustamnica Secunda to become a bishopric.^{[citation needed]}

Situated on a caravan and natural invasion route from the east, Bilbeis was conquered in 640 by the Arabs. Amr ibn al-As besieged and took the city defended by a Byzantine general called al-Ardubun. According to a Muslim legend, Armanusa, the daughter of Muqawqis lived in Bilbeis.^[3] In 727 some of the Qays tribe were resettled here and later chain of fortresses was built to protect Cairo.^[4]

The city played a role in the machinations for control of the Fatimid vizierate: first in 1164, when Shirkuh was besieged in the city by the combined forces of Shawar and crusader king Amalric I of Jerusalem for three months; then again in 1168 when the city was assaulted again by Amalric's army, who took the city after three days on 4 November and indiscriminately killed the inhabitants. ^[5] (See Crusader invasion of Egypt.)

In 1798, its fortifications were rebuilt at the order of Napoleon.^{[citation needed]}

• Sadat Quraish Mosque

The oldest mosque in Egypt, built in 640.^[6]

• Amir al-Gish Mosque
• The Great Mosque in Kesaria

• Coptic church of St. George

The bishopric, a suffragan of the Metropolitan of provincial capital Leontopolis, faded.

The diocese of Phelbes was nominally restored in 1933 as a Latin Catholic titular bishopric.

It has had the following incumbents, all of the lowest (episcopal) rank :

• Enrico van Schingen, Jesuits (S.J.) (1936-12-17 – 1954-07-02)
• Antoine Henri van den Hurk, Capuchin Franciscans (O.F.M. Cap.) (1955-01-01 – 1961-01-03) as Apostolic VicarofMedan (Indonesia) (1955-01-01 – 1961-01-03), promoted first Metropolitan Archbishop of Medan (1961-01-03 – 1976-05-24)
• Walmor Battú Wichrowski (1961-05-31 – 1971-05-27) & (1972-11-16 – 2001-10-31)
• Airton José dos Santos (2001-12-19 – 2004-08-04) as Auxiliary BishopofSanto André (Brazil) (2001-12-19 – 2004-08-04), later Bishop of Mogi das Cruzes (Brazil) (2004-08-04 – 2012-02-15), Metropolitan Archbishop of Campinas (Brazil) (2012-02-15 – ... )
• Javier Augusto del Río Alba (2004-10-12 – 2006-07-11) as Auxiliary Bishop of Callao (Peru) (2004-10-12 – 2006-07-11), Coadjutor ArchbishopofArequipa (Peru) (2006-07-11 – 2006-10-20), succeeding as Metropolitan Archbishop of Arequipa (2006-10-20 – ... ), Second Vice-president of Episcopal Conference of Peru (January 2012 – ... )
• Janusz Wiesław Kaleta (2006-09-15 – 2011-02-05)
• Daniel Fernando Sturla Berhouet, Salesians (S.D.B.) (2011-12-10 – 2014-02-11) as Auxiliary Bishop of Montevideo (Uruguay) (2011-12-10 – 2014-02-11), succeeded as Metropolitan Archbishop of Montevideo (2014-02-11 – ... ), created Cardinal-PriestofS. Galla (2015-02-14 [2015-05-17] – ... )
• Jorge Ángel Saldía Pedraza, Dominican Order (O.P.) (2014-03-25 – ... ), Auxiliary BishopofLa Paz (Bolivia)

30°25′N 31°34′E / 30.417°N 31.567°E / 30.417; 31.567

Bilbeis is classified by Köppen-Geiger climate classification systemashot desert (BWh),^[7] as the rest of Egypt.

• List of cities in Egypt

• Gibb, Sir Hamilton (2006). The Life of Saladin. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-86356-928-9.

  Media related to Bilbeis at Wikimedia Commons