Assiut or Asyut governorate is located between Sohag and El Minya, the latter of which is a famous governorate in Egypt. Assiut can be easily reached from Cairo. The governorate is famous for its rich heritage and treasures dating back from various ancient ages including the Pharaonic, Roman, Coptic, Islamic, and Modern ages. The total land area covered by the Assiut governorate is 1,551 square kilometers. The capital city Assiut alone covers around 23 square kilometers. The many monuments in the governorate solidify the place of Assiut as a keystone of Egyptian culture, arts, and industry for more than 4,000 years. The capital city Assiut is also believed to be among the oldest cities on Earth.
Places Worth Visiting in Assiut
Assiut has numerous places of historical significance that tourists come from far and wide to see. Just a few of the places worth visiting in the governorate are the ancient graves and tombs of Mir Rock, the Badari archaeological sites, Al Muharraq Monastery at al Qusia, the Monastery of the Virgin Mary, and various ancient mosques and churches throughout the region. Some relatively modern attractions include the Assiut barrages, Khan Khalili Factory, Al Azhar University, and Environmental Timber Fair.
Another famous religious attraction located in the governorate is the twin Minaret Mosque of El Farghal located in the town of Abu Teeg. The mosque was built in honor of Sheikh Mohammed Ahmed El Farghal who was born on 810 A.H. (After Hejira). Assiut has a large procession every year to celebrate the birthday of the Sheikh.
More Attractions in Assiut
There are so many tourist attractions in Assiut from different eras including the Pharaonic, Coptic, Islamic and modern. Below is a list of these tourist attractions categorized by what era they are from:
Tourist attractions from the Pharaonic era:
- Meir Monumental Tombs Qussair
- Al-Amarna Monumental Tombs
- Al-Hammamiya Monumental Tombs
- The Western Mountain Tombs
- Deir Al-Gabrawy Tombs
- Deir Rifa Tombs
Tourist attractions from the Coptic era
- Al-Mouharraq Monastery
- The Holy Virgin Mary Monastery
- Monastery of The Holy Virgin Mary (Deir El- Ganadla)
- Monastery of Saint MariMina (Hanging Monastery)
- Monastery of Al-Anba Serabamoon
Tourist attractions from the Islamic era
- Islamic Commercial Agencies (Al-Wakil)
- Thabet Monumental Bath (Hammam Sabet)
- Al-Majzoub Monumental Barrage
- Al-Mujahideen Mosque (Masjid Al Mujahideen)
- Al-Farghal Mosque (Masjid Al-Farghal)
- Abo_Alouyon Mosque (Masjid Abo_Alouyon)
- Al-Amauoi Mosque (Al-Gami' Al-Kabeer)
- Al-Kashef Mosque (Masjid Al-Kashef)
- Assiut Religious Institute “Fouad the First”
Modern Era Monuments
- Al-Salam Monumental Museum
- Assiut Barrage
- Assiut University
- Al-Azhar University
- The Permanent Exhibition for Tourism Promotion
- Horus Touristic Anchorage
- Assiut Touristic Anchorage
- Al-Ferdous Park
- Al-Azhar Park
- Al-Khaldeen Park
- Sport Foundations
- The Nile Conferences Hospitality
Assiut governorate also has very varied geography that is enjoyable and interesting for visitors to experience, including mountains, access to the Nile, large areas of desert with people who still live in traditional ways, luxury restaurants, beautiful gardens, and an efficient, safe transportation network. Assiut is a very popular place to visit because of its many historical treasures and exciting landscape and people.
