El Balyana ⲃⲩⲗⲓⲁⲛⲏ ⲧⲡⲟⲗⲩⲃⲓⲁⲛⲏ البلينا
El Balyana Location in Egypt
Coordinates: 26°14′N 32°0′E / 26.233°N 32.000°E / 26.233; 32.000
Country	Egypt
Governorate	Sohag
Area [1]
• Total	67.3 sq mi (174.3 km2)
Elevation [1]	217 ft (66 m)
Population  (2021)[1]
• Total	576,226
• Density	8,600/sq mi (3,300/km2)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EST)

El Balyana (Arabic: البلينا; Coptic: ⲃⲩⲗⲓⲁⲛⲏ, ⲧⲡⲟⲗⲩⲃⲓⲁⲛⲏ^[2] Tpolubianē, Coptic pronunciation: [təpoliβjˈanə]) is a small town in the Sohag Governorate of Upper Egypt. Located on the west bank of the Nile, it is situated near the ancient Egyptian city of Abydos.

History

The modern city name comes from a Coptic distortion of a Greek name Polybius (Ancient Greek: Πολύβιος).^[2] El Balyana was formerly a village belonging to the city of Bardes or the region of Bardes and then at the beginning of the last century was transferred to the center of the town of Balyana and became Bardes, a village belonging to the city of Balyana.^{[citation needed]}