Qeft , or 'Gebtu' or 'Coptos' in Ancient Egypt , is a small town in
Qena
Governorate . It lies at the mouth of the Wadi Hammamat , one of the principal routes to the
Red Sea
and to the mines and quarries .
In ancient times , Gebtu was an important administrative , religious and trade center . The local god of the city was Min , the god of fertility , identified later with Amoun .
Being the base camp of Legio III Cyrenaica or at least one of its subunits , Coptos recuperated its prominence under the Antonines , under the Roman rule . Although rebels broke out in the town , it was soon captured in 292 by
Diocletian
after a long siege . Almost destroyed , however , it soon recovered its former standing .
Under the Muslim caliphs and sultans , Qeft remained one of the important cities of Upper Egypt . In 1176 , its Christian inhabitants raised the standard of revolt against the Muslims , but the revolt was suppressed by El Adel , brother of Saladin . The town of Qeft was ruined in the sixteenth century by the Ottomans .
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