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In ancient Egypt the city was known as Tamiat, but it became less important in the Hellenic period after the construction of Alexandria.

Capture of Damiette by crusaders, among them warriors from Haarlem.Damietta was important in the 12th and 13th centuries during the time of the crusades. In 1169 a fleet from the Kingdom of Jerusalem, with support from the Byzantine EmpireThe Byzantine Empire or Eastern Roman Empire was the eastern section of the Roman Empire, with its capital at Constantinople (modern Istanbul), which remained in existence after the fall of Rome in the 5th century. The Byzantine period is usually consider, attacked the port, but it was defeated by SaladinSaladin ( 1137 1193) Salah al Din Yusuf Ibn Ayyub founded the ethnically Kurdish Ayyubid dynasty of Egypt and Syria. He was also renowned in both the Christian and Muslim worlds for his leadership and military prowess tempered by his chivalry and merciful.

During preparations for the Fifth CrusadeThe Fifth Crusade ( 1217- 1221) was an attempt to take back Jerusalem by first conquering the powerful Muslim state in Egypt. In 1213 Pope Innocent III issued the bull Quia maior calling all Christians to join a new crusade, except the kings and emperors in 1217Events April 9 Peter of Courtenay crowned emperor of the Latin Empire of Constantinople at Rome, by Pope Honorius III August 24 Battle of Sandwich between English and French soldiers in the English Channel mercenary Eustace the Monk working for the French, it was decided that Damietta should be the focus of attack. Control of Damietta meant control of the Nile, and from there the crusaders believed they would be able to conquer Egypt. From Egypt they could then attack PalestineFor varying definitions, see definitions of Palestine. Palestine ( Latin: Syria Palaestina Hebrew: Palestina Eretz Yisrael Arabic: Filasin , is a region in the Middle East extending inland from the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. Its political sta and recapture JerusalemCapitals in Asia For alternate uses see Jerusalem (disambiguation Jerusalem ( Modern Hebrew: Yerushalayim Biblical Hebrew: Arabic: al-Quds see also Names of Jerusalem) is an ancient Middle Eastern city of key importance to the religions of Judaism, Christ. The port was besieged and occupied in 1219Events Saint Francis of Assisi introduces Catholicism into Egypt, during the Fifth Crusade Ongoing events Fifth Crusade ( 1217- 1221) Births Deaths Jayavarman VII, ruler of the Khmer Empire Minamoto no Sanetomo, third shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate of J, but by 1221 the crusaders had been defeated outside Cairo and driven out of Egypt.

Damietta was also the object of the Seventh Crusade, led by Louis IX of France. His fleet arrived there in 1249 and quickly captured the fort, though he refused to hand it over to the nominal king of Jerusalem, to whom it had been promised during the Fifth Crusade. However, Louis too was eventually defeated in Egypt and was forced to give up the city.

Because of its importance to the Crusaders, the Mameluk sultan Baibars destroyed the city and rebuilt it with stronger fortifications a few kilometres from the river. Today there is a canal connecting it to the Nile, which has made it an important port once again. The modern city has a population of about 1 million.