Rosetta or Rashid is a port city of the Nile Delta, 65 km east of Alexandria, in Egypt's Beheira governorate. The Rosetta Stone was discovered t…Rosetta or Rashid is a port city of the Nile Delta, 65 km east of Alexandria, in Egypt's Beheira governorate. The Rosetta Stone was discovered there in 1799. Founded around the 9th century on the site of the ancient town of Bolbitine, Rosetta boomed with the decline of Alexandria following the Ottoman conquest of Egypt in 1517, only to wane in importance after Alexandria's revival. During the 19th century, it was a popular British tourist destination, known for its Ottoman mansions, citrus groves and relative cleanliness.