Kafr ash Shaykh, city in northeastern Egypt, capital of the Kafr ash Shaykh governorate, 149 km (93 mi) north of the Egyptian capital, Cairo. The city lies in the north central Nile River Delta, in one of the world's oldest agricultural regions. Local crops include long-staple cotton, rice, wheat, and clover. Kafr ash Shaykh is connected to the complex rail network that radiates north from Cairo. About 31 km (19 mi) northwest is the site of the ancient city of Buto, the political center of Lower Egypt before its unification around 3100 BC. Until the end of the Roman era in the 7th century AD, Buto continued to be the center of worship of the cult of Uto, a cobra-headed goddess. Archaeological excavations have unearthed two settlements and a temple.
The construction of the Aswan High Dam on the Nile in the 1960s has restricted the flow of water and nutrients downstream. As a result, there has been a serious increase in salinity in the area immediately north of Kafr ash Shaykh, which has harmed its agricultural production. The city experienced violent conflicts between Muslims and Christians leading up to legislative elections in the spring of 1987. Population (1986) 102,910.
