Madinat Wadi an Natrun Travel Guide

 
by June.b
 
  •   Things to Do
    by June.b
  •   Things to Do
    by June.b
  •   Things to Do
    by June.b
  •   Things to Do
    by June.b
  •   Things to Do
    by June.b
 

Explore Madinat Wadi an Natrun

Things to Do  

Monastery of St. Pishoy

Monastery of St. Pishoy, Madinat Wadi an Natrun

 June.b Says:

The church of St. Pishoy

The church of St. Pishoy, Madinat Wadi an Natrun

 June.b Says:

The uncorrupted body of St. Bishoy

The uncorrupted body of St. Bishoy, Madinat Wadi an Natrun

 June.b Says:  In this room of the church lies the incorrupted body of St. Pishoy. People are praying, singing and touching it for whatever personal reasons. Prayer for the dead perhaps or religious beliefs.So I touched it too --- though I don't have much reason, I guess it feels good... 

Ancient refectory at the monastery of St. Pishoy

Ancient refectory at the monastery of St. Pishoy, Madinat Wadi an Natrun

 June.b Says:  Displaying old artefacts, the long refectory that was shown to us by Fr. Joakim was impressive. It has 5 domes, some have holes that allows natural light to come in which I mistook for round fluorescents. There's a very long platform that anciently serves as table for the... 

The Ancient Mill at the Monastery of St. Pishoy

The Ancient Mill at the Monastery of St. Pishoy, Madinat Wadi an Natrun

 June.b Says:  Fr. Joakim, the friendly monk at the monastery who gave us an unforgettable tour of the monastery let us see the ancient millhouse and we all take our turn trying the interesting old mill equipment there. It looks like it's good to work, but it just remain as an artefact... 

St. Pishoy Church

St. Pishoy Church, Madinat Wadi an Natrun

 June.b Says:  The church of St. Pishoy is the main church of the monastery which houses the incorrupted remain of the St. Pishoy, and relics of St. Paul of Tammah. 

The well of the martyrs

The well of the martyrs, Madinat Wadi an Natrun

 call_me_rhia Says:  The well of the martyrs is a well found in the 'Monastery of Al Anba Bishoy'. It refers to a fact that had happened in another monastery, Macarius monastery... 49 monks were killed there - and the killers, members of a Berber tribe, came to this well to wash their swords.... 

Church of the Holy Virgin

Church of the Holy Virgin, Madinat Wadi an Natrun

 call_me_rhia Says:  The Church of the Holy Virgin is the most important church in the Monastery of the Syrians. It's a rectangular church covered with the most amazing frescos one could imagine. most are incredibly well-preserved, too.There is a fresco of the three patriarchs(Abraham, Isaac and... 

Macarius' qasr

Macarius' qasr, Madinat Wadi an Natrun

 call_me_rhia Says:  The qasr of Saint Macarius is quite interesting: it is a three story building accessed by a drawbridge which - like in the other monasteries - is located on the first floor.On the ground floor there are the mills and well, and the store-rooms. On the first floor there is a... 

The church of the Elders

The church of the Elders, Madinat Wadi an Natrun

 call_me_rhia Says:  The Church of the Elders is a little church/chapel inside the Monastery of Saint Macarius. This is one of the most sacred places of the Monastery, as it is the burial ground of the 49 martyr monks that were killed by the Berbers in the past. The swords used to cut their... 

Bishoi's Qasr

Bishoi's Qasr, Madinat Wadi an Natrun

 call_me_rhia Says:  The Qasr is a tall-looking building right by the Monastery's entrance. It's free standing and connected top the rest of the monastery by a drawbridge: this is the fortress in which the monks used to hide during the Berbers' invasions. Inside the fortress there was always a... 

Transportation  

Getting there and around

Getting there and around, Madinat Wadi an Natrun

 call_me_rhia Says:  Although there are some people that swear that you can get to Wadi Natrun by public transportation, this is not entirely true. You can get to some nearby town by public transportation, but then you need a car with driver to head out to the different monasteries - and not all... 

Shopping  

religious craft: Al Anba Bishoy Monastery

religious craft: Al Anba Bishoy Monastery, Madinat Wadi an Natrun

 call_me_rhia Says:  Right outside Al Anba Bishoy Monastery there's a little row of shopos: one sells food (possibly to the monastery), one sells olives (possibly grown by the monks) and another - the largest - sells beautiful crafts made by the monks... religious craft as well as some pieces of... 

Local Customs  

Coptic Monks

Coptic Monks, Madinat Wadi an Natrun

 call_me_rhia Says:  Before I went to Egypt I knew little about the Coptic Church... now I still know very little. Coptic monks dress in a long black robe (it's the symbol that they have died from this world), wear a long beard, and a black cap with white coptic crosses. There are coptic priest,... 

Off The Beaten Path  

Monastery of Moses the Black

Monastery of Moses the Black, Madinat Wadi an Natrun

 call_me_rhia Says:  Next to Saint Bishoi Monasteries there's another monastery-in-the-making - or better an old monastery (probably the Monastery of Moses the Black, Deir Anba Mussa al-Aswad) that is being restored and retrieved from the sand.This restration started in 1971 by the Patriarch... 

Favorites  

Monastery of the Syrians

Monastery of the Syrians, Madinat Wadi an Natrun

 call_me_rhia Says:  The Monastery of the Syrians is called in Arabic Deir as-Suriani: it's the smallest and most compact of the 4 Wadi Natrun Monasteries. It's very near the Saint Bishoi monastery (500 metres) but it was settled two centuries later, after an internal dispute about the... 

Monastery of St. Macarius

Monastery of St. Macarius, Madinat Wadi an Natrun

 call_me_rhia Says:  The Monastery of St. Macarius is the most difficult to visit of the four monasteries of Wadi Natrun. it's normally closed to the public, unless you have made prior arrangments in Cairo... where, I don't know. We were incredibly lucky - when we arrived there was a Coptic... 

Wadi Natrun

Wadi Natrun, Madinat Wadi an Natrun

 call_me_rhia Says:  Wadi Natrun is a semi-arid plain about 100 kilometres from Cairo, roughly off the Cairo/Alexandria road. It's home to 4 wonderful and old coptic monasteries: Al Baramus, As Suriani, Al Anba Bishoy, Abu Maqar. In the past, however, there were more than 50 monasteries - which... 

Monastery of Al Anba Bishoy

Monastery of Al Anba Bishoy, Madinat Wadi an Natrun

 call_me_rhia Says:  The Monastery of Al Anba Bishoy was founded by St. Bishoy in the 300's AD. There are five churches in this large monastery: the churches of St. Bishoi, of the Virgin, of St. Iskhirun, of St. George and of the Angel Michael (in the castle). Theres also a building, called the... 

The Place

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Experience Madinat Wadi an Natrun
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The People

 
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 The church of St. Pishoy is the main church of the monastery which houses the incorrupted remain of the St. Pishoy, and relics of St. Paul of Tammah. 

 

Questions and Answers

hslowe profile photo

Q:  How long does it take to get from Cairo to Wadi Natrun? And if you had a choice between going there and going to see the... 

poortrekkers profile photo

A: I think you want the northern africa/Egypt forum--Johannesburg is about 8000 miles south (at least). 

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Top 2 Madinat Wadi an Natrun Writers

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the other egypt

call_me_rhia profile photo

  coptic monasteries in wadi natrun . . 

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Wadi El Natrun

June.b profile photo

 It may not be on the top list of must-see sights in Egypt but we were amazed by the kindness of the monks in the monastery of St. Pishoy there. The most popular one was founded by Saint Pishoy in the... 

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