Qalyubiyya Governorate

Qalyubia ( ' ) is one of the governorates of Egypt, located in Lower Egypt. It is situated north of Cairo in the Nile Delta region. Its capital is Banha.

Name

Qalyubia is derived from the city of Qalyub, whose name is an arabization of Calliope (Ancient Greek: Καλλιόπη, <small>romanized</small>: Kalliópē), the Muse of epic poetry in Greek mythology.

Geography

Banha and several other settlements blend into the neighboring Cairo Governorate; as a result, parts of Qalyubia (particularly Shubra El Kheima) are generally considered to form part of the Greater Cairo metropolitan area (along with Cairo governorate, Giza city and 6 October City).