Asyut Governorate (Arabic: محافظة أسيوط) lies in Upper Egypt, on both banks of the Nile about 375 kilometres south of Cairo. Its capital, Asyut, is the largest city between Giza and Luxor and the seat of Upper Egypt’s oldest university. The governorate holds 5,061,934 people (mid-2023 CAPMAS estimate) across 25,926 km², divided into eleven marakiz.
| Capital | Asyut |
|---|---|
| Population | 5,061,934 (mid-2023 CAPMAS estimate) |
| 2017 census | 4,383,289 |
| Area | 25,926 km² |
| Density | 195 people per km² |
| Divisions | 11 marakiz, 3 urban kisms, 1 new city |
| Region | Upper Egypt |
| Phone code | 088 |
Towns and Villages in Asyut Governorate
This directory lists 289 mapped settlements in Asyut, grouped under the markaz they sit nearest to. A few villages on a markaz border may belong to the neighbouring markaz. Populations are mid-2023 CAPMAS estimates.
Dairut
Dairut is the northernmost markaz and the most populous, with 680,817 people. Dairut town has about 103,000 residents and sits where the Ibrahimiya Canal branches. 51 settlements are mapped.
- Abou Karim
- Abū al Haydar
- Abū Kurayyim
- Al Ḩūţā
- Al Ḩūţā ash Sharqīyah
- Al Mandarah Baḩrī
- Al Maţāwi‘ah
- Al Qurashīyah
- Amshūl
- An Nihāyah
- Ar Riyāḑ
- ‘Awājah
- Banī Yaḩyá Baḩrī
- Bānūb
- Bāwīţ
- Biblāw wa Nazlat Badawī
- Dashlūţ
- Dayrūţ
- Dayrūţ ash Sharīf
- Jarf Sarḩān
- Kawdiyat al Islām
- Kawm Būhā Baḩrī
- Kawm Injāshah
- Khārifah
- Kudyat an Naşārá
- Mazīnah
- Naj‘ ar Rubay‘āt
- Naj‘ ash Shaykh Ḩasan Abū Şābir
- Naj‘ Muḩammad Ḩasanayn Kurayyim
- Naj‘ Qimāţah
- Naj‘ Rashwān
- Naj‘ Shaykh al ‘Arab
- Nazlat ‘Abd Allāh
- Nazlat al ‘Awāmir
- Nazlat al Ḩasā’ibah
- Nazlat al Hawājil
- Nazlat ash Sharāqiwah
- Nazlat Bāwīţ
- Nazlat Bilāl
- Nazlat Faraj Maḩmūd
- Nazlat Mas‘ūd as Sayyid
- Nazlat Muşţafá Afandī
- Nazlat Qalānish al Gharbīyah
- Nazlat Sāw
- Nazlat Sirqinā
- Nazlat Z̧āhir
- Qaşr Ḩaydar
- Sāw
- Shalash
- Sirqinā
- Zāwiyat Hārūn
El Qusiya
El Qusiya markaz counts 531,877 people on the west bank. The Monastery of the Virgin Mary at Deir el-Muharraq, one of Egypt’s main Coptic pilgrimage sites, stands at its western edge. 47 settlements are mapped.
- Abū Khalīl
- Al Anşār
- Al ‘Arīḑah
- Al Ḩabālişah
- Al Ḩarādinah
- Al Madwār
- Al Manāshī
- Al Minshāt al Kubrá
- Al Minshāt aş Şughrá
- Al Quşayr
- Al Qūşīyah
- ‘Ank
- ‘Arab at Tatālīyah
- ‘Arrāmīyat ad Dīwān
- Ash Shaykh ‘Awn Allāh
- Ash Shaykh Dā’ūd
- Aş Şabḩah
- As Sarāqinā
- At Tatāliyah
- At Timsāḩīyah
- Ballūţ
- Banī Hilāl
- Banī Qurrah
- Banī Şāliḩ
- Banī Zayid Būq
- Būq
- Dayr al Quşayr
- Fāzarah
- ‘Izab ‘Arab al Juhmah
- Masārah
- Mīr
- Naj‘ ‘Arab al ‘Aţīyah
- Naj‘ ‘Arab Ḩasan ‘Abd Allāh
- Naj‘ ‘Arab Sālim Sulaymān
- Naj‘ ash Shaykh Ḩarīz
- Naj‘ ash Shaykh Musā‘id
- Naj‘ Ḩasan ‘Abd ar Raḩīm
- Nazālī Jānūb
- Nazlat ‘Abd as Samī‘
- Nazlat ‘Alī ‘Abd al Jawwād
- Nazlat al Karā’itah
- Nazlat al Makhtūn
- Nazlat al Muqāţa‘ah
- Rizqat ad Dayr al Muḩarraq
- Şanbū
- Tanāghah
- Umm al Quşūr
Manfalut
Manfalut markaz holds 601,482 people. Manfalut town, about 118,000 residents, is a west-bank market centre and a railway stop. 32 settlements are mapped.
- Al ‘Atāminah
- Al Ḩawātikah
- Al ‘Izzīyah
- Al Jāwlī
- Al Mandarah Qiblī
- Almarh village
- Ash Shanābilah
- Aş Şahrīj
- Banī Majd
- Banī Rāfi‘
- Banī Sanad
- Banī Sha‘rān
- Banī Shuqayr
- Damanhūr
- ‘Izbat Ḩasan ‘Aţīyah
- ‘Izbat Mūsá Ḩasan
- Jaḩdam
- Jimrīs
- Kawm ash Shahīd
- Kawm Būhā al ‘Abīd
- Kawm Manşūrah
- Manfalūţ
- Masra‘
- Nazlat al ‘Adrah
- Nazlat al Ḩimā’
- Nazlat ash Sharīfah
- Nazlat Qarār
- Nazlat Rumayḩ
- Nazlat Sulaymān al Ḩājj ‘Aţā’ Allāh
- Sarāwah
- Shaqalqīl
- Sukkarah
Abnub
Abnub markaz counts 474,315 people on the east bank north of the capital. Abnub town has about 112,000 residents. 32 settlements are mapped.
- Abnūb
- Al Akrād wa Banī Zayd
- Al Ḩammām
- Al Ḩassānī
- Al Manshīyah
- Al ‘Udar
- Aţ Ţawābīyah
- Awlād Rāyiq
- Bahīj
- Banī Ghālib
- Banī Ḩusayn
- Banī Ibrāhīm
- Banī Muḩammadīyāt
- Banī Razzāḩ
- Dayr Shū
- ‘Ezbet Akhnûkh Fanûs
- Kawm Abū Shīl
- Kawm Dayr Shū
- Nag ‘Hus Hasan
- Naj‘ ‘Abd ar Rasūl
- Naj‘ al ‘Īsawīyah
- Naj‘ Jazīrat Bahīj
- Naj‘ Layyū
- Naj‘ Thābit
- Nazlat Abū ‘Amīrah
- Nazlat ad Damā’irah
- Nazlat as Saqqā’
- Nazlat Awlād Muḩammad
- Nazlat Ţāhā’
- Nujū‘ Banī Ḩusayn
- Sallām
- Sawālim Abnūb
El Fateh
El Fateh markaz was carved out of the east-bank countryside and now holds 362,425 people. It has no large town of its own; its villages trade into Asyut and Abnub. 21 settlements are mapped.
- Al ‘Aşşārah
- Al Aţāwilah
- Al Aţāwilah wa Banī ‘Ilayj
- Al Fayamā’
- Al Ḩamrā’
- Al Ma‘şarah
- Al Qaşr
- Al Wāsţá
- ‘Arab al Aţawlah
- Ash Shaghabah
- Awlād Ibrāhīm
- Awlād Sirāj
- Banī Murr
- Banī Ţālib
- Bişrah
- Nazlat al Kallābāt al Gharbīyah
- Nazlat at Tall
- Nazlat Awlād Sirāj
- Nazlat Manshīyat al Ma‘şarah
- Qurqāriş
- Shuţb
Asyut
Asyut markaz surrounds the capital and holds 583,658 people. The city itself is split into two urban kisms with 562,061 residents between them, and New Asyut adds 9,810. Asyut University, the Asyut Barrage and the oil refinery are all here. 13 settlements are mapped.
- Al Būrah wa al Hadāyā
- Al Hadāyā
- Al Walīdīyah
- An Nāşirīyah
- Assiut
- Banī Zayd
- ‘Ilwān
- ‘Izbat al Jaysh
- ‘Izbat al Madābigh
- Jazīrat al Akrād wa aţ Ţawābīyah
- Manqabād
- Mūshā
- Rīfah
Sahel Selim
Sahel Selim markaz counts 207,907 people. Its town, As-Sahil, has about 54,000 residents. 13 settlements are mapped.
- Al ‘Afādirah
- Al ‘Awānah
- Al Maţmar
- Al Muţī‘ah
- Ash Shāmīyah
- As Sāḩil
- Bāqūr
- Nazlat al Malik
- Nazlat ash Shaykh Shiḩātah
- Nazlat Bāqūr
- Nazlat ‘Inān
- Nazlat Rayyān
- Tāsā
Abu Tig
Abu Tig markaz holds 260,459 people, with a further 112,077 in Abu Tig town, which is a separate urban kism. The town has been a weaving centre for generations. 17 settlements are mapped.
- Abū Tīj
- Al Aqādimah
- Al Balāyzah
- Al Mas‘ūdī
- An Nazlah
- An Nukhaylah
- Az Zarābī
- Az Zāwiyah
- Az Zayarah
- Banī Sumay‘
- Dīkirān
- Duwaynah
- El-Zayara
- Naj‘ Abū Khurş
- Nazlat Abū Ka‘bah
- Nazlat al Fulayw
- Nazlat al Labbān
Sidfa
Sidfa markaz counts 209,233 people on the east bank in the south of the governorate. 19 settlements are mapped.
- Al Bārūd al Gharbī
- Al Bārūd ash Sharqī
- Al Bārūd wa Awlād Ilyās
- Al Wa‘āḑilah
- Ash Shanāyinah
- Awlād Ilyās
- Banī Fīz
- Duwayr ‘Āyid
- Isfaḩt
- Kardūs
- Kawm Abū Ḩajar
- Kīmān Sa‘īd
- Mijrīs
- Naj` al Jazīrah
- Nazlat al Ablaq
- Nazlat al Maghribī
- Nazlat Muḩammad Aḩmad
- Şidfā
- Tu‘ma
El Badari
El Badari markaz holds 309,998 people. The Badarian culture, Egypt’s earliest known farming society at about 4400 BC, is named after the town. 24 settlements are mapped.
- Al Badārī
- Al Bayyāḑīyah
- Al Fārūqīyah
- Al ‘Iqāl Baḩrī
- Al ‘Iqāl Qiblī
- An Nawāmīs
- An Nawāmīs wa Marāwinat an Naşārá
- Ash Shaykh ‘Uthmān
- At Tanāghah
- Buwayţ
- Deir Tasa
- ‘Izbat Sālim
- ‘Izbat ‘Ujayl
- Kawm Si‘dah
- Minshāt Hammām
- Nazlat al ‘Ajjājī
- Nazlat al ‘Amrīyah
- Nazlat al Fulaywah
- Nazlat ‘Alī Sulaymān
- Nazlat al Kawāsitah
- Nazlat ash Shaykh ‘Alī
- Nazlat Bākhūm
- Nazlat Ḩammād Yūsuf
- Nazlat Muşbiḩ
El Ghanayem
El Ghanayem is the southernmost markaz, with 155,815 people, the smallest by population. 20 settlements are mapped.
- Al Aghānah
- Al ‘Āmirī
- Al ‘Azāyizah
- Al Birbā
- Al Ghanā’im Baḩrī
- Al Ghanāyim
- Al Ḩasanah
- Al Mashāyi‘ah
- Al Quţnah
- Dayr Abū Maqrūfah
- Dayr al Janādilah
- ‘Izbat Bilāl
- Kawm Sa‘īd al Gharbī
- Nazlat ad Dawāmi‘
- Nazlat al ‘Aḑā’imah
- Nazlat al Kallābīyah
- Nazlat al Qadīm
- Nazlat Awlād ‘Amr
- Nazlat Ḑāḩī
- Rab‘ Abū Zayd
Geography
Asyut city sits at 27°11′N 31°11′E. The governorate runs about 120 kilometres along the Nile. The floodplain is wider here than upstream, reaching 25 kilometres in places, which is why Asyut carries more farmland than any neighbour to its south. The Asyut Barrage, completed in 1902 and replaced by a new structure in 2018, lifts water into the Ibrahimiya Canal. That canal is the longest artificial waterway in Egypt and irrigates much of Middle Egypt.
Asyut borders Minya to the north, Sohag to the south, Red Sea across the Eastern Desert, and New Valley to the west. The desert road west from Asyut is the main land link to Kharga Oasis.
Demographics
The 2017 census recorded 4,383,289 residents. The mid-2023 estimate of 5,061,934 is 15 per cent higher. Asyut remains rural: the three urban kisms and New Asyut hold about 684,000 people, near 13 per cent of the total. Asyut has a large Coptic Christian population, among the highest shares in Egypt, concentrated in Dairut, El Qusiya and the capital.
Density across the full area is 195 people per km². Restricted to the cultivated valley, it exceeds 2,500 per km².
Economy and Local Life
Wheat, maize, cotton, sugar cane, lentils and beans are the staple crops. Cane goes to refineries downstream, and cotton feeds the weaving trade that Abu Tig and Asyut have run for generations. Asyut is known nationally for hand-loomed shawls and for wood inlay work.
Heavier industry sits around the capital: the Assiut oil refinery, cement plants and fertiliser works. Asyut University, founded in 1957 as the first university in Upper Egypt, and its teaching hospital are the largest employers. Weekly markets in Manfalut, Dairut and Abu Tig remain the trading days for surrounding villages.
History
The city was Zawty in ancient Egyptian and Lycopolis to the Greeks, a cult centre of the jackal god Wepwawet. It stood at the head of the Darb al-Arbain, the forty-day caravan road from Darfur. That trade made it a slave and camel market until the nineteenth century. The philosopher Plotinus was born in Lycopolis around 205 AD. Excavations at El Badari in the 1920s identified the Badarian culture, pushing the record of settled farming in Egypt back to about 4400 BC. Coptic tradition holds that the Holy Family sheltered at Deir el-Muharraq near El Qusiya, and the monastery has drawn pilgrims since the fourth century.
Getting There
Asyut is about 375 kilometres south of Cairo, roughly five hours by road. The Cairo–Aswan railway calls at Dairut, Manfalut, Asyut and Abu Tig, with sleeper and daytime services. Asyut Airport, north-west of the city, handles domestic flights and seasonal charters. Drivers take the Western Desert Road from Cairo, then the valley road. The desert highway west reaches Kharga in about three hours.
FAQ
What is the capital of Asyut Governorate?
Asyut city, on the west bank of the Nile. Its two urban kisms held 562,061 residents in the mid-2023 estimate.
How many villages are in Asyut?
This page lists 289 mapped settlements across the eleven marakiz. Registered village councils are fewer, since each covers several hamlets.
What is the population of Asyut Governorate?
5,061,934 in the mid-2023 CAPMAS estimate, up from 4,383,289 at the 2017 census.
How far is Asyut from Cairo?
About 375 kilometres south, five hours by road or six to seven by train.
What is Asyut known for?
The Asyut Barrage and Ibrahimiya Canal, hand-loomed shawls, Upper Egypt’s oldest university, and the Badarian archaeological sites.
Which markaz in Asyut has the most people?
Dairut, with 680,817 residents in the mid-2023 estimate.