Little is known today about Minya Governorate compared to its great wealth of
archaeological sites. Its history, including
Ancient Egyptian,
Hellenistic,
Roman and
Arab periods, has not yet received the full attention of scholars.
Ancient Egyptian period Dehnet,
Fraser Tombs,
Sharuna, and
Zawyet el-Maiyitin comprise monuments dating back to the
Old Kingdom. The village of
Bani Hasan al Shurruq houses 390 rock-cut decorated tombs and chapels from the
Middle Kingdom (2000–1580 BC, especially the
sixteenth dynasty). The
Speos Artemidos is nearby, and hosts temples built by Queen
Hatshepsut.
Akhetaten was built by
Pharaoh Akhenaten and dedicated to the god
Aten.
Akhenaten lived there in isolation with his wife,
Nefertiti, and daughters, devoting himself to the
monotheistic religion that he preached. The glorious remains of the palaces, temples and tombs still exist today. Other significant archaeological sites in the governorate of Minya include
Deir Abu Hinis,
Deir el-Bersha,
El-Sheikh Sa'id, and
Tuna el-Gebel.
Greco-Roman period El Ashmunein (
Hermopolis Magna) was the capital of the region during this period. It was the main center of worship of the god
Thoth. Today, the ruins of a Greek
temple, similar to the
Parthenon, can be still found. The
tomb and chapel of Petosiris are found near the modern village of
Tuna el-Gebel.
Antinoöpolis was built in 130
A.D. by the
Roman emperor Hadrian in memory of his
favourite and
eromenos Antinous.
Byzantine period The
Monastery of the Virgin Mary at Gebel el-Teir is an important
Christian site near the city of
Samalut. Its church was built by
Empress Helena, mother of
Constantine the Great, in 328, on one of the sites where the
Holy Family is believed to have stayed during its
Flight into Egypt.
Oxyrhynchus was an important administrative center during the
Hellenistic Period, and remains an important archaeological source for
papyri from the
Byzantine Egypt.
Arab period Maghagha hosts the mosque of the famous
Muslim Zayid ibn al Mugharah.
Modern history Today, Minya Governorate has the highest concentration of
Coptic Christians of 50% of the total population. There are also a number of active monasteries in the region. In 2018, a Coptic cathedral was consecrated by
Pope Tawadros II in the small village of Al Ur, near Samalut. The new cathedral was dedicated to the
21 Coptic Martyrs of Libya, thirteen of whom were from Al Ur.
Archaeology In February 2019, fifty mummy collections wrapped in linen, stone
coffins or wooden
sarcophagi dated back to the
Ptolemaic Kingdom were discovered by Egyptian archaeologists in the
Tuna El-Gebel site. 12 of the graves in four burial chambers 9 m (30 ft) deep, belonged to children. One of the remains was the partly uncovered skull enclosed in linen. In May 2020, Egyptian-Spanish archaeological mission headed by Esther Ponce revealed a unique cemetery consist of one room built with glazed limestone dating back to the
26th Dynasty (so-called the El-Sawi era) at the site of ancient
Oxyrhynchus. Archaeologists also uncovered bronze coins, clay seals, Roman tombstones and small crosses. In April 2026, an archaeological mission led by the
University of Barcelona and the Institute of the Ancient Near East at the
El-Bahnasa site, uncovered a significant
Roman-era tomb complex that provides evidence of complex, syncretic funerary traditions. The excavation revealed a range of mortuary practices, including
mummification with linen wraps and gold leaf, as well as the deposition of
cremated remains within
limestone chambers alongside
animal offerings, such as a feline head. The recovery of ritual objects, specifically three golden and one copper tongue, suggests a practice intended to allow the deceased to communicate in the afterlife, while the discovery of a papyrus fragment containing a passage from
Homer’s
Iliad and various bronze and
terracotta figurines such as
Cupid and
Harpocrates underscores the fusion of Greek literary culture and
Greco-Roman religious
iconography with local Egyptian burial customs. ==National holiday==