The cultural significance of the names of cities and villages in the governorates of the North Upper Egypt region

Abstract

The study deals with the cultural significance of the names of villages and cities in the governorates of the North Upper Egypt region in diverse geographical environments (Beni Suef, Fayoum, and Minya). The study area includes approximately 750 cities and villages belonging to different historical eras and in diverse geographical areas. The study divided the urban areas geographically in the study area into four sectors: The first is the Nile and Interior floodplain villages, the second is the marginal (flood-desert) villages, the third is the desert reclamation villages, and finally the fourth sector is the villages of the eastern Nile sector. The cultural meaning has been divided into more than ten sub-groups, and it has the forefront. This is due to the historical and cultural importance of the study area, which left its mark on the names of the villages in the region. The study recommends the importance of studying geographical names and their meaning, especially increasing the local and Arab trend in holding conferences on geographical names, as well as Arab interest in geographical names and their codification to preserve Arab identity, as well as realizing the importance of the Arabic language and the connotations of its meanings.