Straddling the borderlands between Upper and Lower Egypt, the city of Minya—like so many peppering the banks of the Nile here—boasts a history of more than five millennia, and a story that’s entwined with the Pharaohs of the Old Kingdom, Islamic caliphates and traders from imperial Britain and the Levant alike.

As most Minya tour guides will tell you, the city is the perfect base for exploring the wealth of ancient sites that pepper the Nile basin in Central Egypt. Consequently, many of the visitors here opt straight away for excursions to the ruins of the one-time Egyptian capital at Tel Al Amarana, the eerie tombs of Beni Hassan to the south, or the lingering Roman relics at Tuna Al Jebel, not to mention the various Christian monasteries at places like Abu Al Barsha and Abu Hamas.

Minya itself though is a pleasant affair of breezy avenues and old stuccoed frontispieces left over from a cotton boom of the 20^th century. A laid-back vibe dominates throughout, perpetuated by friendly local traders and university students, who congregate on the walkways of the town’s pretty corniche over rounds of Egyptian tea.