Kafr Ash Shaykh governorate was created in 1949 and named Fu'adiyah province after Fu'ad I, sultan and king of Egypt. After the Egyptian monarchy was overthrown, the area got its present name. Buhayrat al-Burullus, which is a large saltwater coastal lagoon separated from the sea by a narrow sandbar is at the north. Fed by canals and minor branches of the Nile, the lagoon is bordered by extensive salt marshes from which large tracts have been reclaimed for rice cropping. The fishing village of Baltim is on the eastern shore.The coastal lighthouse located north of the east end of the Burullus lagoon was erected by order of Khedive Isma'il Pasha as one of four associated with the construction of the Suez Canal. The interesting place in the province to be visited is a former royal palace of King Farouk I, which is situated in the capital with the same name as the one of the province.