Asyut (English spelling)

Japanese: アシュート（英語表記）Asyūt

The capital of Asyut Governorate in Middle Egypt. It is the largest city in Upper Egypt, 376 km south of Cairo, on the west bank of the Nile. In ancient Egypt, it was known as Suyut, and flourished as the center of worship of the jackal-headed god Wepwawet, and as the terminus of the caravan route across the eastern and western deserts. In the Hellenistic period, it was called Lycopolis, and around 205 AD, the Neoplatonic Plotinus was born here. In the Middle Ages, it flourished as a distribution center for textiles, grains, and fruits. Today, it is a residential area for the Coptic Christian sect. It is known for its ancient traditional handicrafts, such as pottery, silver applique shawls, wood inlay, and carpets, and there are also modern spinning mills. The Asyut Dam is located at the port of Hamra, a little downstream, and the Ibrahimiyya Canal, which branches off from it, irrigates most of Middle Egypt. The limestone hills behind it contain many tombs from the 12th Dynasty in the 2nd millennium BC. Assiut University and a normal school are located in the city. The population is 291,300 (1986 estimate).

Asyut

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Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

エジプト中部，アシュート県の県都。カイロの南 376km，ナイル川西岸にある上エジプト最大の都市。古代エジプトではスユートの名称で知られ，ジャッカルの頭をした神ウェップワウェット信仰の中心地として，また東部と西部の砂漠横断隊商路の終着地として栄えた。ヘレニズム時代はリコポリスと呼ばれ，205年頃，新プラトン学派のプロティヌスがここに生れた。中世イスラム時代も織物，穀類，果物の集散地として繁栄。現在は，キリスト教の一派コプト教会派の居住地帯。陶器，銀をアプリケしたショール，木象眼細工，絨毯など，古代の伝統的手工業で知られ，近代的紡績工場もある。少し下流にある港ハムラーにアシュート堰堤があり，そこから分れるイブラーヒーミーヤ運河が中部エジプトの大部分を灌漑している。背後の石灰岩丘陵には前2千年紀の第 12王朝時代の墳墓が多い。アシュート大学，師範学校がある。人口 29万 1300 (1986推計) 。