# Nag Hammadi

> town in Egypt

**Wikidata**: [Q270754](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q270754)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nag_Hammadi)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/nag-hammadi

## Summary

Nag Hammadi is a town in Upper Egypt, located in the Qena Governorate on the east bank of the Nile River. It serves as the capital of Markaz Naj' Ḩammādī and had a population of 45,038 as of 2006. The town is situated at coordinates 26.05°N latitude and 32.25°E longitude, with an elevation of 78 metres above sea level.

## Key Facts

- **Location**: Qena Governorate, Egypt (east bank of the Nile River)
- **Coordinates**: 26.05°N, 32.25°E
- **Population**: 45,038 (as of November 11, 2006)
- **Elevation**: 78 metres above sea level
- **Timezone**: UTC+02:00
- **Administrative status**: Capital of Markaz Naj' Ḩammādī
- **Classification**: City (instance_of: city)
- **Wikidata description**: Town in Egypt
- **Wikipedia available in**: 43 languages including Arabic, English, French, German, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Japanese, and many others
- **GND ID**: 4041126-6
- **VIAF IDs**: 143219984, 240788706
- **GeoNames ID**: 351434
- **Freebase ID**: /m/05dv3
- **IDREF ID**: 174116187
- **Library of Congress Authority ID**: n93901689
- **National Library of Israel J9U ID**: 987007533111605171
- **BnF ID**: 11950245d
- **FAST ID**: 1274813
- **Encyclopædia Britannica Online IDs**: place/Naj-Hammadi, place/Chenoboskion
- **Sitelink count**: 43

## FAQs

**What is Nag Hammadi known for?**
Nag Hammadi is primarily known as an agricultural town in Upper Egypt and as the capital of its district (Markaz). It is also associated with the nearby Nag Hammadi library, one of the most significant archaeological discoveries of the 20th century, though the library was found at the nearby Chenoboskion site.

**What is the administrative structure of Nag Hammadi?**
Nag Hammadi serves as the capital of Markaz Naj' Ḩammādī, an administrative district (markaz) within the Qena Governorate of Egypt.

**What languages is Nag Hammadi documented in?**
The Wikipedia article on Nag Hammadi is available in 43 different language versions, including Arabic, Egyptian Arabic, Azerbaijani, Bulgarian, Catalan, Czech, Danish, German, Greek, English, Esperanto, Spanish, Basque, Persian, Finnish, French, Western Frisian, Hebrew, Indonesian, Italian, Georgian, Kazakh, Korean, Malagasy, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Scottish Gaelic, Serbo-Croatian, Slovak, Serbian, Swedish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Uzbek, Waray, Chinese, and Zulu.

**What is the climate and geography of Nag Hammadi?**
Located at 26.05°N latitude and 32.25°E longitude, Nag Hammadi sits at an elevation of 78 metres above sea level on the eastern bank of the Nile River in Upper Egypt. The town operates on Eastern European Time (UTC+02:00).

**What identifiers are used to reference Nag Hammadi in bibliographic systems?**
Nag Hammadi is catalogued in multiple authority systems including the Integrated Authority File (GND: 4041126-6), Virtual International Authority File (VIAF: 143219984, 240788706), IDREF (174116187), Library of Congress (n93901689), National Library of Israel (987007533111605171), Bibliothèque nationale de France (11950245d), FAST (1274813), GeoNames (351434), and Freebase (/m/05dv3).

## Why It Matters

Nag Hammadi holds significance both as a contemporary Egyptian town and as a location of immense historical and religious importance. The broader Nag Hammadi region is famous for the Nag Hammadi library, a collection of early Christian and Gnostic texts discovered in 1945 near the town. This discovery, made by a farmer near the village of Chenoboskion (also spelled Chenoboskion), is considered one of the most significant archaeological finds of the 20th century, providing unprecedented insight into early Christian history, Gnosticism, and the development of religious thought in the ancient Mediterranean world.

The town itself serves as an important administrative and agricultural center in Upper Egypt, functioning as the capital of its district and contributing to the region's economy through farming and related activities. Its position on the Nile River has made it a settlement of strategic importance throughout Egyptian history.

From a scholarly perspective, Nag Hammadi serves as a focal point for research in biblical studies, early Christianity, archaeology, and Egyptology. The texts found in the Nag Hammadi library have revolutionized scholarly understanding of religious diversity in the ancient world and continue to be the subject of extensive academic study and debate.

## Notable For

- **Capital status**: Serves as the capital of Markaz Naj' Ḩammādī, an administrative district in Qena Governorate
- **Archaeological significance**: Associated with the discovery of the Nag Hammadi library, one of the most important manuscript finds in history
- **Linguistic documentation**: Wikipedia articles available in 43 languages, indicating global interest and recognition
- **Multiple authority records**: Extensively catalogued across international bibliographic systems (GND, VIAF, Library of Congress, BnF, GeoNames, Freebase)
- **Historical depth**: Referenced in Encyclopædia Britannica under multiple entries (Naj-Hammadi and Chenoboskion)
- **Academic interest**: Subject of extensive research in biblical studies, early Christianity, and Egyptology

## Body

### Geography and Location

Nag Hammadi is situated in Upper Egypt, specifically within the Qena Governorate. The town occupies an eastern bank position along the Nile River at coordinates 26.05 degrees north latitude and 32.25 degrees east longitude. The elevation of the settlement is 78 metres above sea level, placing it in the Nile River valley region. The town operates on Eastern European Time (UTC+02:00), consistent with Egyptian standard time.

### Administrative Structure

Nag Hammadi functions as the administrative capital of Markaz Naj' Ḩammādī, which is a district (markaz) within the Qena Governorate. This administrative role makes the town a regional center for governance and public services for the surrounding area. The town is classified as a city in administrative terms, reflecting its significance within the local governance structure.

### Demographics

As of November 11, 2006, Nag Hammadi had a recorded population of 45,038 residents. This figure represents the most recent documented population count available from the source material, obtained from citypopulation.de. The population figure establishes Nag Hammadi as a mid-sized Egyptian town that serves as a regional center for the surrounding agricultural communities.

### Historical and Religious Significance

The name "Nag Hammadi" is most famously associated with the Nag Hammadi library, a collection of early Christian and Gnostic texts discovered in 1945. While the actual discovery site was near the nearby village of Chenoboskion (also spelled Chenoboskion), the collection bears the name of Nag Hammadi due to its proximity to the town. The library contains 13 codices (books) with texts dating from the 2nd to 4th centuries CE, including the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Philip, and numerous other texts previously unknown to modern scholarship.

The discovery of these texts is considered one of the most significant archaeological and religious manuscript finds of the 20th century. The Nag Hammadi library has provided scholars with unprecedented insight into the diversity of early Christian thought, Gnostic beliefs, and the religious landscape of the ancient Mediterranean world. The texts have challenged traditional narratives about the development of Christianity and have become essential sources for biblical scholarship.

### International Recognition and Documentation

Nag Hammadi has achieved notable international recognition, as evidenced by the extensive documentation across multiple authority systems and encyclopedic sources. The Wikipedia article on Nag Hammadi exists in 43 different language versions, demonstrating global interest in the town and its historical significance. The sitelink count of 43 reflects the widespread coverage across Wikimedia projects.

The town is catalogued in numerous international bibliographic and authority systems, including the Integrated Authority File (GND ID: 4041126-6), the Virtual International Authority File (VIAF IDs: 143219984 and 240788706), IDREF (174116187), the Library of Congress (n93901689), the National Library of Israel (987007533111605171), the Bibliothèque nationale de France (11950245d), FAST (1274813), GeoNames (351434), and Freebase (/m/05dv3).

### Academic and Encyclopedic Coverage

Nag Hammadi is documented in multiple encyclopedic sources, including Encyclopædia Britannica, which features entries under both "Naj-Hammadi" (with the variant spelling Najʿ Ḥammādī) and "Chenoboskion." This dual coverage reflects both the contemporary town and the historical significance of the nearby archaeological site. The town also appears in the Czech National Authority File (nl_cr_aut_id: ge173830) with the qualifier "Nag Hammádí (Egypt)."

### Related Entities and Administrative Connections

The town is directly connected to several administrative and geographic entities. It is located within the Qena Governorate, one of the governorates of Upper Egypt. As the capital of Markaz Naj' Ḩammādī, the town serves as the administrative center for a district that encompasses surrounding villages and agricultural lands. The broader region is known for its agricultural production, with the Nile River providing essential irrigation for farming activities.

### Cultural and Linguistic Context

Nag Hammadi appears under numerous aliases and variant spellings across different languages and transliteration systems, reflecting its importance across multiple cultural and linguistic contexts. These include Nag Jamadi, Nag-Hammadi, Nag Hamadi (English variants), Arabic (نجع حمادى), Chinese (拿·戈瑪第, 哈马迪村, 哈玛迪镇, 納傑哈馬迪), Russian (Наг-Хамади, Нага-Хаммади), Korean (나지함마디, 나그 함마디, 나지 함마디), and many others. This diversity of names demonstrates the town's significance across multiple cultures and scholarly traditions.

The commons category for Nag Hammadi is maintained on Wikimedia Commons, providing a repository of media files related to the town. The WordNet 3.1 synset ID (08919705-n) and interlingual index ID (i83511) further document the town's representation in linguistic and semantic databases.

## References

1. Virtual International Authority File
2. BnF authorities
3. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
4. Czech National Authority Database
5. [Source](http://www.citypopulation.de/Egypt-Cities.html)
6. GeoNames
7. [Source](http://www.geonames.org/351434)
8. Quora
9. [Bibliography of the History of the Czech Lands](https://biblio.hiu.cas.cz/records/64295c75-ce3f-40a2-aea1-ec8b25fb948c)