Provincial attraction

By Fatemah Farag
Clockwise from top: a classic image of Minya in earlier days (photo: Al-Ahram archives);
When I told people I was off to Minya for the weekend, heads were shaken in disbelief. For the last decade, names like Dayrout, Samalout, Mallawi -- almost all the districts of the Upper Egyptian governorate of Minya -- have come to be synonymous with political violence. Even when security concerns are set aside, the idea of travelling in the Egyptian south (with the exception of Luxor and selected parts of Aswan) conjures up images of poverty, lack of services and bloodthirsty insects.
I've always been suspicious of popular biases, though, and I have made the standard winter trip to warm outposts like Luxor and Aswan several times. I recruited the company of a fellow non-conformist and together we packed history books, clean towels and some instant Chinese soup and headed south for Minya. To cut the chase, we found that as with most advice to stay the "safer course", so much of common orthodoxy is gravely unfounded and can in fact be debilitating for the curious adventurer. We found that Minya has the makings of a perfect destination for a warm and sunny weekend break from the capital's dreary winter months; the experience is only spoiled by the prejudices in some people's minds.
GETTING THERE: Minya is the most accessible of the more interesting Upper Egyptian governorates. It is a five-hour drive if you follow the speed limit, and there are three highways that will take you there. The most commonly used is the "agricultural road", which winds down through the agricultural section of Giza, cuts through the city of Beni Suef and runs straight into the heart of Minya. It is the shortest and most picturesque route, and it offers you the chance to get a surface view of districts such as Maghagha and Dayrout before you hit Minya City. You are forewarned, however, that despite its aesthetic value, the agricultural road is also the most harrowing. For the most part, it is a narrow two-way stretch of asphalt used predominantly by large, unruly trucks and inter-governorate public transport.
Two new highways have been thrown in the mix recently -- one in the Eastern Desert and the other in the Western Desert. Judging by the accounts of drivers who have used both, the Western Desert Road seems to be your best bet. It takes you from the pyramids area in Giza straight down into Minya City. The Eastern Desert Road can be accessed from Helwan. The Eastern Delta Bus Company and private-sector mini-vans also provide service to Minya.
The best means of travel, however, is the train: safe, comfortable and fast. The fastest train options to Minya are the so-called Spanish and French trains (the Spanish has more luxurious seats, the French is a bit faster). Both are air-conditioned and have thankfully discontinued the use of the noisy television service. Trains from Cairo run twice a day, once in the morning and one in the evening. We opted for the 7.00a.m. French train and by 10.30a.m., the conductor was announcing Minya station.
WHERE TO STAY: When venturing into new terrain, I usually check my Rough Guide travel book for accommodation suggestions. This trip, however, I was disappointed to find that only three hotels were given, with Minya dismissed as the "most dangerous zone" in the area. The guide cautions travellers that finding a hotel willing to accept foreigners is "problematic", but our own scouting of the town showed this description not only to be paranoid, but inaccurate. My friend's outdated version of the same guide proved to be much more helpful.
Outside of the train station is the newly-painted grand old structure of the Savoy Hotel. The concierge was too busy chatting on the phone to give us any information, which should give you a good idea of the informal attitude of the place -- although he did pause long enough to mention that they were fully booked. With a wave of his hand, he referred us to a hand-written sign indicating that the once-posh hotel now serves as a low-income hangout, renting anything from a bed in a collective room to a room with private bath. For a low-budget option, the hotel does have high ceilings, tall and imposing windows, graceful balconies and a central location to its credit.
A 10-minute walk from the train station and parked in an equally central location on the corniche is the Dahabia, where we have made reservations to stay ahead of time. A small stationary boat run by the Evangelical Church, the Dahabia commands arguably the best view any hotel in Minya has to offer -- the west bank of the Nile, with its stretch of uninterrupted green framed by ochre hills. Reservations are essential at the Dahabia, as the place only rents out three rooms. All rooms have two beds, two windows and a large old-fashioned sink. From your window, you can watch the sunrise without having to budge from your bed. The bathroom is shared, which makes for some cramped conditions, but the hot water is both strong and abundant, toilet paper is always where it should be and towels and sheets are spotless. On the same floor as the rooms is a common kitchen and on the second floor is an open-air sitting area, where you can eat or just hang out with a book and watch the Nile flow by.
But perhaps the best thing about the Dahabia are the people who work there. There is Margaret, who takes care of the bills, and Milad and Guirguis, who cook and service the place. The food is seriously good home cooking, and the portions are plentiful for breakfast, lunch and dinner. All hot drinks are served in teacups with saucers (even though they may not match) and not once during our stay did we consider pulling out our instant Chinese soup. Even if you do not wind up staying at the Dahabia, you should at least go there for a few meals.
My memories of Minya centre on the Hotel Mercure, where my parents used to take us years ago when we were visiting family in the area. The memories of the place up until the early 1990s are fond ones: bungalows on the Nile with flowers of all colours abounding in the gardens. Today, the bungalow area has been shut down for "renovation", with no opening date in sight. The main building of the hotel is guarded by a gaggle of disinterested policemen and inside, it is quiet and gloomy. The only occupants when we stopped in were a couple huddling in the corner of the otherwise empty coffee shop. Despite this state of affairs, Mercure is charging LE187 per night for bed and breakfast (B&B) -- pretty hefty, considering that all the keys were neatly on their hooks behind the receptionist who quoted me the figure. The one remnant of more pleasurable days is the pool, which is still in pristine condition and if you are there in hotter months is an obvious asset.
Off the corniche and further into town is the Cleopatra, a new establishment apparently decorated by someone who is colour-blind. If you do not mind salmon and purple painted walls and tacky plastic plants -- which seem to have invaded every corner of the hotel, including the elevator -- the Cleopatra is very clean, with well-equipped rooms, and well priced. It is obviously a favourite, as the night we went it was teeming with people and the receptionist informed us that they were getting a lot of business from the many non-governmental organisations that work in Minya.
The Akhenaten Hotel, on the corniche, is described by our old guide book as "salubrious," but since we made only a cursory pass, I can't confirm its invigorating qualities. Nonetheless, the building is modern and the location is prime. In town you will find the Lotus Hotel, which sports a relatively swank reception area. It is very clean and on the top floor, there is a restaurant that not only serves very good food, but alcohol as well. But more of that later.
The Dahabia is a B&B with a hell of a view (photo: Nabil Shawkat); turn-of-the-century architecture still adorns the streets of Minya City (photo: Mussa Mahmoud)
WHAT TO DO -- DURING THE DAY: "One weekend to do everything is not enough," muttered my companion, as we struggled with the decision of what to see -- or, rather, what sites would have to be missed. Minya is home to some of the most important archaeological sites Middle Egypt has to offer and as we scoured our literature in search of our options, we realised that we had underestimated the historical value of the region.
There are the 39 rock tombs at Beni Hassan, said to contain the finest surviving murals from the Middle Kingdom. Four of these tombs are open to the public. This excursion east of the Nile also offers the opportunity to see the temple of Speos Artemidos, three kilometres into the desert beyond the sites at Beni Hassan. If you have the time, 10 kilometres south of Beni Hassan are the red granite columns that are the only remains of the ancient city of Antinopolis, built by the Roman emperor Hadrian in memory of his lover Antinous.
Further south, on the west bank of the Nile near Mallawi, is Tuna Al-Gabal, where one can visit the Tomb of Petosiris and see the mummy of Isadora before moving on to the ruins of Hermopolis. Located beyond the village of Ashmunein, this is where the giant sandstone baboons (one of the shapes taken by the God Thoth) still stand. Tel Al-Amarna, Egypt's short-lived capital under the Pharaoh Akhenaten, is also nearby.
Short excursions from Minya include the Monastery of the Virgin, situated 20 kilometres south of the city on the east bank and located on Gabal El-Teir (literally, the hill of the birds). Flocks of birds are reported to congregate here on the birthday of the Virgin Mary and the site includes a rock-hewn church where the Holy Family took shelter during the flight through Egypt. Perhaps the best time to go would be during the Feast of Assumption when thousands of pilgrims converge on the site.
We hummed and hawed over all our options, but these were only the most obvious destinations. For a short excursion, we settled on Zawyit Al-Mayitein, the old cemetery, just across the Nile from Minya City. A 15-minute drive from town (the distance is easily walkable), the main attraction to look for is the burial place of Huda Sharaawi, the renowned early-20th century feminist who was the first woman to publicly remove the veil covering her face.
We arrived by taxi and found that the site stretches out as far as the eye can see, hugging the sandstone strip of the eastern desert hills. It wasn't long before we were picked up by one of the graveyard caretakers, who took us directly to Sharaawi's grave. The burial spot is a stately structure, with impressive mashrabiya (wood-latticed) windows. When we had finished taking our pictures, the young man suggested a hike up the mountain for a better view.
Up we went, along the narrow alleyways between the graves -- one- or two-room domed structures that seem as though they have been welded into the mountain. We held on to bits of jagged stone to heave ourselves up steep inclines, grateful for our nimble guide, who told us he had every crevice of the mountain memorised. It was not until we finally stood out on a rocky ledge above the cemetery that we could fully appreciate the reward of the climb. The domed graves stretched out before us and finally melted into a luscious green strip of land split in half by the Nile.
On our way down, and obviously pleased with our enthusiasm, our guide offered to show us another place in the mountains that "bled once a month ever since the mountain opened to give sanctuary to the pious Salma." We were intrigued, but sadly the rest of the story was cut short by the arrival of Sheikh Al-Balad, a local dignitary with an imperious moustache and an imposing stature, who promptly announced that we had seen enough and should leave. We decided not to argue, until he sent one of his minions to ask us for "the sheikh's tea" -- money, that is.
I started fuming, and the shameless official moved toward us and asked our names. We told him that we were Egyptian -- an option he clearly had not considered -- and at this point his crony put in his two cents, telling the man that "It seems they know Arabic well!" He didn't seem very sure what to do about this, so he asked us for a piece of paper and a pencil to take down our names. At this point we just laughed him off and drove away. Consider this a lesson learned: beware of self-important officials and don't be fooled by their overbearing moustaches. Should you meet the illustrious Sheikh Al-Balad, neither pay him nor give him his pencil or paper.
We were still debating our "long excursion" -- we could only afford one in the course of a weekend, and finally my partner confided that "for 20 years now I have wanted to see Tel Al-Amarna." Of course, that sealed the deal, and Tel Al-Amarna it was (see adjacent story).
DOWNTOWN MINYA: For a more contemporary look at Minya we walked the streets and took in the beautiful old buildings, built by Greek and Italian architects for the pashas who once lorded over the cotton sector. The corniche is blessed with wide and uninterrupted stretches that make for pleasant walking, particularly at sunset, and most of the roads are wide and have sidewalks.
If you are in Minya on Monday, there is the local market. For more up-market shopping, Al-Nadi Al-Riyadi street is a must. In the evening we went out for a spot of gift shopping, but we came home with Maybeline nail polish and fancy orange boxer shorts. We had even debated purchasing a helium desk lamp. If it's not exactly what you imagined shopping in Minya was all about, you'd be surprised by the great styles and prices. Across from the shops is Al-Riyadi sports club, which lends its name to the street.
A more Minya-authentic purchase would be kishk saidi, uncrushed wheat fermented in buttermilk and dried into cookie-like pieces. An Upper Egyptian speciality, it is cooked as a soup or fried with eggs. You'll find kishk saidi at stores that specialise in grains in the old market section of the city.
The town is small enough to be covered by foot, but when you get tired of walking, there are horse carriages and an abundance of taxis to shuttle you around town. There are also government minibuses that will stop for you anywhere and have friendly conductors -- some of whom hang off the doors singing an Arabic version of the Macarena.
The term "night-life" may be a misnomer in the case of any of our night-time activities, but we whiled away evening hours walking around town, breaking for a drink at one of the many coffee shops. The most lively are the ones on the square by the train station, among them being the coffee shop at the Savoy. There is a second floor that serves food and locals claim its quite good, but we were well fed at the Dahabia and were only looking for a rest. If sitting and watching people pass by while playing a game of backgammon is not what you are looking for, we noticed a sign indicating that the Savoy had a billiards table.
Today's Minya (left): a pedestrian- friendly corniche, wide boulevards and lots of trees (photo: Al-Ahram archives); a map indicating major sites in Middle Egypt (source: The Rough Guide, 1999); Death's corner (photo: Nabil Shawkat)
Instead we opted for a couple of beers at the Lotus, one of the two places where alcohol is served in Minya (the other being Mercure). The hotel is not subtle about this, and as soon as you walk out of the elevator onto the top floor restaurant of the hotel, you are confronted with an extensive display of wine and beer bottles. We settled next to a window, where you get a great view of Minya by night, and ordered from over-friendly waiters who would not let us alone until they had convinced us to order some food. A group of foreign tourists were at a nearby table and soon popular Arabic music was blaring and waiters were at their table dancing. Some of the women were enticed into learning a few moves from these male hip-shakers and the mood, although a bit bizarre, was fun and relaxed. No one danced for us, though -- it seems that the Lotus staff were among the few in Minya who believed we were Egyptians.
The next night we ventured to the east bank by car, to a huge fenced-in public garden. Here there is a Ferris wheel and another stretch of pleasant boardwalk along the Nile. That night, there were two weddings taking place and we watched on as people danced the night away. In the end, we decided against the Ferris wheel.
IS IT SAFE?: We pondered the question of safety as we headed back to Cairo on the 8.00a.m. train. Everywhere we went, with the exception of Sheikh Al-Balad, people were friendly and helpful, even though most of them thought we were foreigners. It is obvious that people have become unaccustomed to having strangers in their town, but at no time was there a feeling of being remotely threatened or even uncomfortable.
Paradoxically, the only unnerving feeling we sensed with regard to security was the presence of the security forces themselves. So long as you stay in town, it seems that no one will bother with you. But if you head out to the archaeological sites, and particularly if you are a foreigner, a police escort will be forced on you soon enough. Informally, the people involved told us they felt the situation was unfortunate. "Even when violence was at its worst, we never had a tourist targeted here in Minya," confided one of the security men we met at Tel El-Amarna. "In all other ways, life is back to normal. We wish we didn't have to follow people around and could let them enjoy our sites as they are."
We couldn't have agreed more. Perhaps the time has come for Minya to shed its tarnished reputation and re-emerge into the public eye. Long outdated biases are shielding an otherwise lovely city from most travellers only willing to toe the line of standard Upper Egyptian fare: Nile cruises, group tours to the Valley of the Kings and Queens, a short photo-op seated along the Aswan High Dam. Minya has enough to draw tourists from abroad and within Egypt, but first, you'll have to stop shaking your head and take a leap of faith.
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