Sohag National Museum

The museum building was finished in 1993 and then stood closed for twenty-five years before finally opening in 2018, which is a story local people tell readily. Inside is a well-organised regional collection covering the governorate and its extraordinary range of sites: material from Abydos including funerary stelae, finds from Athribis, textiles from Akhmim of the kind that made the town famous, statuary, and a strong Coptic section reflecting the monasteries at the desert edge. The Akhmim colossus of Meritamun is represented by related material and the museum covers the weaving tradition properly. It is a modern, well-lit building on the corniche, and it makes a coherent introduction to a part of Egypt that most visitors fly straight over.

What you actually see

• Akhmim textiles - the Coptic-era weaving that made the town known.
• Abydos funerary stelae - material from the great sacred site downriver.
• A Coptic gallery - reflecting the monasteries of the western escarpment.
• Regional statuary - pieces from across the governorate.

When to go

October to April. Two hours. Mornings on weekdays. Sohag receives so few visitors that the museum is often empty, which makes for an unhurried visit.

Honest expectations

The collection is regional and modest next to Cairo or Luxor. English labelling is uneven. Opening hours are not always kept. Sohag has little tourist infrastructure and travel in the governorate may involve escort arrangements.

Nearby

Akhmim is across the river; the White and Red monasteries lie west.