Middle Egypt

Middle Egypt is a extensive region of Egypt, extending through the Nile River valley, roughly between the cities of Beni Suef (120 km south of the Egyptian capital city Cairo) and Qussna (30 km north of Luxor).

It was nineteenth-century archeologists who coined the term Middle Egypt for the stretch of river between Cairo and the Qena Bend – a handy label for a region that’s subtly distinct from Upper Egypt, further south. Middle Egypt includes a number of important urban centres, some of which make great bases for exploring the attractions of the region. Several cities feature attractions in their own right(Beni Suef – Minya – Mallawi – Asyut) .

Several prime attractions for travellers lie outside the main population centres of the region and can be visited from one or more of them:

(from north to south)

Minya - includes: (Tuna El Gabal - Tel El Amarna - Bani Hassan - El Ashmunein).
Sohag- Includes: (Akhmim - Red Monastery - White Monastery).
Abydos - the site of magnificent Ramesside temples and Predynastic remains - accessed via the small town of al-Balyana.
Dendera - location of one of the best-preserved ancient Egyptian temples.