Watani Chairman of the Board 2 April 2017 and 24 Baramhat (Parmhat) 1733 Editor-in-chief 5 Ragab 1438 Issue 842 Youssef Sidhom Year 17

Editorial Problems on hold On 10 April, the southern province of celebrates its National Day. Watani offers its readers a glimpse into this little-known Law for Building but fascinating region and its rich history and Restoring Churches Trouble in Sohag Youssef Sidhom When the Law for Building and Restoring Churches was passed in September 2016, it aroused heated controversy. Some were elated that the long-awaited legislation had finally seen light and were optimistic about it. Others were sceptical and read Sohag: between its lines an absence of political and executive will to empower citizenship rights for all Egyptians regardless of what religion they belonged to. I was optimistic and called for giving the law a chance. [http:// en.wataninet.com/opinion/editorial/law-for- building-churches-put-to-the-test/17340/]. I ready, said that Copts must put their worries aside and get to work on testing the new law. They should apply for permits to build the churches needed and to restore the ones that required restoration, also to legalise the status of churches that had been built without licence before the law was passed. I wrote that the law should be put to the test through its on- set, the-ground application. Depending on how it is applied, the law has the potential of either Tourists at easing or complicating everything related Balyana marina to church building and restoration.Watani, I wrote, would objectively shed light on how … the law is applied, citing the cases in which It has suffered years of depression. A 1995 FAO survey revealed that Amal Ibrahim and many monasteries were built in the area. church-building was accordingly facilitated go more than 93 per cent of the households in the southern province of So- The story of the martyrs of is testimony to the faith of So- or complicated. Given that the law places hag had a per capita income below the absolute poverty line. Most of the hag’s residents when the persecution of Christians was at its peak. On the the decision on church-building matters in Flowers and folk dance population is rural; however, with a 2.7 per cent population growth and The marina at the Sohag town of al-Balyana has been completely evening of 29 Kiahk 303, Christians gathered in church at Akhmim to the hands of the governors, and given our an increase in the rate of urbanisation from 15 per cent in 1985 to 23 per renovated to offer a docking point for boats travelling between As- celebrate Christmas Eve. The governor, Irianus, stormed the church and long experience with governors who diverge cent in 1995, local agriculture no longer met the needs of the booming wan and Cairo on extended cruises, so passengers can visit the asked the congregation to worship the idols as required by the State. The widely in the will to grant Copts their rights, population, and neither did State services in education, healthcare, water magnificent temple at Abydos. The EGP2.7-million renovation of the Christians defiantly confessed their faith in Jesus Christ, and so the sol- we said we would closely monitor the sanitation, electricity and communications. At the turn of the 21st cen- 120m-long pier was funded by the Tourism Ministry and executed diers slaughtered all those present inside the church until the holy blood application of the new law. tury, unemployment rates had risen to more than 25 per cent and Sohag by the Armed Forces Engineering Authority. Another marina is be- of the martyrs flooded the streets of the village. When the Christians in Last October, nearly a month after the law ranked as ’s second poorest governorate. ing built on the east bank of the Nile close to the town of Akhmim to nearby villages heard about the massacre, they courageously rushed to was passed, I wrote of a decision by Housing The governorate of Sohag, some 450km south of Cairo, extends encourage more cruise ships to stop there. Akhmim in order to receive the crown of martyrdom. The killing con- Minister Mustafa Madbouli that approved along the Nile Valley with most of its major towns located on the To promote tourist awareness among Sohag’s young, painting and pho- tinued for three full days and more than 8,140 Christians were martyred. the allocation of land for building three new river’s west bank. Formerly known as after its eponymous tography contests have been organised for the under-20 age group, as Some of the bodies of these martyrs are preserved at the Martyrs’ Mon- churches in Badr City, , and New capital, then the governorate’s largest town and an important eco- well as competitions in research on Ramesses II. astery in Akhmim. Other important monasteries in Fayoum. [http://en.wataninet.com/opinion/ nomic centre, the governorate was renamed in 1960 when its capital The efforts have begun to bear fruit. The Cairo Aswan cruise ship include the (Saint Shenouda the Archimandrite) and editorial/law-for-building-and-restoring- was relocated to the flourishing city of Sohag. By 2014 Sohag’s which docks at Balyana is warmly welcomed by residents, sometimes the (Saint Pishay). churches-cautious-optimism/17672/] population had reached 2.4 million. with flowers and folklore dance performances in which the tourists I applauded these approvals but was eagerly join. Extended cruises had been discontinued since the Arab Resisting Napoleon cautiously optimistic, since the real test lay “Made in Sohag” Spring turmoil in January 2011; ships began docking at Balyana when In ancient times Akhmim was, as now, a renowned centre for weav- in the following phase of construction. I Today, prospects for Sohag appear to be taking a turn for the better. Un- cruising was resumed late in 2015 and tour operators again included ing and textiles. This importance increased during the Coptic era and wrote that Coptic collective consciousness der Governor Ayman Abdel-Moniem, social and economic development Abydos on their itineraries. many textile fragments displayed in museums worldwide testify to the overflowed with bitter memories of abrupt plans are being set in place to alleviate poverty and improve the quality Plans to promote tourism in the area include the establishment of a city’s skill and craftsmanship. Akhmim’s fame in textile making lived on interruption of officially licensed works of life for residents in the hard-hit area. Dr Abdel-Moniem was appointed national museum at Sohag; the reopening of archaeological sites such through the Islamic era, but started to decline sharply in the 20th century of church building or restoration because governor of Sohag in 2014 and has remained in his post through two as Naja Hammad, al-Hawawish, and the Akhmim necropolis; and the after the establishment of modern textile factories in the city of Sohag. some fanatic [Muslim] individual or group subsequent governor reshuffles. call to increase the number of Nile cruises between Cairo and Aswan. Sohag played an important role in the resistance against Napole- attacked the site. The local security officials A year ago, an exhibition under the title “Made in Sohag” was held in Attempts are also being made to encourage religious tourism, especially on’s French campaign in Egypt. On 10 April 1799, the people of So- more often than not looked on then ordered Sohag. The idea behind the exhibition, the first of its kind in the region, to Sohag’s many Coptic monasteries and churches such as the White and hag fought the advancing French occupation troops and forced them an indefinite stoppage of the work ‘for was to display local crafts and cottage industries run by local residents, Red Monasteries and the Monastery of the Martyrs. New archaeologi- to retreat. The local people showed unparalleled courage during the security reasons’. companies, and NGOs. These included hand woven carpets, embroi- cal sites are continually excavated and new treasures unearthed. In 1981 battle and many lost their lives defending their land. This date now Today I present the case of the church of dered items, furniture, agricultural products, and baked goods. Dr Abdel- a statue was found of the beautiful princess Meritamun, the beloved marks Sohag’s national day and commemorates this victory. the Holy Virgin in the hamlet of Naja Rizq Moniem said he had always dreamt of turning Sohag into a ‘little China’, daughter of Ramesses II. Digs are ongoing at the Hawawish necropolis. Over the centuries, and with the conversion of Egyptians to Christian- Shenouda, Tahta, Sohag, some 450km south where local industries and crafts would be exported first to other parts of ity and then to Islam, the importance of the ancient cities around the Aby- of Cairo. Girgis Zakariya Zaky, appointed Egypt and then abroad. dos cult centre diminished as the old pagan worshipping practices were legal representative of the Church by Anba Since predynastic Egypt “It isn’t an impossible dream,” he said. “Sohag has a unique past ex- Sohag was one of Egypt’s earliest inhabited settlements, a centre abolished in favour of the new religions. New capitals were built further Asheiya, Bishop of Tahta, sent me a letter perience in this regard with the world renowned textiles produced in the of ancient economic and religious activity. Today it is home to north such as (c. 331 BC) and Cairo (969AD) turning Egypt’s citing the problems they are facing to get a town of Akhmim and sold on foreign markets.” However, Sohag’s textile many historical sites; Abydos, 11km from the west bank of the political life as well as social and economic development away from the permit to build a church. industry suffered badly in the aftermath of the Arab Spring uprising in Nile, is especially significant. once-flourishing cities of . “The Copts of Naja Rizq Shenouda have January 2011, and is now severely threatened. In ancient times Abydos was the capital of Upper Egypt’s eighth nome Modern scientific research has proved the existence of the lost suffered since 1971 on account of the refusal At the outset of his appointment as governor, Dr Abdel-Moniem or territorial division, and archaeologists suggest that the area between city of Thinis buried somewhere under modern construction. of the local authorities to grant them a permit sent a request to the presidency for an economic conference in which modern-day Girga and ancient Abydos was the location of Thinis, Upper Should this ancient Egyptian capital be unearthed, archaeologists to build a church on a 618sq.m-plot of land cabinet ministers and businessmen would be invited to discuss devel- Egypt’s most important city in pre-dynastic Egypt at a time when it was promise that the touristic map of the entire region will be redefined owned by the Church and officially registered opment and investment opportunities. The Presidency liked the initia- still divided into the Northern and Southern Kingdoms. In about 3100BC and Sohag’s future assured. as Church property. There is no church in the tive so much that it decided to expand the conference to include all a powerful young prince named Narmer unified Egypt into the nation we hamlet which is home to some 3500 Copts; the governorates of Upper Egypt. know today. Narmer, also called Menes, founded the First Dynasty. It is Born in Sohag the Copts worship in a rundown building— believed he was born in the area of modern-day Girga. Thinis was the Despite the challenges, some Egyptians born in Sohag defied the odds if it can be termed ‘building’—that has no Solar panels capital of unified Egypt during the First and Second dynasties, before it and managed to rise to local and international fame. The list of notable ceiling and thus no privacy and is moreover An agreement was signed in 2016 between Chinese industrialists and moved north to Memphis. Egyptian who come from Sohag is long, to name but a few: unshielded against weather conditions.” the Academy of Scientific Research to implement projects that include The necropolis of Abydos is one of the oldest burial sites in Egypt and Rifaa al-Tahtawi (1801 – 1873) was a writer, translator and renais- Since 1971, Mr Zaky wrote, the Church has EGP50 million in Chinese aid. Following the signing, Sohag gover- was where the earliest kings of united Egypt, including Menes, were laid sance intellectual. Upon his return from a five-year educational mission repeatedly applied for licence to build a new nor announced plans to establish a joint venture Egyptian-Chinese to rest. The ancient Egyptians also believed that the god Osiris was bur- to Paris he founded the school of languages in 1835 and wrote many church but was never granted one; no reason factory for the production of solar energy panels. Dr Abdel-Moneim ied there, and Abydos was a major centre of his cult. books to bring about reconciliation and understanding between the Is- was ever given by the authorities. announced that the factory would be built once the Regional Develop- Several pharaohs built temples at Abydos, the most renowned of lamic and Christian/Western cultures. After the Law 80 for 2016 was passed, ment Research Centre (RDRC) affiliated with the Scientific Research which is the temple of Seti I of the 19th Dynasty (1292 – 1189 BC), Emad Hamdy (1909 – 1984) was a renowned actor in the 1950s and which governs the building and restoration of and Technology Academy in Sohag had completed its research on known as The Great Temple of Abydos. The temple is the only one in 1960s. He appeared in more than 100 films and is considered among the churches, the Church on 29 December 2016 the improvement and alteration of the solar panels in such a way that Egypt that still retains a ceiling with original astrological drawings. most important actors in the history of Egyptian cinema. submitted an application to Sohag Governor would enable them to withstand local weather conditions such as very One of its walls carries the Abydos King List, a long list of the cartou- Gamal al-Ghitani (1945 – 2015) was a journalist, author and for licence to build a new church on its land. high temperatures and dust. che names of all the pharaohs who ruled Egypt from Narmer to Seti novelist who wrote historical and political novels as well as cultural All the documents required were attached Egyptian and Chinese researchers have been working on the project in I himself, with the exception of a few names (including Akhenaten and political critiques. Editor-in-chief of the literary weekly maga- to the application which was handed to the January 2016 in the hope of finalising the design of the end product by and Tutankhamun) that had fallen from grace or were considered il- zine Akhbar al-Adab (Literature News) from its launch in 1993 until governor’s office and given serial number yearend. “Once this has been achieved we can proceed with construction legitimate. The list is invaluable for Egyptology. 2011, he was awarded many prizes, among which the Egyptian Na- (2). A document signed by 750 Naja Rizq of the factory,” Dr Abdel-Moneim said. tional Prize for Literature (1980), the French Chevalier de l’Ordre Shenouda Copts stressing their urgent need The agreement includes the establishment of an Egyptian-Chinese des Arts et des Lettres (1987), the French Award Laure Bataillon for a church was attached to the application. The Akhmim martyrs joint laboratory at the RDRC in Sohag for the purpose of conducting Abydos, however, was not the only place of great importance in So- for translated literature (2005), one of the highest French awards On 22 January 2017, Sohag Governor research in renewable energy. hag’s ancient history. The town of Akhmim on the east bank, the capital to be bestowed upon non-French writers. He gained this award for Ayman Abdel-Moniem referred the In January 2017, Dr Abdel-Moneim announced that the first steps to of the ninth nome of Upper Egypt, was an important centre for the cult of his epic work Kitab al-Tajalliyyat (Book of Illuminations), which application to Sohag Security. This procedure build a cement factory east of the town of Dar al-Salam had already been the god Min, the ancient Egyptian god of fertility and harvest. Historians appeared in its final form in Cairo in 1990. In 2009 he was lacks legal justification, and violates the Law launched. And in February 2017, the first investment services conglom- who visited the area before the thirteenth century describe an imposing awarded the Sheikh Zayed Book Award worth about USD200,000, for Building Churches Article (3) which erate was opened in Sohag by then Investment Minister Dalia Khorshid. temple that existed in the town but which unfortunately has not survived. one of the world’s richest literary awards. stipulates that “the legal representative of the The nearby necropolis of al-Hawawish dates back to the Fourth Dy- Onsi Sawiris (b. 1930) is a Coptic businessman and the patriarch congregation applies to the relevant governor Small industries nasty. Akhmim continued to be a religious centre during the Coptic age of the Sawiris family. After his first business was nationalised in for the permits legally needed for any of Last week saw the signing of a project for 1961 he moved to Libya, returning to Egypt dur- the works requiring licence. The executive sustainable and inclusive local economic ing the more business-friendly regime of the next authority must give the applicant proof of development between Sohag Governor Dr Egyptian president, Anwar Sadat. He and his three receiving his application on the same date Abdel-Moneim, Swiss Ambassador Markus sons, Naguib, Samih and Nassef, resumed their ac- he applies”. This means that the governor Leitner, and United Nations Industrial Devel- tivities in Egypt with full force over the past three is the one legally responsible for issuing opment Organization (UNIDO) regional rep- decades and founded the Orascom conglomerate, building permits. But Sohag Governor resentative Ms Giovanna Ceglie. Switzerland with companies operating in the fields of construc- referred the matter to the security authority, is financing the project to the tune of USD1.3 tion, telecommunications and tourism, science and which constituted an infringement against million; UNIDO is the implementing partner. technology and industry. The Sawiris family also the law. It furthermore brought back to life The project aims at boosting productivity and actively engages in charity and economic and social half-a-century-long Coptic suspicions of the employment opportunities through counselling development through the Sawiris Foundation for arrogant security authorities’ oppression that micro-entrepreneurs and offering agricultural Social Development, which also offers the Sawiris impeded the building of their church. So training to farmers. Foundation Awards for Egyptian Literature. despite optimism that the new law would be The month of May should see the start of con- The Abdel-Nours are a Coptic landowner fam- the first Egyptian legislation to free churches structing an industrial complex in the industrial ily that originated in Girga where the family chateau from the security grip, here comes the church district west of Girga. The complex will be es- still stands. Mounir Fakhry Abdel-Nour (b. 1945) is of Naja Rizq Shenouda in Sohag to take us tablished over 300,000 square metres; it will a renowned Egyptian politician whose father, Amin back again. include 200 small industries, each built on 900 Fakhry Abdel-Nour was among the founders of the I will not lose faith in the Law for Building sq.m. and granted the necessary official permits liberal al-Wafd Party in the 1930s. The younger Ab- and Restoring Churches, but I still insist to run small industries. del-Nour went on to become a successful industrial- that the law stands the test of time. This Development plans for Sohag are not only ist, and followed in his father’s footsteps in politics can only be done through monitoring how limited to industrial projects. The governorate is to become MP in Egypt’s 2000 parliament, and later it is applied. In Sohag, it complicated the attempting to promote tourism, especially given Secretary-General of the Wafd. From 2011 to 2015 he building of a church. We should stand up its huge tourist potential which, if properly used was cabinet minister in several successive cabinets, to this in order to defend both the law and and advertised, could make Sohag a popular handling at various times the ministries of tourism, citizenship rights. destination for both foreigners and Egyptians. Clockwise from left:Merit Amun; White Monastery; skyline of Sohag from the Nile industry, trade, and investment.