Fifth Nome	Gebtu (Coptos)
	"The Capital City"

Gebtu has been settled since the beginning of time (ok, 3000BC). It was involved in the gold trade since predynastic times. It is the capital of the Fifth Nome, the center of the god Min, and it is the commercial center for the Upper Egyptian trade with the Red Sea. Throughout our history, Gebtu has been an important caravan stop because it is at the entrance to the Wadi Hammamat, which is the shortest route to the Red Sea. Soldiers watch this route to guard travelers from bandits, and we pride ourselves on our safety rating. Gebtu is opposite Nubt, and is on the eastern side of the Nile. Our city can also be called Kebet.

At first, we at Gebtu worshipped Min, the god of the eastern deserts, but later we also became known for worshipping Isis and Horus, too. We at Gebtu hold that Isis is the consort of Min. We also have a shrine for Osiris in our city.

We can't see any shrines from the predynastic times, of course, but we have found so many votive offerings: statues of scorpions, frogs, birds, crocodiles, and other animals, that we feel there was probably a shrine here. No doubt it was like the ones said to be at Nekhen, Abu, and Abydos.

There are said to be three colossal limestone figures of Min from the First Dynasty or even before, in what some call the O Dynasty. They probably formed a temple courtyard for Min. people have found potsherds from the late predynastic and figurines from the Old Kingdom under the floor of the temple of Min, so a temple has been here a long time. There are also said to be colossal figures of lions from the predynastic and early dynastic times. Of course, no one has seen them lately.

In the reign of pepi I in the 6th Dynasty, (2332-2283), the architects, cattle, and donkey herds at the Temple of Min were exempted from taxes. pepi I enlarged the ancient shrine and turned it into a temple, as he did in abydos. We know that pepi II also made protective decrees. The decrees on various stelae from the 6th and 7th dynasties talk about the kings giving provisions to the temple. In the 8th Dynasty, the Coptos Decrees also exempted Min's estates from taxes and military and labor duties.

In the Middle Kingdom, we have found building blocks in the temple of Min for amenemhat I, so he built part of it. Senusret I also built something, and we still have the blocks and reliefs to prove it. He must have added to the temple or even rebuilt it. Senusret's temple had a decorated gate that was probably ten meters high, and it had a heavy wall surrounding the temple. Unfortunately, the temple may have been in ruins by the Second Intermediate period and may have had to have been rebuilt under Nubkheperre Intef in the 17th Dynasty. He certainty has a separate chapel in the courtyard.

In the 18th Dynasty, Tuthmosis II built a gate. Tuthmosis III (1479-1425 BC) dedicated a temple to Min. We think he dedicated the current temple because some objects at the foundation level have his name on them.

We are very proud of our city, and our seers predict that our city will become even more important in the future. One seer says that in a time called ptolemaic, the city will be called Kebto or Keft by the Copts (please note they're named after us). In what the seer calls Byzantine times, our city will become a bishopric. We're proud of our future, even if we're not sure what it means exactly

Sources:

Bunson, Margaret. (1991). "Coptos." a Dictionary of ancient Egypt. New York: Oxford University press.

Dollinger, andré. "Fifth Nome: The Two Falcons." http://nefertiti.iwebland.com/geography/cities.htm

Grimal, Nicolas. (1992, 1994). a History of ancient Egypt. New York: Barnes and Noble.

Kamil, Jill. (1984, 1996). The ancient Egyptians: Life in the Old Kingdom. Cairo: The american University in Cairo press.

Parsons, Marie. (1999-2003). "Naqada." Tour Egypt Feature Story. InterCity Oz, Inc. http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/naqada.htm

Quirke, Stephen (manages site). (2001). "Comments on the reconstructions of the Koptos temple." Digital Egypt for Universities. University College London. http://www.digitalegypt.ucl.ac.uk/koptos/reccoments2.html

Quirke, Stephen (manages site). (2002)."Koptos, Early Dynastic Finds." Digital Egypt for Universities. University College London. http://www.digitalegypt.ucl.ac.uk/koptos/early1.html

Quirke, Stephen (manages site). "Koptos, finds from the Old Kingdom (about 2686-2181 BC)." Digital Egypt for Universities. University College London. http://www.digitalegypt.ucl.ac.uk/koptos/ok.html

Quirke, Stephen (manages site). (2001). "Koptos in the Middle Kingdom (about 2025-1700 BC)." Digital Egypt for Universities. University College London. http://www.digitalegypt.ucl.ac.uk/koptos/mk.html

Quirke, Stephen (manages site). (2001). "Koptos: temple of Min in the New Kingdom (1550-1069 BC)." Digital Egypt for Universities. University College London. http://www.digitalegypt.ucl.ac.uk/koptos/nk.html

Quirke, Stephen (manages site). (2002). "Nubkheperre Intef (about 1660 BC)" Digital Egypt for Universities. University College London. http://www.digitalegypt.ucl.ac.uk/chronology/2interkings/antefnubkeperre.html

Shaw, Ian. (Ed.) (2000). The Oxford History of ancient Egypt. NY: Oxford University press.

Shaw and Nicholson Shaw, Ian, and paul Nicholson. (1995, 2003). "Koptos." The Dictionary of ancient Egypt. New York: Harry N abrams, Inc.

Watson, John (1999-2003). "Temple Ruins In and Near Qift and Qus." Tour Egypt Feature. InterCity Oz. http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/qiftkoptos.htm

Faience background for navigation buttons from