Al-Minya Travel Guide
About The City Of Al Minya
Just like the American South before the civil war, Al Minya was a region renowned for its vast production of cotton during the 20th Century. Sitting some 250 kilometres south of Cairo, Al Minya is no longer the cotton hub it used to be, but traces of industrialization and economy still remain within the area as various factories can still be found around the city. Al Minya covers an area that spans 135 km by 20 km, stretching longitudinally over the Nile.
Origins of the City’s Name
The name of the city has connections with Pharaoh Khufu who built the Great Pyramid of Giza. The original name in the ancient Egyptian tongue was Men’at Khufu which when translated into English means Khufu’s nursing city.
Also, it is likely that Minya is a variation of the city’s name in other languages like Bohairic Thmonē and Coptic Thmonē where the word translates to The Residence, a monastery that used to be located in the region. Being the capital of Egypt at some point in time, Al Menya holds a lot of attraction for enthusiasts of Egyptian History. It is a particularly strategic city in the history of Egypt because of some landmarks and important happenings that took place there.
To start with, Al Minya was the site of the discovery of the Codex Tchacos, also, it was home to Nefertiti and Akhenaten, parents of Tutankhamun the popular king. Al Menya was also the center from which sprang the monotheistic worship and belief of Aten the sun god. There are also a lot of tombs in the area, both of important people as well as the common people.
Being a confluence point between northern and southern Egypt, Minya is often fondly referred to by Egyptians as the “Bride of Upper Egypt”. Also, with 50% of the population being Coptic Christians, the city plays host to one of Egypt’s highest Coptic Christian populations.
Apart from ancient landmarks, a couple of modern attractions are equally present at Al Minya, these include the Suzanne Mubarak Center for Arts (named after the wife of ex-president Hosni Mubarak), the Minya University is also sited in the city as well as a museum and a Radio and Television station.
Updated On April 20, 2020
