Sohag: Temples, Tombs and Churches

The region’s sites range from the temples at Athribis and Abydos to the cemetery of El Hawawish; the Red Monastery is also nearby. This allows you to explore temple architecture, tombs and ecclesiastical architecture as distinct areas of interest, rather than reducing the sites to a single theme.

Temples at Athribis and Abydos

At Athribis, the Temple of Ptolemy XII is one of the site’s most important temples. Its interior walls are lined with 26 columns. When considering the temple, you can therefore look at two aspects separately: its significance in Athribis and this specific detail of its interior architecture. The columns add a clearly identifiable architectural feature to the broader picture.

Two different temples are also the focus at Abydos. The Temple of Seti I is one of the best-preserved masterpieces of ancient Egypt. At the Temple of Ramses II, ten large mud-brick storerooms stand out. They were used to store grain and other temple supplies. A comparison can therefore focus on different aspects: the state of preservation at the Temple of Seti I, and the construction and use of the storerooms at the Temple of Ramses II.

Tombs and landscape

The cemetery of El Hawawish contains more than 800 tombs from the Old Kingdom (2684–2160 BC) and the First Intermediate Period (2160–2034 BC). Its chronology therefore spans the Old Kingdom through the First Intermediate Period. Five tombs are particularly well preserved. When exploring the cemetery, you can distinguish two different measures: the size of the site as a whole and the state of preservation of these five tombs.

Limestone quarries lie above the nearby tombs of Athribis; the temple’s stone blocks were sourced from them. This connects the landscape with the construction of the temple: the quarries are directly related to the material used for the temple. If you are interested in the history of its construction, this connection offers a perspective distinct from the temple’s significance and its columns.

Ecclesiastical architecture nearby

The Red Monastery is located near Sohag. Saint Bishoy founded it at the beginning of the 4th century AD. The main church consists of three wings, with the Church of the Virgin Mary attached to it. At the eastern end of the church are tempera paintings depicting Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, the four Gospels and the Apostles. The surviving church is flanked to the south by defensive walls. The monastery’s founding date, church architecture, paintings and walls offer several distinct historical and architectural aspects.

A visitor center has been built at Al Hawawish. Check whether it is currently open before your trip.

What to consider when searching for hotels

You can then check specific hotel offers for your travel dates.

Discover more destinations: Al-Minufiyya, Bani Suwaif, Qina, Aswan, Matruh, Al-Minya, al-Qalyubiyya, Al-Fayyum

Return to the main travel guide: Egypt.