MINYA /
The smiling city
Minya is principally a good base for excursions, to places Beni Hassan, Hermopolis, Tuna el-Gebel and Tell el-Amarna. The city of Minya is of considerable size, it has a university, and a fairly bustling atmosphere. As Minya is an area with large groups of Christians, and the 1990's saw tensions between them and the Muslims. Today things are safe, but Minya's police do not allow its foreign visitors to move around town unescorted.
People of Minya have a reputation of being very friendly and honest. The city itself has relatively little to offer, beyond old colonial houses that now are victims to decay. They are all set in between large trees. While Minya may seem unimportant to visitors, nobody should pass through here without going out to the City of the Dead. Should you have time, there are a couple of Christian sights of interest, a rock-hewn church and a monastery, also rock-hewn.
