Girga

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title: "Girga" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["populated-places-in-sohag-governorate", "cities-in-egypt"] topic_path: "geography" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girga" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

FieldValue
nameGirga
other_nameجرجا
native_nameⲑⲁⲣϫⲉ
settlement_typeCity
image_skyline{{Photomontage
photo2bGirgaUthmanEntranceDetail.jpg
photo3aGirgaSuq1.jpg
photo3bGirgaMitwalliEntrance.jpg
size280
spacing2
colortransparent
border0
image_captionUthman Bey Mosque Entrance (top) - Suq Market (left) - Mitwalli Mosque Entrance (right)
pushpin_mapEgypt
pushpin_label_positionbottom
pushpin_mapsize300
pushpin_map_captionLocation in Egypt
subdivision_typeCountry
subdivision_nameEgypt
subdivision_type1Governorate
subdivision_name1Sohag
unit_prefImperial
area_footnotes
area_total_km214.05
population_as_of2021
population_footnotes
population_total162,165
population_density_km2auto
population_density_sq_miauto
population_density_metro_km2auto
population_density_metro_sq_miauto
population_blank1_titleEthnicities
population_density_blank1_km2auto
population_density_blank1_sq_miauto
timezoneEET
utc_offset+2
timezone_DSTEEST
utc_offset_DST+3
coordinates
elevation_footnotes
elevation_m70
::

| name = Girga | other_name = جرجا | official_name = | native_name = ⲑⲁⲣϫⲉ | nickname = | settlement_type = City | motto = | image_skyline = {{Photomontage | photo1a= | photo2a = | photo2b = GirgaUthmanEntranceDetail.jpg | photo3a = GirgaSuq1.jpg | photo3b = GirgaMitwalliEntrance.jpg | size = 280 | spacing = 2 | color = transparent | border = 0 | image_caption = Uthman Bey Mosque Entrance (top) - Suq Market (left) - Mitwalli Mosque Entrance (right) | image_flag = | flag_size = | image_seal = | seal_size = | image_shield = | shield_size = | image_map = | mapsize = | map_caption = | pushpin_map = Egypt | pushpin_label_position = bottom | pushpin_mapsize = 300 | pushpin_map_caption = Location in Egypt | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = Egypt | subdivision_type1 = Governorate | subdivision_name1 = Sohag | subdivision_type2 = | subdivision_name2 = | subdivision_type3 = | subdivision_name3 = | government_footnotes = | government_type = | leader_title = | leader_name = | leader_title1 = | leader_name1 = | established_title = | established_date = | area_magnitude = | unit_pref = Imperial | area_footnotes = | area_total_km2 = 14.05 | area_land_km2 = | population_as_of = 2021 | population_footnotes = | population_note = | population_total = 162,165 | population_density_km2 = auto | population_density_sq_mi = auto | population_metro = | population_density_metro_km2 = auto | population_density_metro_sq_mi = auto | population_blank1_title = Ethnicities | population_blank1 = | population_density_blank1_km2 = auto | population_density_blank1_sq_mi = auto | timezone = EET | utc_offset = +2 | timezone_DST = EEST | utc_offset_DST = +3 | coordinates = | elevation_footnotes = | elevation_m = 70 | elevation_ft = | postal_code_type = | postal_code = | area_code = | blank_name = | blank_info = | blank1_name = | blank1_info = | website = | footnotes = Girga (, ), alternatively Digirga or Digurga is a city in the Sohag Governorate of Upper Egypt located on the west bank of the Nile. It is the metropolitan see of the Coptic Orthodox Church, and is the oldest continuously-inhabited city on the African continent.

Name

The name of the city comes from , which is also preserved in possibly corrupted and its alternative name Digirga.

Some Egyptologists such as 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", although Daressy and Budge identify the name with Coptic Balyana near Abydos.

Through folk etymology the city became associated with St. 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

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Girgeh_(1890)_-_TIMEA.jpg" caption="Girga in 1890"] ::

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 2025, 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 Ottoman rule.

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

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/GirgaSiniInside.jpg" caption="Chinese Mosque"] ::

  • 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 Ottoman times. 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. “Chinese” and "Çini" is derived from the Persian word Chīnī (چینی), which means 'Chinese porcelain' and was especially used to refer to Chinese porcelain.
  • Osman Bey Mosque ()
  • Al-Fuqara Mosque ()
  • Jalal Bey Mosque ()
  • Al-Mitwalli Mosque ()

Churches and monasteries

  • 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.
  • Church of Archangel Michael ()
  • Church of Saint George ()
  • Church of Theodore Tiron ()

Climate

Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as hot desert (BWh). |metric first=yes |single line=yes |location=Girga

|Jan high C=22.3 |Feb high C=24.3 |Mar high C=28.1 |Apr high C=33.5 |May high C=36.9 |Jun high C=38.3 |Jul high C=37.9 |Aug high C=38.1 |Sep high C=34.9 |Oct high C=32.4 |Nov high C=28.8 |Dec high C=23.8

|Jan mean C=13.7 |Feb mean C=15.3 |Mar mean C=18.7 |Apr mean C=23.9 |May mean C=27.8 |Jun mean C=29.5 |Jul mean C=29.5 |Aug mean C=29.9 |Sep mean C=27.7 |Oct mean C=25.1 |Nov mean C=20.4 |Dec mean C=15.5

|Jan low C=5.1 |Feb low C=6.1 |Mar low C=9.4 |Apr low C=14.3 |May low C=18.7 |Jun low C=20.8 |Jul low C=21.2 |Aug low C=21.8 |Sep low C=20.5 |Oct low C=17.9 |Nov low C=12.2 |Dec low C=7.3

|Jan precipitation mm=0 |Feb precipitation mm=0 |Mar precipitation mm=0 |Apr precipitation mm=0 |May precipitation mm=0 |Jun precipitation mm=0 |Jul precipitation mm=0 |Aug precipitation mm=0 |Sep precipitation mm=0 |Oct precipitation mm=0 |Nov precipitation mm=0 |Dec precipitation mm=1

|source 1 = Climate-Data.org

References

References

  1. "Jirjā (Kism (urban and rural parts), Egypt) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location".
  2. Peust, Carsten. "Die Toponyme vorarabischen Ursprungs im modernen Ägypten".
  3. (1879). "Dictionnaire géographique de l'ancienne Egypte: contenant par ordre alphabétique la nomenclature comparée des noms propres géographiques qui se rencontrent sur les monuments et dans les papyrus". J. C. Hinrichs.
  4. (1920). "An Egyptian hieroglyphic dictionary: with an index of English words, king list and geological list with indexes, list of hieroglyphic characters, coptic and semitic alphabets, etc. Vol II". [[John Murray (publishing house).
  5. (1928). "Dictionnaire des Noms Géographiques Contenus dans les Textes Hiéroglyphiques Dictionnaire des Noms Géographiques Contenus dans les Textes Hiéroglyphiques Dictionnaire des Noms Géographiques Contenus dans les Textes Hiéroglyphiques Vol. 5".
  6. Law, Gwillim. (1999). "Administrative Subdivisions of Countries: A Comprehensive World Reference, 1900 through 1998". McFarland.
  7. {{EB1911
  8. "Islamic Mosque Tiles: A Journey Through Art and History".
  9. "Nişanyan Sözlük".
  10. "Claremont Coptic Encyclopedia".
  11. "Climate: Girga - Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table". Climate-Data.org.

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