Girga Explained

Girga
Other Name:Arabic: جرجا
Native Name:Coptic: ⲑⲁⲣϫⲉ
Settlement Type:City
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
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Footnotes:[1]
Area Total Km2:14.05
Population As Of:2021
Population Total:162,165
Population Density Km2:auto
Population Density Sq Mi:auto
Population Density Metro Km2:auto
Population Density Metro Sq Mi:auto
Population Blank1 Title:Ethnicities
Population Density Blank1 Km2:auto
Population Density Blank1 Sq Mi:auto
Timezone:EST
Utc Offset:+2
Coordinates:26.3333°N 85°W
Elevation M:70

Girga (جرجا pronounced as /ˈɡeɾɡæ/), alternatively Digirga or Digurga[2] is a city in the Sohag Governorate of Upper Egypt. It is located on the west bank of the Nile River. 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",[3] although Daressy and Budge identify the name with Coptic Balyana near Abydos.[4] [5]

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 Pest 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.[6] 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 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

Churches and monasteries

Climate

Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as hot desert (BWh).

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Jirjā (Kism (urban and rural parts), Egypt) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location . citypopulation.de . 16 June 2023.
  2. Web site: Peust . Carsten . Die Toponyme vorarabischen Ursprungs im modernen Ägypten . 43.
  3. Book: Brugsch . Heinrich . 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 . 1879 . J. C. Hinrichs . 853–854 .
  4. Book: Wallis Budge . E. A. . 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 . 1920 . . 1049 .
  5. Book: Gauthier . Henri . 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 . 1928 . 217, 218 .
  6. Book: Law, Gwillim . Administrative Subdivisions of Countries: A Comprehensive World Reference, 1900 through 1998 . snippet view . 2010-08-07 . 1999 . McFarland . Jefferson, NC . 978-0-7864-0729-3 . 114.
  7. Web site: Claremont Coptic Encyclopedia .