The town of Wadi Natrun is primitive as is all Egyptian villages. It was raining a little during that day. It doesn't rain in Cairo but it does rain in Alexandria and since we were so close to Alexandria, it experienced some rain.
Wadi Natrun was known even in ancient times by the Pharaohs, they mine a certain salt there which they use for mummification. Today the government has supplied water and turned this place into a quasi oasis and everywhere on church compounds, the hose is running to water the flowers, fruits and vegetable gardens and Wadi Natrun looks like some lush European community.
We see a lot of visitors at St Bishoi.
Here is the drawbridge leading to the oldest part. This can raised and the invaders locked out while the Christians retreat to the secured part of the building where there are living quarters, water reservoir, kitchen and chapel and can live for a long time while the siege goes on outside.
Today, tourists from all over the world are the only people that trample on this drawbridge.
Look at the size of this door, it dates back to the 4th century.
We went on the roof top, to view the surrounding area.
Our tour guide, I forgot his name. He allowed photographs, he was very accommodating, he has to be, he wants the world to know their plight. Christians are not free to worship in Muslim countries. I told him I was from Malaysia and he knew where it was. I was a Christian living in a Muslim country.
Here is the chapel in the fortified area.
The remains of the water well.
The oven.
Here is the chapel in the fortified area.
The remains of the water well.
The oven.
This is the basis for Romanesque church construction, it started in monasteries like this in the 4th century.
The Coptic Christian liturgy.
He demonstrated a few Coptic hymns.
Christian monasticism was born in Egypt's Eastern Desert and not to have visited Wadi Natrun would have missed an important component of a visit to Egypt. The monasteries in Wadi Natrun is definitely more accessible than St Catherine in the Sinai desert. The easiest way to visit is to hire a taxi and be sure the taxi is in good condition but there's no way of checking because all the taxis are old and decrepit. I would say be sure it is a Peugeot from France. The French dumps all their old cars to Egypt. Ours was some Eastern European wreck but thank God it got us there and back. I was praying the whole time.
The Coptic Christian liturgy.
He demonstrated a few Coptic hymns.
Christian monasticism was born in Egypt's Eastern Desert and not to have visited Wadi Natrun would have missed an important component of a visit to Egypt. The monasteries in Wadi Natrun is definitely more accessible than St Catherine in the Sinai desert. The easiest way to visit is to hire a taxi and be sure the taxi is in good condition but there's no way of checking because all the taxis are old and decrepit. I would say be sure it is a Peugeot from France. The French dumps all their old cars to Egypt. Ours was some Eastern European wreck but thank God it got us there and back. I was praying the whole time.
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