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CairoScene
25-02-2025
- CairoScene
Uncover Sohag's Colourful History Through These 7 Stunning Sites
Uncover Sohag's Colourful History Through These 7 Stunning Sites Steeped in Pharaonic traditions and Coptic heritage, Sohag played a pivotal role in the development of Egypt's cultural and religious identity with a handful of historical sites to show for it. The seldom-visited governorate hugs Upper Egypt's stretch of the Nile and is located about 470 kilometres from Cairo. From Pharaonic-inspired monasteries and medieval mosques to ancient necropolises and lavishly decorated temples, Sohag is a unique cultural and spiritual experience that encapsulates the diversity of Egyptian heritage. SOHAG NATIONAL MUSEUM Housing all of Sohag's fragmented bits and pieces of history, from the Middle Kingdom to Greco-Roman times, the Sohag National Museum is a true testament to the governorate's long and checkered history. Almost a thousand relics are scattered among the two-story monument. Flanked by five towering sculptures of the revered goddess Sekhmet, the 8,700 square metre museum is reminiscent of ancient Egyptian temples, blending in seamlessly with its pharaonic surroundings. ANCIENT CITY OF ATHRIBIS This massive treasure trove sits 7 kilometres outside of Sohag. The Athribis archaeological site stretches over more than 30 hectares and has undergone major excavations. It houses an impressive array of Ptolemaic and Roman monuments including a temple dedicated to the ancient lion-goddess Repit, a huge gateway of Ptolemy VIII Euergetes, as well as a larger temple complex and necropolis. AL-HAWAWISH NECROPOLIS One of the most significant archaeological sites in Sohag, this massive necropolis for the ancient city of Akhmim houses more than 900 rock-cut tombs that date back to the Old Kingdom and the First Intermediate Period. 60 of these tombs are relatively well-preserved with numerous inscriptions and funerary scenes giving us a glimpse into the daily lives of ancient Egyptians as they're dancing, hunting and farming - with a few even showing their final days before death. THE RED MONASTERY Tucked away in a remote village, the Red Monastery is one of the most noteworthy Christian monuments in the country. The monastery was dedicated to St. Bishoi in the fifth century. Its bare exterior stands in contrast to its lavishly decorated interior, stupefying in vivid technicolor following a basilica style featuring a fresco-bordered altar and an ornate, hand-carved inner doorway. The monastery houses some of the world's oldest Coptic artwork, and has recently been restored by USAID to its former glory. WHITE MONASTERY Built from white limestone taken from Pharaonic temples around AD 400, some of the White Monastery's walls still bear inscriptions featuring ancient gods and hieroglyphs. Even the design of the exterior walls are reminiscent of ancient temples. Located six kilometres outside of Sohag, this monastery once boasted Egypt's largest libraries and catered to a massive community of monks. Although its interior is mostly ruins, it's easy to make out the basilica plan of the monastery. Its towering fortress walls, however, are still standing after all these centuries. SIDI ARIF MOSQUE In the south of Sohag, you'll find one of Egypt's largest mosques. The Sidi Arif mosque was initially constructed in the 14th century but underwent several reconstructions, once in 1968 and once in 1998. The five-nave mosque flaunts red granite-lined walls, an ornamentally painted ceiling, a dizzying array of chandeliers, an elongated light dome and two slender minarets at either side of the structure. AKHMIM A satellite town along Sohag's east bank, Akhmin spans the ruins of the ancient town of Epu dedicated to the god of fertility Min. In 1982, excavations unveiled an 11 metre tall statue of Meret Amun, the daughter of Ramses II, wife of Amenhotep and priestess of the Temple of Min. This is the tallest statue of an ancient queen to have been unearthed in Egypt. Now standing among the ruins of a Roman settlement, Meret Amun is depicted wearing a ceremonial headdress with flail in hand. Akhmin is known for more than just its archaeological marvels. In ancient times, the town was renowned for its textiles. This tradition still endures until this day. In fact, right across the statue of Meret Amun, there's a small weaving factory still manufacturing hand-spun goods and handmade items.
National Geographic
18-02-2025
- Science
- National Geographic
The Viking age is welcoming a new kind of hero: women
This line of scientific research soon got more complicated, however. In 2017, Hedenstierna-Jonson and nine of her colleagues published their DNA study on the Birka woman in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology. To their surprise, the eight-page report, which was peppered with phrases like 'epiphyseal union' and 'nucleotide positions,' set off a firestorm. While some Viking specialists were impressed by the research, others took strong issue with it. Some critics suggested, for example, that the Birka grave may have originally contained both a male warrior and a female companion and that the skeleton of the male was removed at some point. But there was no evidence at all to show that a second body was ever interred in the grave. Other researchers raised a more theoretical objection. The dead, they noted, did not bury themselves. Mourners, they suggested, could well have placed a trove of costly weapons belonging to the dead woman's father or husband in the grave as symbols of the woman's high status. But other evidence clearly indicated that the weapons were hers. Some old Scandinavian poems, for example, explicitly described the practice of mourners burying dead warriors with their weapons. Besides, no one had suggested that all the weapons in the Birka grave were merely family heirlooms when the skeleton was thought to be male, so why bring up that idea now? In Norse mythology, war was not just a male domain. Female figures, like the fearsome Valkyries, were also linked to combat. Viking artifacts depicting them are few, which makes this gilded figurine, found in Denmark and dating to around A.D. 800, extraordinary—not only for its rarity but also for how it shows that women with weapons were accepted. JOHN LEE, NATIONAL MUSEUM OF DENMARK Stunned by the reaction, Hedenstierna-Jonson and several other researchers decided to expand their investigation of the famous grave. Some team members pored over historical records for even brief mentions of Viking warrior women. Perhaps the most intriguing reference came from the 12th-century text Cogadh Gaedhel re Gallaibh—The War of the Irish With the Foreigners. In it, an Irish writer recorded the names of 16 Viking commanders who led attacks on the region of Munster in the mid-900s. Among these military leaders was a Viking woman, Inghen Ruiadh', whose name means 'Red Girl' or 'Red Daughter.' (The name may have come from the color of her hair.) She was clearly an important figure. 'She's a Viking, she's a captain of a ship, and she's the commander of a fleet,' Uppsala University archaeologist Neil Price, a member of the team, told me. ('100-year find': Enormous Viking ship holds surprising clues on burial rituals.) Hedenstierna-Jonson and her colleagues took a closer look at the goods in the famous Birka burial. What was particularly striking was the equestrian character of the grave. Although the Vikings are best known for their seafaring abilities, prosperous families in the North bred horses for riding and for work on their farms. The Birka woman likely came from just such a privileged background, and several clues pointed to her equestrian abilities. The hinged position of her skeleton suggested that she had been buried in a seated position—possibly on a saddle, whose wood and padding had rotted away, leaving only the iron stirrups found by her feet. Moreover, one of the horse skeletons on the ledge was bridled, as if ready to be ridden. In addition, the grave contained other equestrian gear, including what was likely a large currycomb. The battle gear arranged around the warrior's skeleton also told a story. The arrows, for example, were specially designed to pierce an enemy's armor—these were not for show. The other weaponry in the grave—shields, spears, double-edged sword, broadax, and battle-knife—suggested that the warrior woman was also highly trained in several forms of attack, including hand-to-hand combat. Other clues, including part of a silver coin minted by the Abbasid Caliphate, a sprawling Muslim empire whose capital lay in what is now Baghdad, linked the woman to the lucrative Viking trade in the East. And an analysis of the clothing fragments discovered in the grave revealed a distinctively Eastern style of dress. She was buried in a spectacular Eurasian-steppe style of riding coat, trimmed with silk and possibly ornamented with small pieces of mirror glass to catch the light. She also wore a costly silk cap decorated with a silver tassel and four small silver balls. Both the style and the materials inferred that it was likely manufactured in the Viking settlement of Kyiv, which was perched along a major river route leading to Constantinople. At historical reenactment festivals like Sletten and Viking Days, held annually in Denmark, Scandinavian women embody the variety of roles their female ancestors played. Here, Christina D. Fotos wields a spear and Tinna Riis Nielsen makes glass beads over a flame. Taken together, the clothing pointed to a very important person with strong connections to the East. Indeed, comparative research by Scandinavian archaeologist and textile specialist Inga Hägg suggested that individuals buried in such distinctive hats were likely cavalry commanders who reported directly to a king or prince—a theory the researcher proposed before the occupant of the famous grave was identified as a woman. ('Denmark's salvation'? Runestones hint at Viking queen's power.)
