Menouf (, from ) is a city in Egypt located in the Nile Delta. It has an area of 18.76 square kilometers. The city gave its name to the Monufia Governorate where it is located and was the capital of the governorate until 1826. Menouf is one of the several continually inhabited ancient Egyptian cities in the governorate.
Menouf was formerly called Minuf al-Ulyah (), which comes from (with variants â²Ââ²Ââ²ÂⲩåⲠⲣâ²Ââ²¥ and â²Ââ²Ââ²ÂⲩÃ¥â²Â). "The upper" in this case also means "southern", i.e. located upriver in relation to the Nile's flow (see Upper Egypt), which was used to differentiate it from Minuf as-Sufli (, ), modern Mahallat Menouf.
The Coptic name Panouf in turn is derived from . The city's Greek name Onouphis Ano () comes from the Egyptian name as well.
Panouf was a bishopric by the middle of the fourth century as evidenced by the attendance of Bishop Adelphis of Onouphis at a synod in Alexandria in 362.
During the Heraclean revolt the city was an important center of the Blues, loyal to the emperor Phocas. General Bonasus gave battle to the rebels east of Panouf and defeated them, but the city was captured by Nicetas in a short while.
By the 19th century the city went into decline. It had no gardens, its streets were narrow and dirty, and its houses small and badly constructed. The people drank the Nile water.