Minya Governorate

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.[3]

Minya Governorate
Governorate
Flag of Minya Governorate
Flag
Official logo of Minya Governorate
Minya Governorate on the map of Egypt
Minya Governorate on the map of Egypt
Coordinates: 28.11°N 30.11°E / 28.11; 30.11
Country Egypt
SeatMinya (capital)
Government
 • GovernorOsama El-Kady[1]
Population
 (January 2023)
 • Total6,279,035
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
HDI (2021)0.69[2]
medium · 20th
Websitewww.minia.gov.eg

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.

Overview

The rate of poverty is more than 60% in this governorate, where the total population is nearly 6 million. Recently the government has provided some assistance via social safety networks, specifically, some financial assistance to residents with disabilities, and job opportunities for them and others. The funding has been coordinated by the country's Ministry of Finance and with assistance from international organizations.[4]

Municipal divisions

The governorate is divided into municipal divisions with a total estimated population as of January 2023 of 6,279,035. In the case of Minya governorate, there are a number of aqsam and marakiz, and a new city. Sometimes a markaz and a kism share a name.[5]

Municipal Divisions
Anglicized nameNative nameArabic transliterationPopulation
(January 2023 Est.)		Type
Abu Qirqasمركز ابو قرقاصAbū Qurqās684,612Markaz
El Idwaمركز العدوةAl-'Idwah281,729Markaz
Minyaمركز المنياAl-Minyā762,530Markaz
Minya 1قسم أول المنياAl-Minyā 156,487Kism (fully urban)
Minya 2قسم ثان المنياAl-Minyā 2130,622Kism (fully urban)
Minya 3قسم ثالث المنياAl-Minyā 3107,907Kism (fully urban)
Beni Mazarمركز بنى مزارBanī Mazār639,122Markaz
Deir Mawasمركز دير مواسDayr Mawās466,443Markaz
New Minyaقسم المنيا الجديدةMadīnat al-Minyā al-Jadīdah18,173Kism (fully urban)
Maghaghaمركز مغاغةMaghāghah596,474Markaz
Mallawiمركز ملوىMallawī839,418Markaz
Mallawiقسم ملوىMallawī221,185Kism (fully urban)
Mataiمركز مطاىMaṭāy364,183Markaz
Samalut Eastمركز سمالوط شرقSamālūṭ Sharq359,601Markaz
Samalut Westمركز سمالوط غربSamālūṭ Gharb547,908Markaz

Cities and towns

As of 2018, 10 cities (or towns) in Minya had a population of over 15,000 inhabitants.[6]

Cities and towns with over 15,000 inhabitants
English nameNative nameArabic transliterationNov. 1996 CensusNov. 2006 CensusPopulation
(July 2017 Est.)
Abu Qirqasأبو قرقاسAbū Qurqās50,03157,89278,134
El IdwaالعدوةAl-'Idwah13,55315,87522,583
MinyaالمنياAl-Minyā201,440236,043245,478
New Minyaالمنيا الجديدةAl-Minyā al-Jadīdah684,56715,122
Beni Mazarبنى مزارBanī Mazār52,69079,553100,201
Deir Mawasدير مواسDayr Mawās33,19740,64052,658
MaghaghaمغاغةMaghāghah60,40575,657102,328
MallawiملوىMallawī119,285139,929184,048
MataiماتاىMaṭāy36,95346,90371,263
SamalutسمالوطSamālūṭ75,43791,475122,919

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 5,566,702 people residing in the governorate, 4,683,284 people live in rural areas as opposed to only 979,418 in urban areas.[7]

History

Little is known today about Minya Governorate compared to its great wealth of archaeological sites. Its 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 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.

Antinoöpolis was built in 130 A.D. by the Roman emperor Hadrian in memory of his favourite and eromenos 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.

In 2018, a Coptic cathedral was consecrated by Pope Tawadros II in the small village of Al Ur, near Samalut. The new cathedral was dedicated to the 21 Coptic Martyrs of Libya, thirteen of whom were from Al Ur.[8]

Archaeology

In February 2019, fifty mummy collections wrapped in linen, stone coffins or wooden sarcophagi dated back to the Ptolemaic Kingdom were discovered by Egyptian archaeologists in the Tuna El-Gebel site. 12 of the graves in four burial chambers 9m (30ft) deep, belonged to children. One of the remains was the partly uncovered skull enclosed in linen.[9][10]

In May 2020, Egyptian-Spanish archaeological mission headed by Esther Ponce revealed a unique cemetery consist of one room built with glazed limestone dating back to the 26th Dynasty (so-called the El-Sawi era) at the site of ancient Oxyrhynchus. Archaeologists also uncovered bronze coins, clay seals, Roman tombstones and small crosses.[11][12][13][14]

Projects
Ibrahimiya Canal, Minya

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.[15] In 2013, The United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security helped farmers in Minya by doing consultation work with them and taking soil samples.[16]

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:[17]

  • Al Matahra, east of the Nile
  • Heavy industrial zone - Wadi el Sararyah
  • New Minya

Agriculture and industry
Agricultural land along Nile River.
Man working in a limestone quarry.

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.[18]

Important sites

Monasteries in the Minya Governorate

Notable people

Statistics
  • Total area: 32,279 km².
  • Percentage to total area of Egypt: 3.2%.
  • Population: around 5.8 million
  • Population density: 115 people/km²
  • Rural population:
  • Percentage to the whole population of Egypt: 5.1%
  • Population growth rate:
  • Minya Governorate administrative divisions: 9 localities, 57 local administrative units, 346 small villages, and 1,429 tiny villages.

See also

References
  1. محافظ المنيا [Minya governor]. minia.gov.eg (in Arabic). Retrieved 2023-06-09.
  2. "Sub-national HDI - Subnational HDI - Table - Global Data Lab". globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  3. Merriam Webster's Geographical Dictionary (Third ed.). Merriam Webster. 1998. p. 354.
  4. "Social Solidarity Ministry to provide citizens with disabilities financial support". Egypt Independent. 25 July 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  5. (PDF) https://www.capmas.gov.eg/Admin/Pages%20Files/202331512347%D8%B9%D8%AF%D8%AF%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%83%D8%A7%D9%86%20%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89%20%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%88%D9%89%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%83%D8%B2%20%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%82%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%85%20%D9%81%D9%89%201%D9%80%201%D9%80%202023.pdf. Retrieved 2 April 2023. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. "Cities". CityPopulation.de. Archived from the original on 2018-10-05. Retrieved 2018-11-24.
  7. "Population Estimates By Sex & Governorate 1/1/2015" (PDF). CAPMAS. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-10-19. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  8. Darg, Christine (18 February 2018). "New Egyptian Cathedral for 21 Martyrs". Jerusalem Channel. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  9. "Egypt mummies: New tombs found in Minya". BBC News. 2019-02-02. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
  10. "Tomb with 50 mummies found in Egypt". akipress.com. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
  11. "StackPath". dailynewsegypt.com. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
  12. "Unique cemetery dating back to el-Sawi era discovered in Egypt amid coronavirus crisis". Zee News. 2020-05-28. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
  13. Mahmoud, Rasha (2020-05-26). "Egypt makes major archaeological discovery amid coronavirus crisis". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
  14. "البعثة الإسبانية تكتشف مقبرة أثرية نادرة وعملات برونزية بـ«البهنسا» في المنيا | المصري اليوم". www.almasryalyoum.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 2020-09-09.
  15. "Egypt: The Basic Village Services Program" (PDF). USAID. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-10-19. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  16. "UN Beneficiary Stories by UNIDO" (PDF). United Nations (unocha). Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  17. "Industrial Zones of Governorate". Ministry of Investment Egypt. Archived from the original on 2018-11-23. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  18. "Al-Minyā GOVERNORATE, EGYPT". britannica.

Sources
  • The Egyptian Tourist Authority - ETA
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