The Holy Family in Egypt Introduction

Egypt is the cradle of human civilization: a fact hardly contested among authoritative historians. But Egypt also enjoys a focal geopolitical position, connecting Africa, Asia, and Europe through the Mediterranean Sea. On its land, migrations of people, traditions, philosophies and religious beliefs succeeded each other for thousands of years. Evidence of this succession is still visible in the accumulation of monuments and sites attesting to a uniquely comprehensive cultural heritage. Indeed, one of the phenomena which shaped Egypt's distinctive identity, and explains its pervasive influence on the then known world, was a dynamism that accommodated and re-formulated these successive cultures into one homogenous and harmonious Egyptian canvas. Egypt is one civilization woven of many strands, threaded by successive and intertwining eras; the Pharaonic, the Graeco-Roman, the Coptic Christian, and the Islamic eras.

Because the Egyptian people are the essential product of the "harmony in diversity", "otherness" has become an integral component of their awareness, a basic constituent of their national and cultural identity. This characteristic has yielded one important result: Egypt was, and still is, the land of refuge in the widest sense of the word, a place of tolerance and dialogue for peoples, races, cultures and religions.

On this land of Egypt, the first voice proclaiming the Oneness of God rang out in the 14th century BC through Akhenaton's monotheistic creed. Moses and Jesus lived in this same land. Later, Islam entered without conflict.

Before long, the world will be celebrating the birth of Christ, together with the birth of the twenty-first century, the third millennium AD. While sharing with the rest of mankind the celebration of this momentous milestone in the world's history, Egypt will have its splendid occasion to celebrate the dawning of the seventh millennium of the country's recorded history.

Some people in the outside world may not be aware of the special significance all Egyptians attribute to the fact that the Holy Family, when Christ was an infant, found haven in Egypt for nearly four years after their flight out of fear from the persecution of King Herod. Egypt's re-paving of the route the Holy Family followed it part of a comprehensive policy to revive, and give prominence to, all the religious landmarks which constitute the spiritual heritage of the one Egyptian civilization. With an eye on history, and Egypt's role in it, a nation-wide project is under way, under the leadership of President Mubarak, to restore and preserve this heritage. The aim is to generate a renaissance, in a temporal context, connecting the past with the present, providing, thereby, an impetus for the future.

To highlight but a few noteworthy examples of the many initiatives in this regard, I would refer only to the restoration work carried out on the Sphinx and now completed after ten years; the salvaging of Egyptian monuments of Graeco-Roman period off the shores of Alexandria; repairing the Hanging Church in Old Cairo, one of the oldest landmarks in Christendom in the orient, and the work of conservation carried out on the one-thousand year-old Al-Azhar Mosque as well as on all the other awe-inspiring edifices of Islamic Cairo in the heart of the capital.

His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, guardian and defender of the national traditions of the Coptic Church, personally approved the text of the present book, mapping the route the Holy Family followed on its flight into Egypt, from Al-Farma in the north east of Sinai to Al-Muharraq Monastery in the southern Nile Valley. When the groundwork of this vast project is completed by the beginning of the third millennium, many of the believers in the One God, we all worship, and lovers of our civilization, will come to us. But the supreme objective of the present book, and of the project when completed, is enshrined in the two-fold message addressed to all Egyptians and the world at large simultaneously: that our country was, and will remain, a safe haven of co-existence and peace; and that the unity of the Egyptian people, both Moslems and Copts, is the backbone of the entity of the Nation-State of Egypt.

Dr. Mamdouh El-Beltagui

The Route of the Holy Family in Egypt

The Holy Family In Egypt

*The advent of the Holy Family to Egypt, seeking refuge, is an event of the utmost significance in our dear country's long, long history.

Moved by the spirit of prophecy, Hosea foresaw the flight from Bethlehem where there was no safe place for the Christ Child to lay his head, and the eventual return of the holy refugees from Their sanctuary in Egypt, where Jesus had found a place in the hearts of the Gentiles, when he uttered God's words: "Out of Egypt have I called My Son". (Hosea 11:1)

In the Biblical Book of Isaiah, the prophet provides us with a divinely inspired prediction of the effect the holy Infant was to have on Egypt and the Egyptians: "Behold the Lord rides on a swift cloud, and will come into Egypt and the idols of Egypt will totter at His Presence and the heart of Egypt will melt in the midst of it". (Isaiah 19:1)

(An icon of St. Demiana - The Church of Abu Sefein, Old Cairo)

The authority of Old Testament prophecy, which portended the crumbling of idols wherever Jesus went, further foreshadowed the singular blessing to be bestowed upon Egypt, for its having been chosen as the Holy Family's haven, and upon its people for having been the first to experience the Christ's miraculous influence.

God's message, also delivered through the prophetic utterance of Isaiah, "Blessed by Egypt, My People" (Isaiah 19:25), was an anticipation of the coming of St. Mark to our country, where the Gospel he preached took firm root in the first decades of Christianity. For Isaiah goes on to prophecy: "In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt; and a Pillar to the Lord, at its border. And it will be for a sign and for a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt". (Isaiah 19:19&20)

According to the traditions of the Coptic Church, 'the alter' mentioned is that of the Church of Virgin Mary in Al-Muharraq Monastery, a site where the Holy Family settled for a period of more than six months; and the altar-stone was the 'bed' upon which the Infant Saviour lay. Al Muharraq Monastery is located, literally, "in the midst of the land of Egypt"…standing at its exact geographical centre.

*This text was prepared and revised by a cathedral Committee headed by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the Sea of St-Mark. (1999)

As for the "pillar at its borders… which will be for a sign and for a witness.." surely there can be no more demonstrable, concrete proof of the fulfillment of the prophecy than that the Patriarchal See of the Apostolic Church in Egypt, established by St Mark himself, is situated in Alexandria, on Egypt's northern borders.

But the prophecy, knitting a perfect pattern of things to come, does not stop there. It continues, "Then the Lord will be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know the Lord in that day and will make sacrifices and offering". (Isaiah 19:21). As Christianity in Egypt spread, churches were built throughout the length and breadth of the land, and the sites chosen were, primarily, those which had been visited and blessed by the Holy Family's sojourns. The New Testament records the fulfillment of these Old Testament prophecies as they unfold in their historical sequence.

( An icon showing the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt - Coptic Museum, Old Cairo)

"…behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word, for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him". (Matthew 2:13)

Joseph complied. A donkey was fetched for the gently Mother, still so young in years, to ride with her new-born Child in Her arms. And so they set out from Bethlehem on their pre-destined journey, the hardened old carpenter, who was Mary's betrothed, striding ahead, leading the donkey by its leash into the untracked paths of a wilderness dark as the desert nights, and unending as the months of never ending horizons.

Such an arduous journey it was, fraught with hazard every step of the way. In those far-off days, there were three routes which could be followed by travelers traversing Sinai from Palestine to Egypt, a crossing which was usually undertaken in groups, for without the protection of well-organized caravans, the ever-present dangers – even along these known and trodden paths – were ominously forbidding.

But, in their escape from the infanticidal fury of King Herod, the Holy Family – understandably – had to avoid the beaten tracks altogether, and to pursue unknown paths, guided by God and His Angel. They picked their way, day after day, through hidden valleys and across uncharted plateaus in the (then) rugged wastelands of Sinai, enduring the scorching heat of the sun by day and the bitter cold of the desert nights, preserved from the threat of wild beasts and savage tribesmen, their daily sustenance miraculously provided, the all-too-human fears of the young Mother for her Infant allayed by the faith that infused her with His birth.

And so they arrived, at last, safely, for God had pre-ordained that Egypt should be the refuge for the One who was to bring the message of peace and love to mankind.

The tortuous trails they followed in their passage across Sinai, and their subsequent travels within Egypt, are chronicled by Pope Theophilus, 23rd Patriarch of Alexandria (384-412 AD). He testifies, in his celebrated annals that on the eve of the 6th of Hathor (the Coptic month corresponding roughly with November), after long prayer, the Holy Virgin revealed herself to him and, after relating the details of the Holy Family's journey to, in, and from Egypt, bade him record what he had seen and heard.

It is a source which no Christian believer would question.

Besides, it is a virtual certainty that, at a time when happenings of a momentous or historical nature were transmitted by word of mouth from one generation to the next, the account of Pope Theophilus' vision confirmed the oral tradition of supernatural occurrences which accompanied the arrival of a wondrous Child in the towns and villages of Egypt some 400 years earlier.

The Traversing By The Holy Family of Sinai Desert on Their Way to Egypt

THE HOLY FAMILY AT EL-ZARANIK AND FARMA

Ruins of Flousseya Church - El-Zaraniq, west of El-Arish

According to the sources of the Coptic Church, chief among which is the vision documented by Pope Theophilus, and recorded in the Coptic Senexarium the Holy Family proceeded from Bethlehem to Gaza, and then to El-Zaraniq (also known as Floussiat), some 37 kms west of El-Arish; then they threaded their way along northern Sinai until they reached Farma (ancient Pelusium) mid-way between El-Alish and present-day Port Said. It was their last stop in Sinai; and with the next leg of their journey they put the perils of the wilderness behind them.

( Ruins of Coptic Monuments - Farma.  Below: Ruins of Farma Church - Farma)

THE HOLY FAMILY AT BASTA TOWN

Tel Basta – or Basta – which they now enter, is a short distance from Zagazig, the main town in the Sharqiah Governorate about 100 kms north-east of Cairo. Here, Jesus caused a water spring to well up from the ground, and His presence caused the idols to crumble, as foretold by the prophets of old. The townsfolk, in consequence, turned malevolent and aggressive, whereupon the Holy Family turned their backs on the town and headed southwards.

The Holy Family At The Town of Mostorod

Steps of the Crypt - Virgin Mary Church, Mostorod, Kalyoubeia

In due course, they reached Mostorod (which came to be called, in those days, 'Al Mahamma') only about 10 kms away from Cairo. 'Al Mahamma' means 'the Bathing Place', a name given to the town because the Virgin Mary bathed the Christ Child and washed his clothes. It is worthy of note that, eventually, on their way back to Palestine, the Holy Family stopped once more at Mostorod and, this time, caused a spring to gush from the earth which still flows forth to the present day.

Interior of the Crypt

THE HOLY FAMILY AT THE TOWN OF BELBEIS

Veil of the Sanctuary - Virgin Mary Church, Belbeis

Virgin Mary Church - Belbeis, Sharqiah.

From Mostorod, the Holy Family made their way north-eastwards to Belbeis (ancient Philippos), back in Sharqiah Governorate, and at a distance of about 55 kms from Cairo. They rested there in the shade of a tree which came to be called, "The Virgin Mary's Tree'

THE HOLY FAMILY AT MENIET SAMANOUD

Having left their mark on Belbeis, the Holy Family set off in a north-westerly direction and, reaching the small township of Meniet Samannoud (known also as Meniet Genah), they crossed the Nile to the city of Samanoud (or Jemnoty) in the Delta, where the local population received them with a kindness and hospitality that earned them deserved blessing. There is in Samannoud, to this day, a large granite trough which, according to local belief, was used by the Virgin for kneading dough, and a water-well which the Christ Child Himself hallowed.

THE HOLY FAMILY AT SAKHA TOWN

Virgin Mary Church - Sakha, Kafr El Sheikh.

The Coptic name of the town, 'Pekha-Issous', (vernacularized to Lysous) means, 'the foot of Jesus'; for the Holy Child's foot-print was marked, here, in bas-relief on a rock. The rock was preserved, but hidden for centuries for fear of robbery, and only unearthed again 13 years ago.

The natural course of the Holy Family's journey from Samannoud to Sakha would have taken them through many of the towns and cities now lying in both the Governorates of Gharbia and Kafr El-Sheikh and, according to some folk traditions, through the Belqas wastelands as well.

Veil of Sanctuary - Virgin Mary Church - Sakha.

THE HOLY FAMILY AT WADI EL NATROUN

El-Sorian Monastery - Wadi El Natroun

Entrance to the Monastery Chapel.

Their trail from Sakha, is recorded in the documentation of Pope Theophilus' vision, and attested to by Coptic practice in the Christian era. For it was to Wadi el-Natroun (Natroun Valley) that they now came, after crossing the Rosetta branch of the Nile to the western Delta and heading south into Wadi el-Natroun (then called Al Asqeet) in the Western Desert of Egypt. In the earliest decades of Christianity, the desert expanses of Wadi el-Natroun became the site of anchoretic settlement and, later, of many monasteries, in spritiual commemoration of the Holy Family's passage through the Valley.

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The Great Sphinx of GizaAn Introduction by Allen Winston

In a depression to the south of Khafre's pyramid at Giza near Cairo sits a huge creature with the head of a human and a lion's body. This monumental statue, the first truly colossal royal sculpture in Egypt, known as the Great Sphinx, is a national symbol of Egypt, both ancient and modern. It has stirred the imagination of poets, scholars, adventurers and tourists for centuries and has also inspired a wealth of speculation about its age, its meaning, and the secrets that it might hold.


The word "sphinx", which means 'strangler', was first given by the Greeks to a fabulous creature which had the head of a woman, the body of a lion and the wings of a bird. In Egypt, there are numerous sphinxes, usually with the head of a king wearing his headdress and the body of a lion.There are, however, sphinxes with ram heads that are associated with the god Amun.

The Great Sphinx is to the northeast of Khafre's (Chephren) Valley Temple. Where it sits was once a quarry. We believe that Khafre's workers shaped the stone into the lion and gave it their king's face over 4,500 years ago. Khafre's name was also mentioned on the Dream Stele, which sits between the paws of the great beast. However, no one is completely certain that it is in fact the face of Khafre, though indeed that is the preponderance of thought. Recently, however, it has been argued that Khufu, builder of the Great Pyramid, may have also had the Great Sphinx built.

The Great Sphinx is believed to be the most immense stone sculpture in the round ever made by man. However, it must be noted that the Sphinx is not an isolated monument and that it must be examined in the context of its surroundings. Specifically, like many of Egypt's monuments, it is a complex which consists not only of the great statue itself, but also of its old temple, a New Kingdom temple and some other small structures. It is also closely related toKhafre's Valley Temple, which itself had four colossal sphinx statues each more than 26 feet long.

 The material of the Sphinx is the limestone bedrock of what geologists call the Muqqatam Formation, which originated fifty million years ago from sediments deposited at the bottom of sea waters that engulfed northeast Africa during the Middle Eocene period. An embankment formed along what is now the north-northwest side of the plateau. Nummulites, which are small, disk-shaped fossils named after the Latin word for 'coin', pack the embankment. These were once the shells of now extinct planktonic organisms. There was a shoal and coral reef that grew over the southern slope of the embankment. Carbonate mud deposited in the lagoon petrified into the layers from which the ancient builders, some fifty million years later, carved out the Great Sphinx.

To do so, they trenched out a deep, U-shaped ditch that isolated a huge rectangular bedrock block for carving the Sphinx. This enclosure is deepest immediately around the body, with a shelf at the rear of the monument where it was left unfinished and a shallower extension to the north where important archaeological finds have been made.

The good, hard limestone that lay around the Sphinx's head was probably all quarried for blocks to build the pyramids. The limestone removed to shape the body of the beast was evidently employed to build the two temples to the east of the Sphinx, on a terrace lower than the floor of the Sphinx enclosure, one almost directly in front of the paws, the other to the south of the first one.

It is generally thought that quarrying around the original knoll revealed rock that was too poor in quality for construction. Therefore, some visionary individual conceived of the plan to turn what was left of the knoll into the Sphinx. However, the Sphinx may equally well have been planned from the start for this location, good rock or bad. The walls of the Sphinx enclosure are of the same characteristics as the strata of the Sphinx body and exhibit similar states of erosion.

The bedrock body of the Sphinx became a standing section of the deeper limestone layers of the Giza Plateau. The lowest stratum of the Sphinx is the hard, brittle rock of the ancient reef, referred to as Member I. All of the geological layers slope about three degrees from northwest to southeast, so they are higher at the rump of the Sphinx and lower at the front paws. Hence, the surface of this area has not appreciably weathered compared to the layers above it.

 Most of the Sphnix's lion body and the south wall and the upper part of the ditch were carved into the Member II, which consists of seven layers that are soft near the bottom, but become progressively harder near the top. However, the rock actually alternates between hard and soft. The head and neck of the Great Sphinx are made of Member III, which is better stone, though it becomes harder further up.

The Sphinx faces the rising sun with a temple to the front which resembles the sun temples which were built later by the kings of the 5th Dynasty. The lion was a solar symbol in more than one ancient Near Eastern culture. The royal human head on a lion's body symbolized power and might, controlled by the intelligence of the pharaoh, guarantor of the cosmic order, or ma'at. Its symbolism survived for two and a half millennia in the iconography of Egyptian civilization.

The head and face of the Sphinx certainly reflect a style that belongs to Egypt's Old Kingdom, and to the 4th Dynasty in particular. The overall form of his face is broad, almost square, with a broad chin. The headdress (known as the 'nemes' head-cloth), with its fold over the top of the head and its triangular planes behind the ears, the presence of the royal 'uraeus' cobra on the brow, the treatment of the eyes and lips all evidence that the Sphinx was carved during this period.

The sculptures of kings Djedefre, Khafre and Menkaure and other Old Kingdom Pharaohs, all show the same configuration that we see on the Sphinx. Some scholars believe that the Great Sphinx was originally bearded with the sort of formally plaited beard. Pieces of the Sphinx's massive beard found by excavation adorn the British Museum in London and the Cairo Museum. However, it seems to possibly, if not probably be dated to the New Kingdom, and so was likely added at a later date. The rounded divine beard is an innovation of the New Kingdom, and according to Rainer Stadelmann, did not exist in the Old or Middle Kingdom. It may have been added to identify the god with Horemahket

There is a hole in the top of the head, now filled in, that once provided support for additional head decoration. Depictions of the Sphinx from the latter days of ancient Egypt show a crown or plumes on the top of the head, but these were not necessarily part of the original design. The top of the head is flatter, however, than later Egyptian sphinxes.

 The body is 72.55 meters in length and 20.22 meters tall. The face of the sphinx is four meters wide and its eyes are two meters high. The mouth is about two meters wide, while the nose would have been more than 1.5 meters long. The ears are well over one meter high. Part of the uraeus (sacred cobra), the nose, the lower ear and the ritual beard are now missing, while the eyes have been pecked out. The beard from the sphinx is on displayed in the British Museum.

 Below the neck, the Great Sphinx has the body of a lion, with paws, claws and tail (curled round the right haunch), sitting on the bedrock of the rocky enclosure out of which the monument has been carved. The enclosure has taller walls to the west and south of the monument, in keeping with the present lie of the land.

When viewed close-up, the head and body of the Sphinx look relatively well proportioned, but seen from further away and side-on the head looks small in relation to the long body (itself proportionally much longer than is seen in later sphinxes). In its undamaged state, the body is likely to have appeared still larger all around in relation to the head, which has not been reduced as much by erosion. The human head is on a scale of about 30:1, while the lion body is on the smaller scale of 22:1. There could be a number of explanations for this discrepancy.


This was, as far as we know, one of the very first of the Egyptian sphinxes, though there is at least one other, attributed to Djedefre, that predates it. The rules of proportion commonly employed on later and smaller examples may not yet have been formulated at the time of the carving of the Great Sphinx of Giza. In any case, the carving of sphinxes was always a flexible formula, to an unusual degree in the context of Egyptian artistic conservatism.

Then again, the Sphinx may have been sculpted to look its best when seen from fairly close by and more or less from the front. There is also the possibility that there was simply insufficient good rock to make the head, where fine detail was required, any bigger. Also, the fissure at the rear of the Great Sphinx may have dictated a longer body, rather than one much too short.

There remains the possibility that the head has been remodeled at some time and thereby reduced in size, but on stylistic grounds alone this is not likely to have been done after the Old Kingdom times in ancient Egypt.

There are three passages into or under the Sphinx, two of them of obscure origin. The one of known cause is a short dead-end shaft behind the head drilled in the nineteenth century. No other tunnels or chambers in or under the Sphinx are known to exist. A number of small holes in the Sphinx body may relate to scaffolding at the time of carving.

The figure was buried for most of its life in the sand. It was King Thutmose IV (1425 - 1417 BC) who placed a stela between the front paws of the figure. On it, Thutmose describes an event, while he was still a prince, when he had gone hunting and fell asleep in the shade of the sphinx. During a dream, the sphinx spoke to Thutmose and told him to clear away the sand. The sphinx told him that if he did this, he would be rewarded with the kingship of Egypt. Thutmose carried out this request and the sphinx held up his end of the bargain. Of course, over time, the great statue, the only single instance of a colossal sculpture carved in the round directly out of the natural rock, once again found itself buried beneath the sand.

In the more modern era, when Napoleon arrived in Egypt in 1798, the Sphinx was buried once more with sand up to its neck, at by this point, we believe the nose had been missing for at least 400 years. Between 1816 and 1817, the Genoese merchant, Caviglia tried to clear away the sand, but he only managed to dig a trench down the chest of the statue and along the length of the forepaws. Auguste Mariette, the founder of the Egyptian Antiquities Service,also attempted to excavate the Sphinx, but gave up in frustration over the enormous amount of sand. He went on to explore the Khafre Valley Temple, but returned to the Great Sphinx to excavate in 1858. This time, he managed to clear the sand down to the rock floor of the ditch around the Sphinx, discovering in the process several sections of the protective walls around the ditch, as well as odd masonry boxes along the body of the monument which might have served as small shrines. However, he apparently still did not clear all the sand

In 1885, Gaston Maspero, then Director of the Antiquities Service, once again tried to clear the Sphinx, but after exposing the earlier work of Caviglia and Mariette, he also was forced to abandon the project due to logistical problems.

Between 1925 and 1936, French engineer Emile Baraize excavated the Sphinx on behalf of the Antiquities Service, and apparently for the first time since antiquity, the great beast once again became exposed to the elements.

In fact, the sand has been its savior, since, being built of soft sandstone, it would have disappeared long ago had it not been buried for much of its existence.

Nevertheless, the statue is crumbling today because of the wind, humidity and the smog from Cairo. The rock was of poor quality here from the start, already fissured along joint lines that went back to the formation of the limestone millions of years ago. There is a particularly large fissure across the haunches, nowadays filled with cement, that also shows up in the walls of the enclosure in which the Sphinx sits.

Below the head, serious natural erosion begins. The neck is badly weathered, evidently by wind-blown sand during those long periods when only the head was sticking up out of the desert and the wind could catapult the sand along the surface and scour the neck and the extensions of the headdress that are missing altogether now. The stone here is not quite of such good quality as that of the head above.

 
below the neck does not look like scouring by wind-blown sand. In fact, so poor is the rock of the bulk of the body that it must have been deteriorating since the day it was carved out of the stone. We know that it needed repairs on more than one occasion in antiquity. It continues to erode before our very eyes, with spalls of limestone falling off the body during the heat of the day.

So, today, much of the work on the Great Sphinx at Giza is not directed at further explorations or excavations, but rather the preservation of this great wonder of Egypt. This is the focus, and while some might even today have the antiquity authorities digging about the monument looking for hidden chambers holding the secrets of Atlantis, that is not likely to happen any time soon.

The Monastery of St. Paul In Egypt's Eastern Desert by Jimmy Dunn

Egypt's Eastern Desert, at least for now, provides us little in the way of antiquities for travelers. Pharaonically, there are a few trade routes and other ruins. However, it is the home to two of  Egypt's best known Christian monuments which include the well known monastery of St. Anthony (Antonios) and perhaps the less well known Monastery of St. Paul of Thebes.

The Monastery of St. Paul probably dates to the fifth century and was founded in memory of one of Egypt's greatest saints and anchorites, who is said to have lived in a cave over which it was built for a period of some eighty years. We mostly know of his life from the writings of St. Jerome and his work, Vita Pauli (Life of Paul), which was written between 375 and 380 AD. St. Jerome tell us that, while it may have been St. Anthony who founded the monastic way of life by inspiring others, Amathas and Macarius, who were disciples of Anthony, affirm that Paul of Thebes was actually the originator of the practice.
St. Paul was apparently born to rich parents in the year 228, However, by the age of sixteen, he had lost his parents. This would have corresponded with the terrible period of Christian persecution perpetuated by Decius and Valerian between 249 and 260 AD. After the death of his parents, Paul renounced his inheritance and consecrated his life to God, eventually seeking refuge in the wilderness of Egypt's Eastern Desert, where he is said to have lived until the age of one hundred and thirteen. Living in his cave, and clothed in a tunic made of plaited palm leaves, tradition holds that a raven brought a half of a loaf of bread which day for him to eat.


Jerome tells us that Anthony, who was apparently at least a contemporary of Paul, was told of someone living in the desert that was holier then he. Hence, he set out to find Paul and, having succeeded, had a friendly conversation with him. That evening when the Raven came to bring the saint's nourishment, he came with a whole loaf so that both the holy men might have substance.


Apparently, Anthony and Paul continued to be friends for many years. When Paul thought that he was approaching death, he asked Anthony to fetch the cloak which the patriarch Athanasius had given him. However, when Anthony arrived at the cave where Paul had lived those many years, he saw angels carrying the soul of the holy ascetic to heaven. Paul's body remained in the cave, but two lions approached and dug  a grave into which Anthony placed Paul's body wrapped in the cloak he had fetched. Anthony is said to have kept Paul's tunic of palm leaves, which he wore to celebrate the occasions of Easter and Pentecost.

The Monastery of St. Paul (Deir Anba Bula), which has also been called the Monastery of the Tigers (Deir al-Numur), perhaps because of its wilderness location, has always been associated with the Monastery of St. Anthony, usually in a subordinate manner. The first travel narrative we have of the monastery was provided by Antoninus Martyr, a native of Placentia who visited the tomb of St. Paul between the years 560 and 570 AD.  The first monks to occupy the monastery may have been Melchite, but they were followed by Egyptian and Syrian monks. The Syrians may have had a sustained existence at the monastery, for it appears that they also occupied the monastery during the first half of the fifteenth century, after which their presence disappears. It should also be noted that, according to an isolated Ethiopian reference, the seventieth patriarch of the Coptic Church, Gabriel II (1131-45 AD) was banished to the monastery for three years.


Like many of Egypt's earliest monasteries, this one suffered at the hands of Bedouin tribes. One during the year 1484 was particularly destructive, when many of the monks were killed and their library was put to the torch. Afterwards, the monastery was rebuilt under the patronage of Patriarch Gabriel VII, who sent ten monks from the Monastery of the Syrians (Wadi al-Natrun). Yet, during the second half of the sixteenth century, it was again attacked and ransacked twice, forcing the monks to finally leave.


The monastery apparently set deserted for the next 119 years, only to be repopulated by a group of monks from the Monastery of St. Anthony under the patronage of John XVI, who promoted an extensive reconstruction in 1701.

The Walls

Most ancient, remote Egyptian monasteries are in fact fortifications for good reason. Likewise, St. Paul's Monastery has high defensive walls surrounding the monastic buildings. The history of this enclosure is complex and corresponds to various periods. We know that the walls were considerably enlarged during the eighteenth century under John XVI, but the final walls we see today were completed during the nineteenth century. Also like many other monasteries, the fortress appears to have had no original door and therefore we find on the inside of the east wall the ancient hoist used to haul food, goods and even visitors up the wall and into the monastery.


The Tower 

The tower (keep, or qasr) is perhaps one of the most obvious structures within the complex. As usual, it was entered via a drawbridge and represented the last defensive bastion against the desert raiders. Situated next to the church of St. Paul, in the past, its ground floor served as a cemetery for the monks, while the second floor was a storeroom for the food reserves which would sustain the monks through a period of long siege. Traditionally in Coptic monasteries, the highest story is dedicated to the archangel Michael, but since he is already the titular saint of the large church in the center of the monastery, here the third floor has a chapel dedicated to the Holy Virgin, which is roofed with a wooden cupola. There are also cells for the monks on this level of the tower. Churches Altogether, the Monastery of St. Paul has four churches, three of which are situated in the ancient part of the complex. The Church of St. Paul Attesting to its antiquity, the Church of St. Paul , also sometimes referred to as the Cave Church, located next to the tower sits three meters below the current level of the monastery grounds. This is the spiritual center of the monastery. Its southern end is the oldest part, hollowed out of the cave in which St. Paul is believed to have lived. This section of the church, at least, probably dates to the fifth century. The north part of the church dates to medieval times. One enters this church via a staircase attached to the the chapel walls. Within, the church proper consists of one nave in the center and three sanctuaries dedicated to the twenty four elders of Revelation (north, St. Anthony (center), and St. Paul (south). The central and south sanctuaries and the part of the nave facing them were excavated from the rock itself, while the remainder of the building to the north is made of masonry. The wooden cupola which roofs the chapel is decorated with the equestrian figures of Saints Apater and his sister Irene, Isidore, Apa Iskhirun, James and Julius, all warrior saints. These were produced by the monastery monks in 1713, but probably overlay earlier iconography that is lost to us. The paintings on the walls of the cave date to the same restoration work, portraying biblical subjects such as the archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, as well as the angel and Aniel's three companions, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, respectively called Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego by the officer of King Nebuchadnezzar (Dan 3:10-26). However, in the middle sanctuary dedicated to St. Anthony, though in poor condition, are wall paintings that date to the first half of the fourteenth century. Here, we can just make out depictions of Christ enthroned, the annunciation, St. John the Baptist, angles and archangels. The body of St. Paul is kept in a marble shrine on the south side of the nave. One traditional story holds that the saint's relics were taken to Constantinople in 1240, and from there they were sent to Venice in 1381. Indeed, an urn in the church of St. Julian in Venice is believed to contain some of his remains. Recent analysis has shown that the remains in Venice are that of only a leg of a very old man (over eighty) who lived between the first century and the first half of the forth centuries, AD. Hence, they certainly may be a fraction of the body of the saint that mostly rests in the Egyptian monastery that bears his name. The Church of St. Mercurius Located above Paul's cave, and almost atop the Church of St. Paul, the church of St. Mercurius (Abu al-Seifein) dates from the end of the eighteenth century. Hence, it contains few interesting elements, with the exception of a precious iconostasis inlaid with ivory and mother-of-pearl. This church is connected to the cave by a much older staircase. Many churches in Egypt are dedicated to this saint, the most well known of which is probably in Old Cairo. This church is only used once a year during the week prior to Lent. The Church of St. Michael The Church of St. Michael (al-Malak) was built in 1777, with a roof consisting of twelve cupolas. It has two sanctuaries including one dedicated to St. Michael to the north, and to St. John the Baptist in the south. While the true spiritual center of the monastery is the subterranean church of St. Paul, it is two small for the daily liturgy, so this service is held in the the Church of St. Michael, which is the largest church in the complex. The Refectory and the Mill Within the monastery is an ancient refectory that is no longer in use, but which dates back to medieval times. It is situated in the east wing of the complex. The main axis of the refectory is covered by a barrel vaulted roof. Within, a heavy masonry table with a lectern fashioned on its west end, from which the sacred texts and the lives of the saints and martyres were read during the community meal, dominates the room. The refectory is entered by way of a narrow passage, and on the west side of the passage are two rooms that were once used as mills. Within are big stone millstones which were operated by huge wooden gears turned by draft animals. The Spring of St. Paul An ancient spring named for St. Paul resides in the north wing of the complex. It continues to supply water at the rate of about four cubic meters per day. The water comes from a mountain crevice and flows into a cemented reservoir tank that is used for drinking and cooking. A small drain allows the surplus water into a second reservoir, which is used by the monks for washing, and a final drain carries off the remaining water into a large basin where it is distributed for irrigation. However, a second spring, known as the Pool of Miriam is located about one hundred meters to the south of the monastery. It was named after the sister of Moses and Aaron, who according to tradition washed there during the Exodus.

The Pyramids of Egypt

There are no more famous ancient sites within Egypt, or for that matter elsewhere in the world, than the Great Pyramids at Giza. They are, without question, the icon most associated with the Egypt. They have been both the main destination for tourists, and a source of imaginative thought to the world for over three thousand years.


However, there are actually over 100 pyramids in Egypt, many of which are relatively unknown to anyone who is not an ancient Egypt enthusiast. All but a very few are grouped around and near the City of Cairo, just south of the Nile Delta. Otherwise, only one royal pyramid is known in southern Egypt (at Abydos), that being the one built by Ahmose, founder of the 18th Dynasty and Egypt's New Kingdom.It may have also been the last royal pyramid built in Egypt.


Hence, major pyramids were not built throughout Egypt's ancient history. The Pyramid Age began with a burst of building, starting with the 3rd Dynasty reign of Djoser. Some of the early kings, most specifically Snefru, built more than one pyramid. Almost all of the kings added to their number through the end of the Middle Kingdom, with the possible exception of the First Intermediate Period between the Old and Middle Kingdoms. After the first Pharaoh of Egypt's New Kingdom, Ahmose, royal pyramid building by Egyptians ceased entirely. Somewhat abruptly the kings of the New Kingdom chose, rather than making their tombs completely obvious, to hide them in the hills of the West Bank of Thebes (modern Luxor).


However, smaller pyramids were constructed, for example in the Deir el-Medina necropolis, by private individuals. The Late Period Nubians who ruled Egypt also built relatively small pyramids with much steeper sides, though these were in fact constructed in Nubia itself. This tradition was carried on in Nubia after these southern rulers lost control of Egypt, and eventually, more pyramids were actually built in Nubia than Egypt, though on a much smaller scale.


Other pyramids in the world certainly exist, but their purpose, for the most part, was different than those of ancient Egypt. The most famous outside Egypt are probably those located in Mexico and to the south of Mexico, but these appear to have been built more as temples. In Egypt, all but a select few of the pyramids were built as tombs, sometimes to hold the physical body of a pharaoh (as well as other individuals), or to hold the soul of the deceased (as in the case of the small cult pyramids built next to the larger ones). Otherwise, the purpose of only a few small, regional stepped pyramids remains elusive.


While pyramids were, for the most part, tombs for the Pharaohs of Egypt, one must nevertheless question the reason that Egyptian rulers chose this particular shape, and for that matter, why they built them so large. Today, we believe that they chose the shape in order to mimic the Benben, a pyramid shaped stone found in the earliest of temples, which itself is thought to symbolize the primeval mound from which the Egyptians believed life emerged. This also connected the pyramid to Re, the Sun God, as it was he, according to some of the ancient Egypt mythology, who rose from the primeval mound to create life.


As far the great size of many of the pyramids in Egypt, we can really only surmise that the Pharaohs were making a statement about their own power and perhaps, about the glory and strength of their country. However, it should also be remembered that many of the latter pyramids were not nearly as large as the Great Pyramids at Giza (and elsewhere).


Pyramids evolved. The first of them was not a perfectly formed pyramid. In fact, the first Pyramid we believe that was built in Egypt, that of Djoser, was not a true pyramid at all with smooth sides and a point at the top. Rather, its sides were stepped, and the top of the pyramid truncated with a flat surface (as best we know). As the Egyptian pyramids evolved, there were failures as well glorious failures until finally, they got it right with what was probably the first smooth sided true pyramid built at Meidum. In fact, pyramids continued to evolve throughout their history, perhaps not always in outward appearances, but in the way that they were built and in the theology surrounding their construction. For example, towards the latter part of Egypt's Pyramid Age, Osirian beliefs seem to have had more and more impact on the arrangement and layout of the subterranean chambers.


However, soon after the first pyramids were built, their form became somewhat standardized. Royal pyramid complexes included the main pyramid, a courtyard surrounding the main pyramid, a much smaller cult pyramid for the king's soul, a mortuary temple situated next to the main pyramid, an enclosure wall and a causeway that led down to a valley temple. Some pyramid complexes included subsidiary, smaller pyramids for family members, and most were surrounded by some sort of tombs for family members.


Our thinking on pyramids has evolved considerably over the years. Many of us who are a bit older were taught that the pyramids were built using Jewish slave labor, which is a fabrication of immense proportions. Most of the pyramids were built long before the Jews made their appearance historically and currently, many if not most scholars believe they were not built using slave labor at all (or perhaps a nominal number of slaves).


Otherwise, we can also dismiss offhand alternative theories related to aliens or some lost culture being responsible for pyramid building. There is just far too much evidence, including tools, drawings, evolutionary changes, and even worker villages that rule these farfetched ideas obsolete.


However, some mysteries remain, even in some of the best well known Pyramids. The most famous of them all, the Great Pyramid of Khufu, continues, year after year, to give up a few more secrets, and there doubtless remains much to learn from these Egyptian treasures. There may even be one or more pyramids yet to be discovered.

A Marsa Alam Adventure

Marsa Alam is located in the south of the Eastern Desert in Egypt on the Red Sea. It is 790 kilometers south of Cairo and about 300 kilometers from Hurghada. Marsa Alam is an old, small town famous for diving, fishing, and for its international port. However, in the past few years, Marsa Alam has become an important tourist destination, especially after the opening of the Marsa Alam International Airport. Many people, tourists and Egyptians alike, believe that Marsa Alam in the coming few years will become another Sharm El-Sheikh.

There are many reasons behind this belief but in order to understand them, we first need to understand the nature and conditions of Marsa Alam.
Marsa Alam is located in a very special place on the Red Sea. This is why there are so many coral reefs there that attract tourists from all over the world. Marsa Alam itself is a tiny primitive town with the international port four kilometers north of the town. The town consists mainly of two or three Oriental cafes and four small supermarkets. This is in addition to the bus station, a fuel station and a motel called Negmet Marsa Alam.

This motel is suitable for tourists who prefer cheap prices with average service.. A double room in the motel costs less than ten dollars per night with a private bath. Negmet Marsa Alam or Marsa Alam Star Motel provides some services like laundry, room cleaning, and they can organize some excursions. The only problem is that they have no air conditioners and the weather, even in the morning, is quite hot.

Though there is little in the town itself to allure tourists, the main attractions of the city are the many resorts spread on the Red Sea to the south and north. There are many three and four stars resorts, with five star facilities on their way. The Cataract, Sahara Resort, Breaka Resort, Amaraya, Kahramana, Shams Alam, and Ibortel are all examples of good resorts that offer proper services with reasonable prices.

Communication

All of these resorts have good telephone services with international lines and phones in each room. You can call anywhere in the world and the resort will charge you per minute. For the cell phone users, Marsa Alam is connected to the two mobile networks in Egypt, Vodafone, Mobinil, and Etisalat. Most of the resorts have fax and telex services as well.

Reception

All the reception areas and the rooms are air conditioned and the front desk in the resorts provide accurate information about everything in Marsa Alam. They have buses to the airport and back to the resorts. The front desk also can organize all sorts of tours for groups and individuals.

Methods of Payment


In the resorts, you can pay with US dollars, Euros, Pounds Sterling and of course Egyptian pounds (LE). You can also use Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and travelers checks. The resorts also provide money exchange service in case you want to have some Egyptian money for tips.

Medical Services

There is a small hospital in Marsa Alam with some simple equipment. In addition most of the resorts have professional doctors that are available 24 hours per day.

Water and Sun

It is not recommended to drink the tap water. Mineral water is sold everywhere. One should drink an average of three liters of water a day in order to remain healthy in the desert climate. The sun is very hot, even in the morning. Tourists should always use sun block lotions to protect their skin, but part of the fun of Marsa Alam is baking on the beach.

Other Services

The resorts offer great laundry services with good prices. Your clothes will be returned to you ironed and cleaned within 24 hours. Most of the rooms have safety boxes in the closets with a private key for the guest. Room service is operates 24 hours a day. The resorts also provide many other services from pool towels to business services.

How to Reach Marsa Alam 

Most of the tourists take airplanes from different European countries like Italy, Spain, Russia, and England straight to Marsa Alam International Airport. Some groups go to Hurghada by plane, spend a few days there, and then go to Marsa Alam by bus. Egypt Air now also offers some flights to Marsa Alam. Misr Petrol Company also has a flight from Cairo to Marsa Alam and vise versa every Monday and Thursday. Many of the flights coming from Europe are charters, bringing tourists on all-inclusive vacations. Other than that, there are air conditioned buses provided by South Egypt Travel. A bus goes from Cairo to Marsa Alam every night at 11:00 pm. East Delta Travel provides another bus every night at 9:00 pm. These buses have comfortable seats and they show films on the way. The prices range from 10 to 12 dollars from Cairo to Marsa Alam. The problem is the trip takes from 11 to 12 hours with rests in the middle and the bus stops at every city on the way like Ras Ghareb, Hurghada, Safaga, and El Quseir.   I took the South Egypt bus on my way to Marsa Alam. I went to the station 15 minutes before 11:00 pm and I was happy the bus left at the scheduled time. Although I thought the bus would be empty, the bus was full of people and there wasn’t a single empty seat. I was lucky to have a seat at the front of the bus in order to watch where we were going. The seats were big and comfortable with air conditioning and private light for each passenger. The man who sat next to me is an Egyptian working as a human resources specialist in Ibortel Resort. He gave me a lot of info about Marsa Alam as I told him this is the first time for me to go there. They showed two modern Egyptian films on our way that I really enjoyed. There were also four check points along the way where police came aboard the bus to check everyone's IDs. We stopped four times for rest but the longer stop was at a rest house called Zaafarana Star, which is a huge Oriental café that offers food and barrages. There were many other buses going to different Egyptian regions like Qena, Hurghada, and Tanta. The waiters there bring the food hot and very fast because they know the guests want to catch the buses. I enjoyed two sandwiches of Oriental sausages and a cup of tea. The prices were really cheap. My bill came to less than six Egyptian pounds, are a little less than one US dollar. The bus stopped in so many cities to take passengers but it was a good chance for me to get off the bus and smoke, because smoking isn’t allowed inside the bus. With the sunrise I started to enjoy the ride very much. I was able to watch the sea and the rise of the sun over the sea and the mountains. The view was amazing. When we reached Marsa Alam, we began passing many resorts. Some of them had classic decorations while most of them were in the Bedouin style. Many of the passengers on the bus worked at one or the other of these resorts, so the bus slowly emptied. Finally we came to the town of Marsa Alam, were I to got off to begin my adventure. Transportation Inside Marsa Alam All, all the resorts have air conditioned buses to take their guests to different places in Marsa Alam. The buses have schedules with specific departure times. Public transportation is also available with microbuses and taxis that you can take one from town to any of the resorts. Distances of 20 to 30 kilometers cost only about three Egyptian pounds. Otherwise, one can rent a private car at very reasonable rates. Big Complexes While on my way in the bus I noticed a resort called Balbaa. What caught my eye is that it is really a complex of three resorts, consisting of the Kahramana, Amaraya, and Calmera. I had to stop at the security gate and the security guy had to check my luggage. Everybody is being cautious now days and the security is very strict. The reception of Amaraya was a big hall with many cozy sofas to sit on. I talked to the receptionist at length about what where and what to do in Marsa Alam, and he was very helpful and patient. This guy, and all the staff, were exceptionally friendly and knew a lot about the city and the resort. The receptionist printed me a guide to everything in the resort and in Marsa Alam, so off I went. The Balbaa Resort has two swimming pools and three different beaches. Two of them are in the resort and the other is ten kilometers away. There are buses that go there all day long. The hotel has 98 rooms with controllable air conditioning, satellite TV, safe boxes, international telephones and private bathrooms with hair dryer. Morning Activities Most of the people awake in the morning at Marsa Alam wind up on the beach, and they are indeed some of the most beautiful in Egypt. The water is crystal clear and the air is clean and refreshing and although the weather might get hot, a jump in the sea makes one forget about all the world's woes. Many Italians, the main tourist population in Marsa Alam, were enjoying the sun. Some were reading, chatting or just catching some rays, while others were snorkeling among the colorful fish and corals. The moment I reached the Balbaa resort I wanted to visit the beach, for which Marsa Alam is famous. Although the weather was hot I was enjoying the walk because of the many roses and plants spread in the resort and on the way to the beach. From afar, the sparkling water seemed to be an amazing baby blue. was two in the afternoon when I reached the beach. There weren’t many people there. Perhaps, many had gone on to lunch, but soon the beach began to fill back up. The beach was indeed gorgeous, and it is always times such as this when I regret being alone. It would have been nice to have a friend with me and even magnificent to have my girlfriend along. Everything there is so romantic and calm with only the sound of the waves as if they are whispering to you. Than a clever Italian girl caught my attention, as she positioned a chair in the water for a cool afternoons nap. I looked around the beach and decided to take a walk. There were many tourists doing different things but they all seemed happy and relaxed. While buying a cold bottle of water from the beach bar, I had a short talk with the vendor. He was a young Egyptian man called Esam. He seemed like he wanted to chat in Arabic because all day long he has to speak Italian with the guests. He told me he has been working here for more than five years and that he likes it here, as the place is calm and the guests are friendly to him. He told me that the Balbaa group is building a new resort called Habiba that should be finished in six months time. We spoke a bit about Marsa Alam and how it will grow in the coming few years before I thanked him and continued my walk. I noticed a small hill at the end of the beach with some decorations on top. Of course, I had to climb up to the top, where I found a grand view of the beach. In front of you there is the most amazing looking water with different shades of blue. To the left there is the Amaraya beach with huge mountains surrounding it. To the right, there is the Kahramana beach with a view straight off of a post card. The decorations on the hill itself including a big door locals call the time gate. This is because one can walkthrough it and view the sea as as it was 100 years ago. Kahramana has a nice seafood restaurant on this hill that opens in the afternoon and closes at midnight. Diving in Marsa Alam Diving is one of the major activities that brings people to Marsa Alam. This is because the Red Sea wears her finest clothing in this remote spot. Some of the fish and corals that are extremely rare. Especially some shark breeds can be found nowhere else. There are more than ten diving centers in Marsa Alam with the best imported equipment. Many European diving centers have branches in the city. Deep South, Wadi Gimal, Ocean Pro and Aquarius are probably the most popular and important diving centers in Marsa Alam.

Another diving center is Pioneer Divers, the oldest diving center in Marsa Alam. I visited this center, and found that, while they were one of the first to open in Marsa Alam, they have all kinds of modern technologies because they import everything from Europe. They have professional diving instructors that speak Italian, English, German and Spanish. Obviously, they are very experience. These guides are certified by major diving federations like PADI, SSI, and CMAS. The center provides all kinds of diving lessons and trips. There are many diving spots in Marsa Alam and Pioneer Divers organizes trips to all of these places. The most famous spot in Marsa Alam is Shaab Samadai or the Dolphin House. It is an all day trip with two dives viewing some of the oldest formations. There is also a high probability to snorkel with the dolphins. Another very famous diving spot in Marsa Alam is Elphinstone which is an offshore site for advanced diver. This is the best place in the world to swim with the sharks! Afternoon Activities