Al-Minya (Egypt)

Al-Minya is a Nile River cruise port and the capital city of Minya Governorate (Upper Egypt) with a population of around 260,000. The city is located approx 245 km (150 mi) south of Cairo (Egypt's capital). Nile River flows directly through the city (direction north-south).

Before 3100 BC, the area formed Egypt's Oryx nome (16th out of 42 nomes/districts) and remained an independent city-state until 3200 BC when Menes unified Egypt. Being the district's capital, Minya (initially named Men'at Khufu) developed as a major trade center for import goods (mainly from Sinai and Canaan). After the Old Kingdom collapsed in 2181 BC, Oryx nome's princes became wealthy and more autonomous from the Pharaohs. Their power reached their height during Ancient Egypt's Eleventh Dynasty (2134-1998 BC) and functionally eliminated by the end of the Twelfth Dynasty (1991-1806 BC). During the Ptolemaic Kingdom (305-30 BC) the city was extensively settled by Greeks and its populations reached 40,000. Following the Antony's Civil War (32-30 BC, when Mark Antony and Cleopatra fought with Octavian Augustus), Minya became a major cotton trade hub and was inhabited by some of the wealthiest Greek and Roman traders. During the Abbasid Caliphate (750-1258 AD), the city's ruler Ibn Khasib greatly expanded it. During the Fatimid Caliphate (909-1171) Minya continued to prosper and expand by building large mosques (including EL-Lamaty and EL-Amrawy), schools, open-air markets/bazaar, public baths.

The city's current-day economy is based mainly on state-run agriculture and heavy industries - like the production of cement, chemicals, fertilizers, also mining. Private businesses specialize mainly in consumer goods manufacturing (food products, furniture, metal, and woodworks). Tourism is not well developed.

As cruise port, Minya is included in the regular schedule of the Movenpick Hotels and Resorts owned riverboat (hotel ship) Movenpick Darakum. The ship operates on a 10-day and 14-day cruise tour between homeports Aswan and Luxor, with included domestic flights from or to Cairo. The next table shows the 14-day itinerary as a ports sequence.

Prices start from ~USD 2600 per person (double occupancy rates).