Arish

Arish lies on the Mediterranean coast of northern Sinai, where an oasis and its palms stand amid the sands between Egypt and Palestine. Known in antiquity as Rhinocorura, it became a stopping place for travellers on the long coastal road. Medieval writers noted its market, inns and fruit, while merchants maintained agents in the town.

In 1799 French forces under Napoleon besieged the Ottoman fort at Arish during their advance toward Syria. The following year French and Ottoman representatives concluded the Convention of El Arish, providing for the French army's evacuation from Egypt. The agreement failed to bring the occupation to an immediate end, and fighting continued. The town's fort and water supply remained important to armies crossing the Sinai coast.