Qift, also known as Koptos, Justinianopolis, is a small town in the Qena Governorate of Egypt. In ancient Egypt, Qift, known then as Gebtu, was an important center for administration, religion, and commerce. In the 6th century, Qift was renamed Justinianopolis, like several other cities, after the Byzantine emperor Justinianus I. Under the Muslim caliphs and the sultans, Qift remained one of the chief cities of Upper Egypt.