Qena Governorate

Qena Governorate is one of the governorates of Egypt. Found in the southern part of the country of Upper Egypt, it covers a stretch of the Nile valley.

Location of Qena Governorate

Qena Governorate extends 168 km along the Nile River and is 577 km from Cairo. Sohag governorate borders it in the north, and Luxor governorate borders it in the south. It also neighbours the Al-Bahr Al-Ahmar (Red Sea) governorate in the east and the New Valley governorate in the west.

History of Qena Governorate

Qena is one of Egypt’s 27 governorates. Its deep-rooted history and heritage mark it, like all the towns located in the Nile Valley. Indeed, we can learn a lot about its history from the remaining Ancient Egyptian monuments in Naqada and Dendera. These monuments confirm that Qena’s history extends as far back as the history of civilisation in Egypt.

 Later, Muhammad Ali, ruling Egypt in 1805, divided the country into directorates. Accordingly, Girga, “Upper Egypt,” became one of these directorates. This directorate had several cities, including Mishta in the north and Qena and Esna in the south.

According to another demonstrative division in 1960, Qena became a governorate. And thus, it extended from the south of Sohag governorate to Esna City in the south. Finally, in 2009, Luxor split from it to form a new governorate.

Administrative Divisions of the Governorate

Qena governorate consists of the following 11 administrative divisions or 11 central cities:

1. Abu Tesht.
2. El Waqf.
3. Dishna.
4. Also, Farshut.
5. New Qena.
6. Naga Hammadi.
7. Additionally, Naqada.
8. Quft (Gebtu or Coptos).
9. Qena.
10. Besides, Qus.

The above central cities (Markazes) have rural local units with subordinated villages.

Naqada Town

Naqada is a town on the west bank of the Nile in Qena Governorate, Egypt, situated ca. 20 km north of Luxor. It includes the villages of Tukh, Khatara, Danfiq, and Zawayda. According to the 1960 census, it is one of the most uninhabited areas with only 3,000 inhabitants, mainly of the Christian faith, who preserved elements of the Coptic language until the 1930s.

Qift Town

Qift, also spelt Kuft, Greek Coptos, or Koptos, is an agricultural town in Qina muhafazah (governorate), Upper Egypt. It lies along its east bank at the large bend of the Nile north of Luxor (al-Uqsur). Known to the ancient Egyptians as Qebtu, the town was of an early dynastic foundation. It was important for the nearby gold and quartzite mines in the Eastern Desert to work during the first and second dynasties (c. 2925–c. 2650 BCE) and as a starting point for expeditions to Punt (in modern Somalia). Qebtu was associated with the god Min (temple ruins remain) and the goddess Isis, who, according to legend, found part of Osiris’ body there. Destroyed in 292 CE by Diocletian, Qift later became a Christian community, lending its name to the Coptic Christians of Egypt and Egypt via the Greek name Aegyptus. Important as a medieval caravan trade centre, the town is known chiefly for its ruins. The famous road to the Red Sea, via Wadi Hammamat that made the town important, starts just to the east at the desert edge. Pop. (2006) 22,063.

Attractions in Qena Governorate

Temples of Dendera

The Complex Temple of Dendera is one of the best-preserved temple complexes in Egypt. The whole complex covers some 40,000 square meters, and a big mud brick enclosed wall surrounds it. Dendera Temple complex stands 7 km from Qena, about 2.5 kilometres southeast of Dendera, Qena Governorate-Egypt. This area was used as the sixth Nome of Upper Egypt, south of Abydos.