Girga

{{hiero|1=grg |2=U17-O49|align=left|era=default}}

The name of the city comes from {{Langx|egy|(tꜣ)-grg.t|lit=the settlement}}, which is also preserved in possibly corrupted {{Langx|cop|ⲑⲁⲣϫⲉ|translit=tarje}} 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",{{cite book |last1=Brugsch |first1=Heinrich |title=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 |date=1879 |publisher=J. C. Hinrichs |pages=853–854 |url=https://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/brugsch1879/0873/image}} although Daressy and Budge identify the name with Coptic Balyana near Abydos.{{cite book |last1=Wallis Budge |first1=E. A. |title=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 |date=1920 |publisher=John Murray |page=[https://archive.org/details/egyptianhierogly02budguoft/page/1049 1049] |url=https://archive.org/details/egyptianhierogly02budguoft}}{{cite book |last1=Gauthier |first1=Henri |title=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 |date=1928 |pages=217, 218 |url=https://archive.org/details/Gauthier1928/page/n111}}

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 Peust suggests an older vocalisation Gurga.

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.{{cite book|last=Law|first=Gwillim|title=Administrative Subdivisions of Countries: A Comprehensive World Reference, 1900 through 1998|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4lmOAAAAMAAJ&q=Girga|format=snippet view|access-date=2010-08-07|year=1999|publisher=McFarland|location=Jefferson, NC|isbn=978-0-7864-0729-3|page=114}} Girga has an estimated population of 71,564 (as of 1986) and has various economic industries which include cane sugar manufacturing and pottery.

File:Girgeh (1890) - TIMEA.jpg

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{{Source?|date=June 2023}}).

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.{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Girga|volume=12|page=48}}

File:GirgaSiniInside.jpg

• Chinese Mosque ({{Langx|ar|المسجد الصينى|translit=almasjid assini}}): The mosque was presumably built in about 1150 AH (= 1737) in the historical district of al-Qaysariyya by Muhammad bey al-Faqari who became a governor in 1117 AH (= 1705/1706) in Ottoman times. Although it is called Chinese, no materials imported from China were used in its construction, and it got its name after porcelain used in its decoration.
• Osman Bey Mosque ({{Langx|ar|مسجد عثمان بك}})
• Al-Fuqara Mosque ({{Langx|ar|مسجد الفقراء}})
• Jalal Bey Mosque ({{Langx|ar|مسجد جلال بك}})
• Al-Mitwalli Mosque ({{Langx|ar|جامع المتولي}})

• Monastery of Archangel Michael ({{Langx|ar|دير الملاك ميخائيل|translit=dayr al-malak mikhail}}): Situated on the right bank of the Nile opposite of Girga. Since 1910 this site has been celebrated among archaeologists, because the discoveries made there have shed light on the region's prehistory.{{Cite web |date= |title=Claremont Coptic Encyclopedia |url=https://ccdl.claremont.edu/digital/collection/cce/id/652/rec/1}}
• Church of Archangel Michael ({{Langx|ar|كنيسة الملاك ميخائيل|translit=kenisa al-malak mikhail}})
• Church of Saint George ({{Langx|ar|كنيسة مارجرجس|translit=kenisa mar jirjis}})
• Church of Theodore Tiron ({{Langx|ar|كنيسة الأمير تادرس|translit=kenisa alamir tadrus}})

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

{{Weather box

|metric first=yes

|single line=yes

|location=Girga

|Jan high C=22.3

|Feb high C=24.3

|Mar high C=28.1

|Apr high C=33.5

|May high C=36.9

|Jun high C=38.3

|Jul high C=37.9

|Aug high C=38.1

|Sep high C=34.9

|Oct high C=32.4

|Nov high C=28.8

|Dec high C=23.8

|Jan mean C=13.7

|Feb mean C=15.3

|Mar mean C=18.7

|Apr mean C=23.9

|May mean C=27.8

|Jun mean C=29.5

|Jul mean C=29.5

|Aug mean C=29.9

|Sep mean C=27.7

|Oct mean C=25.1

|Nov mean C=20.4

|Dec mean C=15.5

|Jan low C=5.1

|Feb low C=6.1

|Mar low C=9.4

|Apr low C=14.3

|May low C=18.7

|Jun low C=20.8

|Jul low C=21.2

|Aug low C=21.8

|Sep low C=20.5

|Oct low C=17.9

|Nov low C=12.2

|Dec low C=7.3

|Jan precipitation mm=0

|Feb precipitation mm=0

|Mar precipitation mm=0

|Apr precipitation mm=0

|May precipitation mm=0

|Jun precipitation mm=0

|Jul precipitation mm=0

|Aug precipitation mm=0

|Sep precipitation mm=0

|Oct precipitation mm=0

|Nov precipitation mm=0

|Dec precipitation mm=1

|source 1 = Climate-Data.org{{cite web|title=Climate: Girga - Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table|url=http://en.climate-data.org/location/30175/|publisher=Climate-Data.org|access-date=14 August 2013}}

}}

{{portal|Egypt}}

• Thinis
• List of cities in Egypt

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category}}

• {{in lang|de}} Girga on Wikivoyage
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20060904174656/http://usepigraphy.brown.edu/view.php?textID=NY.Brook.BM.G.16.580.218 Usepigraphy Stele Marble Relief] - Brown University

{{Cities of Egypt}}

{{Sohag Governorate Markazes}}

Category:Populated places in Sohag Governorate

Category:Cities in Egypt