Asyut
Asyut is the largest town in Upper Egypt and lies
about 234 miles south of Cairo. It is an old city which was
first settled in pharaonic times, then the capital of the Thirteenth
Nome of Upper Egypt and named Syut. Later, the Greeks renamed
it Lycopolis which means 'city of the wolf'. This was due to
the importance of the Jackal gods Wepwawet (Opener of Ways)
and Anubis. Although the city was of considerable strategic
value in its position between Upper and Lower Egypt, it somehow
managed to stay clear of national importance as a capital.
Sunset at Asyut (Assyut)
Two very important people we know of were born
in the Greek city of Lycopolis. Probably the best know saint
of Christian Egypt, John of Lycopolis was a carpenter who withdrew
to the desert of the nearby mountains. He was a prophet who
for example, predicted Theodosius, the Roman emperor's victory
over Maximus and Eugenius. He died in 394 AD. Less known is
Plotinus, who was a neo-Platonist who studied under the founder
of that movement, Ammonius. He was born here in 205 AD. Later
he moved to Rome where he taught a doctrine based on the 'union
of the soul with God through ecstasy and contemplation'.
In more recent times, it was the end of the road for camel
caravans that traveled up the 40 Day Road from Darfur in the
Sudan, and as late as the 1850's it had the largest slave market
in Egypt.
Today Asyut is the capital of the Said (Upper Egypt) governorate,
has a large Christian community and is the region's most important
agricultural center, dealing in cotton and grain. It also has
some carpet manufacturing industry. It is also the home of the
third largest university in Egypt.
Besides the ancient attractions near Asyut, there is also Banana
Island, which is a nice place to relax. On the north edge of
the City you will find the 19th century English barrage, which
was built to control the Nile by regulating the flow of water
into the Ibrahimiyya Canal. This Canal is an important source
of irrigation water though out the region.
Also notable is the Lillian Trasher Orphanage. The founder
of the Orphanage was born in Jacksonville, Florida but came
to Egypt in 1910 and died there in 1961. The orphanage is a
source of pride to the large, local Coptic population.
Of ancient interest is the Necropolis of Assiut. Here, tombs
of many regional leaders may be found which document the area's
historical significance.
There are a number of good hotels in Asyut, including a YMCA.
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