Sakha,also known by the ancient name ofXois(Arabic:سخا,Koinē Greek:Ξόις,Coptic:ⲥϦⲱⲟⲩ[1]Straboxvii. p, 802;Ptolemyiv. 5. § 50;Ξόης,Stephanus of Byzantiums. v.) is a town inKafr El Sheikh GovernorateofEgypt.Located near the center of theNile Delta,it is a city of great antiquity, identified with theancient Egyptiancity ofḪꜣsww(t)(KhasutorKhaset).
Xois | |
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  Xois Location in Egypt  Xois Xois (Egypt) | |
| Coordinates:31°05′20″N30°57′04″E/ 31.089°N 30.951°E | |
| Country |  Egypt |
| Governorate | Kafr El Sheikh |
| Population (2006) | |
• Total | 14,733 |
| Time zone | UTC+2(EST) |
History
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| ḫꜣsww(t)[2][3] inhieroglyphs | ||||||
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Xois sat upon an island formed by theSebennyticandPhatniticbranches of theNile.It belonged to theSebennytic Nome,and later was the capital of its ownnome,the Xoite nome.
TheFourteenth Dynasty of Egyptconsisted, according toManetho,of 76 Xoite kings. This dynasty immediately preceded that of theHyksosduring theSecond Intermediate Period.It seems possible, therefore, that Xois, from its strong position among the marshes of the Nile Delta formed by the intersecting branches of the river, could have held out during the occupation of the Delta by the Hyksos, or at least compromised with the invaders by paying themtribute.
This hypothesis, however, is not shared by most Egyptologists today, who believe that the Fourteenth Dynasty was based inAvarisin the eastern Delta.[4]
By some geographers, Xois is supposed to be the Papremis ofHerodotus(ii. 59, iii. 12).Jean-François Champollion(l'Egypte sous les Pharaons,vol. ii. p. 214) identified Xois's remains at modern-day Sakha (Sakkra), which is theArabicversion of the CopticSḫeowandEgyptiansḫw(Niebuhr,Travels,vol. i. p. 75). The road fromTamiathistoMemphispassed through Xois.
Through theRomanandByzantineera, Xois was the center of a Christiandiocese.It remains a vacanttitular bishopric.[5]The diocese remained active through at least the year 700.[6]
In the 900s,Ibn Hawqaldescribed Sakha as a large city. At the time ofYaqut al-Hamawiin the 1200s, Sakha was the capital of the province ofGharbia.By the time ofIbn Duqmaq,it was no longer the provincial capital, but it remained a large city that lent its name to a major sub-district of the province.[6]
The1885 Census of Egyptrecorded Sakha as anahiyahunder the district ofKafr El SheikhinGharbia Governorate;at that time, the population of the town was 950 (480 men and 470 women).[7]
Christiantradition holds that Sakha was one of the places that the family ofJesusvisited during theirFlight into Egypt.In 1984, a stone said to bear the footprint of Jesus was found, which had been buried in medieval times. The stone was authorized byCoptic PopeShenouda IIIand severalmiracleshave been attributed to it.[8]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^"أسماء بعض البلاد المصرية بالقبطية - كتاب لغتنا القبطية المصرية | St-Takla.org".st-takla.org.
- ^Budge, E. A. Wallis (1920).An Egyptian Hieroglyphic Dictionary: With an Index of English Words, King List and Geographical List with Indexes, List of Hieroglyphic Characters, Coptic and Semitic Alphabets, Volume 2.p. 1025.
- ^Gauthier, Henri (1927).Dictionnaire des Noms Géographiques Contenus dans les Textes Hiéroglyphiques Vol. 4.p. 155.
- ^Kim Ryholt, The Political Situation in Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period, Museum Tusculanum Press, (1997)
- ^Xiosat catholic-hierarchy.org.
- ^abMaspero, Jean; Wiet, Gaston (1919).Matériaux pour servir à la géographie de l'Égypte.Cairo: Institut français d'archéologie orientale. p. 103.
- ^Egypt min. of finance, census dept (1885).Recensement général de l'Égypte.p. 284.Retrieved21 June2020.
- ^Gabra, Gawdat; Takla, Hany N. (2017).Christianity and Monasticism in Northern Egypt: Beni Suef, Giza, Cairo, and the Nile Delta.Oxford University Press. p. 89.ISBN978-1617977800.Retrieved2 June2020.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Smith, William,ed. (1854–1857).Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography.London: John Murray.{{cite encyclopedia}}:Missing or empty|title=(help)