The name of the city comes fromAncient Egyptian:(tꜣ)-grg.t,lit.'the settlement', which is also preserved in possibly corruptedCoptic:ⲑⲁⲣϫⲉ,romanized: tarje and its alternative name Digirga.[2]
Through folk etymology the city became associated withSt. George and a now non-existent monastery dedicated to him nearby, henceLeo Africanus calls itGiorgia and Peust suggests an older vocalisationGurga.[2]
Girga was the capital of the Girga Governorate until 1960, when the capital was moved toSohag and the name of the governorate changed accordingly.[6] Girga has an estimated population of 71,564 (as of 1986) and has various economic industries which include cane sugar manufacturing and pottery.
The city might have been the location of ancient city ofThinis (Greek name; also spelled This) – the first capital city of unified Egypt underNarmer. As of 2025, it remains inconclusive whether Girga or nearby village of Birba is the site of Thinis (Birba was confirmed to be the site of the capital of Egypt during the 1st and 2nd dynasties[citation needed]).
There are ancient sites located on the territory of Girga includingBeit Khallaf, a necropolis with mudbrick tombs dating back to the 3rd dynasty.
Girga was the capital of Upper Egypt duringOttoman rule.
In 1907 Girga had a population of 19,893, of whom about one-third wereCopts.
As lately as the middle of the 18th century the town stood about 0.4 km from the river, but in the beginning of the 20th century it stood on the bank, the intervening space having been washed away, together with a large part of the town, by the stream continually encroaching on its left bank.[7]
Chinese Mosque (Arabic:المسجد الصينى,romanized: almasjid assini): The mosque was presumably built in about 1150 AH (=1737) in the historical district of al-Qaysariyya by Muhammad bey al-Faqari who became a governor in 1117 AH (= 1705/1706) inOttoman times. Although it is called Chinese, no materials imported from China were used in its construction, and it got its name after porcelain used in its decoration. In fact, tiles (çini in Turkish) were very popular in mosque architecture.[8] “Chinese” and "Çini" is derived from the Persian word Chīnī (چینی), which means 'Chinese porcelain' and was especially used to refer to Chinese porcelain.[9]
Monastery of Archangel Michael (Arabic:دير الملاك ميخائيل,romanized: dayr al-malak mikhail): Situated on the right bank of the Nile opposite of Girga. Since 1910 this site has been celebrated among archaeologists, because the discoveries made there have shed light on the region's prehistory.[10]
Church of Archangel Michael (Arabic:كنيسة الملاك ميخائيل,romanized: kenisa al-malak mikhail)
Church of Saint George (Arabic:كنيسة مارجرجس,romanized: kenisa mar jirjis)
Church of Theodore Tiron (Arabic:كنيسة الأمير تادرس,romanized: kenisa alamir tadrus)
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One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Girga".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 12 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 48.
