Stretching eastward as far as the Rosetta mouth of the Nile is the spacious bay of Aboukir, where on the 1st of August 1798 Nelson fought the battle of the Nile, often referred to as the battle of Aboukir.
When Nelson left the coast of Egypt, Hood commanded the blockading force off Alexandria and Rosetta.
Khorshid at first refused to yield; but at length, on condition that his troops should be paid, he evacuated the citadel and embarked for Rosetta.
In 1833 Whiteside married Rosetta, daughter of William Napier, and sister of Sir Joseph Napier (1804-1882), lord chancellor of Ireland.
The European Space Agency launched its comet chaser Rosetta in March 2004, which will rendezvous with 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in 2014.