Asyut Governorate

Asyut Governorate is one of the 28 governorates of Egypt. The capital of this governorate carries the same name, Assiut. Likewise, the metropolis of Asyut is the largest town in Upper Egypt, stretching across a section of the Nile River.

Location of Assiut Governorate

It lies on the western bank of the Nile, about 234 miles south of Cairo, the capital city. El Minya Governorate borders it from the north and Sohag from the south.

Etymology

The name of Asyut is derived from early Egyptian Zawty (Z3JW.TJ), late Egyptian Səyáwt into Coptic Syowt. An A letter was added to the name Syowt to become Asyut or Assiut.

The ancient Egyptians established the city of Assiut on the Nile River, and its name at that time was Siut, which is derived from the word (Sawt), which means guard in the ancient Egyptian language. The Viceroy inhabited the thirteenth region. In the Greek era, Egypt comprised the Delta, Middle Egypt, and Upper Egypt. Asyut was the capital of one of these divisions, as it was the capital of the Northern Division in the Roman era. In the period of Muhammad Ali, Egypt consisted of seven states, one of which included Girga and Asyut and was named half of the first tribal face. Its capital is Asyut.

Overview of Assiut Governorate

The rate of poverty is more than 60% in this governorate. However, some social safety networks have recently provided financial assistance and job opportunities. The funding has been coordinated by the country’s Ministry of Finance and with help from international organizations.

Assiut Role in Ancient History

The history of Assiut began in the Pharaonic era, when Assiut joined Thebes, the country’s capital, in its struggle against the Hyksos.

When Egypt was subjected to Greek rule, and after it, the Ptolemaic, the country’s regime (Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt) continued to be maintained.

In the Roman era, the Romans directed their attention to the northern regions, which led to their prosperity and the backwardness of the cities of Upper Egypt.

When Christianity entered Egypt, the Romans did not welcome it, and persecution led to the displacement of Christianity to relatively empty areas.

With Egypt subject to Arab rule, many of its people converted to Islam. During the Mamluk era, the famous traveller Ibn Battuta visited Assiut and said it was a prestigious city with lovely markets.

Assiut governorate is considered one of the oldest governorates in Egypt, and it gained its importance in ancient Egypt. Reasons for its central location between the regions of Pharaonic Egypt, its importance as a centre for trade caravans heading to oases in the Western Desert, and the beginning of the Darb Al-Arba’een road that reaches Darfur in Sudan.

Assiut Governorate, with its current administrative borders, included five central regions:

The fourteenth district, “Qus”, is located in Al-Qusiyah and its goddess Hathor.
The thirteenth district, “Sawt”, is in Assiut and its idol, Aub Wawat.
The twelfth district, “Bar’anti”, and its current location is the eastern bank of Assiut and its god Horus.
The eleventh district, “Sheshotep”, is located in the village of Shutb and its god Horus.
The tenth district is “Wadjet“; its current place is Al-Badari and her idol Aub Wawat.

Governorate emblem

The emblem of the Assiut Governorate includes its symbols: the brown Asyut Aqueduct, the yellow eagle of Salah El-Din, a symbol of strength, and the olive branch, a symbol of peace, in green.

National Day of the Prefecture

Assiut Governorate celebrates its National Day on April 18 of each year. This date is chosen to honour the memory of the Bani Uday revolution on the edge of the Western Desert of Manfalut Center and the road leading to the New Valley.

The day of April 18, 1799, was memorable in the history of Assiut. The revolution of Bani Uday against the French took place under the leadership of Sheikh Hassan al-Khatib. More than three thousand people were under his leadership: Sheikh Hassan al-Khatib, Sheikh Muhammad al-Maghrabi and Sheikh Abu al-Dawy. In addition, 450 Egyptian Bedouins and 300 Mamluks joined them. At that time, the Bani Uday people sent groups to the Nile to attack the French ships. General Dafoe marched to them with his soldiers, intending to seize Bani Uday, and when he reached it, he found all the people carrying weapons.

The people were brave in receiving the attacks of the French army. So, the two teams clashed fiercely on the roads of Bani Uday and its houses, which the people fortified and made semi-fortresses. During this battle, the village became a flame of fire. By this means, the French succeeded in entering Bani Uday after it became ashes.

The people of the village of Bani Uday recorded their names in letters of light in the record of heroes, so no family did not have one or more martyrs in this battle.

Hence, the celebration of the Assiut Governorate on April 18 of each year was a sincere expression of loyalty, appreciation and reverence for the people of the village of Bani Uday, who stood against the forces of oppression and colonialism.

Municipal divisions

The governorate is divided into municipal divisions, and its estimated population was 4,407,335 as of July 2017. Sometimes, a Markaz and a Qism appear as a shared name. The Asyut governorate has one new city, three Aqsam, and eleven Marakiz.

Abnub
Abu Tig
El Badari
El Fath
And El Ghanayem
El Qusiya
Asyut
Asyut 1
And Asyut 2
Dairut
New Asyut
New City
Manfalut
Sahel Selim
Besides, Sodfa

Population

According to population estimates from 2015, most residents in this province live in rural areas, with an urbanization rate of only 26.5%. Out of an estimated 4,245,215 people residing in the governorate, 3,119,112 live in rural instead of 1,126,103 in urban areas.

Demographics

Asyut governorate has over 4 million people, with a significant Coptic presence. In 1914, it had the second-largest proportion of Copts in Egypt, making up 20.7%. However, they comprise 32%, while the remaining are Sunni Muslims. Evangelical (Protestant) religions had significant growth in some districts of Asyut. As evidence, in 1907, census data showed that half of a village’s citizens were counted as Protestant Copts. Muslims and Christians have lived together in Assiut, and there have been clashes at times. In July 2013, many Christians took to the streets to protest Muslim extremism in Asyut. Whether Christian or Muslim, Asyut is home to a very conservative society. In October 2016, Upper Egypt’s first beauty pageant, which was to be held in Asyut, had to be cancelled due to death threats and security issues.

Cities

Abnub
Abu Tig
Asyut
Dairut
El Badari
El Ghanayem
Manfalut
El Quseyya
Sahel Selim
Sanabo
Besides, Sodfa

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 Awamer Abnoub
Al Zarabi in Abu Tig
And Al Safa (Beni Ghaleb)
Sahel Selim
Dairout
Badari
Besides, New Asyut

Projects and programs

The National Solid Waste Management Programme (NSWMP) involves building new infrastructure and expanding and improving existing waste treatment, landfills, and recycling facilities. In 2016, Switzerland committed to funding a solid waste management program in Asyut, a project with the Egyptian Ministry of Environment that will conclude in 2021.

Important sites

Ancient quarries are an essential feature of Asyut. There are about 500 rock-cut tombs and limestone quarries all around Asyut. The governorate of Asyut includes the Ancient Egyptian tombs of Meir. Also, it comprises the town of Durunka, a pilgrimage site for many Copts who visit a monastery dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

Umawy mosque:

The Great Umayyad Mosque is one of the oldest mosques, dating back to the Umayyad era. It was developed twice in the Mamluk era and rebuilt and renovated during the reign of King Fuad I. This mosque is one of the important tourist attractions in Assiut Governorate.

Monastery of the Virgin Mary:

The Monastery of the Virgin Mary in the Western Mountain in the city of Assiut is considered one of the most important holy places for Christians in Egypt and outside Egypt. The monastery is located in the Western Mountain of Assiut, one hundred meters from the earth’s surface. This monastery gained its fame and status from the visit of the Virgin Mary and Jesus during the Holy Family’s journey to Egypt. This monastery was the last place for the Holy Family, and from there, they returned to Palestine.

The Monastery of Al Muharraq:

The Monastery of the Virgin Mary Muharraq in Mount Qusqam, known simply as the Monastery of Muharraq, is a Christian monastery affiliated with the Coptic Orthodox Church, 12 km from the city of Al-Qusiya in Assiut Governorate. The prayers are in the ancient Coptic language, and it is a global religious tourist attraction that tourists from all over the world come to perform the rituals of the Christian religion after the Church of the Nativity in Palestine.

Meir archaeological tombs:

It is located west of the village of Mir, the centre of Al-Qusia, which is 65 km northwest of Assiut. It includes a group of tombs carved into the body of the mountain to be a cemetery, the capital of the ancient region of the princes and rulers of the fourteenth district, which was known as “Kees”; in Roman times, it was known as “Kusai”, and its idol was the god Hathor.

Al-Majzoub Archaeological Bridge:

The archaeological bridge of Majzoub is considered one of the most critical water installations in the governorate of Assiut. It was established in 1836 AD-1251H during Muhammad Ali Pasha’s reign.

Islamic commercial agencies:

Islamic commercial agency is a commercial city dating back to the Ottoman era. It is located on Muhammad Mahmoud Pasha Street. It includes many mosques, such as the mosque of Sidi Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti, shops for the trade of copper, scrap, and handmade fabrics, and agencies, such as Shalaby Agency and Lotfi Agency, built in the Ottoman style.

Mujahideen Mosque:

It is one of the oldest mosques in Assiut and one of the hanging mosques on a high hill.

Alexan Pasha Palace:

Al-Alexan Pasha Palace is considered one of Assiut’s most important archaeological sites and the only one registered as an archaeological palace in the governorate. It extends over an area of more than 8,000 square meters.

Wadi Al-Assiuti Nature Reserve:

The Delta of Wadi Habib is 60 km from Assiut, and its area is about 5,000 acres. It contains a variety of historical nature and the mineral and geological structures of civilization. It has shallow surface waterways resulting from torrential rains during the rainy seasons. There are some wild plants, rare herbs, and wild animals such as deer and rare reptiles, and it is considered a centre for training, culture, and adventure tourism.

Archeology Museum at Al-Salam School:

This museum is in the School of El Salam in Assiut’s War and Peace Square. It includes an extensive collection of artefacts from different eras, including antiquities from the pre-dynastic era, the Pharaonic, Coptic, and Islamic eras, and Sudanese antiquities and antiquities from Ethiopia.

Deir el-Gabrawi

Deir el-Gabrawi is a village in Upper Egypt. It is located on the east bank of the Nile, directly east of the city of Manfalut, in the Asyut Governorate.

During the 6th Dynasty, the powerful nomarchs of the 12th nome of Upper Egypt were buried in rock-cut tombs near Deir El Gabrawi. Some of these nomarchs held the title Great Overlord of the Abydene Nome and controlled a large area extending from the 8th Nome (Abydos) to the 13th Nome of Upper Egypt.

It is remarkable that some scenes in the tomb of one of these nomarchs, Ibi, occur again in the Theban tomb (TT36) of a man of the same name from the reign of Psammetichus I, about 1600 years later.

Hanging Monastery

The Hanging Monastery is on the eastern bank of the Nile River, about 25 km north of Abnoub city, 170 meters above the earth’s surface. It gained fame as the hanging monastery because it hung high on the mountain’s bosom.