Minya Governorate

Minya Governorate
Governorate

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Minya Governorate on the map of Egypt
Coordinates: 28°07′N 30°07′E / 28.11°N 30.11°E / 28.11; 30.11Coordinates: 28°07′N 30°07′E / 28.11°N 30.11°E / 28.11; 30.11
Country  Egypt
Seat Minya (capital)
Government
 • Governor Tarek Hassan Nasr [1]
Area
 • Total 32,279 km2 (12,463 sq mi)
Population (2014)
 • Total 5,004,421
 • Density 160/km2 (400/sq mi)
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
Website Minia

Minya Governorate (Arabic: محافظة المنيا‎‎ Muḥāfẓet El Minya) is one of the governorates of Upper Egypt. Its capital city, Minya is located on the left bank of the Nile River.[2]

Etymology

The name originates from the chief city of the governorate, originally known in Sahidic Coptic as Tmoone and in Bohairic as Thmonē, meaning “the residence”, in reference to a monastery formerly in the area. The name may also originate from the city's name in Egyptian Men'at Khufu.

Population

According to population estimates from 2015 the majority of residents in the governorate live in rural areas, with an urbanization rate of only 18.9%. Out of an estimated 5,156,702 people residing in the governorate, 4,183,284 people live in rural areas as opposed to only 973,418 in urban areas. [3]

Cities

The capital of Minya governorate is the city of Minya. The governorate is one of the most highly populated governorates of Upper Egypt. It contains nine cities; 3,375 villages; and 10,875 hamlets, within the following nine boroughs, from north to south:

The following cities are located in this governorate:

History

Little is known today about Minya Governorate compared to its great wealth of important archaeological sites. Its remarkable history, including Ancient Egyptian, Hellenistic, Roman and Arab periods, has not yet received the full attention of scholars.

Ancient Egyptian period

Dehnet, Fraser Tombs, Sharuna, and Zawyet el-Maiyitin comprise monuments dating back to the Old Kingdom.

The village of Bani Hasan al Shurruq houses 390 rock-cut decorated tombs and chapels from the Middle Kingdom (2000–1580 BC, especially the sixteenth dynasty). The Speos Artemidos is nearby, and hosts temples built by Queen Hatshepsut.

Akhetaten was built by Pharaoh Akhenaten and dedicated to the god Aten. Akhenaten lived there in isolation with his beautiful wife, Nefertiti, and daughters, devoting himself to the monotheistic religion that he preached. The glorious remains of the palaces, temples and tombs still exist today.

Other significant archaeological sites in the governorate of Minya include Deir Abu Hinis, Deir el-Bersha, El-Sheikh Sa'id, and Tuna el-Gebel.

Greco-Roman period

El Ashmunein (Hermopolis Magna) was the capital of the region during this period. It was the main center of worship of the god Thoth. Today, the ruins of a Greek temple, similar to the Parthenon, can be still found.

The tomb and chapel of Petosiris are found near the modern village of Tuna el-Gebel.

Antinopolis was built in 130 A.D. by the Roman emperor Hadrian in memory of his favorite cup-bearer Antinous.

Byzantine period

The Monastery of the Virgin Mary at Gebel el-Teir is an important Christian site near the city of Samalut. Its church was built by Empress Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, in 328, on one of the sites where the Holy Family is believed to have stayed during its Flight into Egypt.

Oxyrhynchus was an important administrative center during the Hellenistic Period, and remains an important archaeological source for papyri from the Byzantine Egypt.

Arab period

Maghagha hosts the mosque of the famous Muslim Zayid ibn al Mugharah.

Modern history

Today, Minya governorate has the highest concentration of Coptic Christians of 50% of the total population. There are also a number of active monasteries in the region.

Projects

In 1981, the Basic Village Service Program (BVS) of USAID, had several water, and road projects, going on in several markazes in the Minya Governorate.[4] In 2013, The United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security helped farmers in Minya by doing consultation work with them and taking soil samples.[5]

National holiday

The national holiday of the Minya governorate is on 18 March. It commemorates those who were executed by the British at Deir Mawas on 18 March 1919.

Industrial zones

According to the Egyptian Governing Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), in affiliation with the Ministry of Investment (MOI), the following industrial zones are located in this governorate:[6]

Agriculture and industry

Ibrahimiya Canal, Minya

Minya Governorate is an important agricultural and industrial region. Among its principal crops are sugarcane, cotton, beans, soybeans, garlic, onions, vegetables of various sorts, tomatoes, potatoes, watermelons, and grapes. Among the leading local industries are food processing (especially sugar and the drying and grinding of onions), spinning and weaving of cotton, perfumes, oils and fats, cement-making, quarrying (especially limestone), and brick-making.

Important sites

Monasteries in the Minya Governorate

Notable people

Statistics

Sources

References

  1. ↑ "Egypt's new provincial governors: Who's who?". Ahram Online. December 26, 2015. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
  2. ↑ Merriam Webster's Geographical Dictionary (Third ed.). Merriam Webster. p. 354.
  3. ↑ "Population Estimates By Sex & Governorate 1/1/2015" (PDF). CAPMAS. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  4. ↑ "Egypt: The Basic Village Services Program" (PDF). USAID. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  5. ↑ "UN Beneficiary Stories by UNIDO" (PDF). United Nations (unocha). Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  6. ↑ "Investment Regimes, Industrial Zones of Governorate". Ministry of Investment Egypt. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
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