Girga
Today, we are unsure whether the ancient site of This (Thinis), which was the capital of unified Egypt during the 1st and 2nd Dynasties, is Girga or the nearby village of Birba. The city derives its name from Saint George, for whom the local monastery is dedicated. At any rate, the approaches to Girga have for centuries been famed for the beauty of the landscape. There is a beautiful paved suq, and also the El-Sini (Porcelain Mosque), which at one time was almost washed away by the Nile. There are several ancient sites nearby including the Beit Qallaf, a necropolis where one may find 3rd Dynasty mudbrick tombs.