Manfalut Attractions
Manfalut (west bank of the Nile), a district capital situated between the Nile and the lbrahimiya Canal, the market town for the surrounding area and the seat of a Coptic Bishop. 4.5mi/7km southwest, on the edge of the Western Desert, is the Kom Lara, with traces of prehistoric settlement, a necropolis of the Early Historical period and a Coptic cemetery.
El-Maabda, Egypt
(Near Manfalut)
Opposite Manfalut on the east bank of the Nile lies the village of El-Maabda, northeast of which, in the hills, are Old Kingdom tombs. 4mi/6km northeast, on the plateau of the Arabian Desert, is the Crocodile Cave, with scanty remains of crocodile mummies. South of El-Maabda is Gebel-Ourna, with a quarry which was worked in the reign of Sethos II (inscription). 3mi/5km east, at Arab el-Atiyat, are ancient tombs and quarries. 2mi/3km east of this in the Coptic Monastery of Deir el-Gabrawi a Greek dedication by the Lusitanian Cohort to Zeus, Heracies and Nike dating from the reign of Diocletian, was discovered. Some distance farther away is Gebel-Marag, with many rock tombs of the Late Old Kingdom belonging to princes and dignitaries of the Snake Mountain nome. The tombs are divided into a northern and an older southern group; the most interesting tombs are those of Djaw and Ebe, Princes of the Snake Mountain and Abydos nomes, which contain reliefs of various craftsmen, harvest scenes, fishing and hunting, etc.
