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Asyut
is the largest town in Upper Egypt and lies about 234 miles south
of Cairo. It is an old city which was first settled in pharaonic times,
then the capital of the Thirteenth Nome of Upper Egypt and named Syut.
Later,the Greeks renamed it Lycopolis which means 'city of the wolf'.
This was due to the importance of the Jackal gods Wepwawet (Opener
of Ways) and Anubis. Althoughthe city was of considerable strategic
value in its position between Upper and Lower Egypt, it somehow managed
to stay clear of national importance as a capitalTwo very important
people we know of were born in the Greek city of Lycopolis. Probably
the best know saint of Christian Egypt, John of Lycopolis was a carpenter
who withdrew to the desert of the nearby mountains. He was a prophet
who for example, predicted Theodosius, the Roman emperor's victory
over Maximus and Eugenius. He died in 394 AD. Less known is Plotinus,
who was a neo-Platonist who studied under the founder of that movement,
Ammonius. He was born here in 205 AD. Later he moved to Rome where
he taught a doctrine based on the 'union of the soul with God through
ecstasy and contemplation'.In more recent times, it was the end of
the road for camel caravans that traveled up the 40 Day Road from
Darfur in the Sudan, and as late as the 1850's it had the largest
slave market in Egypt.Today Asyut is the capital of the Said (Upper
Egypt) governorate, has a large Christian community and is the region's
most important agricultural center, dealing in cotton and grain. It
also has some carpet manufacturing industry. It is also the home of
the third largest university in Egypt.
Besides the ancient attractions near Asyut, there is also Banana Island,
which is a nice place to relax. On the north edge of the City you
will find the 19th century English barrage, which was built to control
the Nile by regulating the flow of water into the Ibrahimiyya Canal.
This Canal is an important source of irrigation water though out the
region.Also notable is the Lillian Trasher Orphanage. The founder
of the Orphanage was born in Jacksonville, Florida but came to Egypt
in 1910 and died there in 1961. The orphanage is a source of pride
to the large, local Coptic population.Of ancient interest is the Necropolis
of Assiut. Here, tombs of many regional leaders may be found which
document the area's historical significance.
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