Benha is located 48 km north of Cairo and about 20 km northeast of the Nile Dam. It has a population of approximately 115,701 residents and is the capital of the Qalyubiyah Governate. A rail junction and trade center, Benha has cotton-ginning, rug-weaving, and food-processing industries. It is known for its oranges and grapes and especially for its honey, which it has produced since the Middle Ages. The city was established prior to the Greeks arrived in Egypt.

Nearby are the remains of Athribis which was once the capital of the 10th Nome. Athribis was associated with the worship of the black bull. During the Roman period the city was at its greatest importance. There are little remains of the ancient town except for traces of temples that date from the 18th to the 26th Dynasties. There is also an extensive Graeco-Roman cemetery. Some 26th to 30th Dynasty silver ingots and jewelry that were found at the Athribis site that are now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

Benha is not typically frequented by foreign tourists.

A local mosque at Benha, Egypt

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Last Update: 12/07/2006