Al-Bahnasa Tombs

Al-Bahnasa is a village in Minya Governorate whose cemetery is dotted with domed shrines to early Muslim martyrs of the 640s AD, still visited by pilgrims. Beside it lie the ruins of Greco-Roman Oxyrhynchus, where the Oxyrhynchus Papyri were found.

The Middle Egyptian village of Al-Bahnasa is built over ancient Oxyrhynchus, the Greco-Roman town that papyrus scholars know for the Oxyrhynchus Papyri. It also has a second, unrelated history. In the 640s AD the town held out against the Muslim conquest of Egypt, and tradition says that many sahaba (Companions of the Prophet) and tabi'un (the generation after them) died in the fighting and were buried here.

As a result the village became an important Islamic pilgrimage centre. Dozens of domed shrines (qubbas) across the modern cemetery mark what are believed to be the martyrs' graves. Among them are the Dome of the Seven Maidens, the Dome of Ubadah ibn al-Samit and the Dome of Muhammad ibn Abi Dhar. Sufi and Shia pilgrims still visit many of them.

That makes Al-Bahnasa an unusual archaeological zone, because it is still a living religious site. Be respectful, particularly during the festivals held for the saints' birthdays.

What to see

• The Dome of the Seven Maidens
• The Dome of Ubadah ibn al-Samit
• The Dome of Muhammad ibn Abi Dhar
• The neighbouring ruins of Greco-Roman Oxyrhynchus, where the papyri were found

Visiting

• Opening hours: daylight; the shrines are open most hours
• Tickets: a small fee; donations are welcome at the shrines
• Dress: modest; women may want a head-cover
• Nearby: Beni Hasan, Tuna el-Gebel, Mallawi