Sohag Governorate is one of the

governorates of Egypt Egypt has a Centralisation, centralised system of local government officially called local administration as it is a branch of the Executive (government), Executive. The country is divided into twenty-seven governorates ( '; ; genitive case#Ara ...

. It is located in the southern part of the country (

Upper Egypt Upper Egypt ( ar, صعيد مصر ', shortened to , , locally: ; ) is the southern portion of Egypt and is composed of the lands on both sides of the Nile that extend upriver from Lower Egypt in the north to Nubia in the south. In ancient ...

), and covers a stretch of the Nile Valley. Since 1960, its capital has been the city of

Sohag Sohag ( , ), also spelled as ''Sawhāj'', ''Suhag'' and ''Suhaj'', is a city on the west bank of the Nile in Egypt. It has been the capital of Sohag Governorate since 1960, before which the capital was Girga and the name of the governorate wa ...

. Prior to that, the capital was the city of

Girga Girga ( arz, جرجا ), alternatively Digirga or Digurga is a city in the Sohag Governorate of Upper Egypt. It is located on the west bank of the Nile River. Metropolitan see of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Name The name of the city comes from ...

and the name of the governorate was Girga Governorate.

Overview

The rate of poverty is more than 60% in this governorate but recently some social safety networks have been provided in the form of financial assistance and job opportunities. The funding has been coordinated by the country's Ministry of Finance and with assistance from international organizations. In early 2019, some residents of the poorer villages of Sohag were able to move into their new homes built, in part, with aid from the

National Bank of Kuwait The National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) was founded in 1952. It is the largest financial institution in Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It ...

. There was a celebration for the completion of 115 homes where residents also received cattle and other gifts.

Archaeology

In April 2019, the archaeological mission of the Ministry of Antiquities led by Mostafa Waziri uncovered a tomb of a nobleman called Toutou and his wife at Al-Dayabat archaeological site dating back to the Ptolemaic era. The tomb contained two tiny rooms with two

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

sarcophagi A sarcophagus (plural sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a box-like funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek ...

. Besides, well preserved mummy, mummified animals and birds including falcons, eagles, cats, dogs and shrews were also revealed in the tomb.

Municipal divisions

The governorate is divided into municipal divisions with a total estimated population as of July 2017 of 4,995,155. In the case of Sohag governorate, there are two new cities, five agsam and twelve marakiz. In some instances there is a markaz and a kism with the same name.

Population

According to population estimates, in 2015 the majority of residents in the governorate lived in rural areas, with an urbanization rate of only 21.4%. Out of an estimated 4,603,861 people residing in the governorate in 2015, 3,618,543 people lived in rural areas and 985,318 lived in urban areas.

Cities and towns

Akhmim Akhmim ( ar, أخميم, ; Akhmimic , ; Sahidic/Bohairic cop, ) is a city in the Sohag Governorate of Upper Egypt. Referred to by the ancient Greeks as Khemmis or Chemmis ( grc, Χέμμις) and Panopolis ( grc, Πανὸς πόλις and Π� ...

(

Ipu Ipu is a percussion instrument made from gourds that is often used to provide a beat for hula dancing. There are two types of ipu, the ipu heke (), which is a double gourd made by taking two gourds of different sizes, cutting them and joining t ...

or Khent-Min or

Khemmis Akhmim ( ar, أخميم, ; Akhmimic , ; Sahidic/Bohairic cop, ) is a city in the Sohag Governorate of Upper Egypt. Referred to by the ancient Greeks as Khemmis or Chemmis ( grc, Χέμμις) and Panopolis ( grc, Πανὸς πόλις and Π� ...

or Panopolis) * Dar El Salam *

El Balyana El Balyana ( ar, البلينا; cop, ⲃⲩⲗⲓⲁⲛⲏ, ⲧⲡⲟⲗⲩⲃⲓⲁⲛⲏ ''Tpolubianē, '') is a small town in the Sohag Governorate of Upper Egypt. Located on the west bank of the Nile, it is situated near the ancient Egypt ...

* El Mansha *

El Maragha El Maragha ( ar, المراغة, ) is a city in the Sohag Governorate in Upper Egypt. It is located on the west bank of the Nile. Etymology The name of the city is a corruption of . This claim is also supported by a Coptic translation of thi ...

* El Usayrat *

( Tjeny or

Thinis Thinis (Greek: Θίνις ''Thinis'', Θίς ''This'' ; Egyptian: Tjenu; cop, Ⲧⲓⲛ; ar, ثينيس) was the capital city of the first dynasties of ancient Egypt. Thinis remains undiscovered but is well attested by ancient writers, includ ...

) *

Juhayna The Juhaynah ( ar, جهينة, also transliterated as ''Djuhaynah'' and ''Johaynah'') are a nomad tribe of the Arabian Peninsula and the largest clan of Banu Quda'a. They are one of the most powerful Arabian tribes that rule important parts of ...

* Sakulta *

Tahta Tahta ( ar, طهطا / , ALA-LC: ''Ṭahṭā''; ; , ) is a city in the Sohag Governorate of Upper Egypt. It is located on the west bank of the Nile in an area known for its agricultural richness. Tahta had a population of 85,528 in the 2017 ce ...

* Tima

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: *Al Kawthar District *Al Ahaiwa *Beit Dawood, west of Gerga *West Of Tahta *(New urban community industrial zone) New Sohag

Important sites

* Abydos ( Abedju) * Apollonos Polis ( Kom Isfaht) *

Beit Khallaf Beit Khallaf (Arabic: بيت خلاف ) is a small rural village located 10 kilometers west of Girga in Upper Egypt. Beit Khallaf is part of the area known as the Hajer line, which is composed of three other villages: Beit Allam, Beit Khuraybi, an ...

El Hawawish El Hawawish ( ar, الحواويش) is the name given to the site of the ancient necropolis (cemetery) for the city of Akhmim in the Sohag Governorate, Egypt. The cemetery was excavated extensively by an Australian archaeological and epigraphi ...

* El Salamuni * Gabal El Haridi * Hut-Repyt (

Athribis Athribis ( ar, أتريب; Greek: , from the original Egyptian ''Hut-heryib'', cop, Ⲁⲑⲣⲏⲃⲓ) was an ancient city in Lower Egypt. It is located in present-day Tell Atrib, just northeast of Benha on the hill of Kom Sidi Yusuf. The to ...

or Wannina) * Kom Ishqaw ( Aphrodito) *

Tjebu Tjebu or Djew-Qa, was an ancient Egyptian city located on the eastern bank of the Nile in what is now Asyut Governorate, Egypt. In Greek and Roman Egypt, its name was Antaeopolis after its tutelary deity, the war god known by the Hellenized n ...

( Djew-Qa or Antaeopolis or Qaw el-Kebir) *

Red Monastery The Red Monastery () or The Monastery of Apa Psoi () is a Coptic Orthodox monastery named after an Egyptian saint called Psoi () or Pishoy () (who is not to be confused with the famous Saint Pishoy). It is located near the Upper Egyptian city of ...

White Monastery The Coptic White Monastery (), also The Monastery of Abba Shenouda () and The Athribian Monastery () is a Coptic Orthodox monastery named after Saint Shenouda the Archimandrite. It is located near the Upper Egyptian cities of Tahta and Sohag, a ...

* Sohag Museum

Notable people

Imad Hamdi Emad Hamdy ( ar, عماد حمدي, ; November 25, 1909 – January 28, 1984) was an Egyptians, Egyptian actor. He was married to the Egyptian actress Shadia between 1953 and 1956. And between 1962 and 1975 he was married to the Egyptian actre ...

(actor) * Hamdy Ahmed (actor) * George Sidhum (actor)

References

External links

El Wattan News of Sohag GovernorateHopkins, Nicholas S., Directions of Change in Rural Egypt, Oxford University Press, 2004
{{Authority control Governorates of Egypt