Why visit Akhmīm
Townapedia lists 2 museums and landmarks in and around town.
Highlights include Akhmim.
Weather in Akhmīm
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About Akhmīm
Akhmim (Arabic: أخميم, pronounced [ʔæxˈmiːm]; Akhmimic Coptic: ⳉⲙⲓⲙ, Coptic pronunciation: [xmiːm]; Sahidic/Bohairic Coptic: ϣⲙⲓⲛ Coptic pronunciation: [ʃmiːn]) is a city in the Sohag Governorate of Upper Egypt. Referred to by the ancient Greeks as Khemmis or Chemmis (Ancient Greek: Χέμμις) and Panopolis (Ancient Greek: Πανὸς πόλις and Πανόπολις), it is located on the east bank of the Nile, 6 kilometres (4 mi) to the northeast of Sohag.
From the Wikipedia article Akhmim (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks2
Akhmim
Monument and historic site
City in the Sohag Governorate of Upper Egypt
Schools, colleges and libraries1
History
Akhmim was known in Ancient Egypt as Ipu, Apu (according to Brugsch the name is related to the nearby village of Kafr Abou) or Khent-min. It was the capital of the ninth (Chemmite) nome of Upper Egypt.
The city is a suggested hometown for Yuya, the official of Tuthmosis IV and Amenhotep III.
The ithyphallic god Min (whom the Greeks identified with Pan) was worshipped here as "the strong Horus." Herodotus mentions the temple dedicated to Perseus and asserts that Chemmis was remarkable for being the hero’s birthplace, wherein celebrations and games were held in his honour after the manner of the Greeks; at which prizes were given. As a matter of fact, some representations are known of Nubians and people of Punt (southern coastal Sudan and the Eritrean coast) climbing up poles before the god Min.
Min was especially a god of the desert routes on the east of Egypt, and the trading tribes are likely to have gathered at his festivals for business and pleasure at Coptos (which was really near Neapolis) even more than at Akhmim. Herodotus perhaps confused Coptos with Chemmis. Strabo mentions linen-weaving and stone-cutting as ancient industries of Panopolis, and it is not altogether a coincidence that the cemetery of Akhmim is one of the chief sources of the beautiful textiles of the Roman and Christian ages, that are brought from Egypt.
From the History section of Akhmim on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Map of Akhmīm
3 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Suhag International Airport (HMB) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 25 km away.
- Sohag 5 km west, about 5 min by car
- Tūnis 8 km northwest, about 8 min by car
- Al Minshāh 11 km southeast, about 11 min by car
- Sāqultah 13 km northwest, about 13 min by car
- Al Marāghah 21 km northwest, about 21 min by car
- Juhaynah 28 km northwest, about 28 min by car
- Girga 29 km southeast, about 29 min by car
- Ţahţā 33 km northwest, about 33 min by car
- Al Balyanā 44 km southeast, about 44 min by car
- Assiut 89 km northwest, about 1 h 30 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- AkhmimOpenAirMuseum, Roland Unger, CC BY-SA 3.0
Page built November 8, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.