Sohag (, , ), also spelled as Suhag or Suhaj, is a city on the west bank of the

Nile The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the List of river sy ...

in Egypt. It has been the capital of

Sohag Governorate Sohag () is one of the governorates of Egypt. It is located in the southern part of the country (Upper Egypt), and covers a stretch of the Nile Valley. Since 1960, its capital has been the city of Sohag. Prior to that, the capital was the city ...

since 1960, before which the capital was Girga and the name of the governorate was Girga Governorate. It also included Esna Governorate (nowadays

Qena Governorate Qena () is one of the governorates of Egypt. It is in Upper Egypt, the southern part of the country. It covers a stretch of the Nile valley. Its capital is the city of Qena. Overview The rate of poverty is more than 60% in this governorate but ...

History

The modern city developed from the village of ''Suhay'' () (or ''Sumay''), the name of which eventually transformed into Suhaj, and is located on the site of several ancient settlements, the largest of which is ''Bompae'' (; or ). The others include ''Tmupaie'' (, ), ''Bay'' (, possibly an Arabisation of the aforementioned "Paha") and ''Sawaqi'' ().

Geography

Sohag lies on a fertile agricultural plain on the western bank of the Nile, approximately southwest of

Akhmim Akhmim (, ; Akhmimic , ; Sahidic/Bohairic ) is a city in the Sohag Governorate of Upper Egypt. Referred to by the ancient Greeks as Khemmis or Chemmis () and Panopolis (), it is located on the east bank of the Nile, to the northeast of Sohag. ...

. The city includes two islands; Karaman-ez-Zahur Island is larger and uninhabited, and ez-Zahur Island (جزيرة الزهور, Ǧazīrat az-Zuhur, "Flower Island") has some homes.

Economy

The city Sohag itself encloses only a few archaeological sites, hence tourism represents only a small portion of the city's income. Other sources of income include trade, small industries of carpets, furniture, spinning and weaving and sugar. Administrative and educational services are two big sectors of income.

Demographics

Religion

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

and

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

are the main religions in Sohag; about 75% of the population are Muslim.

Historical sites

Mosques

Sidi Arif Mosque The Sidi Arif Mosque (also known as ''Masjid Al-Arif Bellah'', ; Arabic transliteration, transliterated: ''Masjid al-Aarif bi Allah'') is one of the largest mosques in Sohag Governorate, Egypt. It was built for the first time at the 14th century ...

(Arabic: مسجد العارف بالله, Masjid al-ʿArif bi-Allah). The mosque is located in the south of the city. The el-ʿArif Mosque was built in the 14th century—the 8th century in the Islamic calendar. The present building was constructed around 1995. At the corners of the façade are two

minaret A minaret is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generally used to project the Muslim call to prayer (''adhan'') from a muezzin, but they also served as landmarks and symbols of Islam's presence. They can h ...

s and the roof is crowned by a dome. Inside the five-nave mosque the bases of the piers and the walls were lined with red granite. The ceiling is painted ornamentally; in its middle is an elongated light dome. The southeastern half is lit by chandeliers. At the end are the prayer niche (

mihrab ''Mihrab'' (, ', pl. ') is a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the ''qibla'', the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca towards which Muslims should face when praying. The wall in which a ''mihrab'' appears is thus the "''qibla'' wall". ...

) with simple ornaments and to the right of it the wooden pulpit (minbar). * El-Farshuti Mosque (Arabic: جامع الفرشوطي, Jāmʿi al-Farschūṭī), also named el-'Atiq Mosque (the old mosque) is located approximately southwest of the

. The most striking feature of the mosque is its minaret in the southeast corner. The minaret has galleries with balustrades on four floors. The mosque is a modern, bright building. The mosque is divided into five naves by columns and pillars. It has a central light dome, which is inscribed at the bottom with a

sura A ''surah'' (; ; ) is an Arabic word meaning 'chapter' in the Quran. There are 114 ''suwar'' in the Quran, each divided into verses (). The ''suwar'' are of unequal length; the shortest ''surah'' ( al-Kawthar) has only three verses, while the ...

from the

Qur'an The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God ('' Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which consist of individual verses ('). Besides ...

. The bases of the walls are painted yellow and white with green bands. A very colorful prayer niche next to the wooden pulpit is located at the southeastern side. In the masonry on the eastern, southern and western sides are stones engraved with historical inscriptions moved from previous buildings, including a decree of the penultimate

Mamluk Mamluk or Mamaluk (; (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural); translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave") were non-Arab, ethnically diverse (mostly Turkic, Caucasian, Eastern and Southeastern European) enslaved mercenaries, slave-so ...

sultan al-Ghawri (1441–1516) from the year 1506 (911 AH) on the southeastern side.

Churches

Sohag has two important churches that were erected in the 20th century: the Church of the Holy Virgin and the Church of Saint George. * The Church of the Holy Virgin (Arabic: كنيسة السيدة العذراء, Kanīsat as-Saiyida al-ʿAdraʾ). The church is located in the north of the bazaar (souq Qaiṣarīya). It consists of five naves. There are three sanctuaries for Saint George (left), the Holy Virgin and the Archangel Michael at the ends of the middle three naves. All sanctuaries are completely screened by a wooden

iconostasis In Eastern Christianity, an iconostasis () is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a Church (building), church. ''Iconostasis'' also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed anywhere withi ...

. On both sides of the entrances to the sanctuaries are wooden icons of the Holy Virgin and Jesus. The Lord's Last Supper and the crosses are located above the iconstasis. The presentation in the central nave is framed by a fish and a pigeon; the other ones are framed by angels and a dove. Galleries are located above the aisles and the entrance. On the walls are paintings of saints and scenes from the life of Jesus. * Church of St. George is the cathedral of the diocese of Sohag (Arabic: كنيسة مار جرجس, Kanīsat Mar Girgis). The church is located north of the Opera (Midan Obira) or Culture Square (Midan eth-Thaqafa). * Church of the Archangel Michael (Arabic: كنيسة الملاك ميخائيل). The church is located in Railway Station Street (El-Mahatta Street) on the eastern side of the railway tracks.

Monasteries

White Monastery

The Coptic White Monastery is a

Coptic Orthodox The Coptic Orthodox Church (), also known as the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, is an Oriental Orthodox Churches, Oriental Orthodox Christian church based in Egypt. The head of the church and the Apostolic see, See of Alexandria i ...

monastery named after Saint Shenouda the Archimandrite. It is located about west of Sohag. The monastery's name is derived from the color of the white limestone in its outside walls. The surviving building is the church of what was once a much larger monastery complex.

Red Monastery

The Red Monastery is a

monastery named after an Egyptian saint called Pishay. It is located about north of the White Monastery. The monastery's name is derived from the color of the construction material of its outside walls, consisting of red (burnt) brick. The walls are considerably thicker at the base than at the top and, like the walls of

Ancient Egyptian Ancient Egypt () was a cradle of civilization concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in Northeast Africa. It emerged from prehistoric Egypt around 3150BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology), when Upper and Lower E ...

temples, they are surmounted by cavetto moldings. The Red Monastery is architecturally similar to the White Monastery.

Temples and cemeteries

Sohag is the site of a temple built for the goddess Repyt (Triphis) by Ptolemy XV Caesarion and subsequent Roman emperors. South of this temple was an earlier temple of Ptolemy IX Soter II (see also Athribis Project). One of the nearby tombs of the brothers Ibpemeny "the younger" and Pemehyt of the late second century BC, has two zodiacs on its ceiling.

Subdivisions

Sohag is informally divided into the East District (Arabic: حى شرق) and the West District (Arabic: حي غرب). Among the most notable regions of the West District are: * Sidi Aref * Al Shahid (Arabic for the Martyr) * Gharb Al-Koubry ("West of the Bridge" neighborhood) The East District is considered a more upscale district; it includes some of the most affluent neighborhoods of the city including 15th Street, Al Kashef Street, Jumhuriya Street, The Courts Compound, and The Technical and Agricultural Schools. Some of the most notable locales of the East District include: * The Courts Compound of Sohag * City Hall of Sohag *

Sohag University Sohag University () is a public university in Egypt. It is located in Sohag, on the eastern bank of the Nile. History Sohag University became an independent university in 2006. Before 2006, it was part, and branch, of South Valley University wh ...

* Sohag Teaching Hospital, one of the biggest hospitals of the region * Multiple governmental directorates * Many recreational areas including The Sohag Stadium and many parks including Al Zohour, a revitalized island park located in the middle of the Nile. * Nasr City, the first satellite city to be built in the East District. It was established during the presidency of

Gamal Abdel Nasser Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein (15 January 1918 – 28 September 1970) was an Egyptian military officer and revolutionary who served as the second president of Egypt from 1954 until his death in 1970. Nasser led the Egyptian revolution of 1952 a ...

Climate

The Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies Sohag's climate as hot desert (BWh).

Luxor Luxor is a city in Upper Egypt. Luxor had a population of 263,109 in 2020, with an area of approximately and is the capital of the Luxor Governorate. It is among the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited c ...

, Minya, Sohag,

Qena Qena ( ' , locally: ) is a city in Upper Egypt, and the capital of the Qena Governorate. Situated on the east bank of the Nile, it was known in antiquity as Kaine (Greek Καινή, meaning "new (city)"; Latinized transliteration: Caene) and ...

and

Asyut AsyutAlso spelled ''Assiout'' or ''Assiut''. ( ' ) is the capital of the modern Asyut Governorate in Egypt. It was built close to the ancient city of the same name, which is situated nearby. The modern city is located at , while the ancient city i ...

have the widest difference of temperatures between days and nights of any city in Egypt, with almost difference. Sohag is one of the warmest places in Egypt due to its location on the eastern side of

Sahara The Sahara (, ) is a desert spanning across North Africa. With an area of , it is the largest hot desert in the world and the list of deserts by area, third-largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Ar ...

in North Africa. Sohag is ranked the 5th driest place in Egypt and the 9th globally. Also ranked 4th warmest place in Egypt and 296th globally.

Culture

Language

A version of the

dialect continuum A dialect continuum or dialect chain is a series of Variety (linguistics), language varieties spoken across some geographical area such that neighboring varieties are Mutual intelligibility, mutually intelligible, but the differences accumulat ...

Saidi Arabic A Ṣa‘īdī (, Coptic: ⲣⲉⲙⲣⲏⲥ ''Remris'') is a person from Upper Egypt (, Coptic: ⲙⲁⲣⲏⲥ ''Maris''). Etymology The word literally means "from Ṣa‘īd" (i.e. Upper Egypt), and can also refer to a form of music ori ...

is spoken by the people of Sohag. Most urbanized people, however, may speak to varying degrees

Egyptian Arabic Egyptian Arabic, locally known as Colloquial Egyptian, or simply as Masri, is the most widely spoken vernacular Arabic variety in Egypt. It is part of the Afro-Asiatic language family, and originated in the Nile Delta in Lower Egypt. The esti ...

Museums

The Sohag Museum contains about 5,000 artifacts gathered from around the Sohag governorate, including items stretching from the Middle Kingdom to Greco-Roman times.

Bazaars

Souq el-Qisareya: The bazaar in Sohag is named suq Qaiṣarīya and is partly covered. Souq el-Itnein is a weekly market held every Monday morning; vegetables, fruits, animals and traditional hand made objects (like baskets, farming axes and bags) are sold there. The weekly market is believed to have originated during the Ancient Egyptian era. The souq is now in the south of the city and is held in the streets and beside the city cemetery.

Transport

Sohag is linked to

Giza Giza (; sometimes spelled ''Gizah, Gizeh, Geeza, Jiza''; , , ' ) is the third-largest city in Egypt by area after Cairo and Alexandria; and fourth-largest city in Africa by population after Kinshasa, Lagos, and Cairo. It is the capital of ...

and northern cities by the road of

Western Desert, Eastern Desert Road and Rural Road, which also connects it to the railways. In February 2010, a highway linking Sohag to the

Red Sea The Red Sea is a sea inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. Its connection to the ocean is in the south, through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. To its north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and th ...

city

Hurghada Hurghada (; ', ) is a coastal city that serves as the largest city and capital of the Red Sea Governorate of Egypt. Hurghada has grown from a small fishing village to one of the largest resort destinations along the Red Sea coast, stretching c ...

was opened to ease movement between

Upper Egypt Upper Egypt ( ', shortened to , , locally: ) is the southern portion of Egypt and is composed of the Nile River valley south of the delta and the 30th parallel North. It thus consists of the entire Nile River valley from Cairo south to Lake N ...

and the Red Sea coastal region. In May 2010, the Egyptian President

Hosni Mubarak Muhammad Hosni El Sayed Mubarak (; 4 May 1928 – 25 February 2020) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the fourth president of Egypt from 1981 to 2011 and the 41st Prime Minister of Egypt, prime minister from 1981 to ...

inaugurated Sohag International Airport.

Education

Educational establishments in Sohag include: Primary schools: *Al-Nasr school *Huda Sharawi school *Mulhaqat Al-Mu'allemat school Middle schools: *Ahmad Deifalla school *Nabawi Muhandis school *Ali Osman Baltak school *Tarik Ibn Ziad school High schools: *Sohag Military school *Abdelmunim Riad school *Asmaa Bint Abi Bakr school * Hag Hadad school

University

is a public university with more than 40,000 students located on the eastern side of the city. It was established under the banner of

South Valley University South Valley University (SVU) () is a university in Egypt that provides teaching and research facilities. The President of South Valley University is Prof. Dr. Ahmed Akkawy Abdulaziz. South Valley University is one of Egypt's more modern hig ...

but became independent in 2006. There are currently ten colleges in Sohag University.

Sports

The most popular sport in Sohag is

Association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

. Sohag has many football clubs, including the

Egyptian Premier League The Egyptian Premier League (), also known as the Nile League () for sponsorship reasons, after the addition of title sponsor Nile Developments, is a professional association football league in Egypt and the highest level of the Egyptian football ...

(EPL) team Sohag FC. In addition, EPL club has

El Gouna FC El Gouna Football Club () is an Egyptian football club based in the city of El Gouna, Egypt. The club currently plays in the Egyptian Premier League, the highest league in the Egyptian football league system. History The club's first league se ...

used Sohag stadium as a home ground at times.

Notable people

Notable people who originate from or live in Sohag include: *

Narmer Narmer (, may mean "painful catfish", "stinging catfish", "harsh catfish", or "fierce catfish"; ) was an ancient Egyptian king of the Early Dynastic Period, whose reign began at the end of the 4th millennium BC. He was the successor to the Prot ...

, The first

pharaoh Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian language, Egyptian: ''wikt:pr ꜥꜣ, pr ꜥꜣ''; Meroitic language, Meroitic: 𐦲𐦤𐦧, ; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') was the title of the monarch of ancient Egypt from the First Dynasty of Egypt, First Dynasty ( ...

of unified Egypt and the founder of the Early Dynastic Period (c. 32nd century BC). * Sheikh Mohamed Siddiq El-Minshawi, one of the most renowned Qur'anic reciters of all the

Islamic world The terms Islamic world and Muslim world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs, politics, and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is ...

. *

Muhammad Sayyid Tantawy Muhammad Sayyid Tantawy (; 28 October 1928 – 10 March 2010), also referred to as ''Tantawi'', was an influential Islamic scholar in Egypt. From 1986 to 1996, he was the Grand Mufti of Egypt. In 1996, president Hosni Mubarak appointed him as ...

, Former

Imam Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...

Al-Azhar Al-Azhar Mosque (), known in Egypt simply as al-Azhar, is a mosque in Cairo, Egypt in the historic Islamic core of the city. Commissioned as the new capital of the Fatimid Caliphate in 970, it was the first mosque established in a city that ...

. * Rifa'a el-Tahtawi, writer, teacher, translator, Egyptologist, renaissance intellectual and founder of Madrasat al-Alsun (Tongues School). *

Onsi Sawiris Onsi Sawiris (also written Sawires; ; ) (August 14, 1930 – June 29, 2021) was an Egyptian businessman. He was the head of the Sawiris family and founder of the Orascom Group conglomerate. Background and personal life Sawiris was born on Au ...

, Billionaire businessman *

Mustafa al-Maraghi Muhammad Mustafa al-Maraghi (; 5 March 1881 – 22 August 1945) was an Egyptian reformer and Grand Imam of al-Azhar, rector of Al-Azhar from El Maragha, Sohag Governorate. Al-Maraghi was active in encouraging reforms within legal and social con ...

, reformer and rector of

Al-Azhar Mosque Al-Azhar Mosque (), known in Egypt simply as al-Azhar, is a mosque in Cairo, Egypt in the historic Islamic core of the city. Commissioned as the new capital of the Fatimid Caliphate in 970, it was the first mosque established in a city that ...

. * Mohammed Aboul-Fotouh Hassab, gastro-intestinal surgeon. *

Gamal El-Ghitani Gamal al-Ghitani (, ; 9 May 1945 – 18 October 2015) was an Egyptian author of historical and political novels and cultural and political commentaries and was the editor-in-chief of the literary periodical '' Akhbar Al-Adab'' ("Cultural News") ...

, author of historical novels and cultural and political commentaries. *

Atef El-Tayeb Atef El Tayeb ( ) (26 December 1947 – 23 June 1995) was an Egyptian film director. Alternative transliterations of his name are: ''Atef Al-Tayeb'' and ''Attef El Taieb''. His films often depicted the struggles of ordinary people. Lif ...

, film director. * George Sidhom, film actor. *

Emad Hamdy Emad Hamdy (, ; November 25, 1909 – January 28, 1984) also known as Imad Hamdi, 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 a ...

, Film actor. *

Baligh Hamdi Baligh Hamdi ( ; 7 October 1931 – 12 September 1993) was an Egyptian composer who created and composed many hit songs for several singers in the Arab world, especially during the 1960s and 1970s. He composed Warda's most famous songs, and ...

, composer who created hit songs for many prominent Arabic singers. *

Dhul-Nun al-Misri Dhūl-Nūn Abū l-Fayḍ Thawbān b. Ibrāhīm al-Miṣrī (; d. Giza, in 245/859 or 248/862), often referred to as Dhūl-Nūn al-Miṣrī or Zūl-Nūn al-Miṣrī for short, was an early Egyptian Muslim mysticism, mystic and ascetic.Mojaddedi, ...

Sufi Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

saint considered the Patron Saint of the Physicians in the early Islamic era of Egypt . * Jaber Abu Hussein, narrator of the

Taghribat Bani Hilal Al-Sirah al-Hilaliyyah (), also known as the Sirat Bani Hilal (سيرة بني هلال ''Sīra Banī Hilāl'') or the al-Hilali epic, is an Arabic epic oral poem that recounts the tale of the journey of the Bedouin tribe of the Banu Hilal fr ...

Nearby attractions

* Abydos is one of the most ancient cities of Upper Egypt, and also of the eighth Upper Nome, of which it was the capital city. It is considered one of the most important archaeological sites of Ancient Egypt. The sacred city of Abydos was the site of many ancient temples, including a

Umm el-Qa'ab Umm El Qaʻāb (sometimes romanisation, romanised Umm El Gaʻab, ) is an archaeological site located at Abydos, Egypt. Its modern name, meaning "Mother of Pots", refers to the mound made of millions of broken pieces of pots which defines the landsc ...

, a royal

necropolis A necropolis (: necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek ''nekropolis'' (). The term usually implies a separate burial site at a distan ...

where early pharaohs were entombed. *

has several mosques and two Coptic churches. It maintains a weekly market and manufactures cotton goods. * El-Hawawish is the ancient necropolis (cemetery) for Akhmim. * El-Salamuni comprises a rock-cut chapel dedicated to the god Min. * The Meritamen statue in eastern Akhmim. *Outside

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, ...

are two large brick

mastaba A mastaba ( , or ), also mastabah or mastabat) is a type of ancient Egyptian tomb in the form of a flat-roofed, rectangular structure with inward sloping sides, constructed out of mudbricks or limestone. These edifices marked the burial sites ...

s from the Third Dynasty. *The city

Athribis Athribis (; Greek: , from the original , ) 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 town lies around 40 km north of Cairo, on the eastern bank o ...

is the site of a temple built for the goddess Repyt ( Triphis) by Ptolemy XV Caesarion and subsequent Roman Emperors.

Photo gallery

File:Building in sohag.jpg, Building in Sohag File:Roman Theatre Sohag.jpg, Roman theater File:Tahtawy memorial sohag.jpg, Tahtawy memorial File:Sohag city hall.jpg, Sohag city hall File:Jumhoreya st sohag day.jpg, Jumhuriyea St. File:Orouba sq.jpg, Orouba sq. File:Sohag skyline.JPG, Skyline. File:SohagGaziratZuhur.jpg, Jazirat Al Zohour . File:Sohag nile.jpg, Nile view (east bank) File:Sohag courts complex.jpg, Courts compound File:Midan oprah.jpg, Downtown File:Nile sohag.jpg, Nile view from Akhmim bridge

References

External links

*
Sohag on Wikivoyage

* Sohag photo album {{Authority control Cities in Egypt Former populated places in Egypt Governorate capitals in Egypt Populated places in Sohag Governorate Metropolitan areas of Egypt Medieval cities of Egypt