Cairo Off the Beaten Path Tips by Diana75

It’s an interesting experience as the Coptic-Orthodox mass is in Arabic and for a stranger sounds sometimes like a Muslim recitation.
The church is divided in two parts and the men stay on the left side while the women stay on the right. The church is full of kids and the Coptic women in Cairo seem more liberal that the normal Arabic women, only a few wearing the traditional outfit, the others preferring a more European style.
Although is in Arabic, some parts of the mass can be easily understood by a Christian.

Leave a Comment

At the back of Ben Ezer's Temple, in Old Cairo, is a very deep well.
This is the place where the coffer in which Moses was placed by his mother was found.
If you throw a stone into the well you can still hear the sound of the water.

Leave a Comment

Belbeis (or Bilbays), the ancient city of Philippos, in Sharqiah Governorate, lies 45 km north from Cairo.

This is not a place usually visited by a lot of travelers that why from a certain moment a military patrol accompanied our group.

According to the legend, when the Holy Family entered the city a funeral procession was leaving, accompanying on his last road the dead son of a widow.

Jesus felt great compassion for the poor widow and raised the dead man.

The Holy Family rested there in the shade of a tree which was called, "The Virgin Mary"s Tree", but today there is not evidence of the place were the tree was.

Belbeis was an important bishop centre in 4th Century AD, St. George Church being built in 1960 on the site of an ancient church.

Leave a Comment

Mostorod, place of miracles, is only 10 km away from Cairo.

On the way from Sinai to Cairo, the Holy Family arrived to Mostorod and stopped for a rest after a long way.

Here can e visited the Saint Mary Church, the cave where the Holy Family rest and the fountain built in 1st Century AD where Jesus caused a water spring to well up from the ground.

This area is also known as "Al Mahamma" which means "the Bathing Place", a name given to the town because the Virgin Mary bathed the Christ Child and washed his clothes.

According to the church's history, in 1185 AD on this place was an important church dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

The current church has been recently restored and has a nice collection of icons.

Everything around is poor, the church being hidden behind a gang.

Leave a Comment

On the left side of the Christian church in Mostorod a staircase is going down to a small cave where the Holy Family stayed.
On the other side of the staircase is the Jesus spring.

Leave a Comment

In Matariyah, the Holy Family stopped for a rest under a tree.
Here, too, the Infant Jesus caused water to flow from a spring, from which He drank and blessed, and in which the Virgin washed His clothes.

Leave a Comment

A remarkable thing is that everything around Mostorod is called after Virgin Mary's name: the church of the Virgin Mary, the mosque of the Virgin Mary, the fountain of the Virgin Mary and even the block of flats have Virgin Mary's name.

Leave a Comment

After giving a bath to Jesus, the Virgin Mary tippled the water on the land and on that place God made turn up a tree - "balsam", with a special blossom.

The essence of that tree is still used in the preparation of the scents and perfumes of which the holy Chrism is composed.

This place is known today as "Mary's Tree".

Leave a Comment

Near the Virgin Mary's Tree, on the right side of the road, is a small chapel.

The wooden doors are not isolating the inside and even if these are closed you can still admire the fresco presenting the Holy Family resting under the tree.

Leave a Comment

Behind the small chapel with the Holy Family fresco is an one-room building housing an exhibition.

The exhibition is displaying pictures of Christian sites in Egypt, maps and ancient objects.

Leave a Comment