Girga (, ), alternatively Digirga or Digurga
Name
The name of the city comes from , which is also preserved in possibly corrupted and its alternative name Digirga.
Some Egyptology such as Heinrich Brugsch believe that the name of the city derives from the ancient Egyptian word grg miri-amoun Ramessou which means "The establishment of Ramesses II",
Through folk etymology the city became associated with Saint George and a now non-existent monastery dedicated to him nearby, hence Leo Africanus calls it Giorgia and Peust suggests an older vocalisation Gurga.
Overview
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.
Girga has an estimated population of 71,564 (as of 1986) and has various economic industries which include cane sugar manufacturing and pottery.
History
The city might have been the location of ancient city of
Thinis (Greek name; also spelled This) – the first capital city of unified Egypt under
Narmer. As of 2023, it remains inconclusive whether Girga or nearby village of Birba is the site of Thinis (Birba was confirmed to be the site of the capital of Egypt during the 1st and 2nd dynasties).
There are ancient sites located on the territory of Girga including Beit Khallaf, a necropolis with mudbrick tombs dating back to the 3rd dynasty.
Girga was the capital of Upper Egypt during Egypt Eyalet.
In 1791, Saint Yousab El Abah (also Joseph el-Abbah) was the bishop of the city.
In 1907 Girga had a population of 19,893, of whom about one-third were Copts.
As lately as the middle of the 18th century the town stood about 0.4 km from the river, but in the beginning of the 20th century it stood on the bank, the intervening space having been washed away, together with a large part of the town, by the stream continually encroaching on its left bank.
Places of worship
Mosques
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Chinese Mosque (): The mosque was presumably built in about 1150 AH (= 1737) in the historical district of al-Qaysariyya by Muhammad bey al-Faqari who became a governor in 1117 AH (= 1705/1706) in Egypt Eyalet. Although it is called Chinese, no materials imported from China were used in its construction, and it got its name after porcelain used in its decoration. In fact, tiles (çini in Turkish) were very popular in mosque architecture
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Osman Bey Mosque ()
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Al-Fuqara Mosque ()
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Jalal Bey Mosque ()
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Al-Mitwalli Mosque ()
Churches and monasteries
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Monastery of Archangel Michael (): Situated on the right bank of the Nile opposite of Girga. Since 1910 this site has been celebrated among archaeologists, because the discoveries made there have shed light on the region's prehistory.
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Church of Archangel Michael ()
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Church of Saint George ()
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Church of Theodore Tiron ()
Climate
Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as hot desert (BWh).
See also
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Thinis
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List of cities in Egypt
External links
