Sohag

Situated on the fertile fringes of the Nile right in the heart of Egypt, Sohag is found sprawled out over the river’s western banks and several islands in a mishmash of Coptic Christian churches and soaring mosque minarets, energised by a booming university population and the bustling trading bazaars of Souq el-Qisareya.

While the centre of town ticks over to the adhans of the Sidi Arif Mosque and the pious chants of the exquisite Church of the Holy Virgin, visitors weave their way between the tight-knit lanes to the iconic Red and White monasteries that linger alluringly on the peripheries here; the first with its curious Pharaonic architectural features, the latter with its elaborate mezzanines and brilliant 5th century façade. Sohag tour guides also usually recommend making a jaunt to the totemic archaeological area of Abydos on the edge of the desert to the south, which is considered by many to be one of the oldest ancient sites in the country, and the final resting place of the earliest of Egypt’s dynastic kings.