Girga is a city in the Sohag Governorate of Upper Egypt

Upper Egypt

Upper Egypt is the strip of land, on both sides of the Nile valley, that extends from the cataract boundaries of modern-day Aswan north to the area between El-Ayait and Zawyet Dahshur . The northern section of Upper Egypt, between El-Ayait and Sohag is sometimes known as Middle Egypt...

. It is located on the west bank of the Nile River.

Girga was the capital of the Girga Governorate until 1960, when the capital was moved to Sohag and the name of the governorate changed accordingly.

Overview

Modern Girga has an estimated (1986) population of 71,564, and has various industries including sugar manufacturing. The area is also known for its pottery.

Girga's name is said to have derived its from Mara Girgis Coptic Monastery Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria is dedicated to St. George. Girga is the seat for the Coptic Bishop. Reportedly, the oldest Roman Catholic monastery is located in Girga. The El-Sini (Porcelain Mosque) is located in Girgia.

History

The village of mud or clay Nag currently (one of the villages Gerga Center) is home and headquarters for the first governor of Egypt is known in history Mina Narmer who managed to unify Egypt and transfer his capital to Memphis . Egypt's history during the first and the broker did not highlight the city was on the scene it was during that period of the consequences of the territory of the village of Akhmim. There are some sources that is reminiscent of that Jrgio (Princess Pharaonic) was named the region its name, but historically that the first appearance of the name of Jirga was Dgerja and was inhabited by tribes of Hawara specifically children Hammam and who ruled the area throughout the Islamic period began Dgerja or Gerga rise with the occupation forces Ottoman Egypt, managed properly the first that neutralizes some of the Mamluk princes and them to you (There is a mosque in his name in the city now) and give them the territories of South Assiut to the border of the Nuba to be an Ottoman province comes to them and to the door every year or year and a half became Dgerja during that period the center of Ottoman rule in the South Egypt, one of the largest cities of the Ottoman Empire and flourished in trade and science and were built many mosques, the big mosque Osman Bey Mosque poor (butter) and a mosque Jalal your (or Sheikh Jalal) and was the center of the city in that period market hospice and grain (to keep him qaysariyya and the Mosque of Osman Bey, a mosque, Sheikh Jalal now) in 1730, spread to the area of the plague which claimed many residents of the city and abandoned by the rest for a long time and then became Gerga for a period of a few city is deserted and dilapidated. When the arrival of Bonaparte with his campaign in started status of a city in decline has managed the French to take over the city and thus gave it to Murad Bey, who dropped the status of Gerga and status as a state Ottoman until they came out of Egypt, which was followed by a period of unrest pay later Muhammad Ali Pasha ruled Egypt and was able to eliminate the Mamluks in 1815 and now has the upper hand in redrawing the map of Egyptian set up Muhammad Ali in Gerga Directorate large part of the directorates of Egypt and happened upon what is going to change within the district and has shrunk the size after that they include the South and the Nile Valley from Nubia in the south to Assiut north now include only to several cities and villages Kthta and Balyana and Soehaa except that the value of those families and status did not prevent the government at that time that you move the headquarters of the Directorate and the security forces representative of the government to the village Soehaa adjacent to the deteriorating status of Gerga more and more to become at the end of 1960, a center of Sohag Governorate Gerga now commercial city in the foundation changed area and that is by far the largest cities of the province and south-level Note: This may be because the name of Jirga to Jrgio Princess Pharaonic or to St. George one of the martyrs of the era of Roman persecution, and that did not make sure of the exporters, but certainly Jirga was called Dgerja until the end of the eighteenth century

External links

• Tour Egypt
• Usepigraphy Stele Marble Relief - Brown University