This article or section needs attention from an expert on the subject. The following WikiProjects or Portals may be able to help recruit one: • WikiProject Ancient Egypt • WikiProject Egypt If another appropriate WikiProject or portal exists, please adjust this template accordingly. (March 2011)

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2011)

Nekhel نِخِل
—  City  —
Nickname(s): Heart of Sinai
Motto: Frozen Heart
Nekhel Location in Egypt
Coordinates: 29°54′N 33°45′E / 29.9°N 33.75°E / 29.9; 33.75
Country	Egypt
Governorate	North Sinai Governorate
Markaz	Nekhel Markaz
Government
• President of Nekhel Municipality and Nekhel City	Hemdan Mahmoud Bekir
Area
• Total	4,260 sq mi (11,034 km2)
Elevation	1,379.9 ft (420.6 m)
Population
• Ethnicities:	Bedouins and Egyptians.
Time zone	EST (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	+3 (UTC)

Nekhel (Arabic نِخِل is the capital of Nekhel Municipality of North Sinai Governorate, Sinai, Egypt. It is located in the heart of Sinai Peninsula along the southern border of North Sinai Governorate with South Sinai Governorate. It is located at the skirts of El Tih Mountains and foothills at an elevation of 420.6 m. Coordinates of the city is 29°54'N; 33°45'E. Nekhel city is divided into 10 Merkazs: Ras Naqb, Contilla, Sedr Elhitan, Tamd, Bir Grid, Khafga, Boruk, Netila, Ein Twibah and Assalam. In addition to 49 villages.

History[link]

Pharaonic Era

Nekhel was always part of the Egyptian Empire throughout history and it was part of the province of "Du Mafkat" in Ancient Egypt. Nekhel was the ancient capital of the entire Sinai province of Egypt, thanks to its outstanding strategic location at the exact center of the peninsula. In the 16th century BC, the Egyptian Pharaohs built the way of Shur across Sinai to Beersheba and on to Jerusalem. The region provided the Egyptian Empire with minerals, turquoise, gold and copper, and well-preserved ruins of mines and temples are excavated there.

Islamic Era

Being located on the new Hajj Route, Nekhel gained additional significance. In addition to its previous role as a strategic fort capital of Sinai. Hence, the city became a main rest and trade destination for Muslims who passed through the Hajj Route during Hajj season from entire Africa and Egypt towards Mecca for pilgrimage.

Ayubi and Memluki Era

During Islamic rule of Ayubid Caliphate and Mamluks in turn. Several Sultans built forts and castles in Nekhel to defend Egypt from Crusades of Middle East and Red Sea. Nekhel played a significant role as a influential military base for the Egyptian Army during Middle Ages in defeating Crusades and freeing numerous provinces of the Islamic Caliphate.

Geography and climate[link]

The mountain ranges of El Tih look at the city from different directions, with several valleys leading from the Mediterranean in the north, the Red Sea and Suez Gulf to the city and the mountains in all directions. The altitude of the city is about 420.6m above the sea level, however nearby El Tih mountains are of higher elevation. Therefore, nearby foothills and mountains result in a continental climate. The summer days are quite hot reaching 40 C°, yet with cool nights. While excellent spring and autumn take place. For winter, days and nights get chilly cold, reaching -9 C° and even harsher freeze on the nearby mountains. Nekhel is one of the coldest cities in Egypt along with other Egyptian Mediterranean cities and the mountainous provinces of Sinai. Snowfalls in Nekhel are not regular although the sub-zero temperatures are always common in winters and autumns. But since precipitation is not high, the city doesn't get high snowfalls. In spite of that, rain and snow occur in winter months December, January and February. In addition to autumn and spring.

Climate[link]

Nekhel City lies at the foot of El Tih Plateau Region which is a highlands province. The city and the towns themselves are at an elevation of 420.6 meters, which makes it a pleasant retreat in the hot summer months. Winters, on the other hand, are harshly cold, days could be sunny, despite that, at nights it does get sub-zero temperatures and -9 C° is reached making it extremely important to heat buildings and public places. Some trekking groups however prefer especially the winter season as they find it more interesting and lovely to hike and climb in these conditions. GRecently there have been less rains and snows and, although there are still many permanent water sources in the mountains, the area is drying.

The city also puts a great pressure on the water resources, as ground water in the valley is from the mountains. There is work under way to connect the city to the Nile via a pipe line.

Practical Information[link]

This section is empty. You can help by adding to it.

Religion[link]

This section requires expansion.

Nekhel was an important destination on the Hajj Route for Muslims from whole Africa to Mecca and Medina cities.

Culture and Population[link]

This section may need to be wikified to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please help by adding relevant internal links, or by improving the article's layout. (January 2011) Click [show] on right for more details. No reason has been cited for the Wikify tag on this article.You can insert a reason using the |reason= parameter, like this: {{Wikify|reason=Your reason here}} Please replace HTML markup with wiki markup where appropriate. Add wikilinks. Where appropriate, make links to other articles by putting "[[" and "]]" on either side of relevant words (see WP:LINK for more information) and check that your links work as expected. Please do not link terms that most readers are familiar with, such as common occupations, well-known geographical terms, and everyday items. Format the lead. Create or improve the lead paragraph. Arrange section headers as described at Wikipedia:Guide to layout. Add an infobox if it is appropriate for the article. Clean up / format the references and footnotes, using citation templates when appropriate. Remove this tag.

The traditional people of the area are Bedouins whom culture is very similar to other Bedouin groups. Nekhel Bedouin tribes practice cattle breeding and agriculture which depends on rain and partially common snow. There are also Egyptians who live there and work in governmental sectors and public services. The chilly cold weather of the city, specifically in winter and autumn's nights, made people used to stay at their heated homes early, and keen on growing plants which produce drinkable liquids to warm themselves. The city could be a good skiing resort in Egypt beside Saint Katherine City, but there are no skiing resorts established yet. There is no gondola lifts and there is lack of snowboarding shopes and skiing facilities. Nekhel citizens are skilled gardeners and craftsmen who have been planting gardens, building houses, store rooms, water dams and other structures in the mountains for centuries.

The techniques used are very similar to the Byzantine methods, partly because of the natural environment. They grow vegetables and fruit in stone walled gardens called bustan or karm, and mastered grafting where a branch of a better yielding low land variety is planted on a more resistant but low yielding mountain variety. Bedouin houses are simple, small stone structures with cane roofing, either incorporated in the garden wall, or standing alone a bit further up from the wadi floor, away from the devastating flash floods that sweep through after occasional heavy rains. Houses are often built next to huge boulders; natural cracks and holes are used as shelves and candle holders. Smaller rock shelters and store rooms are constructed under boulders and in walled up caves and are found everywhere in the mountainous area. You can see ancient leopard traps in many places. A goat was placed in as a bait, and the entrance was slammed closed with a big rock when the leopard entered. There are no more leopards left in Sinai, the last was spotted in the 1980s. In many places you can see big boulders with oval marks engraved on the surface. They are marriage proposal rocks, where a lover drew a line around his foot on the rock face next to his lover's foot print. If the two marks are encircled, their wish was granted and they got married. Wishing Rocks are boulders, usually a short distance from the main paths, with a flat top: if you throw a pebble and it stays on the top, your wish will come true. According to governmental plans, the population of the city is expected to increase. The increasing numbers of Egyptians living there will succeed in accomplishing that developmental national plan. Most of Nekhel's population is formed of Bedouins while the rest are Egyptians.

Agriculture[link]

Agriculture in Nekhel depends mainly on water wells which are found basically in Contilla, Tamd, Bir Grid and Khafga. Additionally, rain and snow help on planting crops such as wheat, barley and corn. Variety of species of plants and crops grow in Nekhel. Mediterranean crops are the main agricultural products. Fruits include apple, almond, pear, apricot, peach, pistachio, dates and grapes. Wild walnut, mulbery and fig are gown in wild at the eastern portions of the city who get higher precipitation. Like other Mediterranean, Egyptian and North African cities, olives are very important in Nekhel, found in many locations. The gardens are usually built in the wadi floors in the main water course, and are encircled by massive stone walls. These walls have to withstand the regular flash floods, retain the soil - thus called retaining wall - and protect the garden from animals. Water wells are either built in the garden or a number of gardens have one but these wells freeze in winter and sometimes in spring and autumn. Today usually generators pump the water, but you can still see many shadoofs. Water is often found at higher elevations, either in natural springs or in wells made at dykes called jidda. The Bedouin built small dams and closed off canyons to make reservoirs. In either case water is chanelled to small rock pools called birka, from where it was available for irrigation. Water was flown in narrow conduits made of flat rocks sometimes for kilometers -they are still visible but today gardens rely on plastic pipes (khartoom).

Nature[link]

The city of Nekhel and the enrite Central Sinai Region fall within the region of El Tih Plateau. It is a unique high altitude eco-system with many endemic and rare species. Some of the species are endangered, but there are many wild animals, birds, flowers to see. There are many Sinai Agamas, foxes, rock Hyraxes. Rock Hyraxes are frequenting gardens, and there is a wide range of migrating and resident birds from Europe. Also, there is a large number of feral donkeys in the mountains who migrate to the region and lower lying areas (reportedly as far as El Tur) in the winter and go back to graze for the more plentiful summer. Many of them belong to families and are stamped with marks. However, they put a big pressure on the eco-system.

One of the principal goals of the Protectorate is to preserve the bio-diversity of the fragile eco-system, with an emphasis on the Nubian Ibex and the wild medicinal and aromatic plants.

Rain and Snow are the best source of water, thus releasing water at a steady pace, replenishing the underwater catchment areas better. Water from rains flows down fast in the barren mountains, which may cause flash-floods and less water remains.

The views from El Tih foothills are spectacular, and there are many other natural sights in the wadi system. There are springs, creeks, water pools, narrow canyons, steep wadis with huge boulders, amazing rock formations, barren plains with islands of lush vegetation. On the top of the mountains there are many interconnected basins with a unique high altitude ecosystem.

Places of interest[link]

Nekhel is a great historical place with archeological landscapes and monuments in addition to pretty nature. Several Pharaohnic archeological sites are expected to be found nearby. The main attractions of the city are:

• "Nekhel Castle" of the Circassian Mamluki sultan Al-Ashraf Qansuh al-Ghawri.
• Fountainheads of Arish Valley which runs from the tops El Tih mountains and foothills.
• Old Hajj Route.
• Al-Ashraf Qansuh al-Ghawri Carved Rock.
• Metla Corridor.
• Tih Mountains.

See also[link]

• Egypt
• North Sinai Governorate

References[link]

External links[link]

• http://www.woeurope.eu/Egypt/Nekhel.htm
• http://www.weatherreports.com/Nekhel,_Egypt?units=c

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.  Coordinates: 26°34′N 31°45′E / 26.567°N 31.75°E / 26.567; 31.75

v t e Main Egyptian cities 6th of October City · Akhmim · El Alamein · Abydos · Alexandria · Arish · Aswan · Asyut · Banha · Bani Suwayf · Cairo · Dahab · Dakhla · Damanhur · Damietta  · Dandarah · Desouk · Esna · Faiyum · Hurghada · Hamrah Dawm · Hala'ib · Imbabah · Ismaïlia · Giza  · Kafr el-Dawwar · Kom Ombo · Kharga · Luxor · El-Mahalla El-Kubra · Mallawi · Mansoura · Marsa Matruh · el-Menya · Nag Hammadi · Nuweiba · Noubarya · Port Said · Qena · Rosetta · Sadat City · Safaga · Saint Katherine · Siwa · Sharm el-Sheikh · Shibin El Kom · Shibin el-Qanater · Shubra el-Kheima · Sohag  · Ain Sukhna · Suez · Taba · Tanta · Zaqaziq ·

Lehmber Hussainpuri (Punjabi: ਲਹਿੰਬਰ ਹੁਸੈਨਪੁਰੀ, lahimbar husainpurī pronounced [lǽmbər husɛːnpuri]; born 17 July 1977 in Punjab, India). He is a popular bhangra singer^[1] in India, UK, US, and Canada. Successfully managed by Platinum-Managerz

Career[link]

Hussainpuri first appeared onto the mainstream bhangra scene in 2001 through Mukthar Sahota on a track titled Sanu Sohni Lagdi. His next song was the all-time classic Das Ja on the album Hype by DJ Sanj. Lehmber then moved onto a collaboration with Dr. Zeus in 2003, on the album Unda The Influence. This album was a success with both traditional and modern bhangra fans with such hits as Ah Ni Kuriye, Mil De Yaar, Mele Vich Jatt and Tin Cheejha. This album put Hussainpuri in the limelight and made him the most sought-after singer in the Bhangra industry at the time. He then did other notable tracks including Mela, Gabru Shakeen, Daru, Kich Ke Legeya and notable appearance on the worldwide smash-hit DesiRock by Swami. Even after working with so many notable artists on many record labels, Lehmber was still unsigned and had not released his debut album.

Things quickly changed in early 2004, as Lehmber signed a one album deal with Envy Records in UK. He then began work on his debut album, produced entirely by Dr. Zeus, which was supposed to be released in 2004 on Envy Records. However in 2005, after numerous delays, Hussainpuri released his solo debut album called Folk Attack in India under BaseLine Records even though he was signed to Envy Records in UK. This led to huge controversy and eventually Lehmber being dropped from Envy Records without ever officially releasing a solo album with Envy. But that was not going to stop Lehmber. He quickly signed a deal in late 2005 with Serious Records, headed by his good friend Jeeti, based in UK.

Later, A compilation The Best of Lehmber Hussainpuri was also released in late 2005 by Jatt Records. An album containing Lehmber's previous material, from before he made it into mainstream, was released by VPearl Records entitled The Great Bhangra King. None of these were official albums, rather just unofficial albums/ compilations by various companies in India to which Lehmber branched off.

Hussainpuri, from 2005 to 2006, became one of the greatest Punjabi singers of recent times having hit songs such as Sadi Gali, Seetiyan, Ne Baliyeh, Tokh Tokh Ke, Panj Bindiyan, Tere Ote Dil Ageya, and Ishq Brandy. He worked with Aman Hayer, Simon Nandhra, RDB, DJ S-Bolina, DJ Sanj, Lil Sach and many others.^[2]

His first album on Serious Records, Chalakiyan, was released in October 2006 and contained tracks produced by Jeeti, Kam Frantic and Aman Hayer. The album was a massive success not only in UK but also in India and North America. Chalakiyan won ALBUM OF THE YEAR for 2006 at the UK Asian Music Awards. The title song Chalakiyan and the song Hauli Nach were both nominated for Song of the Year but did not win.

In March 2007 Envy Records, the former label which Hussainpuri was signed to, released a new album entitled 21st Century King of Bhangra featuring 3 new tracks and all of Hussainpuri's hit tracks from his Envy days. In response to this Hussainpuri released a video asking people not to buy the album and to only buy his albums which have been released by Serious Records. It has been stated that this is an attempt by Envy Records to get money back from Hussainpuri after he released Folk Attack early in India while being signed to Envy Records.

On September 19, 2007 Hussainpuri's compilation "Phuchal" was released in India. It contained previously released songs produced by Simon Nadhara, DJ VIX, Popsy, and Metz n Trix. This album was just a compilation of songs that previously appeared on other producers' albums. This album was not an official release, rather a compilation released in India. The North American version was released as "Bhuchal" by Planet Recordz.

In 2008 he made appearances on 2 CDs, XS-BASS' July 2008 release, "Amplified", and DJ H & DJ Rags' August 2008 release, "Reloaded", on the songs "Mitran Da Dhol" and "Gulaab". In a 2008 interview, Lehmber stated that he began work on his new album and it would be releasing soon from Serious Records.

In February 2009, Lehmber appeared on 2 songs on Jeeti's Serious Duets. One was titled Mera Mahi Tu Pateya, which is actually just the re-worked Boliyan (this one featuring Miss Pooja) from Lehmber's album Chalakiyan. The other song, also from Chalakiyan, titled Dil De Hoor, contained somewhat similar lyrics from the smash hit Ah Ni Kuriye

In January 2010, Lehmber appeared on many song such as Kudi from Hardcore Desi 2; Giddhe Wich from Sher Punjabi; Ik Peg from Mohabttan 2010; & Akh Teri from Velley Boyz. In March 2010, Lehmber Hussainpuri appeared on the songs Dil Lagee (Desi Version) and Dil Lagee (Hip Hop Version) on the album Absolut Bhangra 4: The Double Shot by North American group Dhol Beat International.^[3] The Desi Version of Dil Lagee became an instant hit and definitely a dance floor shaker.

On April 28, 2010, it was announced that MovieBox Records, based out of UK, had acquired Serious Records.^[4] As part of the deal, Moviebox received Serious Records' music catalogue as well as their current lineup of artists. Thus Lehmber Hussainpuri is now officially signed to MovieBox Records (Serious Records Label). In the press release, MovieBox also announced that Lehmber's album will be released in July 2010 with production coming from Jeeti, Kam Frantic, and Panjabi By Nature. Lehmber's signing with MovieBox is a huge benefit for Lehmber, because now he can work with MovieBox's ever-expanding lineup of top class producers.

In a July 2010 interview, Lehmber gave insight into his upcoming projects. Hussainpuri said, "Besides my solo album, I have a devotional album also coming out this year." Lehmber also stated that for his next solo project he was trying his hand singing qawwalis and songs which address a social cause, quite a different approach then his usual fast-beat party tunes. Lastly, he mentioned that he was heading towards Bollywood. Lehmber said, "Akshay Kumar has expressed his desire to work with me and we shall come out together with a project soon."^[5]

In November 2010, Lehmber Hussainpuri appeared on Panjabi MC's album, The Raj on the song Akh Da Eshara. In January and February 2011, Lehmber Hussainpuri appeared on the songs Mittro Ki Kariye by Tejwant Kittu, Hawavan by Jassi Bros, and Nakharah by MidLand DJs

In Feb 2011, his single "Sadi Gali (RDB)" reached number one on various Bollywood charts. The single was initially released on RDB (Rhythm Dhol Bass)'s album 'Three' in 2005, but then due to its huge success in the Bhangra scene, it was re-released on the soundtrack of the movie 'Tanu Weds Manu' (2011). Lehmber also featured on the soundtrack of the Hindi film Mausam (2011 film) on the song Mallo Malli with Hard Kaur^[6]

On 13 May 2011 Lehmber was featured on Bups Saggu's debut album 'Redefined' with the smash hit 'Matha Tekhiya', with the official music video releasing on September 23, 2011.^[7] Also released on October 7, 2011 was Lehmber's Jukebox Boli, the sequel to his all-time smash hit Chalakiyan Boliyan. This song was featured on Jeeti's new album, Jukebox.

On October 21, 2011 Lehmber Hussainpuri's new album Folk Attack 2 released on Serious Records and it featured production from Jeeti, Kam Frantic, Bhinda Aujla, Sukhi Chand, and Panjabi By Nature.^[8] The much awaited and highly anticipated album finally ended the long hiatus Lehmber took from the UK Bhangra scene. Folk Attack 2 released exactly 5 years since Lehmber's last solo effort, Chalakiyan. The first single from the album, Jatt Pagal Karte (produced by Jeeti) was released October 14, 2011 and was followed by the second single Pulli Phirdi (produced by Kam Frantic) on November 4, 2011.

Feud[link]

Lehmber and Dr. Zeus made one of the best collaborations bhangra had seen since the likes of Jazzy B & S.Shinda. Together these two had various hits. But an incident around an album caused their breakup leaving yet another potentially greatest bhangra producer & singer duo lost. The last big breakup in the bhangra industry was of the band B21.

After working on Unda da Influence with Dr. Zeus, Lehmber wanted his own solo debut album. Zeus agreed to produce an album for Lehmber for free because he felt Lehmber should get credit and not producers. Zeus agreed only as long as Envy Records got to release the album in the UK. Zeus also agreed that Lehmber could release the Indian version of the album himself. Therefore Lehmber signed a one album contract with Envy Records in early 2004. Zeus agreed to finish production and have the album set for release in mid 2004. However, Dr. Zeus kept delaying the album numerous times for various reasons. Thus, Lehmber took the uncompleted tracks to India behind Zeus' back. He released the songs in 2005 on an album "Folk Attack" under BaseLine Records even though he was signed to Envy Records in UK. Zeus was unhappy about how the tracks were released without his permission and therefore dropped Lehmber from Envy Records. Zeus put the finishing touches on the songs (adding raps, backup singers, and skits) and released it as "The Original Edit" under his own name in UK. Both versions of the albums were well received by listeners

Discography[link]

Official Albums[link]

Compilations/Unofficial Albums/Foreign Releases[link]

Bollywood Soundtracks[link]

References[link]