Hosh Essa

Hosh Essa, also written Hoch Eissa, is a city in Beheira Governorate, Egypt. The 1885 census of Egypt recorded it as a nahiyah in the district of Abu Hummus, with a population of 1,480. The area has Al-Qalaye, an archaeological site in the Al-Ruba'iyat area that is regarded as the second largest cluster of monastic remains in the history of Christian monasticism. Excavations there began in 2023 and have brought to light groups of monastic cells called manshubiyat along with buildings that supported the community's operations, and in March 2026 a mission announced the discovery of a late antique guesthouse of the 5th century made up of thirteen interconnected rooms that served various functions.