El Mahalla El Kubra

: المحلة الكبرى Al Maḥalla al Kubrā) is a large industrial and agricultural city in Egypt, located in the middle of the Nile Delta on the western bank of the Damietta branch. It is the largest city of the Gharbia Governorate and in the Nile Delta , with a population of approximately 442,000 inhabitants (2001 statistics). In April of 2008 the city held mass demonstrations protesting the election results of President Hosni Mubarak. Security forces were ordered to crackdown on the dissidents. These protests in 2008 are said to have paved the way for the Arab Spring from Tunisia to Yemen. El-Mahalla el-Kubra is home to the largest public sector Egyptian textile company, the Misr Spinning and Weaving Company (Arabic: شركة مصر للغزل والنسيج), employing 27,000. The city is also famous for its two football teams: Ghazl Al-Mehalla and Baladeyet Al-Mahalla.