KENA, or KENEH (sometimes written Qina)  , a town of Upper Egypt on a canal about a mile E. of the Nile and 380 M . S.S.E. of Cairo by rail . Pop . (1907), 20,069 . Kena, the capital of a province of the same name, was called by the Greeks Caene or Caenepolis (probably the NEri rats of Herodotus; see AKHMIM) in distinction from Coptos (q.v.), 15 M . S., to whose trade it eventually succeeded . It is a remarkable fact that its modern name should be derived from a purely Greek word, like Iskenderia from Alexandria, and Nekrash from Naucratis; in the absence of any known Egyptian name it seems to point to Kena having originated in a foreign settlement in connexion with the Red Sea trade . It is a flourishing town, specially noted for the manufacture of the porous water jars and bottles used throughout Egypt . The clay for making them is obtained from a valley north of Kena . The pottery is sent down the Nile in specially constructed boats . Kena is also known for the excellence of the dates sold in its bazaars and for the large colony of dancing girls who live there . It carries on a trade in grain and dates with Arabia, via Kosseir on the Red Sea, loo m .

E. in a

direct line . This inconsiderable traffic is all that is left of the extensive commerce formerly maintained—chiefly via Berenice and Coptos—between Upper Egypt and India and Arabia . The road to Kosseir is one of great antiquity . It leads through the valley of Hammamat, celebrated for its ancient breccia quarries and deserted gold mines . During the British operations in Egypt in 18o1 Sir David Baird and his force marched along this road to Kena, taking sixteen days on the journey from Kosseir .