Southwest of the modern village of Meir lie the scant remains of al-Qusiya, or Cusae, the ancient capital of the 14th Nome of Upper Egypt. Though inhabited from the Old Kingdom through Greco-Roman times, little of the town itself survives, mostly because of looting. However, beautiful frescos and reliefs can still be found in the necropolis. The chambered and decorated tomb chapels of the nomarchs and the burial pits of their retainers were dug into the rock of the desert plateau, partway up the slope. Poorer people were buried in the plain below. Much later, Coptic monks converted several tombs into cells and scratched out the faces of the gods on the walls. The completed and decorated tombs are open to the public.

Also near Meir is the monastery of al-Muharraq, built on where the Holy Family was supposed to have lived for three years, six months, and ten days. It may have been one of the many monasteries established by St. Pachomius, but the accumulation of different buildings and materials over the years makes the age of al-Muharraq difficult to know for certain.

HOURS OF OPERATION:
Open daily, 9 AM – 5 PM

TICKET COST:
Egyptian: 1 LE
Foreign: 20 LE

Student rates available to bearers of a valid student ID from an Egyptian university or an International Student ID Card (ISIC)

LOCATION:
7km northwest of al-Qusiya

DIRECTIONS:
BY BUS: the Asyut to Minya bus will stop by al-Qusiya, at which point you will have to continue by taxi.

BY TAXI: ask for “muqabir mir”

NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY ALLOWED INSIDE TOMBS.