Lycopolis and Lykopolis redirect here; for the ancient city bearing those names located in the delta of the Nile, see Lycopolis (Delta).

Asyut أسيوط
Asyut Location in Egypt
Coordinates: 27°11′N 31°10′E / 27.183°N 31.167°E / 27.183; 31.167
Country	Egypt
Governorate	Asyut
Time zone	EST (UTC+2)

Asyut (Egyptian Arabic: أسيوط ʾAsyūṭ, IPA: [ʔɑsˈjuːtˤ]) is the capital of the modern Asyut Governorate in Egypt; the ancient city of the same name is situated nearby. The modern city is located at 27°11′00″N 31°10′00″E / 27.1833333°N 31.1666667°E / 27.1833333; 31.1666667, while the ancient city is at 27°10′00″N 31°08′00″E / 27.1666667°N 31.1333333°E / 27.1666667; 31.1333333.

Etymology[link]

Asyut in hieroglyphs

The name of the city is derived from early Egyptian Zawty (Z3JW.TJ) (late Egyptian, Səyáwt) adopted into the Coptic as Syowt ⲥⲓⲟⲟⲩⲧ. In Graeco-Roman Egypt, it was called Lycopolis or Lykopolis (Greek: Λυκόπολις, "ἡ Λύκων πόλις"),^[1] Lycon,^[2] or Lyco.^[3]

Ancient Asyut[link]

Ancient Asyut was the capital of the Thirteenth Nome of Upper Egypt (Lycopolites Nome) around 3100 BC. It was located on the western bank of the Nile. The two most prominent gods of the Ancient Egyptian Asyut were Anubis and Wepwawet, both funerary deities.

During the First Intermediate Period, the rulers of "Zawty" (Khety I, Itefibi, and Khety II) were supporters of the Herakleopolitan kings, of whose domain the Nome formed the southern limits. The conflict between this Nome and the southern Nomes under the rule of the Eleventh dynasty ended with the victory of Thebes and the decline of Asyut's importance.

The shield of a king named Recamai, who reigned in Upper Egypt (probably during the "shepherd dynasty" in the "Lower Country"), has been discovered in Asyut.^[4] Lycopolis has no remarkable ruins, but in the excavated chambers of the adjacent rocks mummies of wolves have been found, confirming the origin of its name, as well as a tradition preserved by Diodorus Siculus,^[5] to the effect that an Ethiopian army, invading Egypt, was repelled beyond the city of Elephantine by packs of wolves. Osiris was worshipped under the symbol of a wolf at Lycopolis. According to a myth, he had come "from the shades" as a wolf to aid Isis and Horus in their combat with Typhon.^[6] Other Ancient Egyptian monuments discovered in Asyut include; the Asyut necropolis (west of the modern city), tombs which date to dynasties Nine, Ten and Twelve, and the Ramessid tombs of Siese and Amenhotep.

In Graeco-Roman times, there was a distinct dialect of Coptic spoken in Asyut, known as "Lycopolitan", after the Greek name for the city. Lesser-used names for this dialect are "Sub-Akhmimic" and "Assiutic".

Modern Asyut[link]

Today, the city of Asyut has almost 400,000 inhabitants.^[7] It is the Egyptian city with the highest Coptic Christian concentration. It is also home to the University of Asyut, one of the largest universities in Egypt, to the Assiut Barrage, and to the Lillian Trasher Orphanage.

The Virgin Mary is reported to have appeared in Asyut on 17 August 2000. This apparition is recognized as an official Marian apparition by the Coptic Orthodox Church and remember ed in the Deir el-Muharraq, Monastery of the Virgin Mary.^{[citation needed]}

Asyut is the terminus of the Ras Shukheir-Asyut oil pipeline, the terminus of the Cairo-Asyut gas pipeline and the beginning of the proposed Asyut-Qena gas pipeline, the last two being part of the Nile Valley Gas Company Pipeline Project.^[8]

Climate[link]

The city of Asyut is sandwiched between two mountain ranges of about 600m height. There is also a lowering in elevation in mid Egypt, from the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. This gives the city and nearby towns and villages the typical properties of a continental climate, meaning that the city has harsh and chilly cold winter weather, and very hot but non-humid summers. During summer the temperature can exceed 42C. Yet, in winter Asyut gets sub-zero temperatures during the night and frost can easily form, while hail or snow are rare because of the low average of the city's precipitation and general lack of humidity.

People from Asyut[link]

• Coluthus (5th century) Greek poet
• Gamal Abdel Nasser - The second Egyptian president.
• Shenouda III, the previous Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church.
• Ahmed Lutfi el-Sayed - Egyptian nationalist.
• Meletius of Lycopolis, founder of the Meletians^[9]
• al-Suyuti a Sunni scholar who died in the year 1505

Twinnings[link]

• Iaşi, Romania

References[link]

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–57). "^{article name needed}". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray. 

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company. 

Bibliography[link]

• Loprieno, Antonio: Ancient Egyptian: A Linguistic Introduction, Oxford U Press 1996. ISBN 0-521-44849-2
• Baines & Malek Cultural Atlas of Ancient Egypt, 2000. ISBN 0-8160-4036-2
• Kahl, Jochem: "Ancient Asyut: The first Synthesis after Three Hundred Years of Research", The Asyut Project vol. I. Wiesbaden 2008. ISBN 978-3-447-05666-3

External links[link]

Media related to Asyut at Wikimedia Commons Coordinates: 27°11′N 31°10′E / 27.183°N 31.167°E / 27.183; 31.167

v t e Egypt's largest cities by population Cairo Alexandria Giza Shubra El-Kheima Port Said Suez El-Mahalla El-Kubra Luxor Asyut Mansoura Tanta Faiyum Zagazig Ismaïlia Kafr el-Dawwar Aswan Qena Damanhour Minya Sohag Beni Suef Shibin El Kom Banha Edfu Talkha Kafr el-Sheikh Mallawi Dikirnis Bilbeis Arish

Mohamed Aboutrieka

Aboutrika in Ahly team's outfit
Personal information
Full name	Mohamed Mohamed Mohamed Aboutrika محمد محمد محمد أبو تريكة
Date of birth	(1978-11-07) November 7, 1978 (age 33)
Place of birth	Giza, Egypt
Height	1.82 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Attacking Midfielder
Youth career
1990–1997	Tersana
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1997–2004	Tersana	142	(91)
2004–2012	Al-Ahly	155	(75)
Total		297	(166)
National team‡
2001–	Egypt	79	(27)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 2/9/2010. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 29 March 2012 Infobox

Mohamed Aboutrika (born November 7, 1979) is an Egyptian footballer. Aboutrika plays as a second striker and as an attacking midfielder for the Egyptian team Al-Ahly and the Egyptian national football team.

He was nominated for the 2006 CAF African Footballer of the Year award, and he came second in the 2008 African Footballer of The Year award. It is said that he is one of Egypt's most valuable players. He helped his team Al-Ahly to get the bronze medal in the FIFA Club World Cup in 2006. He also won with the Egyptian national team the African Cup of Nations in 2006. Aboutrika scored the winning goal to help Egypt win the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations.

Early life[link]

Aboutrika was born in Giza, Egypt.

Aboutrika's career[link]

2004[link]

In the first part of Egyptian league 2003-2004, Aboutrika scored 3 goals for Tersana. He was offered a position in Egypt's and one of Africa's top football teams, Al-Ahly. He scored 11 goals in his first and only 13 appearances with Al-Ahly in 2003-2004 league, coming in the second place between top scorers in the Egyptian League with 14 goals.

Since 2004 when he joined Al-Ahly Club, Aboutrika has scored 9 goals in the Egypt Derby against Zamalek, 1 less than the record 10 goals by Emad Moteab.

Aboutrika's efforts with Ahly led to attention from the Egyptian national team, and he debuted against Trinidad and Tobago in a friendly match before the World Cup 2006 qualifiers on March 31, 2004 in Arab Contractors Stadium. His debut game ended 2-1 for the Egyptians. He started as an attacker, but was found to play better when he played his normal position behind the attackers in the midfield position. Aboutrika scored his first national goal in this game. He scored 5 goals in his first 6 appearances with Egypt.

2005[link]

In 2005, Al-Ahly regained the Egyptian League Championship after four years out of top position, Aboutrika came in the third place between topscorers in the Egyptian League with 9 goals, and helped his team mate Emad Moteab to be the top scorer of competition. Also in 2005, Aboutrika played a great role in Al-Ahly victory of the 2005 CAF Champions League, he scored an amazing goal in the final with an outrageous effort from 30 yards out against Étoile Sportive du Sahel of Tunisia in a game ended 3-0 for Al-Ahly.

Al-Ahly qualified for 2005 FIFA Club World Championship but finished last, Aboutrika told FIFA.com the reason saying: "Our problem was that we lost our form, for some reason we could not play like we had before arriving in Japan".

Before Japan, with Aboutrika on-board, Al-Ahly was about to make a new world record for the longest winning-streak for a football club. Some have commented that the combination with Emad Moteab and Mohamed Barakat formed the most formidable triangle in African Soccer, and they were given the moniker of "The Bermuda Triangle".^{[citation needed]} The Angolan striker Flávio Amado replaces Barakat sometimes, playing a great role in forming this dangerous triangle.

2006[link]

He proved to be his international team's trump card en route to victory in the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations in February, when he scored two important goals against Libya and Ivory Coast. He was the winning goal assistant, in the Semi-final match against Senegal when Amr Zaki scored in the 80th minute. He was very dominant in that game, but his accurate shot hit the bar. In the final match, Aboutrika scored the decisive penalty in the shootout which gave Egypt the title.

Aboutrika led Al-Ahly to the African Champions title but they lost 2006 CAF Champions League for the second successive time in November 2006. He was the top scorer of the competition with 8 goals, and scored the final match winning goal against CS Sfaxien in the 92nd minute.

He participated also with Al-Ahly in winning the CAF Super Cup against FAR Rabat of Morocco, days after the Africa Cup of Nations in February.

Locally, he got the Egyptian Premier League in June when he was the top scorer by 18 goals, and won Egypt Cup, then the Egyptian Super Cup in July when he scored the winning goal against ENPPI in the 92nd minute despite having suffered an injury in the first half.

Japanese newspapers nominated Aboutrika to be one of the best players in 2006 FIFA Club World Cup in Japan, the last tournament in Aboutrika's great year. Al-Ahly was one of the African representatives, and the first team ever to be qualified two successive times to this championship, and the first African team to win a medal in that competition.

In the opening match of the tournament against Auckland City FC of New Zealand on Dec 10th 2006, Aboutrika helped Al-Ahly to secure and book a semi-final date with Internacional of Brazil. Al-Ahly won 2-0 easily, and Aboutrika capped a fine display by stroking a superbly flighted free-kick over the wall scoring the second goal for his team. As well as netting with his delightful right-foot effort, Aboutrika was at the heart of most his side's best moves, dictating the rhythm with his skill and vision.

In the semi-finals, Al-Ahly faced Brazilian Internacional on December 13, 2006, and Aboutrika played a good game, but his accurate shot hit the Brazilian right-hand post to deprive his team from a deserved draw. Al-Ahly lost the match 2-1, but proved a good efficiency, yet the ball refused to be netted in many available chances to score in Brazilian goalkeeper.'Match Report'

Al-Ahly faced Club América of Mexico, for the third place, and Aboutrika gave Al-Ahly the lead with an amazing free-kick over the wall, ending the first half 1-0 for Al-Ahly. In the second half, America made the draw, but as usual, Aboutrika appeared in the 79th minute with a skilled ball, he showed yet again why he is on the shortlist for the African player of the year. After surging out of midfield and finding Flavio Amado with a pinpoint pass, the mercurial playmaker latched on to the Angolan's return ball and calmly slotted the ball past Mexican goalkeeper for his third goal of the tournament. Al-Ahly won the third place, after Aboutrika lifted his team to an unprecedented result for the Egyptian club or any African outfit. Personally, he became the top scorer of tournament by 3 goals in 3 matches.

Aboutrika won all the competitions he participated in this year, and got the bronze medal for Al-Ahly in 2006 FIFA Club World Cup. He was the top scorer in three competitions, which are 2006 FIFA Club World Cup with 3 goals, Egyptian Premier League with 18 goals and 2006 CAF Champions League with 8 goals. Aboutrika scored in other competitions, and made brilliant assistants to strikers.

African Footballer of the Year 2006 Nomination[link]

Aboutrika, who is Egypt's newest idol according to the FIFA.com expression,^[1] was nominated to win the 2006 CAF African Footballer of the Year award along with Chelsea striker Didier Drogba and FC Barcelona forward Samuel Eto'o. The other nominees for the honour were Ghana international midfielder Michael Essien, who plays for English Giants Chelsea, and Nigeria's Nwankwo Kanu, who has twice grabbed the award. Aboutrika said in November 2006: "I would love to be nominated for the CAF Best Player award. That would make 2006 a very special year!".^[2]

Aboutrika was the only African based player between nominees, but he is also the only one who made an achievement for his national team this year by winning African Cup of Nations 2006. Aboutrika's brace in 2006 FIFA Club World Cup and his dazzling performances throughout the season made him a serious contender for the CAF African Footballer of the Year award (as well as the BBC one) and secured his standing as Egypt's most popular personality. He did not win the prize but got second place and later was given "best inter-club player" and "best player in the CAF Champions League."

"Aboutrika has won the highest prize any person can achieve, that is the love of the people," sports columnist Hassan Mistikawi wrote in the top-selling state-owned Al-Ahram daily.

Al-Ahly Portuguese coach Manuel José de Jesus describes Aboutrika as "the best football player in Africa". He said that Aboutrika has more and more skills that did not appear in Japan. He said: "Aboutrika didn't introduce all what he has in FIFA Club World Cup 2006, but he got the top scorer title and helped leading his team to the third place". José sees Aboutrika as one of the best players he ever trained. He assured this meaning saying: "Aboutrika is priceless for us. I can't imagine my team without him".

2007[link]

In 2007, Al-Ahly won the Egyptian Premier League (2006–2007) for the third successive season. Aboutrika scored 7 goals for his team, although he was injured. Al-Ahly won the Egypt Cup 2007 for the second successive time. Aboutrika was the top goalscorer of the competition with 4 goals. He scored a double kick memorable goal against Tala'ea El-Gaish SC in the 8-round game which ended 3-1 for Al-Ahly. In the final, Al-Ahly faced his rival Zamalek SC. Aboutrika made a one neck-saving equalizer in the last 2 minutes on July 2, 2007 in the Egypt Cup resulting in extra-time after tying 2-2. After El-Zamalek grabbed their third in the first half of extra-time, Aboutrika dazzeled the stands with two great balls, one an assisted cross over the whites' defense to Osama Hosny to score the equalizer in second half of extra-time in the first seconds of the game and within a minute, he surged between the Zamalek's midfield and passed two Zamalek players before providing an accurate through pass to Ahmad Sedik on the wing who went through on goal and assisted again for Osama Hosny for the late winner and holding high the Egyptian Cup. After that, Al-Ahly won the Egyptian Super Cup 2007 for the third successive time, through shootouts, after tying 1-1 with Ismaily.

In 2007 CAF Champions League, Aboutrika scored 4 goals for Al-Ahly until now, to raise his African goals to the number 15. Al-Ahly faced Étoile Sportive du Sahel of Tunisia in the final match. Al-Ahly was having the chance to be the first team in the World to reach FIFA Club World Cup three successive times, and the first team in Africa to win CAF Champions League three successive times. However, the two legs ended seeing Étoile Sportive du Sahel of Tunisia lifting the cup.