Al Minyā

Al Minyā, city in eastern Egypt, capital of Al Minyā Governorate, in Upper Egypt between the western bank of the Nile River and the Al Ibrāhīmīyah Canal. The city is on a railroad and is an important river port and trade center for cotton, sugarcane, and grain. Industries include cotton ginning, flour milling, sugar refining, and dairying. A museum of antiquities and a university are here. Founded possibly as a principality during the 12th Dynasty (from 1991 to 1783 bc), Al Minyā underwent reconstruction under the Abbasid caliphate, from ad 750 to 1258. Al Minyā is also known as Minia or Minieh. Population 201,360 (1996).