GIRGA

girga, or girgeh, a town of upper egypt on the w. bank of the nile, 313 m. s.s.e. of cairo by rail and about 10 m. n.n.e. of the ruins of abydos. pop. (1907) 19,893, of whom about one-third are copts. the town presents a picturesque appearance from the nile, which at this point makes a sharp bend. a ruined mosque with a tall minaret stands by the river-brink. many of the houses are of brick decorated with glazed tiles. the town is noted for the excellence of its pottery. girga is the seat of a coptic bishop. it also possesses a roman catholic monastery, considered the most ancient in the country. as lately as the middle of the 18th century the town stood a quarter of a mile from the river, but is now on the bank, the intervening space having been washed away, together with a large part of the town, by the stream continually encroaching on its left bank. girgenti (anc. _agrigentum_, q.v.), a town of sicily, capital of the province which bears its name, and an episcopal see, on the south coast, 58 m. s. by e. of palermo direct and 84-1/2 m. by rail. population (1901) 25,024. the town is built on the western summit of the ridge which formed the northern portion of the ancient site; the main street runs from e. to w. on the level, but the side streets are steep and narrow. the cathedral occupies the highest point in the town; it was not founded till the 13th century, taking the place of the so-called temple of concord. the campanile still preserves portions of its original architecture, but the interior has been modernized. in the chapter-house a famous sarcophagus, with scenes illustrating the myth of hippolytus, is preserved. there are other scattered remains of 13th-century architecture in the town, while, in the centre of the ancient city, close to the so-called oratory of phalaris, is the norman church of s. nicolo. a small museum in the town contains vases, terra-cottas, a few sculptures, &c. the port of girgenti, 5-1/2 m. s.w. by rail, now known as porto empedocle (population in 1901, 11,529), as the principal place of shipment for sulphur, the mining district beginning immediately north of girgenti. (t. as.)