Sohag

Sohag, also spelled as Suhag or Suhaj, is a city on the west bank of the Nile in Egypt. The city has been the capital of Sohag Governorate since 1960, before which the capital was Girga and the name of the governorate was Girga Governorate. The city also included Esna Governorate.

History

The modern city developed from the village of Suhay , the name of which eventually transformed into Suhaj, and is located on the site of several ancient settlements, the largest of which is Bompae. The others include Tmupaie, Bay and Sawaqi.

Geography

Sohag lies on a fertile agricultural plain on the western bank of the Nile, approximately southwest of Akhmim. The city includes two islands; Karaman-ez-Zahur Island is larger and uninhabited, and ez-Zahur Island has some homes.

Climate

The Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies Sohag's climate as hot desert. Luxor, Minya, Sohag, Qena and Asyut have the widest difference of temperatures between days and nights of any city in Egypt, with almost difference. Sohag is one of the warmest places in Egypt due to its location on the eastern side of Sahara in North Africa. Sohag is ranked the 5th driest place in Egypt and the 9th globally. Also ranked 4th warmest place in Egypt and 296th globally.

Demographics

Subdivisions

Sohag is informally divided into the East District and the West District. Among the most notable regions of the West District are:

Sidi Aref
Al Shahid
Gharb Al-Koubry

The East District is considered a more upscale district; it includes some of the most affluent neighborhoods of the city including 15th Street, Al Kashef Street, Jumhuriya Street, The Courts Compound, and The Technical and Agricultural Schools. Some of the most notable locales of the East District include:

The Courts Compound of Sohag
City Hall of Sohag
Sohag University
Sohag Teaching Hospital, one of the biggest hospitals of the region
Multiple governmental directorates
Many recreational areas including The Sohag Stadium and many parks including Al Zohour, a revitalized island park located in the middle of the Nile.
Nasr City, the first satellite city to be built in the East District. It was established during the presidency of Gamal Abdel Nasser.
Economy

The city of Sohag itself encloses only a few archaeological sites, hence tourism represents only a small portion of the city's income. Other sources of income include trade and small industries. Also the administrative and educational services are two big sectors of income.

Agriculture

The city itself is surrounded by rural areas with fertile land along the Nile, agriculture is a cornerstone of the economy. Key crops include wheat, maize, garlic, and oil crops like peanuts. Beekeeping and livestock raising are also important supplementary income sources for households.

Industry

Small-scale industries form a significant part of the local economy, particularly in the production of carpets, furniture, spinning and weaving, and sugar. Akhmim, a city within the Sohag governorate, is particularly known for its weaving and embroidery. Recent government initiatives are focused on boosting industrial growth in priority sectors like engineering, chemicals, and food processing, including the establishment of industrial complexes like the one in West Girga.

Tourism and Trade

Administrative and educational services, along with trade, are major sectors providing income and employment.
Tourism: Tourism currently represents only a small portion of the city's income, as the city itself encloses relatively few major archaeological sites.

Culture

Language

A version of the dialect continuum of Saidi Arabic is spoken by the people of Sohag. Most urbanized people, however, may speak to varying degrees Egyptian Arabic.

Museums

The Sohag Museum contains about 5,000 artifacts gathered from around the Sohag governorate, including items stretching from the Middle Kingdom to Greco-Roman times.

Bazaars

Souq el-Qisareya: The bazaar in Sohag is named suq Qaiṣarīya and is partly covered.
Souq el-Itnein is a weekly market held every Monday morning; vegetables, fruits, animals and traditional hand made objects are sold there. The weekly market is believed to have originated during the Ancient Egyptian era. The souq is now in the south of the city and is held in the streets and beside the city cemetery.

Mosques

Sidi Arif Mosque. The mosque is located in the south of the city. The el-ʿArif Mosque was built in the 14th century—the 8th century in the Islamic calendar. The present building was constructed around 1995. At the corners of the façade are two minarets and the roof is crowned by a dome. Inside the five-nave mosque the bases of the piers and the walls were lined with red granite. The ceiling is painted ornamentally; in its middle is an elongated light dome. The southeastern half is lit by chandeliers. At the end are the prayer niche with simple ornaments and to the right of it the wooden pulpit.
El-Farshuti Mosque, also named el-'Atiq Mosque is located approximately southwest of the Sidi Arif Mosque. The most striking feature of the mosque is its minaret in the southeast corner. The minaret has galleries with balustrades on four floors. The mosque is a modern, bright building. The mosque is divided into five naves by columns and pillars. It has a central light dome, which is inscribed at the bottom with a sura from the Qur'an. The bases of the walls are painted yellow and white with green bands. A very colorful prayer niche next to the wooden pulpit is located at the southeastern side.

In the masonry on the eastern, southern and western sides are stones engraved with historical inscriptions moved from previous buildings, including a decree of the penultimate Mamluk sultan al-Ghawri from the year 1506 on the southeastern side.

Churches

Sohag has two important churches that were erected in the 20th century: the Church of the Holy Virgin and the Church of Saint George.

The Church of the Holy Virgin. The church is located in the north of the bazaar. It consists of five naves. There are three sanctuaries for Saint George, the Holy Virgin and the Archangel Michael at the ends of the middle three naves. All sanctuaries are completely screened by a wooden iconostasis. On both sides of the entrances to the sanctuaries are wooden icons of the Holy Virgin and Jesus. The Lord's Last Supper and the crosses are located above the iconstasis. The presentation in the central nave is framed by a fish and a pigeon; the other ones are framed by angels and a dove. Galleries are located above the aisles and the entrance. On the walls are paintings of saints and scenes from the life of Jesus.
Church of St. George is the cathedral of the diocese of Sohag. The church is located north of the Opera or Culture Square.
Church of the Archangel Michael. The church is located in Railway Station Street on the eastern side of the railway tracks.
Monasteries

White Monastery

The Coptic White Monastery is a Coptic Orthodox monastery named after Saint Shenouda the Archimandrite. It is located about west of Sohag. The monastery's name is derived from the color of the white limestone in its outside walls. The surviving building is the church of what was once a much larger monastery complex.

Red Monastery

The Red Monastery is a Coptic Orthodox monastery named after an Egyptian saint called Pishay. It is located about north of the White Monastery. The monastery's name is derived from the color of the construction material of its outside walls, consisting of red brick. The walls are considerably thicker at the base than at the top and, like the walls of Ancient Egyptian temples, they are surmounted by cavetto moldings. The Red Monastery is architecturally similar to the White Monastery.

Temples and cemeteries

Sohag is the site of a temple built for the goddess Repyt by Ptolemy XV Caesarion and subsequent Roman emperors. South of this temple was an earlier temple of Ptolemy IX Soter II. One of the nearby tombs of the brothers Ibpemeny "the younger" and Pemehyt of the late second century BC, has two zodiacs on its ceiling.

Sports

The most popular sport in Sohag is Association football. Sohag has many football clubs, including the Egyptian Premier League team Sohag FC. In addition, EPL club has El Gouna FC used Sohag stadium as a home ground at times.

Transport

Air

Sohag International Airport serves as the primary international airport of the city of Sohag. Opened in 2010, the airport caters to passengers from Sohag and areas nearby to international flights and domestic flights.

Train

The train is a popular and comfortable way to travel between Sohag and other key cities along the Nile. The journey from Sohag to Cairo takes approximately 7 hours, while a trip to Luxor takes less than 3 hours. Tickets and schedules can be found through Egyptian Railways or third-party booking sites.

Road, buses and taxis

Several private bus companies operate modern, air-conditioned coaches with amenities like Wi-Fi and extra legroom. Major operators include Superjet, Go Bus, Blue Bus, and Horus Transport. Buses are often the most affordable option for long-distance travel. Sohag is linked to Giza and northern cities by the road of Asyut Western Desert, Eastern Desert Road and Rural Road, which also connects it to the railways.
Minibus is the primary means of getting around the city and connect different parts of Sohag. Taxi is common, but they generally lack meters. Fares are typically fixed based on whether you cross the Nile River or not.
In February 2010, a highway linking Sohag to the Red Sea city Hurghada was opened to ease movement between Upper Egypt and the Red Sea coastal region.

City	Distance
Alexandria	692
Port Said	691
Ismaïlia	616
Suez	605
Cairo	471
Aswan	428
Luxor	205
Asyut	98