Qift
قفط | |
|---|---|
  Qift Location in Egypt | |
| Coordinates: 25°59′44″N 32°48′57″E / 25.99556°N 32.81583°E | |
| Country |  Egypt |
| Governorate | Qena Governorate |
| Area | |
• Total | 43.5 sq mi (112.6 km2) |
| Population (2021)[1] | |
• Total | 157,383 |
| • Density | 3,600/sq mi (1,400/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EST) |
Qift (Egyptian Arabic: قفط [ʔeftˤ]; Coptic: Ⲕⲉϥⲧ Keft or Kebto; Egyptian Gebtu; Ancient Greek: Κόπτος Coptos / Koptos; Roman Justinianopolis) is a city in the Qena Governorate of Egypt about 43 km (27 mi) north of Luxor, situated a little south of latitude 26° north, on the east bank of the Nile. In ancient times its proximity to the Red Sea made it an important trading emporium between India, Punt, Arabia Felix and the North.[2] It was important for nearby gold and quartzite mines in the Eastern Desert, and as a starting point for expeditions to Punt (in modern Somalia) by way of the path through the Wadi Hammamat to the Red Sea port at Tjau (modern El Qoseir).
- ^ a b "Qifṭ (Markaz, Egypt) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ Encyclopedia of Islam, Dictionary of the Geography, Ethnography & Biography of the Muhammadan Peoples, vol. 2 E-K, E.J. Brill, p. 1004