Minya, Egypt: Difference between revisions
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The name Minya may also have originated from the city's name in [[Coptic language|Sahidic Coptic]] ''Tmoone'' ({{Coptic|f ⲧⲙⲟⲟⲛⲉ}}) and in [[Bohairic]] ''Thmonē'' ({{Coptic|ⲑⲙⲟⲛⲏ}}), meaning “the residence”, in reference to an early [[monastery]] formerly in the area. It is the city where the [[Codex Tchacos]] was discovered. |
The name Minya may also have originated from the city's name in [[Coptic language|Sahidic Coptic]] ''Tmoone'' ({{Coptic|f ⲧⲙⲟⲟⲛⲉ}}) and in [[Bohairic]] ''Thmonē'' ({{Coptic|ⲑⲙⲟⲛⲏ}}), meaning “the residence”, in reference to an early [[monastery]] formerly in the area. It is the city where the [[Codex Tchacos]] was discovered. |
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Minya is dubbed by the locals "'''Bride of [[Upper Egypt]]'''", in reference to its strategic location in [[Middle Egypt]] as a vital link between the north and the south of [[Egypt]]. Minya has one of the highest concentration of Christian Coptic population in Egypt (approximately 50% of total population)<ref>''Al-Ahram'', Issue No.43948, 4 April 2007</ref>. It is the home city of the [[Al-Minya_University|Minya University]], [[Suzanne Mubarak]] Center for Arts, the new Minya Museuem, and |
Minya is dubbed by the locals "'''Bride of [[Upper Egypt]]'''", in reference to its strategic location in [[Middle Egypt]] as a vital link between the north and the south of [[Egypt]]. Minya has one of the highest concentration of Christian Coptic population in Egypt (approximately 50% of total population)<ref>''Al-Ahram'', Issue No.43948, 4 April 2007</ref>. It is the home city of the [[Al-Minya_University|Minya University]], [[Suzanne Mubarak]] Center for Arts, the new Minya Museuem, and the regional North of Upper Egypt Radio and TV. |
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==Minya Throughout History== |
==Minya Throughout History== |
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During the [[Predynastic Period]] (before [[32nd century BC|3100 BC]]), the area encompassing modern day Minya and its surrounding lands formed the 16th [[nome (Egypt)|nome]] (district). It remained an autonomous city-state until the ruler [[Menes]] unified Egypt around 3,200 [[Anno Domini|BC]]. At the time of its unification, Egypt was divided into 42 nomes. The 16th nome was also called the [[Oryx]] nome, probably due to the prevalence of the Oryx, one of the [[antelope]] species that inhibited the area. |
During the [[Predynastic Period]] (before [[32nd century BC|3100 BC]]), the area encompassing modern day Minya and its surrounding lands formed the 16th [[nome (Egypt)|nome]] (district). It remained an autonomous city-state until the ruler [[Menes]] unified Egypt around 3,200 [[Anno Domini|BC]]. At the time of its unification, Egypt was divided into 42 nomes. The 16th nome was also called the [[Oryx]] nome, probably due to the prevalence of the Oryx, one of the [[antelope]] species that inhibited the area. |
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After the unification of Egypt, the provincial capital of the 16th nome emerged as an important center of trade. It was opposite a trade route to the [[Red Sea]] along which the Levantine traders carrying their goods from [[Sinai]] and [[Canaan]] travelled.<ref>{{cite book|author= Trudy Ring, Robert M. Salkin, Sharon La Boda|title= Internationa l Dictionary of Historic Places|ISBN= 9781884964039|location=London|publisher= Taylor & Francis|date=1996|pages=123}}</ref> During later times of the Old Kingdom, the name of the city was changed to ''Men'at Khufu'' |
After the unification of Egypt, the provincial capital of the 16th nome emerged as an important center of trade. It was opposite a trade route to the [[Red Sea]] along which the Levantine traders carrying their goods from [[Sinai]] and [[Canaan]] travelled.<ref>{{cite book|author= Trudy Ring, Robert M. Salkin, Sharon La Boda|title= Internationa l Dictionary of Historic Places|ISBN= 9781884964039|location=London|publisher= Taylor & Francis|date=1996|pages=123}}</ref> During later times of the Old Kingdom, the name of the city was changed to ''Men'at Khufu'', linking it to the Pharoah [[Khufu]] or [[Cheops]] (reigning around 2550 BC) founder of the [[Great Pyramid]] at [[Giza]] as it was believed that he was born there. The city of Men'at Khufu has not been located but it is thought to be located on the west bank of the [[Nile]] in the vicinity of the modern day Minya. |
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[[Image:UpperEgyptNomes.png|thumb|200px|right|Twenty two Nomes of [[Upper Egypt]]]] |
[[Image:UpperEgyptNomes.png|thumb|200px|right|Twenty two Nomes of [[Upper Egypt]]]] |
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In the [[Middle Ages]] and during the rule of the [[Abbasids]], Minya’s name became attached to [[Ibn Khasib]], the appointed benevolent and almost legendary ruler of Egypt in the early [[Ninth Century]]. Ibn Khasib loved Minya so much that when was asked by the [[Caliph]] to name a reward for his good deeds, he chose Minya where he would retire and die few years later. Ibn Khasib is credited for expanding Minya and transferring it from a large village to a robust [[Middle Ages|Medieval]] city. Since Ibn Khasib years, Minya has been referred to as ''Munyat ibn Khasib'' (Ibn Khasib’s Minya). During the rule of the [[Fatimid Caliphate]] in the [[Tenth Century|Tenth]] and [[Eleventh Century|Eleventh]] Centuries, Minya continued to expand and it included large mosques, schools, a bazar, and public baths. In 1326 A.D. [[Ibn Battuta]], the famous medieval travellar, visited Minya and was impressed by what he saw there. Minya was noted and regarded with high praise in Ibn Battuta’s account of his travels called the ''[[Rihla]]'' because of the school it used to have when he visited the city. Ibn Battuta’s described Minya as a town that “excels all the other towns of Upper Egypt.”<ref>{{cite book|author= Ibn Battuta|title= The Travels of Ibn Battuta in the Near East, Asia and Africa|ISBN= 978-1-61640-262-4|location=New York|publisher= Cosimo|date=2009|pages=14-16}}</ref> |
In the [[Middle Ages]] and during the rule of the [[Abbasids]], Minya’s name became attached to [[Ibn Khasib]], the appointed benevolent and almost legendary ruler of Egypt in the early [[Ninth Century]]. Ibn Khasib loved Minya so much that when was asked by the [[Caliph]] to name a reward for his good deeds, he chose Minya where he would retire and die few years later. Ibn Khasib is credited for expanding Minya and transferring it from a large village to a robust [[Middle Ages|Medieval]] city. Since Ibn Khasib years, Minya has been referred to as ''Munyat ibn Khasib'' (Ibn Khasib’s Minya). During the rule of the [[Fatimid Caliphate]] in the [[Tenth Century|Tenth]] and [[Eleventh Century|Eleventh]] Centuries, Minya continued to expand and it included large mosques, schools, a bazar, and public baths. In 1326 A.D. [[Ibn Battuta]], the famous medieval travellar, visited Minya and was impressed by what he saw there. Minya was noted and regarded with high praise in Ibn Battuta’s account of his travels called the ''[[Rihla]]'' because of the school it used to have when he visited the city. Ibn Battuta’s described Minya as a town that “excels all the other towns of Upper Egypt.”<ref>{{cite book|author= Ibn Battuta|title= The Travels of Ibn Battuta in the Near East, Asia and Africa|ISBN= 978-1-61640-262-4|location=New York|publisher= Cosimo|date=2009|pages=14-16}}</ref> |
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==Economy== |
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The public sector predominates in industry, controlling most of the production of capital and intermediate goods. Among the state-run industries are cement, mining, fertilizers and agricultural industries. The private sector is active in manufacturing of consumer goods, particularly in small enterprises in and around the city. The principal private industries are food products, furniture, and metal and woodworking. Although rich in history, tourism plays a trivial role in the economy of Minya due to the violence that dominated the area in the Nineties when the government was fighting Islamic militants. |
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==Climate== |
==Climate== |
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The city of Minya is located tightly between two ranges of about 500m-mountains on both western and eastern sides |
The city of Minya is located tightly between two ranges of about 500m-mountains on both western and eastern sides, and interestingly falls away from the [[Mediterranean]] Sea and the [[Red Sea]]. Hence, these conditions give the city, nearby towns and villages a typical properties of [[continental climate]]. Meaning that the city has harsh and chilly [[cold]] [[winter]] weather, and very hot but non-humid [[summer]]s. During summer times, the temperature could reach 40C. Yet, in winter Minya can get sub-zero temperatures during nights and [[frost]] can be formed. While [[hail]] or [[snow]] are extremely rare cause of the low averages of the city's [[rain]] [[Precipitation (meteorology)|precipitation]]. In fact Minya is located in the extreme arid part of Egypt, making it almost rainless. The average annual rainfall in Minya is 5.3 mm.<ref>{{cite book|author= M. A. Zahran|title= The Vegetation of Egypt|ISBN= 978-1-4020-8755-4|location=Dordrecht|publisher=Springer Science+Business Media B.V |date=2009|page=180}}</ref> |
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{{Weather box |
{{Weather box |
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|year record low C = -1 |
|year record low C = -1 |
||
|Jan precipitation mm = 2 |
|Jan precipitation mm = 2 |
||
|Feb precipitation mm = |
|Feb precipitation mm = 1 |
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|Mar precipitation mm = 1 |
|Mar precipitation mm = 1 |
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|Apr precipitation mm = 0 |
|Apr precipitation mm = 0 |
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|Sep precipitation mm = 0 |
|Sep precipitation mm = 0 |
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|Oct precipitation mm = 0 |
|Oct precipitation mm = 0 |
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|Nov precipitation mm = |
|Nov precipitation mm = 1 |
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|Dec precipitation mm = 2 |
|Dec precipitation mm = 2 |
||
|year precipitation mm = |
|year precipitation mm = 7 |
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|Jan sun = 286 |
|Jan sun = 286 |
||
|Feb sun = 275 |
|Feb sun = 275 |
||
Revision as of 17:59, 26 October 2010
Minya
المنيا (Arabic for Al-Minya) el-Menya | |
|---|---|
| Nickname: Upper Egypt's Bride | |
| Motto: | |
| Country |  Egypt |
| Governorate | Minya Governorate |
| Elevation | 154 ft (47 m) |
| Population (2006) | |
| • Total | 221,547 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | +3 |
| Area code | 086 |
Minya is the capital of Minya Governorate in Upper Egypt. It is located approximately 245 km (152 miles) south of Cairo on the western bank of the Nile River, which flows north through the city. The name of the city is derived from its Ancient Egyptian name Men'at Khufu meaning the nursing city of Khufu, linking it to the Pharoah Khufu or Cheops, founder of the Great Pyramid at Giza.
The name Minya may also have originated from the city's name in Sahidic Coptic Tmoone (f ⲧⲙⲟⲟⲛⲉ) and in Bohairic Thmonē (ⲑⲙⲟⲛⲏ), meaning “the residence”, in reference to an early monastery formerly in the area. It is the city where the Codex Tchacos was discovered.
Minya is dubbed by the locals "Bride of Upper Egypt", in reference to its strategic location in Middle Egypt as a vital link between the north and the south of Egypt. Minya has one of the highest concentration of Christian Coptic population in Egypt (approximately 50% of total population)[1]. It is the home city of the Minya University, Suzanne Mubarak Center for Arts, the new Minya Museuem, and the regional North of Upper Egypt Radio and TV.
Minya Throughout History
During the Predynastic Period (before 3100 BC), the area encompassing modern day Minya and its surrounding lands formed the 16th nome (district). It remained an autonomous city-state until the ruler Menes unified Egypt around 3,200 BC. At the time of its unification, Egypt was divided into 42 nomes. The 16th nome was also called the Oryx nome, probably due to the prevalence of the Oryx, one of the antelope species that inhibited the area.
After the unification of Egypt, the provincial capital of the 16th nome emerged as an important center of trade. It was opposite a trade route to the Red Sea along which the Levantine traders carrying their goods from Sinai and Canaan travelled.[2] During later times of the Old Kingdom, the name of the city was changed to Men'at Khufu, linking it to the Pharoah Khufu or Cheops (reigning around 2550 BC) founder of the Great Pyramid at Giza as it was believed that he was born there. The city of Men'at Khufu has not been located but it is thought to be located on the west bank of the Nile in the vicinity of the modern day Minya.
Following the collapse of the Old Kingdom, and during the First Intermediate Period, rulers of Men'at Khufu became wealthy and powerful and enjoyed a certain degree of autonomy in relation to the central power of Pharoahs. The princes of the Oryx nome initially remained neutral during the long struggle that dominated the First Intermediate Period between the Herakleopolitan and Theban kingdoms, but eventually during the reign of Baket III they formed an alliance with the Thebans in the time of Mentuhotep II. This pro-Theban policy worked to their advantage in that power over the Oryx nome continued to be wielded by the same family after the Theban conquest. The power of the rulers of Men'at Khufu reached its height during the 11th Dynasty.[3]
Like Pharoahs, rulers of the Oryx nome were deeply concerned with their lives after death. Because the pyramid building age was over or maybe because they could not afford to construct their own pyramids, the rulers of Mena’at Khufu chose the limestone cliffs of the eastern desert overlooking a gentle curve in the Nile as an ideal spot on which to carve their tombs. These chapel-tombs at Beni Hasan are the only remnant of the era when Minya rulers wielded power and wealth. Today these thirty nine rock-cut tombs can be visited in the limestone cliffs above the modern day village of Beni Hasan. Though not as great and magnificent as other monuments of ancient Egypt, the Beni Hasan tombs are rather extremely important as their walls reveal more information about life in Egypt 4,000 years ago more than any other monument in Egypt. In fact these tombs provide more insight about daily life in Egypt than about the rulers who constructed them.
With the rise of the 12th Dynasty, the powers of Minya rulers were forcibly reduced by the Pharaoh Amenemhat II (1929–1895 BC). By the end of the 12th dynasty, the role and the power of the rulers of Minya were functionally eliminated. As for the Beni Hasan tombs, most of them were later ravaged. Some were defaced by rulers that followed. Mutilation of the tomb chamber was the fate of many monuments during the centuries following the demise of Pharaonic Egypt. Tombs were converted into dwellings, quarried as a ready source of stone, or deliberately damaged by early Christians and Muslims.[4]
In the Middle Ages and during the rule of the Abbasids, Minya’s name became attached to Ibn Khasib, the appointed benevolent and almost legendary ruler of Egypt in the early Ninth Century. Ibn Khasib loved Minya so much that when was asked by the Caliph to name a reward for his good deeds, he chose Minya where he would retire and die few years later. Ibn Khasib is credited for expanding Minya and transferring it from a large village to a robust Medieval city. Since Ibn Khasib years, Minya has been referred to as Munyat ibn Khasib (Ibn Khasib’s Minya). During the rule of the Fatimid Caliphate in the Tenth and Eleventh Centuries, Minya continued to expand and it included large mosques, schools, a bazar, and public baths. In 1326 A.D. Ibn Battuta, the famous medieval travellar, visited Minya and was impressed by what he saw there. Minya was noted and regarded with high praise in Ibn Battuta’s account of his travels called the Rihla because of the school it used to have when he visited the city. Ibn Battuta’s described Minya as a town that “excels all the other towns of Upper Egypt.”[5]
Economy
The public sector predominates in industry, controlling most of the production of capital and intermediate goods. Among the state-run industries are cement, mining, fertilizers and agricultural industries. The private sector is active in manufacturing of consumer goods, particularly in small enterprises in and around the city. The principal private industries are food products, furniture, and metal and woodworking. Although rich in history, tourism plays a trivial role in the economy of Minya due to the violence that dominated the area in the Nineties when the government was fighting Islamic militants.
Climate
The city of Minya is located tightly between two ranges of about 500m-mountains on both western and eastern sides, and interestingly falls away from the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Hence, these conditions give the city, nearby towns and villages a typical properties of continental climate. Meaning that the city has harsh and chilly cold winter weather, and very hot but non-humid summers. During summer times, the temperature could reach 40C. Yet, in winter Minya can get sub-zero temperatures during nights and frost can be formed. While hail or snow are extremely rare cause of the low averages of the city's rain precipitation. In fact Minya is located in the extreme arid part of Egypt, making it almost rainless. The average annual rainfall in Minya is 5.3 mm.[6]
| Climate data for Minya | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 33 (91) |
35 (95) |
39 (102) |
45 (113) |
49 (120) |
48 (118) |
46 (115) |
44 (111) |
43 (109) |
43 (109) |
37 (99) |
32 (90) |
49 (120) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 20 (68) |
22 (72) |
25 (77) |
28 (82) |
35 (95) |
36 (97) |
38 (100) |
38 (100) |
36 (97) |
32 (90) |
27 (81) |
22 (72) |
30 (86) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 2 (36) |
4 (39) |
8 (46) |
12 (54) |
17 (63) |
20 (68) |
22 (72) |
23 (73) |
21 (70) |
18 (64) |
12 (54) |
4 (39) |
14 (57) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −1 (30) |
0 (32) |
2 (36) |
4 (39) |
12 (54) |
15 (59) |
18 (64) |
20 (68) |
18 (64) |
8 (46) |
2 (36) |
0 (32) |
−1 (30) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 2 (0.1) |
1 (0.0) |
1 (0.0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
1 (0.0) |
2 (0.1) |
7 (0.3) |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 286 | 275 | 310 | 310 | 340 | 370 | 370 | 352 | 310 | 268 | 260 | 210 | 3,661 |
| [citation needed] | |||||||||||||
Famous residents
- Mahmoud Abouelleil (born 24 December 1935), Judge and Previous Minister of Justice of Egypt
- Suzanne Mubarak (born 28 February 1941), Egypt's First Lady (1981- )
- Hoda Shaarawi (born June 23, 1879 died December 12, 1947), a pioneer Egyptian feminist leader and nationalist
- Mervat Amin (born 24 November 1948), famous Egyptian actress
- Anaam Muhammad Ali (born 15 May 1938), movie driector
References
- ^ Al-Ahram, Issue No.43948, 4 April 2007
- ^ Trudy Ring, Robert M. Salkin, Sharon La Boda (1996). Internationa l Dictionary of Historic Places. London: Taylor & Francis. p. 123. ISBN 9781884964039.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Nicolas Grimal (1997). A History of Ancient Egypt. New York: Barnes & Noble Books. p. 144. ISBN 0-7607-0649-2.
- ^ Kathryn A. Bard, Steven Blake Shubert (1999). Encyclopedia of the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt. New York: Routledge. p. 169. ISBN 0415185890.
- ^ Ibn Battuta (2009). The Travels of Ibn Battuta in the Near East, Asia and Africa. New York: Cosimo. pp. 14–16. ISBN 978-1-61640-262-4.
- ^ M. A. Zahran (2009). The Vegetation of Egypt. Dordrecht: Springer Science+Business Media B.V. p. 180. ISBN 978-1-4020-8755-4.