Oxyrhynchus, Archaeological site in El-Bahnasa, Egypt

Oxyrhynchus, now partly covered by the town of Al-Bahnasa, lies on the Bahr Yussef about 160 km south-southwest of Cairo. The ancient city itself has never been excavated because the modern town stands on it; digs since 1896 have focused on the surrounding rubbish mounds, which yielded papyri. A tall column of rough-hewn tan stone with a smooth cylindrical upper shaft stands amid low green vegetation.

French scholars during Napoleon's expedition in 1799 identified the ruins as a major ancient settlement. The city remained inhabited from Pharaonic Egypt through the early Islamic era and changed its function and importance several times.

The site takes its name from the sacred oxyrhynchus fish that inhabitants worshipped in dedicated temples and mummified after death. This religious practice continued for centuries and shaped daily life in the ancient city well into the Roman period.

Visitors usually reach the site by road from Cairo, a journey that takes several hours. The terrain is partly uneven and requires sturdy footwear, especially during summer months when early morning visits are more comfortable.

Archaeologists recovered more than 50,000 mummified fish from ancient burial sites here, evidence of the religious cult surrounding the creature. Tens of thousands of papyrus fragments also came to light, including literary texts and everyday documents from the Greco-Roman period.