UHRJWY
Y-A-
SlUtrnta (Bxffjiwnsta
THE
Churches and Monasteries of Egypt
AND
Some Neighbouring Countries
ATTRIBUTED TO
ABU SALIH, THE ARMENIAN
EDITED ANDt TRANSLATED
BY
B. T. A. EVETTS, M.A.
TRINITY COLLEGE, OXFORD
WITH ADDED NOTES
BY
ALFRED J. BUTLER, M.A, ES.A
FELLOW OF BRASEN'OSE COLLEGE, OXFORD
xfotlr
AT THE CLARENDON PRESS
1895
Bonbon
HENRY FROWDE
Oxford University Tress Warehouse
Amen Corner, E.C.
MACMIU.AN & CO., 66 FIFTH AVENUE
CONTENTS
~**~
PAGE
Preface . v-viii
Introduction ix-xxv
English Translation 1-304
Appendix 305-346
Indexes :
I. Index of Churches and Monasteries in Egypt . . 347-352
II. Supplementary Geographical Index 353-358
III. Index of Personal Names 359-373
IV. Index of General Names 374-382
Arabic Text i-ifr
a 2 [IJ. 7]
PREFACE.
The History attributed to Abu Salih the Armenian is here edited
for the first time, by the kind permission of the Minister of Public
Instruction and of the Administrator of the National Library in Paris,
from the unique MS. purchased by Vansleb in Egypt in the seven-
teenth century, and now preserved in that Institution. The present
edition is based upon a copy made by the editor from the original,
which he afterwards had the advantage of comparing with another
copy most liberally placed at his disposal by M. l'Abbe Hyvernat,
together with the results of a collation by Professor Ignazio Guidi.
To these eminent scholars, therefore, the editor begs to express his
deepest gratitude. Professor Margoliouth has also had the goodness
to look through both the copy of the text and the translation, and
to elucidate many points of difficulty. Mr. Alfred Butler, whose book
on the Coptic Churches forms the only work of importance existing
on that subject, has generously 'consented to aid in the interpretation
of an obscure author by his knowledge of Coptic history and
archaeology ; and his contributions to the work are by no means
limited to the notes which bear his initials. The system adopted
in the transcription of Arabic names is similar to that used in
Mr. Butler's Coptic Chinches. It docs not pretend to be perfect.
vi PRE FA CE.
and among other defects does not express the J of the article before
the ' solar letters,' or the shortening of the long final vowel in y\ and
other words before the article, or the Hamzah except in the middle
of a word ; nor are the nuances in the pronunciation of the vowels
indicated ; but perhaps no other system is preferable to this. The
vocalization of the Arabic forms of names of places is, where possible,
that of Yakut, as being in use at the time of our author.
In the transcription of the text the original has been closely
followed, the diacritical points alone being added where they were
wanting. Some of the deviations, however, from classical ortho-
graphy and grammar are indicated by foot-notes on the first few pages
of the text.
The existence of the work has long been known to scholars
through the references made to 'Abu Selah,' and the passages quoted
from him by Eusebe Renaudot and Etienne Quatremere. Recently
also, M. Amelineau, in his Geographic de lEgypte a tepoque copte, has
made some little use of the history of Abu Salih, although he has by
no means extracted all the information which the book affords on the
subject of Egyptian geography.
M. Amelineau seems to be fully aware of the value of the work
of Abu Salih, at least in certain portions. On the other hand, he
seems to have an exaggerated idea of the difficulties presented by
the MS. 'It is very badly written in point of language,' he says,
' and most of the diacritical points are wanting ; yet I have translated
' the whole of it, in spite of the difficulties which it presents. I believe
' that the MS. is incomplete in several parts, and has been badly
' bound together. The possessor of the MS. has erased the Coptic
'numerical figures at the top of each leaf, in order, no doubt, that
'the absence of part of the MS. might escape notice. Nevertheless,
'the figures arc still visible, and enable me to conclude that a con-
PREFA CE. vii
'siderable part of the MS. is wanting, and that the leaves are not
'arranged in their proper order. Moreover, it is often impossible to
' translate, because the sense cannot be completed.'
The French scholar here seems to overstate the case. From an
examination of the MS. made by the authorities of the National
Library, the editor is able to say that, while it is true that no less
than twenty-two leaves are wanting at the beginning of the book, the
rest of the leaves are bound in their proper order, according to the
Coptic ciphers, which are still visible, as M. Amelineau states ; with
the single exception of the leaf which formed the thirtieth folio of
the MS. in its original state, but which is now wanting. The reader,
therefore, will understand that there is a lacuna between fol. 8, accord-
ing to Lie new or Arabic pagination, and fol. 9, which bears in the
MS. the Coptic number 31 ; and that the words at the beginning
of fol. 9, 'This revenue,' &c, do not refer to the preceding estimate
of the revenues of Egypt. The owner of the MS. seems to have
supplied the first folio himself, and to have given a new pagination
in Arabic figures to the remaining portion of the original book, so
that folio 23 became folio 2, and so on. It should be added that the
Coptic figures are wanting on fol. 38, which formed fol. 60 of the
complete MS., and also on the last two folios.
The word Isij on fol. 12a is translated as 'Extreme Unction,'
a meaning which the word bears at least in Africa. In late Arabic,
however, Lsij is also a nomen verbi of -Jj , and signifies ' to marry ' or
' marriage,' so that our author may perhaps here refer to a practice of
marrying within the prohibited degrees then existing among the Copts.
The statements of the Coptic Synaxarium, occasionally quoted in
the notes to the present edition of Abu Salih, are not guaranteed
as being always historically accurate. For instance, the Emperor
Diocletian is usually represented, without reference to his colleagues in
viii PREFACE.
the empire, as himself carrying on the persecution which goes by his
name, although in reality he abdicated two years after the promulgation
of the edict which sanctioned and originated it : and, to take another
example, St. Theodore is called ' magister militum,' although this
office was not instituted until the reign of Constantine. Nevertheless
valuable traditions of early Church history, and in particular of the
great persecution itself, are embodied both in the Synaxarium and in
the Coptic Acts of tlie Martyrs, on which it is partly founded.
INTRODUCTION
The sole indication which we possess of the name of our author is
to be found in the title inscribed on the first page of the MS. This
title, however, was supplied, as it has already been said, by a later
hand ; and it is, moreover, obviously incomplete. No name is there
given to the work, beyond the meagre designation of ' chronicle ' or
' history ; ' and this is so contrary to the rule of Arabic literature that it
is enough by itself to prove that the original title had been lost. The
author is designated by his praenomen only, as 'Abu Salih the Armenian.'
It is a recognized fact in Arabic orthography that the proper name Salih
(Jl^) is one of those which may by common custom be written defectively
without the 1 ; see Vernier, Grammaire arabe, i. p. 91. Hence there is no
reason to adopt the form 'Abu Selah,' used by Renaudot, Ouatremere,
Amelineau, and others. It must, in the absence of further proof, re-
main doubtful whether 'Abu Salih ' can be taken as the true praenomen
[kunyak) of the author of the present work. His nationality, on the
other hand, may be inferred, not only from the title, but also from the
internal evidence of the book, for the lengthy description of the Armenian
churches, and of the affairs of the Armenian patriarch, would tend to
show that the writer had a special connexion with the Armenian nation ;
and, although he often speaks as though his sympathies and interests
were bound up with those of the Copts, we must remember that this very
Armenian patriarch, of whom we 'have spoken, was consecrated in the
presence of Gabriel, the seventieth patriarch of the Copts (Renaudot, Hist.
Patr. pp. 57~59) '> an< 3 there are many other proofs of friendly intercourse
between the two races. Moreover, on fol. 3 a, the Armenian form of the
name Sergius (\)uipfyf,u, Sarfcis) is, as Mr. F. C. Conybeare recognizes,
correctly transcribed in Arabic as u-^, Sharkis, and explained as being
equivalent to i*^, Sirjah. It may be maintained, therefore, as a proba-
b [II. 7-]
It
X
CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
bility, that the author of the work was Armenian by nationality. It is
surprising, however, that M. Amelineau says that ' Abou Selah (sic) visited
Egypt at the moment when the Armenians were all-powerful in that
country.' It is surely much more probable that Abu Salih, if that was
his name, was not a mere visitor to Egypt, but rather a member of the
Armenian colony, the ancestors of which had settled there at the end of
the eleventh century of our era, under the protection of Badr al-Jamali, the
Armenian vizier to the caliph Al-Mustansir ; and that our author had been
born and bred in the country. This would explain his Arabic name, the
fact of his writing in Arabic, and his familiarity with the history of Egypt.
As for his being in Egypt at a time of Armenian preponderance in the state,
the facts are precisely the contrary. There is no proof that the Armenians
were in special favour under the three last of the Fatimide caliphs, and
the greater part of our author's life must have been passed during a time
when the Armenians in Egypt had succumbed to the misfortunes which
overtook them at the time of the Kurdish invasion, and had been much
reduced in numbers. Of these misfortunes our author was an eye-witness.
The work itself affords sufficient internal evidence of the date of its
composition, for the author constantly refers to events which, he says,
happened in his own time, and to incidents in his own life, of which he
gives us the date. Thus on fol. 4 b he tells us of an interview which he
had at Cairo with the physician Abu '1-Kasim al-'Askalani, in A. H. 568
= A. D. 1173. Again on fol. 61 a he mentions a visit which he paid in
A. H. 569 A. D. 1174 to the monastery of Nahya. But the latest date
given in the book is that of the death of Mark ibn al-Kanbar in the
month of Amshir A.M. 924 = Jan-Feb., A. D. 1208. The composition
of the work, therefore, may confidently be assigned to the first years
of the thirteenth century of our era, when the writer had probably
reached a considerable age.
In spite of these distinct indications of date, however, M. Amelineau
speaks as if the work had been composed at a much later period,
for he begins his account of Abu Salih as follows : ' I must also
1 speak of an author who wrote in Arabic, and who has left us a history
'of the churches and monasteries of Egypt, written in the year 1054 of
1 the Martyrs, that is to say in the year 1338 of our era. He was called
INTRODUCTION. xi
' Abou Selah (sic), and was an Armenian by nationality' (Gt ! ogr. p. xxiv).
The fact is that M. Amelineau is here speaking of the date at which the
copy, now in the National Library, was made ; but his readers may
certainly be pardoned if they understand him to be giving the date of
the composition of the work. It is quite true that the copy was finished
onBa'unah 2, A.M. io54 = Dhu '1-Ka'dah 8, A.H. 738 = May 27, a.d. 1348,
as the copyist himself informs us in his note at the end of the book.
The title supplied by a later hand on fol. 1 b of the MS. describes
the book as a ' history, containing an account of the districts and fiefs of
' Egypt.' As, however, the principal part of the work is taken up
with an account of churches and monasteries, with regard to which it
supplies us with much original information, I have furnished the new
title of ' Churches and Monasteries of Egypt.' This new title is in
accordance with the description of the MS. in the catalogue of the
National Library, where it is called 'Histoire des eglises et des
' monasteres de l'Egypte.' The object of the author would seem to
have been to collect information of all sorts about Egypt and the
neighbouring countries ; but he evidently desired above all to describe
the churches and monasteries, and to narrate incidents of ecclesiastical
history. It is to those concerned with this last-named branch of study
that the work of Abu Salih should be of special interest.
The only work now existing in Arabic of a similar character to the
present work is that portion of the Khitat of Al-Makrizi which contains
an account of the Coptic churches and monasteries, and which is affixed
as an appendix to this volume. Other Mahometan writers, however,
besides Al-Makrizi, composed works, which are now lost, on the subject
of the Christian monasteries, and the most celebrated of them was Ash-
Shabushti, who is quoted by our author and also by Al-Kazwini, Yakut,
Al-Makrizi, and others.
Indeed, one of the most interesting features of the present work
is the constant reference w r hich it makes to the relations between the
Christians of Egypt and their Mahometan fellow-countrymen. These
relations, naturally, varied in their character from time to time. There
were periods of disturbance, marked by outrages committed by the
stronger race upon the weaker, by riots, incendiarism, murders, or even
b 2
xii CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
by systematic persecution, as in the reign of the caliph Al- Hakim. But
there were also periods when the two races lived peacefully side by side,
and the adherents of the two creeds were on the best of terms with one
another. Sometimes the Muslim governors would authorize and even
assist in the restoration of the churches, contrary as this was to the
written law of Islam. Mahometans were in some places allowed to be
present at the celebration of the Christian liturgy, although the stricter
among the Copts regarded this as a profanation. One of the most wealthy
and magnificent princes that have ever ruled Egypt, Khamarawaih, the son
of Ahmad ibn Tulun, used to spend hours in silent admiration before the
mosaics, representing the Virgin and Child, attended by Angels, and
surrounded by the Twelve Apostles, in the Melkite church at the
monastery of Al-Kusair, where, moreover, he built a loggia in order that
he might sit there with his friends to enjoy the scenery, and, it must be
confessed, also to quaff the good wine, prepared by the monks and fully
appreciated by the laxer followers of the Arabian prophet.
The present work in its existing form is an abridgment of the
original, as the copyist himself informs us in his final note. He adds
that his abridgment has been unsuccessfully carried out, and while
we may admire his modesty, we must of necessity agree with him on
this point. Nothing could be worse than the present form of the work,
which resembles rather a collection of undigested notes than a deliberate
composition in its finished shape. That feature of the book which it is
most difficult to understand is the repetition of passages on the same
subject, and sometimes almost in the same words. We meet with
a short account of some place, which is then dropped, and the history
proceeds to the discussion of other matters, only to recur some pages
further on to the subject which it had apparently left. Thus, for instance,
the passage on the Fayyum on fol. 18 is repeated in slightly different
terms on fol. 70 ; the description of Busir Bana and other places on
fol. 17 occurs again, almost word for word, on fol. 68 ; and often after
leaving a place, we are brought back to it and receive further information
about it. There appears to be no arrangement or order in the work at all.
We do not know what may have been the subjects which occupied the
first score of leaves, now lost to us. It may, perhaps, be conjectured
INTRODUCTION. xiii
that they were filled with an account of the churches of Lower Egypt and
Cairo, and of the monasteries of the Wadi Habib, which could hardly be
neglected in such a work. Probably also we have lost part of the
history of the Armenians in Egypt.
The book, as we have it at present, opens with an account of the
Armenian monastery and churches at Al-Basatin, a little to the south of
Cairo. The latter buildings consisted of a ' Great Church,' or main building,
to which a smaller church or chapel was attached after the manner of
churches in Egypt. Sometimes these dependent churches were on the
same floor as the principal edifice, and sometimes they formed an upper
story to it. The mention of the Armenian monastery and churches leads
our author to a digression on the recent history of the Armenians in Egypt,
and on the misfortunes which had befallen them during his own lifetime.
He then starts off upon quite a different matter, namely the revenues of
the Coptic church and of the Egyptian rulers ; but this is a subject to
which he recurs quite unexpectedly in one or two subsequent paragraphs.
Then comes what is almost the only uninterrupted narrative or descrip-
tion in the book, that is the account of the so-called heretic Mark ibn
al-Kanbar. Next follows a list of certain remarkable features of Egypt
and of distinguished men who have lived in that country ; but in the
middle of this is inserted a note on the churches of Busir Bana and other
places. Then, after a note on the boundaries of Egypt, comes an account of
the city of Al-Fustat and its churches, which would seem to be fairly system-
atic and complete were it not for notes on king Aftutis, the revenues of
Egypt, Nebuchadnezzar and the patriarch Demetrius, inserted in the middle
of it without any apparent occasion for them. After describing the churches
of Al-Fustat, our author proceeds up the Nile, noticing the churches and
monasteries in the towns and villages, principally, of course, on the
more populous western bank ; but he does not go straight on in his
journey; he frequently dashes from south to north, and then again from
north to south in a manner which would horrify us in a modern guide to
the Nile ; and he still keeps up his trick of inserting notes from time to
time on perfectly irrelevant matters. After reaching Nubia, our author
returns again down the Nile for a short visit to certain places in Egypt
which he had passed over ; and then he suddenly takes us to Abyssinia,
xiv CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
to India, to North-Africa, and even to Spain, and the shores of the
Atlantic, ending up with south-western Arabia, and with the mention
of certain ancient cities, the foundation of which is referred to the
remotest antiquity.
The most valuable part of the present work is probably that part
which the author based upon his own experience, and did not borrow
from other writers. Much of the information with which he supplies us
on the churches and monasteries of Egypt seems to be of this character.
Thus he himself tells us that great part of his account of the Monastery
of Nahya is derived from what he saw and heard during a visit which
he paid there for devotional purposes in the year 569 of the Hegira.
A young monk whom he met in the monastery on this occasion seems
to have been questioned by him, and to have discoursed to him at some
length on the history of the place. It may be taken for granted that
our author had also visited in person the churches and monasteries of
Cairo and its neighbourhood, and had made similar enquiries of the
priests and monks as to the foundation and restoration of these buildings
and other matters of interest concerning them. But how far our author
had travelled up the Nile is doubtful ; and perhaps he had not himself
seen the great White Monastery of Saint Sinuthius, opposite to Ikhmim.
If he had been in that neighbourhood, he would surely also have spoken
of the ' Red Monastery.' Similarly, it is probable that he had not paid
a personal visit to the Monastery of Saint Anthony near the Red Sea,
for if he had, he would have given a fuller account of the neighbouring
Monastery of Saint Paul.
Some of our author's statements with regard to these churches
and monasteries which he had not himself seen, probably rest upon
the testimony of some of his friends and acquaintances whom he
questioned on the subject. Part, however, of what he tells us is
borrowed from the Book of the Monasteries of Ash-Shabushti, a work
in prose and verse much read at the time. The author, Abu '1-Husain
'Ali ibn Muhammad ash-Shabushti, was a Mahometan, and his work
is a proof of the constant practice on the part of Muslims of resort-
ing to the Christian monasteries, for the purpose of sauntering in
their gardens, sitting in their galleries and loggias, and drinking their
INTRODUCTION. xv
wines. Besides Ash-Shabushti, other writers, such as Abu Bakr
Muhammad al-Khalidi, Abu 'Uthman Sad al-Khalidi, and Abu 1-Faraj
al-Isfahani, composed works on the monasteries in the course of the
tenth century of our era, and Ibn Khallikan tells us that many other
books were written in the Arabic language on the same subject. The
work of Ash-Shabushti contained an account of all the monasteries of
Al-'Irak, Al-Mausil, Mesopotamia, Syria, and Egypt, with all the poems
composed on them, and a history of the events which concerned them.
It is unfortunate that this work is lost, and only known to us through
quotations made from it by other writers. Ash-Shabushti, who is said
to have died at Al-Fustat or 'Old Cairo ' in A.H. 388 or 390, was private
librarian and reader to the Fatimide caliph Al-'Aziz, and his agreeable
manners and conversation led the sovereign to make him his constant
boon-companion. It is in accordance with this character that he wrote
of the monasteries chiefly as places for enjoying pleasant social inter-
course and drinking wine. The surname Ash-Shabushti is difficult to
explain, and Ibn Khallikan says that he ' repeatedly made researches to
' discover the origin of the surname, but that all his pains were fruitless,
' until he found that the chamberlain to the Dailamite prince Washmaghir
' ibn Ziyar was also called Ash-Shabushti, from which it appears that
' this is a Dailamite family name.'
Part of our author's information with regard to the churches and
monasteries of Egypt, and to the ecclesiastical history of that country,
is derived from the Biographies of the Patriarchs ; compiled in the ninth
century by Severus, bishop of Al-Ushmunain, and from the continuation
of the Biographies by a later writer. The name of this work is
well known to scholars, because Renaudot based upon it the greater
part of his Historia Patriarcharam Alexandrinorum J acobitantm ;
but the work itself has never been published, either in the original
Arabic or in a translation, although copies of it are to be found in
European libraries. The publication of this work is much to be desired,
as it affords a great mass of information on the ecclesiastical history of
Egypt, since the schism of Dioscorus, which is not supplied from any
other source ; and although Renaudot has revealed to the learned
world part of its contents, there is a very large part only to be known
xvi CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
at present through a study of the original Arabic MSS. It is from
these patriarchal biographies that our author borrows the greater part
of what he tells us on the subject of the history of the Coptic patriarchs,
and part of what he says on the churches and monasteries. It is thence
that he takes, for instance, his account of the visit of Al-Kasim to the
White Monastery.
The Patriarchal Biographies of Severus of Al-Ushmunain are based
in their earlier portion, as he himself tells us, on Greek and Coptic
documents preserved in the ancient Monastery of Saint Macarius in the
Nitrian Valley. In the later part the compiler has inserted the works of
certain writers almost without change, such as the biography of the
patriarch Kha'il or Michael by John the deacon, a contemporary and
acquaintance of that patriarch, and a considerable portion of the series
written by George, archdeacon and secretary of the patriarch Simon.
Many of our author's quotations are taken from the life of the patriarch
Michael.
Another writer, to whom our author is considerably indebted, is
better known to European readers, since his history was published in
1654-6 by Pococke, at Oxford. This is Said ibn al-Batrik, the Melkite
patriarch of Alexandria, whose name was translated into Greek in the
form Eutychius. He was a famous physician, as well as a priest, and
composed a medical work in addition to his historical labours. His
chief work, however, was that from which our author quotes, namely the
Nazm al-JauJiar or Row of Jezvels, to which the European editor has
given the Latin title of Eutychii Annates. It is a history, beginning
with the earliest events narrated in the Bible, and continued down to
the author's own time; but its most valuable part is the ecclesiastical
chronicle of Egypt which it contains. The author was born at Al-Fustat
in A.M. 263 = A. D. 877, became Melkite patriarch of Alexandria in
A. H. 321 =A. D. 932, and-died in the latter city in A. H. 328 = A. D. 940.
Our author makes more references than one to a writer whom he
calls Mahbub ibn Kustantin al-Manbaji, that is ' Mahbub, son of Con-
' stantine, a native of the city of Manbaj.' This writer also bore the Greek
name Agapius, corresponding to his Arabic appellation. He composed
a history of the world in two parts, of which a copy of the first part is
INTRODUCTION. xvii
preserved at Oxford, and a copy of the second part, relating events from
the Incarnation onwards, exists at Florence. The latter work, however*
has been carried on by a continuator down to the year A. D. 1312, and
this has occasioned the erroneous belief that Mahbub himself lived in
the fourteenth century. Mahbub is a writer several times quoted by
Al-Makin in the first part of his history. According to the Florentine
MS., Mahbub or Agapius was a Jacobite or monophysite bishop of
Manbaj.
Use was also made in the work now edited of a History of the
Councils, of the homilies of the patriarch Theophilus. and of a Guide to
the Festivals. It seems that there were several of such Guides in the
ecclesiastical literature of Egypt, and the Synaxaria were partly based
upon them. Our author was, moreover, acquainted with some at least of
the biblical books, and he quotes from the Pentateuch, the Prophets, and
the Gospels.
He would seem to have read the romance of Aura, which still exists
in Arabic, and was probably translated from the Coptic.
The curious work called the Book of Clement or Apocalypse of Peter
is also quoted by our author at the end of his history. Copies of this
work exist in Europe, as, for instance, in Paris and at Oxford.
Our author does not tell us whence he derived his accounts of Nubia,
of Abyssinia, and of the Indian Christians. Of Nubia he may have
read in the work of 'Abd Allah ibn Ahmad ibn Sula'im, quoted by
Al-Makrizi. Of Abyssinia he may have learnt something from the
envoys who frequently arrived in Egypt from that country, as bearers
of despatches addressed to the Coptic patriarch. Of India he may
have received information from the mouths of Christian travellers ; or
perhaps those Indian priests who at the end of the seventh century
came to Egypt, to beg the Coptic ' patriarch to send out a bishop to
their fellow-countrymen, may have left behind them some account of
the state of Christianity in India.
In those parts of his work which treat of the general history of
Egypt, our author chiefly follows Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam and Al-Kindi.
Copies of the Futuh Misr or History of the Conquest of Egypt by the
Muslims, composed by the former of these two writers, exist in Paris.
C [II. 7.]
xviii CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
The author, 'Abd ar-Rahman 'Abd Alldh ibn 'Abd al-Hakam, seems to
have written at the end of the second century of the Hegira, but the
work was continued by his disciples, and in the Paris MSS. goes down
to the end of the third century. There is little legend in the work,
which consists chiefly of pure history, and in this respect compares
favourably with later histories, such as those of Al-Makrizi and As-
Suyuti. Al-Kindi, who is called by Haji Khalfah the first Arab historian
of Egypt, died in A. H. 247 = A. D. 860. or according to others in A. H. 350 =
A. D. 961. The title of his great work was Khitat Misr or TopograpJiy
and History of Misr, its object being to describe the foundation of the
city of Misr and its subsequent alterations. This work seems to have
been the basis and model of the later works named Khitat, such as that
of Al-Makrizi. Two other works of Al-Kindi exist in manuscript at the
British Museum, namely a History of the Governors of Egypt and a
History of the Cadis. Al-Kindi also wrote a book called Fadd'il Misr
or Excellences of Egypt, which is quoted by our author more than
once. The full name of Al-Kindi is Abu 'Umar Muhammad ibn Yusuf
al-Kindi. Some of his works were continued by Abu Muhammad
al-Hasan ibn Ibrahim ibn Zulak, who died A. H. 387 = a. D. 997, and
who is once quoted by our author, through a copyist's error, as An-Nasr
ibn Zulak.
The great history of At-Tabari had also formed the subject of our
author's studies, as he shows by his reference towards the end of the
work.
Finally, our author, although a Christian, shows on more than one
occasion that he is not unacquainted with the Koran itself, thus giving
a fresh proof of the friendly feeling which existed between Christians
and Muslims at the beginning of the thirteenth century of our era.
From the account given above of the plan, or rather want of plan, of
Abu Salih's work, it will be seen that it resembles a note-book which
has not yet been put into order, rather than a formal composition. It is
clear then that such a book could hardly be worth publication were it
not that, in the words of the author, ' he has here collected information
which is not to be found in the work of any other writer.'
The present work is full of allusions to the history of Egypt, and
INTRODUCTION. xix
especially to the more important periods, such as the Mahometan
conquest, the overthrow of the Omeyyad dynasty, the rule of Ahmad
ibn Tulun and his son Khamarawaih, and the invasion by the Fatimide
caliph Al-Mu'izz. The conquest of Egypt began in A.H. 18, when 'Amr
ibn al-'Asi entered the country by the Syrian frontier, and subdued the
imperial forces in a battle near Pelusium, where the Arab town of Al-
Farama afterwards stood. 'Amr then advanced upon the fortress of
Babylon, about ten miles to the south of Heliopolis, which was, after
a long siege, ceded to him by the treachery of George son of Mennas, the
' Mukaukis.' After this it was necessary to attack the capital of the
country, Alexandria, and here again serious resistance was offered to
the Muslims. The siege of Alexandria lasted several months, so that the
conquest of Egypt was not completed until the first of Muharram,
A. H. 20 (a. D. 641). The conqueror did not, however, select Alexandria
as his capital, but chose a spot easier of access from Mecca and Medina,
namely the Fortress of Babylon and its neighbourhood, as the site of
the new city which he founded and named Fustat Misr.
From the time of the conquest, Egypt was governed by walis,
appointed by the caliphs, who rarely visited the country themselves.
The last of the Omeyyad caliphs, however, Marwan II, who reigned
from A. H. 126 to 133, took refuge in Egypt from the armies of the new
claimant to the caliphate, As-Saffah, the Abbaside. The Khorassanian
troops of the latter pursued Marwan, who set fire to the city of Fustat
Misr, and, having crossed the Nile, destroyed all the boats upon the river
in order to stop the progress of the enemy. A vivid picture of this
disastrous conflict is given us by an eye-witness, the contemporary
biographer of the Coptic patriarch Michael, whose life is included in
the compilation of Severus of Al-Ushmunain. The Khorassanians soon
found boats with which to cross the 'river ; and they pursued Marwan as
far as Busir Kuridus, near the entrance to the Fayyum, where they put
him to death. His head was sent round the country as a proof of the
extinction of the Omeyyad dynasty and the victory of the Abbasides.
The Omeyyad caliphs had resided at Damascus, and the Abbasides
established their court in A. D. 750 at the newly-erected city of Bagdad,
so that Egypt was still ruled by walis, who, on account of their remote-
c 2
xx CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
ness from the seat of the central government, soon became practically
independent. One of the most celebrated governors of Egypt was
Ahmad ibn Tulun, who ruled the country from A. H. 254 to 270. By
this time the importance of the city of Fustat Misr had greatly
diminished. The Hamras or quarters to the north of Al-Fustat,
founded at the time of the Arab conquest, had fallen into decay, and
the ground had become bare of houses ; but upon the flight of Marwan
into Egypt, the Abbaside troops had settled upon it, and gave it its new
name of Al-'Askar, and here the emirs who ruled Egypt resided. It
was in this quarter, now called the quarter of Ibn Tulun, that Ahmad
built his great mosque. He no longer, however, chose to reside here,
but founded the new quarter of Al-KataY, which extended from the
lowest spurs of the Mukattam hills to the mosque of Ibn Tulun.
Neither Al-'Askar nor Al-KataT was destined to exist long. When the
Fatimide caliph Al-M u'izz sent his general Jauhar to invade Egypt, the
latter demolished the houses between Al-Fustat and his own new city of
Cairo, which formed these two quarters, and they thus entirely disappeared,
save for the Christian monasteries and churches, which, as Abu Salih
tells us, still remained in the Hamras, as the antiquaries of Egypt
continued to call the place.
Between the fall of the Omeyyads and the appearance of the
Fatimides, it would seem that the Christians of Egypt enjoyed greater
prosperity than had been their lot during the later days of the fallen
dynasty. Nor do the Fatimide caliphs appear to have treated their
Christian subjects with harshness, with the notable exception of the
fanatical Al-Hakim, the great persecutor of the Copts and Syrians.
The work now published is full of instances of benevolence shown to
the Copts, and practical favours conferred upon them by Mahometan
rulers and officials.
The work of Abu Salih was composed immediately after a great
revolution in the affairs of Egypt, following the invasion of the Kurds
and Ghuzz under the leadership of Shirkuh and Saladin. This invasion
was due to the unscrupulous intrigues of Shawar as-Sa'di, the vizier of
the last of the Fatimide caliphs, Al-'Adid li-dini 'Hah. Shawar had
been in the service of a former vizier, As-Salih ibn Ruzzik, who
INTRODUCTION. xxi
appointed him wall of Upper Egypt, a post only second in importance
to the vizierate ; and in this capacity Shawar had shown much ability,
and gained great influence over the principal officials of the country.
On the death of As-Salih, however, in the year 556 (a. d. 1161), his son
and successor in the vizierate, Al-'Adil, jealous of Shawar's influence,
deprived him of his office, in spite of the warnings against such a step
which had been uttered by Ibn Ruzzik upon his death-bed. Shawar
assembled a body of troops, marched to Cairo early in the year 558,
and, on the flight of Al-'Adil, pursued him and put him to death,
himself assuming the reins of government as vizier, under the nominal
supremacy of the Fatimide caliph.
In the month of Ramadan of the same year, however, a fresh
aspirant to the vizierate appeared in the person of Ad-Dirgham, who,
collecting a body of troops, forced Shawar to flee from Cairo, and put
himself in his place. Thus, in the course of the year 5,58, the post of
vizier was held by three statesmen in succession. Shawar, however,
took the bold step of making his way to Syria, and applying for aid
to Nur ad-Din, the most powerful Mahometan prince of his time.
Accordingly, in the month of Jumada the First of the year 559, Nur
ad-Din despatched a body of Turkish and Kurdish troops to Egypt
under the command of a Kurdish general, then in his service, named
Asad ad-Din Shirkuh. On the arrival of the army of Nur ad-Din,
Dirgham was defeated and slain, and Shawar was restored to his post
of vizier. He, however, now refused to perform his part of the contract,
and would neither grant money nor land to the troops, nor send to Nur
ad-Din that portion of the revenues of Egypt which he had promised.
Upon this, the Kurdish general seized the city of Bilbais, and great part
of the province of Ash-Sharkiyah. The unscrupulous vizier, however,
instead of satisfying the just expectations of his auxiliaries, sent messen-
gers to the natural enemy of his countrymen and his religion, the Frankish
king of Jerusalem, offering him a sum of money if he would defend
Egypt against Nur ad-Din and his troops, who, he said, had formed
the design of conquering the valley of the Nile. Complying with this
request, Amaury led a body of troops to Egypt and besieged Shirkuh
at Bilbais during three months, but without success in spite of the low
xxii CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
walls and the absence of a moat. Suddenly the news came that Nur ad-
Din had captured Harim, and was marching upon Baniy^s. On hearing
this, the Franks hastened homewards to defend their own country, after
inducing the besieged general, who was ignorant of any cause for the Frank-
ish retreat, to make terms by which he bound himself to leave Egypt also.
In the year 562, Asad ad-Din Shirkuh was again sent to Egypt by
Nur ad-Din, who was now filled with the desire of subduing that country,
and had obtained from the Abbaside caliph Al-Mustadi a sanction for
his enterprise, which made it a crusade with the object of extinguishing
the rival dynasty of the Fatimides. Amaury, however, was again induced
by a bribe to come to the rescue of Shawar and his nominal master
Al-'Adid, and this time actually entered Cairo, while a sandstorm
destroyed part of the army of Shirkuh, who was forced to retreat. In
the same campaign, part of Amaury's army was defeated by Shirkuh,
and Alexandria submitted to the Kurdish general ; but finally the latter
retired from Egypt after a blockade which drove him to make terms
with the king of the Franks.
The third and final campaign of Shirkuh in Egypt began in the
month of Rabf the First of the year 564. The Frankish king had soon
broken off his alliance with the Fatimide caliph, on the plea of treachery
on the part of the Egyptians, and making a sudden descent upon Al-
Farama, the ancient Pelusium, he had put the inhabitants to the sword.
Shawar now once more asked for help from Nur ad-Din, whom he had
treated so unfaithfully, and Shirkuh with his nephew Yusuf ibn Ayyub
Salah ad-Din, known to Europe as Saladin, led an army to the frontiers
of Egypt, where they found the Frankish troops who had been detained
there by a stratagem on the part of Shawar, and who now had to beat
a hasty and disastrous retreat. Shirkuh now took possession of Egypt,
under the sanction of the Fatimide caliph, whose nominal rule he for
the present maintained. The assassination of Shawar, however, was a
natural and rapid consequence of the Kurdish occupation ; and Shirkuh
became vizier in his place. After filling this post for two months
and five days, Shirkuh died, and was succeeded in the vizierate by his
nephew Saladin.
The history of Saladin is well known to European readers. He was
INTRODUCTION. xxiii
the son of Ayyub the son of Shadi, a member of the noble Kurdish
tribe of Rawadiyah, natives of Duwin, a town of Adharbaijan, and was
born A. H. 532 at Takrit, where his father and uncle were in the service
of Bihruz, who was acting as governor of the district under the Seljucide
sultan Masud ibn Muhammad Ghiyath ad-Din. When Saladin became
vizier of Egypt he at once began to give free rein to his ambition, and
to display his capabilities for administration and for military activity.
By his amiable demeanour and by promises of money, he won the emirs
and the soldiery to his side, and was soon able to carry out the project
of extinguishing the Fatimide dynasty, and once more proclaiming the
Abbaside in Egypt as the true caliph. In the year 567, on the 2nd day
of the month of Muharram, the Khatbah of Al-'Adid was stopped by
command of Saladin, and the name of Al-Mustadi was put in its place.
The last of the Fatimide caliphs, however, was seriously ill at the time
of this change, and never knew that his high position had been lost.
A few days later the deposed caliph was dead.
Saladin now took possession of the palace of the caliphate. Treasures
of fabulous value are said to have been found there, hoarded up by the
rulers of so large a part of the Mahometan world during two centuries of
religious and political supremacy. We read of a carbuncle weighing seven-
teen dirhams or twelve mithkals, of a pearl of unequalled size, and of an
emerald four finger's breadths in length and one in width. There was
also a most valuable collection of books, in spite of the loss of a great
portion of the library of the Fatimide caliphs in the reign of Al-Mustansir.
Saladin, however, sold all the treasures of the palace. The rejoicings at
Bagdad were great when the news came that the Abbaside caliph had
been prayed for in the mosques of Egypt, and that the rival dynasty had
been overthrown ; and the city was decorated while the revolution
was publicly announced during seyeral days. Al-Mustadi sent robes
of honour to Nur ad-Din, and to his general Saladin in Egypt.
The effect of these political changes upon Egypt in general, and
upon the Copts in particular, had been striking. On the approach of
the Franks, Shawar ordered that Misr should be burnt, and that the
inhabitants should remove to Cairo. The results of this burning of the
already decaying city, which had suffered so greatly from the famine
xxiv CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
and plague in the reign of Al-Mustansir, are noticed on several occasions
in the work attributed to Abu Salih. Churches and monasteries were
destroyed, although they were afterwards in part restored. When the
Kurdish general Shirkuh had taken possession of Egypt in the name of
Nur ad-Din, a considerable part of the land was taken away from its
owners and settled upon the Kurds and Ghuzz, who formed the
invader's army. In this way the Coptic church lost, for the time, all,
or great part of, her landed property.
The Ghuzz, who are so often mentioned in this work, and who seem
to have formed perhaps the largest and most efficient contingent in the
army of Shirkuh and Saladin, were a Turkish tribe whose original home
lay ' beyond the river ' of Central Asia, in the region which the Romans
called Transoxiana. They removed, however, into the regions of Meso-
potamia in the first centuries of Islam, and in the twelfth century entered
the service of Nur ad-Din.
The theory of land tenure among the Muslims was that all the land
had been placed by divine providence at the disposal of the prophet
Mahomet and next of his successors the caliphs, who had the right
to settle it upon whom they would. Acting upon this principle the
prophet himself settled land in Syria upon Tamim ad-Dari, even before
the conquest of the country. Some of the titles to landed property
in Egypt at the time of our author, and later, were traced back to
the earliest caliphs. In general a rent or land-tax was paid to the
government in return for such property ; but in later times a system of
military fiefs was introduced, similar to those held under the feudal
system of western Europe. The present work supplies us with several
instances of the rent paid for land held under the Fatimide caliphs.
The philological features of the present work form a subject too large
to be discussed in an introduction, and would be better treated in a
grammar of the Middle Arabic language. It must be remembered,
however, that the author is represented in the title as an Armenian,
and that his acquaintance with Arabic was probably imperfect. It is also
quite clear that the copyist was no more equal to the task of correctly
transcribing, than to that of judiciously abbreviating the book. Apart
from these considerations, the orthography and grammar of the MS.
INTRODUCTION. xxv
seem to be those of other MSS. of the same period. Among purely
orthographical faults I is sometimes written for <j, ^ for ^o, and ]a for
\J* \ once or twice even ^ for (_p. The distinctions of case have been
almost entirely lost, and the accusative is written where the nominative
should be, and vice versa. In the case of the word y\ ,J\ the confusion
of cases is especially frequent. Mistakes in gender are also common,
especially in the demonstrative pronouns is* for V&, dili for dlli, and vice
versa. The dual sometimes appears, especially in the numerals, even when
they are not in theoblique case or construct state, with the termination - for
^-1 or J\ ; compare Spitta, Grammatik des arabischen Vulgar dialectes
von Aegypten, p. 132, where such forms as .JlJlS 'two-thirds,' ,J^l 'two-
fifths,' are said to be used in all cases and states in the official language
of the Divans, and to have passed thence into the vulgar tongue. At
other times the oblique case in ^ is used for the nominative, just
as in the plural ^ takes the place of ^j . On fol. 64 b an adjective
in the feminine singular is placed in attribution to a dual masculine,
according to the rule in modern Arabic, although a few lines afterwards
the masc. plur. is used. On fol. 93 a there is a noticeable form of the
2nd pers. plur. masc. of the perf., viz. I^Lix*" for the classical l;:^,
instead of the more modern 1^--^ ; but this may be a proof of the
greater purity of the Arabic spoken in the Oases. It is a peculiarity
of the present work that in certain parts the language is far more
classical than in others ; but this may be because the author has in
some places closely followed some writer of the first ages of Islam,
such as Ibn c Abd al-Hakam or Al-Kindi, and in other places has
composed his sentences for himself.
d [II. 7.]
CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES
OF EGYPT.
HISTORY Foiib
COMPOSED BY
A
THE SHAIKH ABU SALIH,
CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF THE DISTRICTS AND FIEFS OF EGYPT.
Armenian Monastery and Churches at Al-Basdttn.
Section I. Let us begin 1 with the help and guidance of God. In this
our own time, namely at the beginning of the year ^6\ 2 (Oct. 4, A. D. 11 68-
Sept. 23, 1 169), took place the rebuilding of the [Armenian] church,
named after Saint James, which stands in the district of Al-Basatin 3 , one
of the districts of Egypt, in the neighbourhood of the hills. This was in
the days of *** , who was an emir 4 , and ruled Egypt on behalf of the Fol. 2 a
1 Folio 1 b was not part of the original MS., of which, in reality, the first
twenty-two leaves are wanting, but was added by its owner, who perhaps
compiled it from mutilated fragments of some leaves now missing, to supply
a beginning to the incomplete book. Hence the abruptness, obscurity, and
inaccuracy of the text. See Preface.
2 This date must be rejected ; it is the date of the dispersion of the monks
(see fol. 2 a), not of the rebuilding of the church, which must have taken place
many years before.
8 Or, in the singular, Al-Bustan. It lies a few miles to the south of Cairo, on
the right or eastern bank of the Nile, near the Mukattam range, in a region of
gardens, as the name implies. It is now included in the district of Badrashain,
in the province of Jizah, and in 1885 had a population of 1,698; see Recensement
de V Egypte, Cairo, 1885, tome ii. p. 65. (A. J. B.)
4 This first page of the MS. is so little trustworthy in its present form, that it
can hardly be determined who this emir was. Since the events here related
b [IT. 7.]
2 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
caliph. He was a friend to all Christians, whether high or low. He
received a monthly revenue of ten dinars 1 from the lands [of the
monastery] which he held in fief 2 . He then undertook and carried out
the reconstruction of this church of Saint James, which had been burnt
down ; he built for it, above the sanctuary 3 , a lofty dome, which could
be seen from afar ; he erected arches and vaults ; and he completed the
whole by setting up the great doors. These, however, were afterwards
carried away, and accordingly he renewed them once more ; the same
thing happened a second time, and again he renewed the doors. He
also completed the rebuilding of the [adjacent] church, which, however,
he did not cause to be consecrated, nor was the liturgy celebrated in it.
When the emir died, he was buried in this church. Now the monastery,
[in which this church is contained,] stands in the midst of gardens and
plots of vegetables and cornfields ; and it is reckoned among the most
charming of resorts for pleasure.
When the Ghuzz 4 and the Kurds took possession of the land of
cannot really belong to the year a. h. 564, as they would seem to do if the date
here given could be relied upon, it may be suggested that this emir was the
Armenian Badr al-Jamali, who was vizier to the caliph Al-Mustansir from a. h.
467 to 487 = a. d. 1075-1094, and was known as Amir al-Juyiish or emir of the
troops, i. e. commander-in-chief. On account of his nationality and religion,
Badr was a benefactor to the Christians of Egypt. Cf. Renaudot {Hist. Pair.
pp. 459 and 508), who speaks of the Armenian settlement in Egypt in the time
of Badr, mentioned by our author on fol. 47 b.
1 The dinar was a gold coin, slightly over 66 grs. in weight.
2 For remarks on the tenure of land in Egypt, see Introduction.
3 The word Askina (llx.ll or ILJx I), from the Greek o-k^, is used in this
work in the sense of ' sanctuary,' and appears to be synonymous with HaikaJ
(J51Ia). Cf. Vansleb (Hisioire de TEglise d'AIexandrie, Paris, 1677, p. 50), who
speaks of ' la lampe de VAskeneow du Tabernacle, ce qui est le chceur inte'rieur.'
The modern Copts, however, use the word to denote the baldakyn over the altar,
such as may be seen, for example, in the church of Abu 's-Saifain at Old Cairo.
See Butler, Ancient Coptic Churches, Oxford, 1884, vol. i. p. 114. (A. J. B.)
4 For remarks on the Kurdish conquest of Egypt, see Introduction. Our
author, or more probably his copyist, by putting jii\ and ihpill in apposition
ARMENIAN MONASTERY AND CHURCHES. 3
Egypt, in the month of Rabf the Second, in the year 564 (a. d. 1 168-9),
calamities well known to all men overtook the Armenians 1 , who were
then settled in Egypt. Their patriarch 2 , together with the Armenian
monks, was driven away from that monastery of which we have been
speaking ; its door was blocked up, and those churches remained empty,
nor did any one venture to approach them.
Al-Bustan [or Al-Basatin] was next allotted as a fief to the Fakih
Al-Baha 3 \Ali, the Damascene, who set apart for the Armenians the
church of John the Baptist, built over 4 the church of the Pure Lady 5 , in
the Harah Zawilah ; and here the patriarch dwelt during the year 564
(a. d. 1 168-9).
seems to consider them as two names of the same nation. Perhaps there is some
confusion between dhi'^1 Jili, which would be correct, and jl^ll :i)l.
1 There were a large number of Armenians in Egypt during the eleventh and
twelfth centuries. See Renaudot, Hist. Pair. p. 460 ff. Yakut, who died
A. h. 596 = a. d. 1200, speaks of the Armenians among the mixed nationalities of
which, as he says, the population of Egypt was in his time composed. See his Geogr.
Wdrterbuch ed. Wiistenfeld, iv. p. eoi. Under the later Fatimides, high offices
were frequently held by Armenians in Egypt, of whom the most distinguished
were Badr al-Jamali, the vizier of Al-Mustansir ; his son, Al-Afdal, vizier to
Al-Amir ; and Taj ad-Daulah Bahrain, the vizier of Al-Hafiz.
2 The first patriarch or catholicus of the Armenians in Egypt was Gregory,
who, towards the end of the eleventh century, was consecrated at Alexandria
by his uncle the catholicus, Gregory II. See Renaudot, Hist. Patr. p. 461 ;
and, for references to Armenian writers, Dr. Arsak Ter-Mikelian, Die armenische
Kirche in ihren Beziehungen zur byzantinischen, Leipsic, 1892, p. 84.
3 Afterwards chief professor in the college called Manazil al-'Izz at Fustat,
and preacher in the same city; died a. h. 584 = a. d. 1188. See Ibn Shaddad,
emoted by Ibn Khallikan, Biogr. Diet, trans. De Slane, iv. p. 421.
4 In Egypt churches are frequently built one over another, forming two stories.
9 A church of Al-Adhra (the Virgin) is still standing in the Harah Zuwailah,
and is almost beyond question to be identified with the church mentioned in
the text ; it bears marks of great antiquity. See Butler, Coptic Churches, vol. i.
p. 273. (A. J. B.)
6 The quarter of Cairo called Harah Zawilah, and now Zuwailah, was founded
b 2
CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Fol. 2 b The Armenian Patriarch.
This patriarch had been bishop of Itfih 1 ; and afterwards, during
the caliphate of Al-Hafiz 2 , he conceived the idea 3 of becoming patriarch
by means of money which he gave in bribes. He made an agreement
with Al-Hafiz, binding himself to give instruction in historical matters
to the caliph, who granted him permission to appear at the palace of
the caliph, together with the emirs and officers of state, on two days in
the week, namely Monday and Thursday 4 , and also on festivals, to pay
his respects, and to bring any new information that he had discovered.
In this way, during his visits to the Emerald Palace 5 , the patriarch
imparted to Al-Hafiz all the results of his researches among biographies
by the Berber tribe of Zawilah, who assisted Jauhar, the general of the Fatimide
caliph Al-Mu'izz, in the conquest of Egypt, a. d. 969, and the foundation of Cairo.
The Bab Zawilah or Zuwailah is one of the principal gates of the city. See
Al-Makrizi, Khitat, Bulak, a. h. 1270 = a. d. 1854, vol. ii. p. t; Ibn Dukmak,
Kitdb al-Inti&df li-ivdsitah 'ikd al-amsdr, Bulak, a. h. I3io = a. d. 1893, v. p. rv.
1 Now called Atfih; generally written ^sb\ ; see fol. 8 b, 10 a, 47 a, &c. The
town lies south of Cairo, on the eastern bank, and is the Coptic KeTTlC^,,
the Greek Aphroditopolis ; it now gives its name to a district of the province of
Jizah, and in 1885 had a population of 2,731. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. ri 1 ;
Amelineau, Geogr. de V Egypte a Ve'poque copte, p. 326. Under the Fatimide
dynasty, and for some centuries after, Itfih was the capital of a province; see
fol. 8 b; Ibn Dukmak, v. p. irr.
2 Al-Hafiz Abu '1-Maimun 'Abd al-Majid, the eleventh of the Fatimide caliphs,
reigned a. h. 524~544 = a. d. 1130-1149. See Introduction.
3 J-jJ should be J^".
4 These were the two days of public reception at the palace during the rule
of the Fatimide caliphs. See Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. tai.
5 The Emerald Palace {ij*y\\ j* or JvojJl) was part of the Great Palace (^aiJl
y^All) of the Fatimide caliphs, which stood in the east of Cairo, and was founded
by Jauhar in a. h. 358 = a. d. 969. The name was taken from the Emerald Gate
near which this palace stood. See Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. pp. f.f, F.o, fro ;
cf. p. TaP ff.
THE ARMENIAN PATRIARCH. 5
and histories of wars, and chronicles and annals of former rulers, and
carried on intercourse of this kind with Al-Hafiz until the death of the
latter, which took place in the month of Jumada the Second, in the year
544 (A. D. 1 149).
Outside this monastery 1 , and in its neighbourhood, beside the
pottery, there stands a small church, which was rebuilt in the caliphate
of Al-Amir 2 bi-ahkami 'llah, for the use of the Melkites, instead of the
church which had stood in the Harah Zawilah but was wrecked in the
same caliphate, and later, namely in the caliphate of Al-Hafiz, was
transformed into a mosque. Abu '1-Barakat ibn al-Laith wrote verses
on the subject of this church which was thus restored. It was built
upon vaults, and beneath it there was a burying-place for the dead.
On account of the ruin brought upon the Armenians by the Ghuzz
and the Kurds, their patriarch left Egypt and departed to Jerusalem.
He took with him seventy-five sacred 3 books, among which was a copy
of the Four Gospels with illuminations' 1 in colours and gold, representing
1 The monastery of Al-Basatin, described above.
2 The tenth of the Fatimide caliphs, reigned a. h. 49 5-5 24= a. d. 1101-1130.
See Introduction.
3 The books here spoken of were perhaps brought by Gregory (see note on
fol 2 a) from Armenia to Egypt. See Renaudot, Hist. Patr. p. 461, and Ter-
Mikelian, Die armen. Kirche, &c. p. 84.
4 Probably the miniatures here spoken of were the work of Byzantine or
Syrian artists. Native Armenian miniatures are not met with earlier than the
thirteenth century. See Strzygowski, Das Etschmiadzin Evangeliar, 1891, p. 87.
A native writer of the eighth century says that all figure-painting in Armenia was
the work of Greek artists {ibid. p. 77 f.) The Armenian gospels of Echmiadzin,
of a. d. 989, have Syrian miniatures of an earlier date inserted at the beginning
and end. An Armenian book of the Gospels now at San Lazzaro, Venice, and
ascribed to the end of the tenth century, contains Byzantine miniatures repre-
senting scenes from the life of Christ {ibid. p. 76). Another Armenian IMS. of
the same date contains a figure of the Evangelist Saint Luke with a Greek title
(a)aokas, proving the nationality of its designer (ibid. p. 77). A similar employ-
ment of Byzantine artists was customary in the neighbouring country of Georgia
(ibid. p. 78 ff.)
6 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Fol. 3 a the miracles of Christ, to whom be glory ! The patriarch's journey
was begun on Saturday the 15th of Hatur 1 , in the year 888 of the
Martyrs, which is equivalent to the 23rd of Rabf the First of the year
568 (a.D. 1172)- It is said that he founded a monastery outside
Jerusalem, containing a church, and named after Sharkis, who is the
same as Abu Sirjah ; and to this church he brought all the altar-vessels
and golden dinars that he had in his charge ; and it is said that this
Armenian monastery contained twenty monks. The patriarch appointed
a priest at Cairo to act as his deputy , together with the son of the priest,
for the purpose of reciting prayers, and performing liturgies at the
proper time, in the church of John the Baptist, which stands over the
chapel of the Pure Lady in the Harah Zawilah, as it has already
been related ; and at this church there assembled a congregation of
Armenians, both men and women. As for the monastery which belongs
to this people, together with its churches, it was deserted, and its door
was fastened up.
The news came that the patriarch had arrived at Jerusalem in
safety, and that all the Christians had gone out to meet him with joy
Fol. 3 b and gladness, chanting psalms, and carrying before him crosses and
lighted tapers, and censers with incense 2 .
1 The Coptic Athor (<LeU0p) = Oct. 28-Nov. 27.
2 According to the custom of antiquity upon the arrival or departure of guests
whom it was desired to honour, and especially of bishops. So it was when Saint
Athanasius visited the different parts of Egypt : ' He journeyed southwards,
accompanied by some of the chief bishops and a great company, and with torches
and candles and censers without number.'
.qn<Lp<Lre enjL*.<LpHc epe ,ermocTrt enicKonoc njuuuuLq
jmrt oTJULHHcye ert<Lajcoq /*cjo ^ertX^JULn^-c juirt ,ertKKpum
jmrt ^ertcyo-rpK ertcen^cyxi Rue JUuuLoov<Lit (Zoega, Catalog
Codicum Copticorum, &c. cod. clxxiii; Ame'lineau, Histoire de S. Pakhome, &c.
p. 296).
On the approach of the officers of Theodosius to Lycopolis, the modern
Asyut, the bishop John gave orders for their reception in a similar manner : ' Let
THE A R MEN I A N PA TR1A R CH. 7
After this, the patriarch lived for a time in happiness, and then
went to his rest in the mercy of God, to whom be praise, on the 5th of
Tubah 1 , in the year last mentioned ; and he was buried in the monastery
of James the son of Zebedee at Jerusalem. He was noble in character
and beautiful in form ; he was of perfect stature ; his face was encircled
by his beard and whiskers, which were growing grey ; and his age was
nearly eighty years.
It is said that the Armenian bishop 2 resident in Jerusalem, when
he saw how men sought the society of this holy patriarch on account of
his noble qualities, was filled with envy of him, and gave him poison to
drink, which caused his death. But God did not show favour to this
bishop after the patriarch's death, or grant him a happy life ; for he died
only twenty days afterwards. God knows best in his hidden wisdom
whether that which was told of the bishop was true. This patriarch of
whom we have been speaking was a learned priest, understanding the
divine books and able to expound them. But there were those who
envied him on account of his good reputation among men ; and so they
said that he was guilty of immoral conduct. This report arose among
those who were most envious of his innocence. The author of this book
declared as follows : I met Abu '1-Kasim Khalil, the physician and
philosopher of Ascalon, who said that he had visited this patriarch one
all the clergy of the city and the chief men take the holy Gospel of the Saviour
and crosses and censers, and go forth and bring them into the city with honour,
singing hymns.'
jut^pe neKXapoc THpq rtxnoXic jmrt rc^px^n xi jmneT-
^.rveXiort eTOY<L<Lft jutncooTKp julh rtecffpoc ju.rt neoH-
juLi^TKpion rrreTrt.fiujK e&oX ^htot rrrGTrtrrronr e&ofit
exnoXic ^rto**^ julh jutrt ,rt2/*Ji*.noc (Zoega, op. tit. cod. ccxix.
p. 542).
1 The Coptic Tobi (TO)fil) = Dec. 27-Jan. 25.
2 At the Armenian synod of Hromkla in a. d. 1180 an Armenian bishop of
Jerusalem appears among the signatories who subscribed to the creed of Nerses IV.
See Ter-Mikelian, Die armen. Kirche, &c. p. 104.
8 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
day in his cell in the monastery of Az-Zuhri 1 [and the result of the
visit was that the patriarch was proved innocent].
Fol. 4 b The report was not spread until after he had departed to Syria and
had died there. It was at the house of Al-A c azz Hasan ibn Salamah
called Al-Bakilani, who was chief cadi 2 at Misr, that I the poor author
of this book met Abu '1-Kasim, on Monday, the 27th of Shawwal, in the
year 568 (a.d. 1173).
Fate of the Armenian Churches of Al-Basatin and Az-Zuhri.
Since no Armenian of authority was now left in Egypt, the Copts
acquired possession of this large and ancient church 3 by a decree of our
Lord the Sultan, through the intercession of the Shaikh ar-Ra'is Safi
ad-Daulah ibn Abii '1-Ma'ali, known as Ibn Sharafi, his scribe. Then
its fittings were renewed by the emir Said ad-Daulah Bahram the
steward of the Armenians. When the Shaikh Safi ad-Daulah had fully
provided all that was needed for the construction of the church, through
Fol. 5 a the priest Abu 1-Wafa ibn Abi '1-Bashar, the patriarch Anba Mark 4 ,
who was the seventy-third in the succession, came with Anba John,
1 Janan az-Zuhri or Bustan az-Zuhri was the name given to gardens between
Fustat and Cairo, from the former owner of the land 'Abd al-Wahab ibn Musa
az-Zuhri. The pool called Birkat an-Nasiriyah was excavated on their site in
a. h. 721 by the Sultan Al-Malik an-Nasir Muhammad ibn Kala'un. See
Al-Makrizi, Khitat, ii. pp. 1 11= and 110.
2 The cadi of cadis (isUiLll ^Us) or chief judge was the principal legal officer
under the Fatimide caliphs and their successors. This high dignitary was
distinguished by riding on a grey mule, and he held his court in great state
on Tuesday and Saturday at the Mosque of 'Amr. See Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
i. p. P.r f. ; As-Suyuti, Husn al-Muhddarah ft Akhbdr Misr wa H-Kdhirah,
ii. p. ir. . Al-A'azz became chief cadi in a. h. 549.
3 I. e. the church of Al-Basatin or Al-Bustan spoken of above, fol. 2.
4 Occupied the see from a.d. 1174 to 11 89. See Renaudot, Hist. Pair. pp.
530-554. The title Anba transcribes the Coptic <.&&. and means 'father.'
FATE OF THE ARMENIAN CHURCHES. 9
bishop of Tamwaih 1 , and Anba Michael, bishop of Bastah 2 , and a body
of priests and chief men and orthodox laity ; and the church was
consecrated on Wednesday, the 17th of Ba'unah 3 , in the year 892 of the
Blameless Martyrs ; and the liturgy was celebrated and the people
communicated at the hand of the patriarch. This church became
a patriarchal church, and the liturgy was conducted henceforth by the
priests of the church of the Lady in the Harat ar-Rum 4 in Cairo. Abu
Said ibn az-Zayyat provided for the painting of the apse 5 of this church,
1 On west bank of Nile, a little south of Cairo, and opposite Hulwan ; see
Yakut, Geogr. Wort. ii. p. ivp. It is the Coptic T^.JUUULUOO'C, and is now in the
district of Badrashain, province of Jizah; its population in 1885 was 794, besides
454 Bedouins; AmeT, Geogr. p. 478. M. Amelineau does not explain why he
writes the Arabic name as abyja and transcribes it as Tamouieh.
2 Bastah is the classical Bubastis, Coptic nonf&<Lci~ or &cnf<LCrf~, and
under the name of Tall Bastah is now a small hamlet close to Zagazig, in the
province of Kalyub ; see AmeL, Geogr. p. 89. (A. J. B.)
3 The Coptic Paoni (TT.(JOm) = Way 26-June 24.
4 The ' Quarter of the Romans,' who came with the army of the caliph
Al-Mu'izz, and took their part in the foundation of Cairo. The quarter was
sometimes called the Lower Harat ar-Rum in distinction from the Upper or Inner
Harat ar-Rum. See Al-Makrizi, Khitat, ii. p. a ; Ibn Dukmak, op. cit. v. p. rv.
The word ' Rum ' was used very loosely by the Arabs, sometimes in the sense of
Europeans generally, sometimes in that of subjects of the Byzantine empire.
6 The word jU. here and on fol. 31a evidently stands, by a clerical error, for
.U., which occurs on fol. 41 b, &c. If we suppose the book to have been written
from dictation, the sound of <j5 might be mistaken for that of ^ ; and an ignorant
copyist might add two points over j, making it ,j.
The apse is an almost indispensable feature in the architecture of a Coptic
church, and is usually highly decorated. Marble seats in tiers, forming a tribune
or synthronus, run round the foot of the wall, while above the tribune the wall is
cased with marble panelling for some little height; and over this stand the
painted figures of Our Lord and the Twelve Apostles. It is probably to such
frescoes that Abu Salih is alluding. See Butler, Coptic Churches, i. pp. 40,
112, &c. (A. J. B.)
C [IT. 7-]
io CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
which was executed by Abu '1-Fath ibn al-Akmas, known as Ibn
al-Haufi the painter ; and this work was finished in the month of
Amshir. in the year 892 of the Blameless Martyrs (Jan.- Feb., A. D. 1 177).
There came a bishop from Armenia, accompanied by three priests,
and sent by the king 1 of Armenia and the patriarch. He brought
a despatch from both of them and two letters, one of which was from
Al-Malik Salah ad-Din 2 , and the other from Al-Malik Saif ad-Din Abu
Bakr 3 , his brother, to Al-Malik Taki ad-Din 4 , and they recommended in
their letters that the bishop should be received with honour, and that the
two churches of the Armenians in Az-Zuhri 5 and Al-Bustan 6 should be
given up to him. So this bishop alighted at the church of John the
1 Leo or Levon II, the Rubenide, who reigned in Cilicia, not in Armenia
proper; he ascended the throne in 1186. He was a great supporter of his own
church and of other Oriental churches. See Alishan, Leon le Magn. p. 294, &c.
2 Saladin had left Egypt in a. h. 578, and was now in Syria, engaged in
wars and sieges; see Al-Makrizi, K/iitat, ii. p. rrf, Ibn al-Athir, Al-Kdmil (ed.
Tornberg), xi. p. rrl ; Ibn Shaddad, Sirah Saldh ad-Din (ed. Schultens),
p. 38 ff.
3 Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Abi 'sh-Shukr Ayyub ibn Shadi ibn Marwan,
surnamed Al-Malik al-'Adil Saif ad-Din, brother of Saladin, was born a. h. 530 =
a. d. 1145 and died a. h. 615 = a. d. 1218. He acted as Saladin's viceroy for
Egypt from a. h. 578 to 579, but was now ruling Aleppo, handed over to him by
his brother. In a. h. 596 = a. d. 1200 he became sultan of Egypt. See Ibn
Khallikan, Biogr. Did. iii. p. 235; Ibn al-Athir, Al-Kdmil, xi. p. rri ; Ibn
Shaddad, Sirah Saldh ad-Din, p. 56 ; As-Suyuti, Husn al-Muhddarah, ii. p. rw ff.
4 Taki ad-Din 'Umar, surnamed Al-Malik al-Muzaffar, nephew of Saladin,
had been appointed viceroy of Egypt by the latter, when he summoned Al-Malik
al-'Adil to Syria in a. h. 579 = a. d. 1183 (see fol. 6 b). Taki ad-Din was recalled
to Syria towards the end of a. h. 582 = a. d. 1186, so that it must have been in
this year that the envoys mentioned in the text arrived from Armenia. See Ibn
Khallikan, Biogr. Diet. ii. p. 391; Ibn al-Athir, Al-Kdmil, xi. p. rW, Ibn Shaddad,
Sirah Saldh ad-Din, p. 64 ; As-Suyuti, Husn al-Muhddarah, ii. p. 50 ; Abu '1-Fida,
Ann. Musi. iv. p. 60.
5 See fol. 3 b. 6 See fol. 1 b.
FATE OF THE ARMENIAN CHURCHES. n
Baptist 1 in the Harah Zawilah ; but the Fakih at-Tusi 2 did not allow it,
so the bishop compelled him, and stayed there several months, and then Fol. 5 b
grew sick and died without carrying out his object. He was buried in
the church of the Armenians in Az-Zuhri ; may God rest his soul.
On the Sunday of Olives 3 , the first day of the eighth week of the
Holy Fast, and the ist of Barmudah 4 , in the year 892 (a. d. 1 177)
of the Blameless Martyrs, a body of priests came to this church, with
the laity, among whom were Abu Sa'id ibn Abu '1-Fadl ibn Fahd and
Abu '1-Yaman ibn Abu '1-Faraj ibn Abi '1-Yaman ibn Zanbur ; and
these two had with them a vessel containing pure oil with which they
ate their peas ; and the)- placed it within the church, but afterwards
when they looked for it, they could not find it. Then they suspected
the Muslim guardians of the church, and allowed their servants to beat
them ; so the guardians went to the Fakih Baha ad-Din 5 \Ali the
Damascene in a fury, on account of what had happened to them, and
said to him : ' Shall the Muslims be struck in the face by Christians in
the month of Ramadan ? ' Then the fakih at once informed the sultan
of this occurrence, and it greatly angered him ; so he sent for Safi
ad-Daulah Abu 1-Maali ibn Sharafi, his scribe, and blamed him for it,
and demanded of him the decree which he had received, empowering Fol. 6 a
the Copts to take possession of this church ; and this, by ill luck, was
in the sleeve of his garment. So he brought it out and handed it to the
sultan, who commanded that the door of the church should be barred,
and this order was obeyed at once ; and the door of the church was
barred. After a short time, however, the sultan commanded by a new
decree that the church should be restored to the Copts, and its door
should be opened to them, and they should pray in it, and that none
should molest them in any way witho.ut cause. After this the condition
of this church remained prosperous, and one of the priests of the church
1 See fol. 2 a. 2 See fol. 6 a.
3 I.e. Palm-Sunday; otherwise called Hosanna Sunday. (A. J. B.)
4 The Coptic Pharmouthi (cb_pJULOYOl) = March 27-April 25.
5 See fol. 2 a. r
C 2
12 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
of the Lady in the Harat ar-Rum was appointed to perform the prayers
in it on Sundays and festivals. After this there came to the court from
Tus * an Imamite Fakih, to whom Al-Bustan, of which we have spoken,
was allotted as a fief, after the death of Al-Fakih Ali of Damascus,
in whose hands it had been. The new-comer began to oppress the
Christians, and required gifts from them in the form of bribes, so far
as his power extended. Then he shut the two churches 2 , after pillaging
the Great Church, the door of which he barred with a plank until
Friday the 13th of Sha'ban, A. H. 581 (a. D. 1185). There came an
Armenian, who said that he was a friend of Taj ad-Daulah Bahram 3
the Armenian, who had been vizier to Al-Imam Hafiz ; and he said
that he had buried money, belonging to Taj ad-Daulah the said vizier,
Fol. 6 b in the Great Church 4 , and that he had arrived in order to bring it
to light ; but no heed was given to him. It is said that he went on
in his imaginings until the church was opened to him, and he dug in
certain places. Then he said : ' The money has vanished from this
place ; those who pillaged the church have taken it.' Thus he com-
plained that a wrong had been done. The church remained open for
him, and he lived in it as long as the fancy held him ; only he placed
a second seal upon it on the part of Al-Malik al-Muzaffar 5 ; but
nothing was restored there.
1 In Khorassan.
2 I. e. the two adjacent churches of Al-Bustan.
5 Became vizier to the caliph Al-Hafiz in the month of Jumada the Second,
a. h. 529 = a. d. 1 1 35. Being a Christian, he aroused the enmity of the Mahome-
tans, a body of whom collected under Rudwan ibn al-Walakhshi (see fol. 9 a), and
marched to Cairo with intentions hostile to Bahram, who fled in the month of
Jumada the First, a. h. 531 =a. d. 1137. See Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. row ; As-
Suyuti, op. cit. ii. p. loo; Ibn Khaldun, iv. p. vr; Abu '1-Fida, Ann. Musi. iii.
pp. 460, 468; Ibn al-Athir, xi. p. ri. For the subsequent fate of Taj ad-Daulah
Bahram, see below, fol. 50 a.
4 I.e. at Al-Bustan.
6 I.e. Taki ad-Din (see fol. 5 a and note), then acting as viceroy of Egypt
for Saladin.
CHURCH OF IS TAB L AL-FiL. 13
When Taki ad-Din went away to Syria \ in Sha'ban A. H. 582
(A. D. 1 1 86), and Al-Malik al-\Adil 2 Abu Bakr came to Cairo, the
latter ordered that these two churches should be separated from one
another on the 10th Ramadan in the same year, and the Copts and
Armenians obtained possession of the two churches and began to
make use of them. Now the time during which they had been closed
was one year and fifteen days. So the Copts celebrated the liturgy
in the Great Church on the first day of the blessed month of Kuhiak 3
in the year 903 4 of the Blameless Martyrs ; and after this the Copts
forbad the Armenians to make use of the Great Church. Then an
assembly of the chief men took counsel on this matter ; and both
the churches were restored to the possession of the Armenians.
Church of Istabl al-Fil.
The street called Istabl al-Fil 5 lies near the two pools of
1 He was at first chagrined at being thus superseded in Egypt, but finally
consented to remain in the service of Saladin, who made him prince of Hamah
(Hamath). Taki ad-Din died a.h. 587 = a. d. 1191. Ibn Khallikan, Biogr. Diet.
ii. p. 391 ; Ibn al-Athir, op. cit. xi. p. rfo; Ibn Shaddad, op. cit. pp. 67 and 213.
2 He came as guardian to his nephew Al-Malik al-'Aziz the son of Saladin,
who superseded Taki ad-Din in a.h. 582 as viceroy of Egypt, and became sultan
on the death of his father in a.h. 589. It was not until a.h. 596 = a. d. 1200 that
Al-Malik al-'Adil became actual ruler of Egypt for the second time, succeeding his
great-nephew Al-Malik al-Mansur, son of Al-Malik al-'Aziz, as sultan. Al-Makrizi,
op. cit. ii. p. rro ; Ibn Khallikan, op. cit. ii. p. 391 ; Ibn al-Athir, op. cit. xii. p. 1 .r.
3 The Coptic Khoiak (^OI < LK) = N6v. 27-Dec. 26. The common Arabic
transcription of the name is Kihak (eU-P )
4 I.e. a.d. 1187.
5 I.e. Elephant's Stable. The Dar al-Fil or House of the Elephant and the
Birkat al-Fil or Elephant's Pool, which still exists in name, lay to the south of
Cairo, near the Birkah Karun. Perhaps Istabl al-Fil was another name for
Dar al-Fil, which may have been turned into stables like other palaces at Cairo ;
the Mamluk sultans had stables on the Birkat al-Fil. After a.h, 600 the borders
14 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Karun \ which are between Misr and Cairo ; and in this street there is
Fol. 7 a a church, which was long ago ruined, and became a yard, while its walls
remained visible above the surface of the ground. Its site has been used
for the erection of a mosque, which was built by Husain the Kurd,
the son-in-law of Salah ibn Ruzzik 2 , the vizier in the caliphate of
Al-Imam Al-'Adid' li-dini 'llah 3 .
of the Birkal al-Fil were much built upon and surrounded by lofty manzarahs ;
and this became the finest quarter of Cairo. During the high Nile, when the
pool was full, the sultan used to be rowed about it at night, while the manzarahs
were illuminated. Ibn Sa'id says :
' See the Elephant's Pool, encircled by manzarahs, like lashes around
the eye;
It seems, when the eyes behold it, as if stars had been set around the
moon.'
See Al-Makrizi, op. at. ii. p. mi, cf. p. 1 1 a ; Ibn Dukmak, op. cit. iv. p. 1 1 and
v. p. Fo.
1 The copyist has probably omitted the words J*fl!U ' and of the elephant '
after ^j. .Is fj&f. ' the two pools of Karun.' There was but a single Birkah
Karun, which was, however, only separated by a dyke from the Birkat al-Fil.
The passage should therefore doubtless read ' the two pools of Karun and of
Al-Fil.' When the quarters of Al-'Askar and Al-Katai' were founded (see
Introduction), the borders of the Birkah Karun were thickly inhabited, but were
afterwards partly deserted. See Al-Makrizi, op. cit. ii. p. 1 1 1 .
2 Abu '1-Gharat TalaY ibn Ruzzik, surnamed Al-Malik as-Salih. Salah must
be an error. He was born in a.h. 495 = a. d. iioi ; was appointed vizier to the
caliph Al-Fa'iz in a.h. 549=a.d. 1154; and on the accession of Al-'Adid he
remained vizier to the new caliph, who married his daughter. He died in
Ramadan a.h. 556=a.d. 1161.
3 The fourteenth and last of the Fatimide caliphs; reigned a.h. 555-567 =
A.D. U60-II71.
REVENUES OF THE COPTIC CHURCH. 15
Revenues of the Coptic Church.
The sum of the revenues of the churches and monasteries in the
two regions of the North and South, according to the estimate made of
them for the year 575 (a.d. 1180), was 2,923 dinars in ready money, and
4,826 ardabs 2 of corn in produce ; while the landed property amounted
to 915 feddans. This property came into the hands of the Christians
through gifts from the Fatimide caliphs down to the lunar and revenue
year 569 (a.d. 1174); but it was taken away from them and given
to the Muslims, so that no part of it was left in the possession of the
Christians ; this was under the dynasty of the Ghuzz and Kurds at
the end of the caliphate of Al-Mustadi' bi-amri 'llah 2 , and under the
administration of Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub the Kurd.
The Southern Region : 467 dinars, and the amount of produce which
has been stated, and 906 feddans. The Northern Region : 2,445 dinars
and nine feddans.
Revenues of Egypt.
It is fitting to state in this book the number of districts and
villages included in the provinces under the dynasty 3 . and also the Fol. 7 b
revenues derived from their fiefs ; not reckoning the city of Alexandria
1 The ardab is equivalent to nearly five bushels, and the feddan to about
one acre, eight poles.
2 Proclaimed caliph at Bagdad in the month of Rabi' the Second, a.h. 566 =
a.d. 1 170, upon the death of his father Al-Mustanjid bi-'llah. He was the thirty-
third of the Abbaside caliphs, and was proclaimed caliph by Saladin at Cairo in
the month of Muharram a.h. 567=a.d. 1171, during the lifetime of the last
Fatimide caliph Al-'Adid. Al-Mustadi' died in the month of Dhu '1-Ka'dah
a.h. 575, in the fortieth year of his age, and was succeeded by his son An-Nasir
li-dini 'llah. See Abu '1-Fida, Ann. Musi. iii. p. 630, iv. p. 38 ; Abu '1-Faraj,
Tdrikh Mukhtasar ad-Duwal (ed. Pococke), p. 406 f. ; Ibn al-Athir, op. cit. xii.
p. ft* 1 ff.; Ibn Shaddad, op. cit. p. 38; Ibn Khaldun, iv. p. m.
3 I.e. of the Fatimides.
1 6 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
nor the frontier-district of Damietta nor Tinnis 1 nor Kift 2 nor Nakadah 3
nor the Lake of Al-Habash 4 , outside Misr ; the sum total of the revenue
1 Tinnis, the Coptic eeitrtCCI, to which a foundation in remote antiquity
was ascribed, stood on an island in Lake Manzalah, between Damietta and
Al-Farama, where the mound called Tall Tinnis is still existing. It was famous
for fish, of which seventy-nine kinds were said to be caught there, and for fine,
variegated linen and other tissues, sometimes brocaded with gold. Cf. below,
fol. 19 b, and see Ibn Haukal (ed. De Goeje), p. 1 . 1 ; Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. aat ;
Ibn Dukmak, op. cit. v. p. vAf. ; Al-Idrisi (trans, by Jaubert), i. 320; Al-Makrizi,
op. cit. i. pp. 1 vi~ 1 a r ; Ame'lineau, Giogr. p. 507 f.
2 The classical Coptos and the Coptic KC|X- See Yakut, Geogr. Wort.
iv.p. ior ; Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome) [p. 48]; Al-Makrizi, op. cit. p. rrr f; Ibn Dukmak,
op. cit. v. p. rr f. Kift or Kubt is now in the district of Kus, province of Kana,
and contained, in 1885, 2,544 inhabitants. See Ame'lineau, Geogr. p. 213 ff.
3 Now in the district of Kus, province of Kana ; and in 1885 had a population
f 4)534- See Recensement de Vfigypte, ii. p. 258 ; Ibn Dukmak, v. p. rr.
4 I.e. Lake of the Abyssinians. This was a tract of low ground, more than
1,000 acres in extent, between Fustat and Cairo, approaching on one side the
cemetery of Al-Karafah, and was inundated during the rise of the Nile, from
which it was only separated by a dyke on its western side. At other times it was
one of the most charming resorts near Cairo, being of extreme fertility, and
producing flax and other crops. Beside it were gardens also called Al-Habash
or Ard Habash. The name was, perhaps, earlier than the Mahometan conquest,
and was a translation of the Coptic eo<L**CLJ. The Lake of Al-Habash was given
as a wakf to the sharifs, or members of the Prophet's family, by the vizier
Tala i' ibn Ruzzik ; it also bore the names of Birkat al-Maghafir, Birkah Himyar,
Istabl Kurrah, and Istabl Kamish. Ibn Sa'id sings :
J^xj is),L* (jbjll J^b * I4J L i jjJl ijZ*^ &-> Li
JA* &$lj. d*9 Jo.aJlj > iLL*** si}^* dli-o li
>j. [$}y>- d^isj oJ^a. * u^]j a ^^ Wy^ U^J
REVENUES OF EGYPT.
17
from those places being 60,000 dinars. From 2,186 districts and village-
districts, that is, 1,276 districts and 890 villages, came 3,061,000 dinars.
Northern Egypt
Provinces :
Ash-Sharkiyah
Al-Murtahiyah
Ad-Dakahliyah
Al-Abwaniyah
Jazirah Kusaniya
Al-Gharbiyah
As-Samannudiyah
Al-Manufiyatain
Fuwah and Al-Muzahamiyatain
An-Nastarawiyah
Rosetta, Al-Jadidiyah and Adku
Jazirah Bani Nasr
Al-Buhairah
Hauf Ramsis
Total
Total
No. of
Places.
Districts.
Villages.
1,598
917
68l
452
89
294
48
158
41
70
6
39
6
3 1
74
68
6
3 T 4
149
165
129
IOI
7oor97
69
32
32
13
6
10
6
3
[3]
64
176
3
41
87
23
89
[IOI]
IOI
i>59 8
917
681
Dinars.
2,040,040
694,121
70,358
53,761
4,700
159,664
43>955
200,657
x 40,933
6,080
14,910
3,000
62,508
139,3*3
[59,080]
2,040,040
Pol. 8 a
' O Lake of Al-Habash, at which I spent a day of unbroken pleasure and
happiness, so that thy whole surface seemed to me like Paradise, and all the time
I seemed to be keeping festival. How charming is the young flax upon thee,
with its knots of flowers or buds, and when its leaves like swords are unsheathed
from thee, and the leeks have extended their canopy over thee. It seemed as if
the towers upon thee were brides unveiling, while birds warbled round them.
Would that I knew whether thy season would return, for my desires begin with it
and return to it!' See Al-Makrizi, op. cit. ii. pp. ior-100; Ibn Dukmak, iv.
pp. 00-ov; Ame'lineau, Ge'ogr. p. 162. M. Amdlineau has overlooked the fact
that Al-Makrizi speaks of the Aid Habash as well as Abu Salih.
d [II. 7.]
i8
CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Fol. 8 b Southern Egypt
Provinces
Al-Jiziyah
Al-Itfihiyah
Al-Busiriyah
Al-Fayyumiyah
Al-Bahnasa'iyah
Al-Ushmiinain
Pol. 9 a As-Suyutiyah x
Total
Total
No. of
Places.
Districts.
Villages.
Dinars.
588
379
209
I,020 j9 53
97
70
27
129,641
17
13
4
39.449
14
13
1
39.390
66
55
11
145,162
105
84
21
234,801
111
54
57
127,676
54
22
3*
464
3"
*53
716,119
1 Most of these names will be well known to the reader, but a few of them
may be commented on. Al-Murtahiyah is now part of Ad-Dakahliyah. Al-Ab-
waniyah was a small province near Damietta, named from the town of Abwan, the
inhabitants of which were chiefly Christians ; in the fourteenth century it had become
part of Al-Buhairah. See Ibn Dukmak, v. p. va ; Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. 1 . 1.
Jazirah Kusaniya lay between Cairo and Alexandria, ibid. iv. p. 1 . . An-Nas-
tarawiyah lay between Damietta and Alexandria, and was named from its capital
Nastaru, ibid. iv. p. va.. Al-Jadidah is reckoned by Yakut in the province of
Murtahiyah ; but Al-Idnsi names Al-Jadidiyah as a separate district [p. 121]
(ed. Rome). Hauf Ramsis was between Cairo and Alexandria ; see Yakut,
Geogr. Wort. i. p. vir. Our copyist omits some names and figures.
The nomenclature and the boundaries of the Egyptian provinces have fluctuated
much under Muslim rule. Al-Kudai, who wrote at the end of the eleventh
century, divides Lower Egypt into thirty-three provinces ( *j$~) and Upper Egypt
into twenty; see his list quoted by Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. 01*1.
The official list of places in Egypt drawn up for the purpose of estimating
the revenue in a.h. 777=a.d. 1375 gives the following names of provinces:
Lower Egypt : district of Cairo, Al-Kalyubiyah, Ash-Sharkiyah, Ad-Dakahliyah,
district of Damietta, Al-Gharbiyah, Al-Manufiyah, Abyar and Jazirah Bani
Nasr, Al-Buhairah, Fuwah and Al-Muzahamiyatain, An-Nastarawiyah, district of
REVENUES OF EGYPT. 19
This revenue was drawn in the caliphate of Al-Mustansir 1 and in
the days of Al-Kahhal 2 the cadi.
Afterwards, in the time of Al-Afdal 3 his son, in the caliphate of
Al-Amir, one dinar and a third was imposed as a poll-tax.
In the vizierate of Rudwan ibn Walakhshi 4 , in the caliphate of
Al-Hafiz, [this tax was raised to] two dinars.
Alexandria, Al-Jiziyah ; and Upper Egypt : Al-Itf ihiyah, Al-Fayyum, Al-Balma-
sa'iyah, Al-Ushmunain, Al-Usyutiyah, Al-Ikhmimiyah, Al-Kusiyah.
The present principal divisions of Egypt, with the number of inhabited centres,
are: Cairo (1), Alexandria (56), Damietta (5), Rosetta (9), Port Said (28), Suez
(8), Al-'Arish (6), Kusair (2), Al-Buhairah (1,882), Ash-Sharkiyah (i,868),
Ad-Dakahliyah (1,147), Al-Gharbiyah(i,8i7), Al-Kalyubiyah (717), Al-Manftfiyah
(603), Al-Asyutiyah (436), Bani Suwaif (423), Al-Fayyum (567), Al-Jiziyah (369),
Minyah (734), Isna (627), Jirjah (870), Kana (898). See Recensement de I'Egyple,
ii. pp. x and xi.
1 The eighth of the Fatimide caliphs; reigned from a.h. 427 = a.d. 1035 to
a.h. 487=a.d. 1094.
2 This refers to Ibn al-Kahhal, the Kadi '1-Kudat or chief cadi in the last
years of Al-Mustansir's reign. It was, however, Badr al-Jamali, the Armenian
slave, who became vizier to Al-Mustansir in a.h. 467 = a.d. 1075, who was the
father of Al-Afdal Shahanshah mentioned in the next paragraph.
3 After the death of Badr in a.h. 487 = a. d. 1094, the soldiery chose his son
Al-Afdal Shahanshah as his successor in the vizierate. When Al-Mustansir died
in the same year, Al-Afdal remained in his post, and continued to act as vizier
during the reign of Al-Musta'li, and after the accession of Al-Amir (in a.h. 495 =
a.d. noi), who eventually caused him to be put to death in a.h. 5I9 = a.d. 1125.
Treasures of immense value were found in his house. See Al-Makrizi, op. cit.
i. p. roi ; Ibn Khallikan, op. cit. i. p. 612 ; Ibn Khaldun, iv. p. 11 f.
4 Successor in the vizierate of Taj ad-Daulah Bahram, the Armenian, whom
he deposed from his office by force in a.h. 531. Rudwan was an oppressor of
the Christians. In a.h. 533, on account of intrigues against him, Rudwan fled to
Syria and returned with an army, but being attacked by the troops of the caliph,
he fled to Upper Egypt, where he was captured. He was imprisoned at Cairo,
but escaped in a.h. 442, and made a fresh attempt to seize the power of which he
d 2
20 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Accoimt of Mark ibn al-Kanbar.
In the northern region, Mark ad-Darir (the Blind) ibn Mauhub,
called Ibn al-Kanbar 1 , was made priest by the bishop of Damietta 2 ,
and he celebrated the liturgy and communicated the Holy Mysteries
to the people. Then the report of him reached the Father and
Patriarch Anba John 3 , the seventy-second in the order of succession,
who condemned him, and suspended him and excommunicated him.
After that, Ibn al-Kanbar set his mind to the composition of com-
mentaries on the books of the church and others, according to the
inventions of his own mind together with the learning that he possessed.
Next he taught the people that a man who does not confess his sins
to a confessor, and perform penance for his sins, cannot lawfully receive
the Eucharist, and that if such a man dies without confession to the
priest, he dies in his sins and goes to hell ; and accordingly the people
began to confess to Ibn al-Kanbar and neglected the practice of
had been deprived, but he was resisted and slain. See Al-Makrizi, op. cit. i. p. rov ;
As-Suyuti, op. cit. ii. p. i oo ; Ibn Khaldun, iv. p. vr ; Ibn Khallikan, op. cit. ii. p. 1 79.
1 Cf. Renaudot, Hist. Pair. pp. 550-554; Al-Makrizi, op. cit. ii. p. pit. The
doctrines of Mark ibn al-Kanbar and the existence of his large body of followers
seem to confirm the opinion that there have always been some among the Copts,
since the Council of Chalcedon, who have refused to join in the rejection of that
Council, and in the acceptance of the schismatic and heretical teaching of Dioscorus
and his disciples. The chief points of agreement with Catholic belief and practice
in the teaching of Ibn al-Kanbar, brought out by Abu Salih, are the doctrine of
the two natures and wills of Christ, the doctrine with regard to confession, the
reservation of the sacrament, the abrogation of peculiar fasts, the denial of the
necessity of circumcision and of the shaving of the head. Some other parts of
Ibn al-Kanbar' s teaching were probably misunderstood, and it must be remembered
that we have only his enemies' account of the matter.
2 Probably a mistake for Damsis ; see below, fol. 14 a. The Coptic bishop
of Damietta had the rank of metropolitan.
3 Occupied the see from a.d. 1 147 to 1167. See Renaudot, Hist. Pair.
PP- 5I7-53 -
ACCOUNT OF MARK IBN AL-KANBAR. %\
confession over the censer 1 ; and they all inclined to him, and listened
to his words. A number of the Samaritans also assembled to meet
him, and he disputed with them, and showed them that he who came
into the world was the Messiah who was expected ; and he converted
many of them. He also allowed the people to let their hair grow long 2 rol. 9 b
1 It seems strange that Ibn al-Kanbar's insistence on the need of confession
before communion should have been received as a novel and heretical doctrine ;
but the fact is that the practice, though enjoined by the canons of the church,
had fallen into abeyance. See Renaudot, Perpituite, lib. 3, cap. 5, where it is
shown that the doctrine was recognized by the church of Egypt. An example of
confession in the eighth century is given also in Hist. Pair. p. 219 f. Renaudot
adds that John, the seventy-second patriarch, is credited by Coptic writers with
having abrogated the rule of confession. The reason alleged for John's action
is that the people disliked the practice of confession, and were even in some cases
driven out of the pale of the church by the severity of the penance imposed.
John substituted for the ancient practice a general admission of sinfulness and
prayer for forgiveness, something in these terms : ' O Lord God, look upon me,
a miserable sinner. I sorrow in that I have sinned against thee, and humbly
crave thy divine pardon.' This confession was made over a burning censer, which
the priest waved before the face of the penitent. This use of incense led the
ignorant to imagine that the ascending smoke had virtue to waft away their guilt,
and, as the superstition fixed its roots more deeply, the custom arose of flinging
grains of incense on a brazier in the house in atonement for the sin of the
moment. Confession over the censer passed not only to the Abyssinians (see
below, fol. 105 b), but also to the Nestorians, the Armenians, and the Malabar
Christians. In Ethiopia the error had died out when the Jesuits first entered the
country. Among the Nestorians there was no confession in the sixteenth century,
and Antonio de Gouvea, who visited Malabar about 1600, says that the Christians
there had the greatest abhorrence of the sacrament of penance, and the former
custom of confessing over the censer was then almost abandoned. It seems,
however, that in all these Oriental churches the practice of particular confession
was ultimately restored. See Denzinger, Ritus Orientalium, i. pp. 105-108; Butler,
Coptic Churches, ii. p. 298. (A. J. B.)
2 The objection was to the practice then general in Egypt, as it still is among
the conservative classes in that country, to shave off either all the hair of the
22 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
as the Melkites do ; and he forbad circumcision 1 , saying that cir-
cumcision belongs to the Jews and Hanifs 2 , and that it is not lawful
for Christians to resemble the Jews or the Hanifs in any of their
traditions which are in force among them in our time. For this
doctrine he set up many proofs. He forbad the practice of burning
sandarach 3 in the churches, and allowed only frankincense 4 ; because
this was offered to the Lord with the gold and the myrrh, and therefore
head, or all with the exception of a small tuft at the crown. We are told, however
(below on fol. 15 a), that Ibn al-Kanbar approved of a circular tonsure. Whether
this latter notice refers to the clergy does not appear, but it seems that Ibn
al-Kustal, whose views on the shaving of the head seem to have resembled those
of Ibn al-Kanbar, particularly objected to the shaving of the whole head in the
case of the priests; see fol. 20 a.
1 Circumcision on the eighth day is customary, but not obligatory; on the other
hand, the Coptic church forbids circumcision after baptism. In the Abyssinian
church circumcision is a necessary rite, and, according to Damianus a Goes, is
performed on infants on the day of their baptism, viz. the seventh day, by which
the eighth day is doubtless to be understood. (A. J. B.)
2 He uses the word ' Hanifs ' instead of ' Muslims/ because the latter claimed
that in practising circumcision they were following the tradition not only of the
Jews, but of the ancient, orthodox religion to which Abraham belonged, and to
which the Jews had added. It was this ancient religion which Mahomet professed
to restore. The passages of the Koran are well known :
(Sural an-Nahl, v. 124; cf.v. 121, Sural al-Fajr, v. 162, and Silrat AV T?nrdn,\. 89).
' Then we taught thee by inspiration to follow the religion of Abraham, who was
a Hanif; he was not of the polytheists.'
3 This is a resinous substance, the gum of a coniferous tree, Callilris quadri-
valvis, w T hich flourishes in north-western Africa, particularly in the Atlas range.
(A. J. B.)
4 For other substances which were burnt in the churches by Copts and
Abyssinians see below, fol. 105 b. See also Vansleb, Hist, de I'Eglise d'A/ex.
p. 60, where sandarach, frankincense, aloes, and giavi are named.
ACCOUNT OF. MARK IBN AL-KANBAR. 23
it is not right that anything else should be burnt in the church. He
said to those that confessed to him : ' I will bear part of your sins for
you, and part will be forgiven by God through your doing penance ;
for he who receives a penance for his sin in this world will not be
compelled by God to do a second penance in the next world.' His
followers who confessed to him called him ' Our Father the Director '
(or ' Teacher '). When he stopped in the churches a large assembly
came together to meet him, and he raised many dissensions, such as
had not been known in the church.
After a time the bishops in the North [of Egypt] were informed
of these matters, and laid information of them before the Father and
Patriarch Anba Mark 1 , the seventy-third in the order of succession, who
reprimanded him on account of them, and wrote letters to him in which
he warned him and forbad him and exhorted him with exhortations of
consolation, but he would not listen to him or return to him. Necessity
therefore compelled the patriarch to send to summon him to his
presence, so Ibn al-Kanbar went up to him to the Cell 2 at the
church of Al-Mu'allakah 3 in Misr. There the patriarch assembled to Fol. 10 a
meet him a synod consisting of bishops and priests and chief men 4 ,
and said to him : l Know that he who breaks any of the commandments
of the church, and bids the people act in contradiction to it, lies under
the penalties of the law. Why then dost thou not return from thy
1 Occupied the see from a. d. 1167 to 11 89. See Renaudot, Hist. Pair.
PP- 530-554-
n
2 The Cell (i3^, from the Greek k<fXXiW) represented, as we should say, the
patriarchal palace ; see Appendix. It was attached to the principal church, as the
bishop's residence generally was in ancient times, and as the Vatican is attached
to St. Peter's basilica.
3 For a description of the patriarchal church of the Virgin, called Al-Mii alldkah
or 'the Hanging Church,' see Butler, Coptic Churches, i. p. 216. The name was
given to any structure built upon arcades.
* The Arabic ^^i, I , plural ili-U, is derived from the Greek apxav, through
the Coptic, which employs the word to denote the chief men or official class.
24 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
ways?' Many things took place with regard to him, the end of which
was that he was ordered to go under guard with deputies of the
patriarch to the monastery of Anba Antunah 1 near Itfih ; this was in
the month of Amshir in the year 890 of the Blameless Martyrs ;
moreover [it was ordered] that he and his brethren should shave the
hair of their heads. Ibn al-Kanbar soon began to suffer from the
circumstances in which he was placed ; and so he addressed the
patriarch, and entered into communication with him by means of his
mother and his brethren and his uncle, who did not cease to kiss the
patriarch's hands and feet, and by means of the prayers of the chief
men ; and at last the patriarch granted their prayers and wrote to the
superior of the monastery bidding him lead that Mark to the place in
which the body of Saint Anthony lay, and require him to swear upon
it and upon the Gospel of John that he would not again do any of the
things that he had done, and then allow him to go free. So the superior
did this and released Mark, who returned to his own country 2 on those
conditions.
The said Mark [ibn al-Kanbar] went from the monastery of
Fol. 10 b Saint Anthony to the Rif 3 , after having been made to swear upon the
holy Gospel and upon the said body of our Father Anthony, and after
having been made to promise that he would not return to his former
1 This is the well-known monastery of Saint Anthony near the Red Sea ; see
below, fol. 54 ff. It is called ' near Itfih,' because the road thither from the Nile
started from that town, in respect to which the monastery lies a little to the
south-east, at a distance of sixty miles.
2 I.e. Damsis or its neighbourhood; see fol. 14.
3 There has been some dispute as to the meaning of the Arabic word i__ ->,,
which generally means the country lying upon the banks of a river, or upon the
sea-shore ; see Dozy, ad verb. In Egypt the word was used to denote the Delta
or Lower Egypt ; see below, fol. 21a. M. Amelineau, in his somewhat curious
article upon the name i__ ajJl, speaks as if it were known from two sources only:
the Arabic Synaxarium, the authority of which he rejects, and the Ethiopic
Chronicle of John of Niciu, upon the authority of which he peremptorily decides
that the Rif is synonymous with Upper Egypt ! see Ge'ogr. p. 403 f.
ACCOUNT OF MARK IBN AL-KANBAR. 25
ways or transgress the canons of the church and the rules of the law ;
yet this said Mark, when he arrived in his own country, returned to his
former ways and did even worse than before. For there gathered
together to him a very large body of the ignorant from the river-banks
and the villages and the towns, nearly five thousand men ; and reports
of him arrived as far as Kalyub \ Among these men were some who
obeyed him and attached themselves to him, and bound themselves
to do what he appointed and ordered for each of them ; so that some
of them bound themselves to bring him part of their money and of the
fruit of their gardens and vineyards, and a tithe of their income ; and
they brought it to him, so that he increased in wealth beyond his
former state.
Then the patriarch wrote to him to make known to him what would
happen to him if he did not repent, and to terrify him and warn him
of that which would befall him if he went on in his pride, and in his
breaking of his oath and departure from that which he had sworn ;
and the patriarch exhorted him and warned him of the end of his
perjury and his heresy and his excommunication, namely, that the end
of these things is perdition. Mark ibn al-Kanbar would not, however,
listen to the patriarch's letters, but behaved insolently and increased
in pride and perversity, and would not be converted. So the patriarch
wrote letters to the bishops of Northern Egypt containing an account
of the case from the beginning to the end, and a summary of the canons Fol. 11 a
by which such a man is condemned to excommunication on the severest
terms if he persists in his pride and cleaves to the error of his impiety;
and bidding each of the bishops, after giving an account of whatever
he had ascertained of the man, write in his own handwriting to the
effect that it was not lawful for Mark to do as he had dared to do.
So each of the bishops wrote his own account of Mark's opposition to
1 About ten miles to the north of Cairo. It is the Coptic K<O\ICJ0Yie, and
is now the capital of the district of Kalyub, and of the province of Kalyubiyah.
It had in 1885 a population of 8,644. The neighbourhood was famous for its
fertility, and for the numerous gardens which adorned it ; it was one of the richest
spots in Egypt. Ibn Dukmak, op. cit. v. p. Fv f. ; Amel., Geogr. p. 390.
e [ii. 7-]
26 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
the law of his own church, and added that it was not right for him
to do what he had dared to do, and that he could not be allowed to
follow the fancies of his own mind as he had done in transgression of
the law ; and each bishop confirmed the sentence of excommunication
upon him.
After this, Mark ibn al-Kanbar was not satisfied with what he had
done, and with having broken the oath which he had sworn upon the
Gospel and upon the body of the great Saint Anthony in the church
of God, or with having resisted the law, and refused to accept that
which was binding upon him according to the law of the Christians of
whom he was one ; but he even wrote an address and submitted it to
the sultan. The purport of his address was that he desired that an
assembly should be called to meet him in the presence of the patriarch ;
but he embellished his account of what had passed, and said whatever
it pleased him to say, and asked for protection.
The Kadi '1-Fadil ibn 'Ali al-Baisani 1 wrote an answer to his letter,
of which the following is a copy :
'Thou art a man of great distinction. But the patriarch of the
Christians has made up a story of a man who is innocent of having
departed from the truth of his religion and says that he has departed
from it, and has brought in a strange doctrine, by which the word of
his people is cut short, and the traditions generally held by his
co-religionists are broken.
1 Thou hast been banished once, and hast ventured to return from
banishment without permission. Go forth, therefore, as a private person
without rank or jurisdiction, and do not assume any pre-eminence over
the Christians or jurisdiction among them, until a lawful assembly be
1 Abu 'Ali 'Abd ar-Rahim al-Lakhmi al-'Askalani, generally known as Al-Kadi
'1-Fadil, was vizier to Saladin, with whom he stood high in favour. He was famous
for his literary style, especially in his letters, of which we here have a specimen.
He was born at Ascalon in a. h. 529 = a. d. i 135, and died a. h. 596 = a.d. 1200.
His father was for a time cadi at Baisan on the Jordan near Tiberias, and for this
reason the family all received the surname of Baisani. Ibn Khallikan, op. cit.
ii. p. in.
ACCOUNT OF MARK IBN AL-KANBAR. 27
called to meet thee which shall decide whether thou shalt be of them, in
which case thou shalt not oppose them, or whether thou shalt depart
from them, in which case thou wilt wander away from the faithful and
followers of the book, and it will be necessary for thee to become
a Muslim, for thou wilt be neither Jew nor Christian.' This is the end.
After Mark ibn al-Kanbar had remained in his own district per-
sisting in his former ways, then he appeared at the Cell at the church of
Al-Mu e allakah in Misr, and waited upon the patriarch, and confessed
his sin, and asked for pardon, which was granted to him. Prayers were
offered, and the liturgy was said : and when Mark went forward to
communicate of the holy mysteries, the patriarch made him swear, in
the presence of a body of bishops and priests, that he would not again
do what he had been forbidden to do. So he swore a binding oath,
and made firm promises, before receiving the holy mysteries. Then he
returned to his own district, and had not spent a single day there before
he returned to his former ways ; nor did he keep his second oath, taken
before the altar of God in the presence of the bishops and priests and
chief men and deacons and a congregation of the orthodox laity. Thus
it became evident that he did not fear God or respect men, since he had Pol. 12 a
been allowed to receive the eucharist in the sanctuary of God. He now
gave permission to those who followed his opinions to communicate
early 1 on the festival of the Forty Martyrs 2 , which is on the 13th of
Barmahat, and takes place during the fast of the Holy Forty Days ;
and on this day he forbad communion of the wine 3 . He forbad also
1 As it is well known, the Copts celebrate the liturgy, of course fasting, at three
o'clock in the afternoon during the fast' of the forty days of Lent, except on
Saturday and Sunday. It is not stated here that Ibn al-Kanbar allowed the liturgy
to be celebrated early on one of these days, but that he allowed an early com-
munion, doubtless with the reserved sacrament, see fol. 15 b. See Vansleb, Hist,
de I'Eglise d 'A/ex. p. 73.
2 The 13th of Barmahat would be equivalent to the 9th of March, whereas the
Roman calendar keeps the festival of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste on the 10th
of March.
3 Because the wine was not reserved, see fol. 15 b.
e 2
2S CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
the giving of extreme unction by relations to one another 1 . These
things were in addition to the other matters which were known of him
before. Then he began to ride about, accompanied by a body of
his followers ; and he travelled through the Rif in state like a wall,
and banquets were prepared for him and his companions. The end of
this was that he went over to the sect of the Melkites, and confessed
the Two Natures and the Two Wills 2 ; and the Melkites received him.
Thus he threw off the faith of Severus and Dioscorus 3 , our fathers the
1 This is an abuse of which I do not find mention elsewhere ; the Coptic ritual
requires that seven priests shall take part in the administration of the sacrament of
extreme unction, and that each of them shall recite a passage of scripture and say
certain prayers over the sick man.
2 Our author, though an Armenian, if the title of the MS. be correct, here
speaks as if he fully accepted the creed of the Coptic monophysites. To explain
this we must remember that many of the Armenians were monophysites and
monothelites as well as the Copts, and that when the Armenian catholicus,
Gregory II, in the course of his travels, arrived in Egypt about a.d. 1080, the
representatives of these two religious communities made a confession of common
faith in the One Nature of Christ. 'On that day,' says Michael, bishop of Tinnis, 'it
was made known to all that Copts, Armenians, Syrians, Ethiopians, and Nubians
are at one in the orthodox faith which the holy fathers of old once unanimously
confessed, and which Nestorius, Leo, and the Council of Chalcedon had changed.'
See Renaudot, Hist. Pair. p. 461 ; Ter-Mikelian, Die armen. Kirche, &c. p. 84.
On the other hand, it is certain that many of the Armenians, and of their writers
and teachers, preserved the catholic belief which Ibn al-Kanbar and his followers
also maintained ; and, in the lifetime of our author himself, the Synod of Tarsus,
summoned by king Leo and the patriarch Gregory in a.d. 1196, acknowledged
the Council of Chalcedon. For the acceptance of the catholic doctrine by
Armenian doctors, see Clemens Galanus, Conciliai. Eccles. Arm. cum Romana ex
ipsis Armenontm Patrum et doctorum fes/imom'is, &c, Rome, 1690.
3 It is, of course, well known that the Copts look upon Dioscorus, the twenty-
fifth patriarch of Alexandria, who was condemned by the Council of Chalcedon
in a.d. 451, and upon Severus, the fifty-seventh patriarch of Antioch, who was
condemned by the Synods of Constantinople of a.d. 518 and a.d. 536 and the
second General Council of Constantinople in a.d. 553, as the two great champions
ACCOUNT OF MARK IBN AL-KANBAR. 29
patriarchs, who withstood emperors and great men in matters of religion,
and exposed the following of the emperor x in his creed, and would
not give up the faith of the 318 ancient fathers 2 , who had withstood
Diocletian 3 the Infidel, and endured torments of different kinds, the
limbs of some being cut off, in defence of the true faith established by
patriarchs and bishops through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, and
condemned and excommunicated any who should depart from it and
believe differently. Now this wretch Mark ibn al-Kanbar, blind both
in eyes and heart, as one of the fathers said, separated himself from the
ranks of the brethren, as Judas Iscariot did, and therefore God removed
him from the ranks of the orthodox, as he removed Satan from the
ranks of the angels on high on account of his pride and his thinking Fol. 12 b
within himself that he was the greatest, for which cause he fell ; and so
this wretch Mark thought within himself that he was wise, and therefore
he fell and became one of the disputatious heretics who imagine that
the Will of the Manhood was opposed to the Will of the Godhead ; and
of the monophysite doctrine, or orthodox faith as they call it. These two mono-
physite saints are commemorated or invoked more than once in the course of the
Coptic liturgy. The Prayer of Absolution addressed to the Son (^1 JJ^) prays
that all present may be absolved ' out of the mouth of ' the Trinity, of the twelve
apostles, of Saint Mark, and of ' the holy patriarch Severus and our teacher
Dioscorus.' The visit of Severus to Egypt is commemorated in the Coptic
calendar on Babah 2 = September 29, his death on Amshir i4=February 8 ; and
the translation of his body to the monastery of To Ennalon at Alexandria on
Kihak 10= December 6. Severus was the author of many works in Greek, which
were translated into Syriac, and are still in great part extant; see British Museum
Catalogue of Syriac MSS. The fragments of Severus' works in the original
Greek still existing are to be found in Mai, Script, vet. nova collectio. The death
of Dioscorus is commemorated on Tut 7 = September 4.
1 This is an allusion to the origin of the name Melkite, in Arabic ^1*, from
dill, 'king' or 'emperor.'
2 Of Nicaea.
3 It is true that some of the bishops who took part in the first Council of
Nicaea had suffered in the persecution.
30 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
he was excommunicated by three patriarchs : namely, by Anba Jonas J
the seventy-second, who died while this wretch was still bound by his
anathemas, and had not been loosed from them ; by the patriarch of
Antioch, Anba Michael 2 ; and by Anba Mark the seventy-third
[patriarch of Alexandria] ; and also by sixty bishops in the two
provinces of Northern and Southern Egypt.
Now this Ibn al-Kanbar had gathered together a body from
among the Melkites, the opponents of our orthodox faith, together with
those who came to him of the ignorant and simple among the Copts,
and he went down to Kalyub with the desire to pervert some of the
inhabitants of that town ; but the scribe of the town, and the damin 3
1 Or John, see fol. 9 a. In Arabic the names UL>^ or {J ^.s!. and ^IjJj are
frequently confused. Al-Makrizi calls both the seventy-second and the seventy-
fourth patriarch Jonas, whereas the patriarchal biographies name them John.
2 This patriarch does not seem to be named in the lists. He was the author
of a treatise on Preparation for the Eucharist (Renaudot, Hist. Pair. p. 550).
There are five of the name in the rolls of the see, namely, Michael I, the 88th
patriarch, consecrated a. d. 879; Michael II, the 126th, a.d. 1370; Michael III,
the 129th, a.d. 1401; Michael IV, the 134th, a. d. 1454; Michael V, the 140th,
a.d. 1555. The published lists are full of discrepancies. See Le Quien, Oriens
Christ, ii. col. 713 ff. ; Neale, Patriarchate of Antioch, p. 173 ff. If Michael of
Antioch excommunicated Ibn al-Kanbar, it must have been on account of his
rejection of the monophysite doctrine, not on account of his teaching on the
sacrament of penance, which agrees with that of the patriarch of Antioch, con-
tained in his treatise; see Renaudot, op. cit. p. 552.
3 The damin was the farmer of the taxes. The fact that he and the scribe
were both Copts is an illustration of the rule followed by the Mahometan governors
of employing Copts as officials in those branches of the government service which
required facility in writing and accuracy in calculation; see below, fol. 28 b.
There is a well-known passage of Al-Makrizi which contains the following words, in
which he speaks of the unsuccessful rebellion of the Copts in a. h. 2i6 = a.d. 831 :
ACCOUNT OF MARK IBN AL-KANBAR. 31
of the town, and others of the orthodox party heard of him, and went
to him and watched him, and took him and his party and bound them
to pay the poll-tax 1 , and gave them orders, and informed the wall 2 of
the town that this body of men were acting in opposition to their own
laws, and lay under the ban of the patriarch, and that the people of every
district in which they settled would suffer from them. ' Visit them Fol. 13 a
therefore ' [added the scribe and the damin] ' and do not let them go
until thou hast obtained money from them, lest they secretly enter the
town and harm come to the inhabitants.' So the wall visited them and
made prisoners of them, and would not let them go until they had paid
seventeen dinars as a contribution towards the poll-tax ; and when they
had paid the poll-tax, certificates were written for them in which they
bound themselves not to visit Kalyub, except as travellers on their way
to the capital or some other city, and never to settle in the town. Thus
they departed from Kalyub in the worst of plights.
Then Ibn al-Kanbar heard that the patriarch 3 of the Melkites was
arrived from Alexandria, and was spending his time in a hall of recep-
tion 4 ; so he made his way thither to salute him and to congratulate
' None of the Copts after this was able to rebel against the government ; and
the Muslims subdued them throughout the country villages. So they betook
themselves to cheating instead of fighting, and to the employment of cunning and
guile, and to cheating the Muslims ; and they were appointed scribes of the
land-tax, and there were many affairs between them and the Muslims.' {Khitat,
ii. p. Pit*.)
1 Laid upon all who refused to adopt the Mahometan religion, by the conditions
of conquest. The Kanbarites would, of course, already have paid it in their own
district, and were forced to pay it a second time as a punishment for having come
to Kalyub.
2 The wdli I'beled or governor of the town was the chief local official, and head
of the police.
8 Sophronius II was patriarch in a. d. 1166. His successor was Elias(?). In
1 195 Mark was patriarch. Le Quien, ii. col. 487 ff.
4 ul^^ ' corrupted" into Liwan, is the name given by the modern Egyptians to
the raised part of the reception-room (ijh.**) in which the host and his guests
32 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
him upon his good health, in the company of a body of followers who
might justify their leader's words if he were attacked. Now this patriarch
was accompanied by several metropolitans, that is, the metropolitans of
the country, who informed the patriarch of the harm that Ibn al-Kanbar
had done to them by breaking the canons of their religion, and they
inquired into the matter, and they said, ' This man is a Copt, and does
what is not customary.' Then Ibn al-Kanbar answered, ' God curse the
hour when I became one of you.' And the patriarch said to him, ' Virtue
and peace alone are to be found in our company.'
Subsequently to this, Ibn al-Kanbar requested that a church might
be allotted to him at Sanbat \ after what had happened to him there.
But the metropolitan of that place said to the patriarch, ' Relieve me of
my office of metropolitan, and call him to take a church for himself,
if thou hast appointed one for him.' So the patriarch was silent, and said
Fol. 13 b not a word. A disgraceful encounter took place between Ibn al-Kanbar
and this metropolitan of Sanbat, the end of which was that the metro-
politan rushed upon him and dealt him a painful blow, and knocked off
his head-covering before a full assembly. This happened in the month
of Abib in the year of the Church 901 ( = A. D. 1186).
In the same month this wretch Ibn al-Kanbar dared to return and
pay a visit to the father and patriarch Anba Mark, accompanied by
Ibn c Abdun and one of the most distinguished friends of the patriarch,
to whose Cell at the Muallakah they conducted him. The patriarch was
sit. The lower part of the room, much narrower than the Liwan, is called iisji,
and here the guests leave their shoes before stepping on the Liwan. Upon the
Liwan, mats or carpets are spread, and against the walls are mattresses and
cushions composing the diwan or divan. See Lane, Modern Egyptians,
i. p. 15 f.
1 Also called Sunbutiyah (Yakut) ; situated in the Jazirah Kusaniya, as the
district was then called. It was the Coptic T^ceJULncrf", and is now
included in the district of Ziftah, in the province of Al-Gharbiyah, having
a population in 1885 of 3,223. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. 1 01 ; Al-Idrisi,
op. cil. (ed. Rome) [p. 116]; Amelineau, Geogr. p. 415.
ACCOUNT OF MARK IBN AL-KANBAR. 33
surrounded by a company, and said to him, 'Why has thy reverence 1
returned to me, thou excommunicate, in this guise so different from our
fashion?' and he put forth his hand to Ibn al-Kanbar's head and struck off
his cap, so that he remained bareheaded. But one of the disciples of the
patriarch restored the cap to his head ; and this vexed the patriarch, and
he was wroth with that disciple for what he had done without permission.
So Ibn al-Kanbar departed from his presence, and went forth ashamed,
not knowing how to walk. Then the news of this occurrence reached the
patriarch of the Melkites, who sent for Ibn al-Kanbar, and reproved
him, saying, ' Dost thou visit a patriarch whose faith thou dost oppose ?
How will he arrange thy affairs ? ' Then the patriarch of the Melkites
sent Ibn al-Kanbar to the monastery of Al-Kusair 2 , and there he dwelt
with his companions, administering the affairs of the monastery ; nor Fol. 14 a
was he converted to anything except to disputing with all communities,
thinking in himself that he was wise ; yet while he thought thus he was
overcome by ignorance. He lived only a short time after this, and then
he died 3 , having destroyed his own soul and the souls of those whom he
seduced by his deceit.
After the death of Ibn al-Kanbar, I found a report on sheets of
paper in the handwriting of Anba Michael 4 , metropolitan 5 of Damietta,
who therein makes the following statements to the author of this book,
perhaps in answer to his letter to him on the subject of Ibn al-Kanbar
and the evil which he wrought in the world. Within it were the words :
1 The respectful mode of address here ironically used by the patriarch is not
appropriate to the clergy, but common to all men above the lowest ranks, igb.lii
is now frequently found, especially in letters.
2 See below, fol. 49 ff.
s For the date of his death see below, fol. 51 a and b.
4 The author of a treatise on Confession (Renaudot, Hist. Pair. p. 552) and of
other works (Vansleb, Histoire de TEglise d'A/exandrie, p. 333).
6 There were three metropolitans under the Coptic patriarch, namely those of
Damietta, Jerusalem, and Abyssinia ; but the date at which the see of Damietta
was raised to the metropolitical dignity, and the exact nature of that dignity in
this case, are uncertain.
f [II. 7-]
34 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
' The poor miserable Michael at Damietta, hereby makes known to
his friend the brother that which has reached me with regard to Fakhir
ibn al-Kanbar, who became a priest although unworthy of that dignity
in many ways, and was called Mark, and with regard to his corrupt
doctrines contained in the treatises which he composed, in books con-
tradicting the truth, and by which he seduced simple men, devoid of
understanding, into the paths of the heretics. Now this insolent heretic
had married a wife, who lived with him for a time ; but afterwards he
desired to become a monk, and to separate himself from her. She,
however, would not consent to his wishes ; and so he conceived the plan
of marrying her in secret to another. Then he went to Anba Jonas,
bishop of Damsis \ and made him believe that his wife had become
a nun, and was living in the convent with the nuns ; and thus the bishop
admitted him to the monastic vows, and ordained him priest. But his
affairs did not long remain secret, and information was laid against him
Fol. 14 b before the patriarch Jonas, the seventy-second in the succession of the
fathers and patriarchs ; [and this occasioned] 2 his excommunication and
cutting off, and the excommunication of the bishop who had ordained
him priest, because he had not inquired into the truth of the matter in
such a way as to establish the veracity of Ibn al-Kanbar before he
admitted him as a monk and ordained him priest ; for thus he had
become a partner with him in his sin and his contempt of the apostolic
canons. For Paul the Apostle says that if a woman chooses to separate
herself from her husband, and he consents to her desire, she shall not
1 The Coptic TeAJLCIurf". Yakut sets this town four parasangs from
Samannud and two from Bara, of which places the former is still existing, see
note on fol. 57 b, and the latter was in the diocese of Sakha, now in the district
of Kafr ash-Shaikh in the province of Al-Gharbiyah. The Copto- Arabic lists of
places give Damsis between Sandalat and Sahrajt or Natu, but the order of the
names in such lists cannot always be depended upon as strictly corresponding to
the position of the localities. Damsis is no longer existing, although it was still
a town at the beginning of this century. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. ii. p. oaa ; Ibn
Dukmak, op. cit. p. 1 . ; Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome) [p. 117]; Amelineau, Geogr. p. 1 19 f.
2 Some words seem to be omitted here.
ACCOUNT OF MARK IBN AL-KANBAR. 35
marry another ; and if she prefers to be married, she shall return to her
former husband ; but the man shall not put away his wife at all. Yet
this man put away his wife, and forced her to separate herself from him,
and married her to another.
' After this he made a parade of his learning and his exposition of
the holy books, and he translated them from Coptic * into Arabic ; and
he wrote that Tafsir at-Tafsir according to the imaginations of his own
mind. While he was living at the church of Damsis, he concealed the
Guide 2 which indicates what portions of the Gospels and of the ecclesias-
1 Coptic had become a dead language long before this time in Lower Egypt,
although Al-Makrizi informs us that near Usyut, at Mushah and Udrunkah, and
in other parts of Upper Egypt, it was still spoken at the beginning of the fifteenth
century ; and Vansleb assures us that he was shown an old man who was said to be
the last person who spoke Coptic. Al-Makrizi' s words with regard to Mushah are:
.(A' 'hit at, ii. p. o.v)
Of Udrunkah he says :
I4J Jj-M j I4J ^a^Jjj ptbj-t-k^o ^JXsT^ ^Ja-^ a *^ L)J*J**- iJj^ ^^ \J* U^*' ^j^j
.[Ibid. p. o i a) jLj,r]1>
For a translation of these passages see Appendix.
2 Generally called kutmdrus, a corruption of the Coptic word K^/T <*JUiepOC,
borrowed from the Greek and meaning ' divided into sections.' See Vansleb,
Hist, de VEglise d'A/ex. p. 62, and Butler, Coptic Churches, ii. p. 260. Mr. Malan
has published an almost complete translation of a Coptic Kutmdrus (London,
D. Nutt, 1874). (A. J. B.)
A kutmdrus, in the Medicean Library at Florence, of a. d. 1396, exhibits the
following title and list of contents of its first two parts :
K.T<LJuiepoc : exe $<u ne ru^Xjuioc : rteJUL ruXe^ic
e&oX<)ert ruvpM>H eecnr^ii : oyo, f emcroXK k^ooXikh :
riejut enicToXn rrre ni^vioc n/*Xoc : rteju. e^oX^en
np<Lic rrre nii-nocxoXoc : iigjul e&oXj^ert rti^ rrre
TiieT^vreXion eefte niKfKXoc riTe -f pojutni <6ert rtipof&i
f 2
36 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
tical books must be read every day, and he made himself the Guide : that
is to say, when he was bidden to recite portions of the Gospels and the
nejuL T$.cyi rrre ruexcjopg, rtejm ^ert .rt4>op<L ka.t^
t^^ic rrre *f ckkXhci^. itp^Ko-f rrre ni.irTirrioc &i 4>.ctjcnr
,>eri v nixm^uxy
nixmcfccucy ~H ee&e rtiKvpi.KK itejut nincy^.1 e-recrtKcnr
exe $&.! ne
ee&e rti ktpi^kk rrre nie.fiurr ni&crciT" exe $<u ne
eauoTT" ni.oni ^euop ^qoi^k Tuofti Ju.ex*P
<en: naj<Li rrre ni.rioc iuo^.nnHc nifLLrrricrrHc rtejuL
nicx^-Tpoc e<P* nejm vecopvioc nuut^pxTpoc ni^ rt^cuort
julix^hX ^.px^^^eXoc itika JULnpecfhrrepoc AAepKcnr-
pioc nuuL<Lp r "r**poc mxm&iajaj irrei~<Lri<LJUi<Lpi<Ln.peeitoc
nejm <ert n^p^JULoriH rrre nixm-iuuci jultioc m^noc
cxe^rtoc npoxajJUL^pxnfpoc nejm SMocKopoc nejm a.ic-
KXemoc nejuL rtoirajHpi ^>eit -f-.ft<Lia ru.itonoXic rrre xen^-ic
n<Lp<LJUionH rrre nicu,<u jultticujulc rrre noc ee&e mep^juLevi
rrre -f<Lvi<L JUt.pi<L nA.peertoc JULnaj<Li rrre niJX Juum<Lp-
XTpoc rteju. ni^-Vioc &.&.&&. juL^.K.Lpioc rtejuL ni^.nocxoXoc
nexpoc rtejut n^/rXoc
nixni^ajaj ~K ee&e mKYpj<LKH rtejut. run.aj<u execrtHonr
rtiK*vpi^KH rrre i"ttRCTi. kjuC aj^e^pKi e<>oTit e-f ^.rt^c-
t<lcic rtejuL niKTpi^-KH rrre nm ite&ooT ctj<L e<pHi
e'fKTpi^KH rrre -f nerrriKocrrK nejm naj<Li irre mxmajert.q
enajaji rmoc
ee&e rtiKYpi^KH rrre ni^ftcrr ru.ajumc n<Lumi ennn
jmeccopH rteju. me irre rue rrerrreporc nejut *f e&2^ojm<Lc
rrf ruaj-f" THpc
otXovoc rrre .&&<*. cy^ncnrf- exeYuxy nS nv n^ ne
oirXovoc cenrepi^noc emcKonoc ee&e n^
ACCOUNT OF MARK IBN AL-KANBAR. 37
Epistles [of Saint Paul] and the Catholic Epistles and the Acts, he
produced what he chose in his own mind, some passage expounded in
onrXovoc rixe m^vioc iuoA.nriHc hixp^coctojuloc eefte
ne nejui nF
ccXovoc rrre m^vioc .e<Lit.cioc .Xe.rt2^pmoc
ee&e nF
otXovoc rrre ceTepoc ^.rrricrxercoc ee&e morion
c^JLfLLTOrt
' Kutmarus : containing the Psalms and Lessons from the Holy Scriptures, and
from the seven Catholic Epistles, and from the Epistles of Saint Paul, and from the
Acts of the Apostles, and from the four Books of the Gospel ; to be read throughout
the course of the year, at Vespers, and at Midnight, and at the Liturgy ; according
to the rule of the Church of Alexandria of the Copts. Divided into three parts.
' The first part [contains the Lessons] for the following Sundays and Festivals :
' The Sundays of the first six months of the year, namely, Tut, Babah, Hatur,
Kihak, Tubah, Amshir ;
' The Festivals of Saint John Baptist ; the Holy Cross ; George the Martyr ;
the Four Living Creatures ; Michael the Archangel ; the Four and Twenty Elders ;
Mercurius the Martyr ; the Annunciation of the Holy Virgin Mary ; the Vigil of
the Nativity of the Lord ; Saint Stephen, Protomartyr ; Dioscorus ; Aesculapius
and their sons at Panopolis in the Thebaid ; the Vigil of the Baptism of the Lord ;
the Commemoration of the Holy Virgin Mary ; the Forty Martyrs ; Saint Macarius ;
the Apostles Peter and Paul.
' The second part [contains the Lessons] for the following Sundays and
Festivals :
' The Sundays of the Fast up to the Resurrection ; the Sundays of the Fifty
Days up to the Sunday of Pentecost ; the Festival of the Ascension of the Lord ;
the Sundays of the months of Bashans, Ba'unah, Abib, Misri ; the fifth of the five
intercalary days ; and every day of the Great Week.
' Discourse of Saint Sinuthius, which is read on the Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday, and Thursday [of the Great Week] ; Discourse of Bishop Severian
for the Wednesday ; Discourse of Saint John Chrysostom for the Thursday and
Friday; Discourse of Saint Athanasius of Alexandria for the Friday; Discourse
of Severus of Antioch for Holy Saturday.'
38 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Pol. 15 a the Tafsir at-Tafsir, to support his heresy and to strengthen his false
creed, until he stole away the minds of some of the orthodox laity, whose
fear of God and efforts for the salvation of their souls made them
submit to be deceived by his embellishments, and to enter with him into
his sect. First of all he allured them to confess their sins to him, and
then he confirmed the belief in their minds that without such confession
there can be no repentance or forgiveness. Next he commanded them
not to shave the whole of their heads, but only the crown of the head,
and to give up the practice of circumcision, because God created Adam
perfect and free from defects 1 ; saying, "As God created the form of
Adam and perfected it, so it is very good," and that this tradition of
circumcision is not accepted except by the Jews and Hanifs. He also
taught that frankincense alone should be burnt in the church, because
it was offered to the Lord with the gold and the myrrh ; and that
a man must not wash his mouth with water after communion. All
these things were taught by degrees, and the people listened to his
teachings one by one during a space of more than fifteen years. At
last he bade them make the sign of the cross with two fingers 2 , and
make their communion with the reserved 3 sacrament which had been
consecrated on the Sunday, and which the priest took with him and
gave to those who confessed and desired to receive the communion
after confessing and doing penance, taking the centre of it and dipping
it in new wine, over which they prayed apart and so communicated.
Pol. 15 b He also abrogated the three days of the Fast of Nineveh 4 and the first
1 This reminds us of the objection made by the Russians of the conservative
party to the patriarch Nicon, when he inculcated the practice of shaving the beard,
that he was teaching them ' to mutilate the image of God.'
2 The practice of the Copts was and is to make the sign of the cross with one
finger. See Vansleb, Hist, de FlZglise d'Alex. p. 68.
3 Reservation of the sacrament is not sanctioned by the Coptic canons. See
Butler, Coptic Churches, ii. pp. 54, 293. (A. J. B.)
4 The Fast of Nineveh is so called in remembrance of the Ninevites, who
fasted to turn away the wrath of God. It lasts three days, beginning on Monday,
and falls two weeks before the Fast of Heraclius, which immediately precedes
ACCOUNT OF MARK IBN AL-KANBAR. 39
week 1 of the Fast, according to the rule of the Melkites, and he allowed
meat and milk to be eaten during the Week of Nineveh on the two
days of Wednesday and Friday.
' In consequence of all these things, those of the orthodox who were
on their guard against him awoke, while his followers among the
Christians were deceived by him. Moreover, his creed which he
expounded, and which is contained in the books which he wrote, is
such as no Christian community accepts, not even the Melkites whom
he approached in the doctrines that have already been described. For
he said in his books that the Holy Trinity is composed of three Gods,
each of them absolutely perfect in word and spirit, but having one
common nature ; and that they resemble Adam, Eve, and Abel, who
were three persons with one common nature, each of them being as
perfect as the others. In the next place, Mark drew distinctions
between the three Persons, and held that the Father has dominion
and authority over his Son and his Holy Spirit, and commands or
Lent. See Vansleb, Hist, de Tltglise <? Alex, p. 76 ; Danhauer, Ecclesia Aethiopica
(Strasburg, 1672), cap. vi. (A. J. B.)
1 I. e. the so-called Fast of Heraclius, which, immediately preceding Lent,
forms the first week of the Great Fast. The origin of this fast is said to be as
follows: that the emperor Heraclius, on his way to Jerusalem, promised his
protection to the Jews of Palestine, but that on his arrival in the holy city, the
schismatical patriarch and the Christians generally prayed him to put all the Jews
to the sword, because they had joined the Persians shortly before in their sack of
the city and cruelties towards the Christians ; that the emperor hesitated to break
his solemn oath in the manner thus suggested to him, but was eventually persuaded
to sanction a general massacre of the Jews by the solemn promise made to him
by the authorities of the monophysite community that all members of their body
would henceforth until the end of -the world observe the week before Lent as
a strict fast for the benefit of his soul. This promise was, of course, binding on
the Egyptian and Ethiopian monophysites, as well as on the Syrians, with whom alone
they were in communion ; but it did not affect the Melkites. See Vansleb, Hist, de
I'Eglise dAlex. p. 74 f. The same account of the origin of the Fast of Heraclius
is given by the Mahometan historian Al-Makrizi (Khitat, ii. p. pi 1). (A. J. B.)
40 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
forbids them to act ; and that they obey him and follow his commands;
and that each of the Three does a work in which the others do not
participate : the Father, namely, commands ; the Son creates what the
Father commands him to create ; and the Holy Spirit gives life to
that to which the Father commands him to give life ; and that every
creature which exists was created by the Son, at the command of
the Father ; and everything that lives received life from the Holy Spirit
at the command of the Father.
Fol. 16 a 'In the next place he held that there was a feminine quality in the
Godhead, and he taught that this feminine quality is proper to the
Holy Spirit 1 . He held that the eternal Word of God is born through
1 The words of St. Jerome are the best commentary on this passage :
' Hebraei asserunt, nee de hac re apud eos ulla dubitatio est, Spiritum Sanctum
lingua sua appellari genere feminino, id est ntlhp nn . . . Sed et in evangelio
quod, juxta Hebraeos scriptum, Nazaraei lectitant, Dominus loquitur : modo me
tulit mater mea, Spiritus Sanctus. Nemo autem in hac parte scandalizari debet
quod dicatur apud Hebraeos spiritus genere feminino, cum nostra lingua appelletur
genere masculino, et Graeco sermone neutro. In divinitate enim nullus est sexus.
Et ideo in tribus principalibus linguis, quibus titulus dominicae scriptus est pas-
sionis, tribus generibus appellatur, ut sciamus nullius esse generis quod diversum
est.' (Jerome, Comtn. in Esaiam, cap. xl. ver. n.)
Origen quotes the same passage from the Ebionite or Nazarene ' Gospel
according to the Hebrews ' :
" , Eav 8e npoaUral tis to K.a.6' 'Eftpaiovs evayyeXiou, %v6a avTos 6 'EatTTjp (prjcrtv' "Apri
eAa/3/ pe fj prjTrjp pov to ayiov irvevpa iv pin tu>v rpi^cov pov Kai (mrjvfyice pe (Is to opos
to peya Qaftlop." (Origen, Comm. in Johannem, torn. II; vol. iv. col. 132, Migne ;
cf. Homil. XV in Jerem.)
Ibn al-Kanbar, whose opinions are here described for us by a hostile witness,
anxious to detect as many errors as he can in the writings of a man condemned
by the authorities of the Coptic community, perhaps knew a little Syriac, or even
a little Hebrew, and so was aware that the word for 'spirit' in those languages, im,
Ju.o>, is feminine in gender, and commented upon that fact, possibly to the same
effect as Jerome. The Coptic metropolitan evidently presents us with a very
crude statement of Ibn al-Kanbar's views.
In Arabic ~. may be masculine as well as feminine, and is used in the former
A CCOUNT OF MARK IBN A L-KA NBAR. 4 1
all eternity from the Father and the Holy Spirit ; and he explained
that as the Father has no beginning, so the Holy Spirit proceeds
eternally from him 1 , without beginning, and the Son also is begotten
eternally from them both without beginning. He held that God never
spoke to any of his creatures, but spoke to his Son and to his
Holy Spirit ; and he contradicted all the words of God that came to
his people through the divine books, both old and new. He held that
the patriarchs and the prophets were tormented in hell on account
of their sins ; and that they could not save their souls in spite of their
piety towards God ; but were punished in hell until the Lord Christ
saved them, being himself without sin. He held that the patriarchs
and prophets were without the gift of the Holy Spirit, and next that
the Holy Spirit never spoke by their mouths ; thus denying them the
grace of the. Holy Spirit. He said: "If the Holy Spirit had been
in them, they would not have gone down into hell." Next he supported
these false doctrines by the assertion that all the good actions done
by the patriarchs and prophets were reckoned by God to Satan, which
is as much as to say that Satan helped them to do good deeds without Fol. 16 b
the Holy Spirit. This doctrine he supported by his belief that the
good works done by the disciples and the rest of the people of Christ
are reckoned to Christ, because they did these works by the Holy Spirit.
gender when it denotes the Holy Spirit, ^liJl ^Jl or u-jJ^h The ancient
form was u -j^J\ .. , from the Syriac J>*.a,o Juoi.
1 Here the metropolitan of Damietta attributes to Ibn al-Kanbar the common
doctrine of the Melkites and Copts. Vansleb says of the latter : ' Us croient que
le Saint Esprit procede du Pere seulement, se fondant sur la parole de notre
Seigneur, quand il dit dans son fivangile > Cum autem venerit Paraclitus, quern
ego mittam vobis, a patre meo,' &c. {Hist, de I'ltglise d'Alex. p. 122 f.) In the
Catechism published in 1885 by Filta us, the hegumen of the patriarchal church
of St. Mark at Cairo, it is said (p. v) :
Ujl M }1 ^ c^uAl J\ { j^X\ y.jLftJI - ^Jl w5> jlioill i*ls- J - jt^i. ^Wl fj^W
' The third Person [of the Trinity] is distinguished by the appropriate character
of procession, for He is the Holy Spirit who proceeds, that is to say, issues
from the Father eternally.'
g [II. 7-]
42 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
He held also that none has died from the time of Adam onwards except
for committing some sin for which he deserved death ; and that the
body of Christ alone did not commit any sin, for which it deserved
death ; and that when he died he received from his Father all that
were imprisoned in hell, through the merit of his death ; and in one
place he says, "he received from Satan all that were imprisoned in
hell." Thus Mark implies that the Lady died on account of sin
alone, and so others beside her who are justified in the Gospel and
the Old Testament. He held also that after the death of men and
their assembling in paradise, there happens to those who have not
been chastised in this life 1 the same that happened to Adam ; and he
held that punishment and recompense in the next world belong to the
1 Vansleb says that although the Copts do not employ a term corresponding
to the Latin ' purgatory,' yet ' il est bien vrai qu'ils croyent que les ames souffrent
des peine9 & qu'elles recoivent du soulagement par le Saint Sacrifice & par les
oeuvres de pite qu'on fait pour elles, & il est vrai aussi qu'a. cette fin ils font des
obseques pour ces memes ames & qu'ils disent la Messe le 3 & le 7 jour, a. la fin
du mois, au quarantieme jour, au sixieme mois & a. la fin de l'annee de leur
tre'pas,' &c. (Hist, de flZg/ise d'Alex. p. 140). Perhaps the doctrine of Ibn
al-Kanbar was more definite than that held by the majority of the Copts on
a point on which, as Vansleb says, TEglise Copte ne s'est point encore expliqude.'
The following is an extract from page oa of the Catechism of Filta'us, which
has already been quoted :
.Jl Jxjj i^jLUl) lioAl ^^i-i^l .RiLUJ' Jjfc ^
(j.ij^l i*Llj' xJl5 (jL^a.^1 J-xSj (_flJvi.ll (jbJlll JLejJLij iL^xJl e^UL* ^J\ jo -.
"3^ L>y> ^jjJJ Aa.JI (^J J-^i^ (_s^ ^h*^ ^ ^) *-\r~-\ uy ^)j ^ajl-sj o-a-*-^ aJLasjuI
J^jSJ Jwol^wl L>^J> J i\ JUs*.^! ^j* AjwUJ ^-A^ SL m y JLj l-ftv^JO JLuaall sj.4 (.IfliO-jl
' Question: Are the souls of the faithful profited by prayers and good works?
' Answer: Yes. The prayers of the church and the offering of the Holy
Sacrifice and the performance of good works profit those souls which have died
still tainted by some of the imperfections and weaknesses of human nature, but
not those which are sunk in vice and are reprobate without hope of repentance or
forgiveness. This truth has been taught by the universal Church of Christ from
CERTAIN WONDERS OF EGYPT, 43
intelligent and reasonable soul apart from the body ; but that chastise-
ment in this world is for the body, in order that, to avoid the pains of
penance, it may not again consent with the soul in the commission of
sin; then it will be saved on the last day.
'All the expositions of his wicked doctrines are found in the books
that he wrote, such as that called The Ten Chapters, and that entitled Fol. 17 a
The Teacher and the Disciple, consisting of eight parts ; and the work
named The Collection of Fundamental Principles, and others.'
Certain Wonders of Egypt.
Section in which the fishing-place 1 is described. In the neigh-
bourhood of the Nile, there is a place at which on a particular day
much fish collects ; and the people of that place go out and fish with
their hands, and none of the fish escape from them ; so that the people
of that place catch enough to be eaten or salted by all of them. But
when the sun has set on that day not one of them catches a single fish
more ; nor during that year are fish found at that place, until that
particular day comes round again.
Account of the City of Stone 2 . Everything in this city is of hard
black stone. There is the image of a teacher, sitting with his boys,
who stand before him in large numbers both small and great ; and there
are the likenesses of lions and wild beasts and other things.
Account of the moving pillar 3 in the land of Egypt. This is
the first ages, and the Church of Israel bears witness in the second Book of
Maccabees that Judas Maccabaeus offered sacrifices for the departed warriors
(2 Mace. xii. 43).'
1 This fishing-place is not mentioned by Al-Makrizi among the ' wonders of
the Nile.'
2 Madinat al-Hajar, or the City of Stone, is still existing in the south of the
Fayyum, close to the village of Al-Gharak. There is an ancient sculptured
gateway and some columns and other remains of an ancient city.
3 Can this be a version of the story told of the minaret of Abwit near
Al-Bahnasa, reckoned by As-Suyuti among the twenty wonders of Egypt, which
constitute two-thirds of the wonders of the world ? He says it is
g 2
44 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
a marble pillar, rising to the height of about seventeen cubits above
the ground, and its diameter is two cubits. It moves on one day of
the year, making one motion.
Account of the tree 1 , which only bears fruit when a man runs
towards it with an axe, as if he wishes to cut it down ; and another
man meets him and forbids him to cut it down, and guarantees to
him on behalf of it that it will bear fruit. And in truth in the ensuing
year it bears a quantity of fruit equal to that of two years.
' skilfully constructed, so that if a man pushes it it inclines to the right and to the
left; but the movement is not visible externally except in the shadow of the minaret
in the sunshine.' (Husn al-Muhddarah, i. p. j 6 , .)
Cf. Ibn Dukmak, who says, in speaking of Abwit :
' In this town there is a wonder, namely, its minaret, which is ascended, and, if it
is pushed, yields to the push, and leans to one side ; and the cause of this is
unknown.' (Op. cit., v. p. r.)
Al-Makrizi tells a similar tale of the minaret of Barzakh, a suburb of Damietta;
see Khitat, i. p. rr.
1 This is no more than a grossly exaggerated report of the well-known
sensitive properties of the Mimosa Nilotica, named ki in Arabic.
Al-Makrizi gives the following account in his description of the wonders
of Egypt :
(**2s?j J>jj >laiill> ciOJ^i' Ijl ilaJ^j l^-i ^J^M i,xi ix*o Uju^a) jjl W*^ ri*)
Xws-JI ^ ik:-j ^1 *) S !'J^ J A 3 jj^-^j /*^"b*** (gJliSjj dL^c lijfic jjj l^J jlsLi^^oJj
'Among the wonders of Egypt is this: that in Upper Egypt there is a hamlet
called Dashni, in which there grows a mimosa-tree ; and if this mimosa is
threatened with being cut down it withers away and shrinks up and grows
smaller; but when they say to it, "We have forgiven thee, we will spare thee,"
then the tree recovers. It is a well-known thing and true at the present day that
there is a mimosa in Upper Egypt which withers away if the hand is laid upon it,
and recovers when the hand is removed.' (Khitat, i. p. rr.)
The fruit of the sant was used in medicine ; see 'Abd al-Latif, Mukhtasar
Akhbdr Misr, ed. White, pp. 48, 50.
BUSIR BANA. 45
Account of the stones T which are found at a place called Al- Fol. 17 b
Barmak, between Khuraij and Yakhtak. It is on the side of a moun-
tain, and when a caravan or a troop of soldiers passes by, they bind
much wool on the hoofs of their horses, and so make the ascent ; for
if these stones struck against one another, a dark mist would rise at once
and would prevent their progress, and an exceedingly heavy rain would
descend. It is said that the wise men of this country fixed these stones
in this district ; and, when rain was slow in coming to them, they moved
these stones by their arts, so that rain came to them whenever a rainfall
was needed. This is related in the biography of Al-Mu'tasim 2 ; and
certain of the chronicles contain the account of it, which is a true one.
Churches of Busir Band and other places.
The southern provinces of the land of Egypt. Busir Wana 3 is
named after a sorcerer 4 who lived there and was named Busir. The
1 The stones which cause rain if they strike together are not described in
the Life of Al-Mu'tasim, published by Matthiessen, Leyden, 1849.
2 The eighth of the Abbaside caliphs ; son of Harun ar-Rashid, and brother
and successor of Al-Ma'mun. Reigned at Bagdad from a. h. 218 to 227 = a. d.
833-842 ; see Abu '1-Fida, Annales, ii. pp. 166-176.
3 The following passage is repeated almost word for word below, fol. 68 b ff.
It is also quoted by Quatremere, Mem. Hist, et Ge'ogr. i. p. no ff. Our author,
followed by Quatremere, evidently confuses Busir Wana or Bana with Bfisir
Kuridus, which lies to the south of Cairo, at the entrance to the Fayyum. Busir
Kuridus is, however, spoken of by name on fol. 92 b. Busir Wana or Bana
is situated in the district of Samannud, in the province of Al-Gharbiyah, and
is therefore wrongly placed, both here and on fol. 68 b, in Southern or Upper
Egypt. The town has now 5,359 inhabitants. It is near the town of Bana or
Wana, here called (beginning of fol. 18 a) Wana Busir. The Coptic form of
Busir is fionfCIpI, and of Bana or Wana n<Lrt<LT. Four Busirs are mentioned
by Yakut : Busir Bana in the district of Samannud ; Busir Kuridus ; Busir
Dafadnu in the Fayyum ; and Busir as-Sidr in the province of Al-Jizah. See
Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. vi.j Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome) [p. 117]; Amelineau,
Ge'ogr. pp. 7-1 1.
4 On fol. 92 b, Busir Kuridus is also said to be named after a sorcerer.
46 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
town contains a large church, very spacious, built of stone, and situated
within the city, near the fortress. It was constructed in ancient times ;
and as time went by, and the kings required the stone of which it is
constructed, much of this material was taken away from it. The church
is now a ruin, but its remains are still conspicuous ; they stand near the
prison 1 of Joseph the Truthful, that is to say the son of Jacob, the son
of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the Friend of God, upon whom be peace.
The city of Wana 2 contains the church of George 3 .
1 Here our author is making a fresh mistake. The ' prison of Joseph '
was neither at Busir Bana nor at Busir Kuridus, but at Busir as-Sidr in the
province of Al-Jizah. Al-Makrizi says :
u&\\ dJi Is.- b ja*
1 Al-Kudai says : The prison of Joseph, upon whom be peace ! is at Busir in
the province of Al-Jizah ; all the learned men of Egypt are agreed upon the
authenticity of this spot.' (Khitat, i. p. r.v.) This passage of Al-Kudai is also
quoted by Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iii. p. Pv. Al-Makrizi goes on to state that the
flat roof of the ' prison ' was called Ijdbat ad-Dud, the ' answer to prayer,' and
that it was much visited at particular times by those who had special petitions to
make : notably by Kafur al-Ikhshidi.
As-Suyuti speaks of the prison as standing to the north of the pyramids, which
are still known as the Pyramids of Abusir, and are a little to the north of
Sakkarah, and about six miles to the south of Al-Jizah.
Busir or Abusir as-Sidr is now in the district of Badrashain, and had in 1885
a population of 1,848. In the fourteenth century, as it appears from the
revenue-lists, the place was of great importance. Amelineau, Geogr. p. 10.
The pyramids of Busir and the mummies found there are described by A.bd
al-Latif, Mukhtasar Akhbdr Mt'sr, ed. White, pp. 156, 158.
2 Wana or Bana is near Busir Wana, as it has already been remarked. It was
the seat of a Coptic bishopric. It is also called, as it may be seen a few lines
lower down, Wana or Bana Busir. It was named in Greek KwonoXis, and in
Coptic n<Lrt<LY ; it is now included in the district of Samannud in the province
of Al-Gharbiyah ; and it had in 1885 a population of 3,021. See Al-Idrisi
(ed. Rome) [p. 117]; Ame'lineau, G/ogr. p. 84 f. ; Recensement de PEgypte, ii. p. 69.
3 This church is mentioned by Al-Makrizi, see Appendix. We shall find, as
MUNYA T AL -KA 'ID. 47
At Munyat al-Ka id 1 there is a church. It was restored by Fadl
ibn Salih, who had been a page to the vizier Abu '1-Faraj ibn Killis 2 , in
the caliphate of Al-Hakim 3 ; it is named after Our Lady the Virgin 4 , Fol. 18 a
and stands near the river.
we proceed, that this was one of the most frequent dedications in Egypt. Our
author mentions forty-two churches or monasteries named after St. George. He is,
as it is well known, the famous Cappadocian martyr, probably the first who suffered
under Diocletian, and with whose name the legend of the dragon is connected.
At the time of the Crusades, St. George was proclaimed champion of Christendom,
and in the reign of Edward III he was formally adopted by our countrymen
as their patron saint, in addition to the former patrons of England, Our Lady and
St. Peter. The martyrdom of St. George is commemorated by the Copts on
Barmudah 23 = April 18; whereas the western calendar gives his name to
April 23. His Acts exist in Coptic and Ethiopic. See Zoega, Cat. Codd. Copt.
cod. cliii ; Budge, Martyrdom and Miracles of St. George, with Coptic text and
translation. The extreme limit of scepticism with regard to this saint is reached
by M. Amelineau, who regards his Acts, in all their versions, as pure romance
(Contes et romans de VEgypte chretienne, ii. p. 167 ff.)
1 Two days' journey to the south of Fustat (Old Cairo), according to Yakut,
in the most northern part of Upper Egypt. The Ka id from whom it received
its name was this very Fadl who restored the church. See Yakut, Geogr.
Wort. iv. p. ivo. There were thirty-nine Munyahs in Egypt at this period; see
Yakut, Mushtarik, p. p. v. The word Munyah, now popularly pronounced
Muiyah, or shortened into Mit, is an Arabicised form of the Coptic JULUOItH,
which signifies ' port,' and is not derived from the Greek \x.ovr\, ' mansion/
as it was formerly suggested. Mit al-KdHd is now included within the district of
Biba in the province of Ban! Suwaif, and in 1885 had a population of 455.
See Rec. de VEgypte, ii. p. 222.
2 wJS is written by a clerical error here and on fol. 69 a as { j-^S- Abu
'1-Faraj ibn Killis was vizier to Al-Aziz from a. d. 979 to a. d. 990, see Ibn
Khallikan, iv. p. 359 ff.; As-Suyuti, Husn al-Mnhddarah, ii. p. icr .
3 The sixth of the Fatimide caliphs; reigned from a. h. 386 to 411 = a. d.
996-1020. He was a persecutor of the Christians, and was the founder of
the religion of the Druses. See Introduction.
4 The dedication of churches to the Virgin was more frequent in Egypt,
48 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Wana Busir 1 contains a church named after the great and valiant
martyr Mercurius 2 , and two other churches one dedicated to Our
Lady the Pure Virgin, and the second to the holy martyr Saint
George 3 , besides a church to the martyr John 4 , who is also named
as might be expected, than any other dedication. More than fifty-five churches
of the Virgin are mentioned by our author as existing in Egypt in his time.
1 Our author here returns to Wana or Bana, which he had left a few lines
above.
2 After Our Lady and St. George this is one of the most popular dedications
in Egypt. Our author mentions about thirty churches of St. Mercurius. This saint
is one of the very few commemorated in the Coptic Synaxarium or Calendar among
those who suffered in the time of Decius. According to the Coptic authorities,
Mercurius was born at Rome, and was originally called Philopator. He was
a great 'hunter of wild beasts,' but eventually became a soldier, and an angel gave
him a two-edged sword with which he slew his enemies. It is this two-edged sword
which has become two swords in the popular legend, and has earned for the saint
the Arabic cognomen of Abu 's-Saifain, 'father' or 'owner of the two swords;'
and the Coptic artists accordingly represent him brandishing a sword in each
hand. Mercurius was beheaded at Caesarea in Cappadocia during the persecution
of Decius; and his martyrdom is commemorated by the Copts on Hatur 25 =
Nov. 2 1 . There was also a bishop Mercurius, who was present at the Council of
Nicaea, and whose festival is kept on Barmahat 1 = Feb. 25 ; and another
Mercurius whose day is Babah 28 = Oct. 25. It is curious that the Dictiotiary of
Christian Biography does not mention the name Mercurius. St. Mercurius the
martyr of Caesarea is commemorated by the Greek church also, but on Nov. 25
instead of Nov. 21. See Butler, Coptic Churches, i. p. 76, and ii. pp. 357-9 ; Malan,
Calendar of Coptic Churchy p. 12 and p. 59, note 34; Wiistenfeld, Synaxarium,
p. 135 f. ; Amelineau, Actes des Martyrs de I'tglise Copte, p. 16 ff. ; Menologium
Graecorum in Op. et Stud. Hannibalis Clementis, torn. i. p. 212. (A. J. B.)
3 The prefix <j.l*, Man, so often used by the Copts in speaking of the
saints, is, as it is well known, derived from the Syriac *i-a, ' my Lord.' Many of
the Christian theological and ecclesiastical terms used in Arabic are Syriac
in origin.
4 There are more martyrs than one of this name in the Coptic calendar. See
below, fol. 56.
THE FAYYUM. 49
Abu Yuhannus, and whose pure body is preserved in this church.
There is also a church to the glorious angel, Michael the Archangel.
At ldrijah 1 , one of the villages of Bush 2 , there is a church to
the great martyr Saint George.
Tansa 3 contains a church, named after Nahadah 4 , and churches
named after the valiant 5 martyr Mercurius, the glorious angel Gabriel,
and Our Lady the Pure Virgin.
The Fayyilm.
Madinat al-Fayyum 6 and its province. Al-Fayyiim was the name
of one of the sons of Kift 7 , the son of Mizraim, who built it for one
1 Cf. below, fol. 69 b. Yakut speaks of ldrijah as a village of Upper Egypt
in the province of Al-Bahnasa ; see his Geogr. Wort. i. p. 11 a. Cf. Ibn Dukmak,
op. at. v. p. r .
2 Bush or Bush Kura was the Coptic nOTOjIIt, and still exists a little
to the north of Bani Suwaif, with a population in 1885 of 7,091 inhabitants.
The district is still a Christian centre, and contains the second monastery, in point
of size and wealth, in Egypt. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. voa ; Ame'lineau,
Geogr. p. 366 fF. (A. J. B.)
3 Now in the district of Biba, in the province of Bani Suwaif; and in 1885
had a population of 1,465. See Ibn Dukmak, v. p. 1 ; Rec. de l'lgj>pte, ii. p. 303.
4 These churches at Tansa are mentioned again fol. 60 b. The name of
Nahadah occurs in the case of this one church only, among the Egyptian churches.
5 pW^, 'the valiant/ is an epithet especially applied to St. Mercurius and
St. Theodore.
6 'The capital of the Fayyum,' still existing, and having in 1885 a population
of 25,799. It was the Greek Arsinoe or Crocodilopolis. The name Fayyum is,
as it is well known, the Coptic cbloJUL = ' the sea ' or ' lake : ' a name given on
account of Lake Moeris, identified by some with the modern Birkat al-Kurdn,
but by Mr. Cope Whitehouse with the low ground, now dry land, in the Wadi
Rayan, to the south of the Fayyum. See Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. rf\; Ame'lineau,
Geogr. p. 339 if.
The following passage on the Fayyum is repeated on fol. 70 f.
7 As we shall see in several cases below, our author follows other Arab
writers in deriving the names of places in Egypt from the names of real or
h [II. 7.]
50 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
of his daughters who had brought dishonour upon herself, so that he
banished her thither. The city existed before the time of Joseph 1 ,
the son of Jacob, the son of Abraham the Friend of God, upon whom
be peace ! and Joseph rebuilt it. He also made the Nilometer 2 . And
he built [Madinat] al-Fayyum and Hajar al-Lahun 3 , which was built
with wisdom, founded with divine assistance, and constructed by the
inspiration of God. Joseph also dug the canal of Al-Manhi 4 . He
supposed personages in remote antiquity. Many towns were supposed to be
named after sons of Kift, who was said to have divided the land of Egypt among
them. Most of these legends or traditions may be traced to the Arabic historian
Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam, who died in a. h. 257 (?), and from whom Al-Kindi, Al-Kuda i,
Al-Makrizi, and As-Suyuti borrowed so much of their work. See As-Suyuti,
Husn al-Muhddarah, i. p. r.. The name Kift was in reality borrowed from the
town of Kift or Coptos, and from its resemblance to the Arabic term denoting the
Egyptians, namely Kilt (W-J, an apocopated form of Alyvnnos, turned by us into
' Copt '), gave rise to the legend of an ancestor of the whole nation, of that name,
the founder of that city.
1 All the Mahometan historians of Egypt, following Ibn Abd al-Hakam and
Ibn Ishak, state that Joseph superintended the digging of the canals of the Fayyum
and the building of its towns. See below, fol. 69 b f.
2 Al-Makrizi quotes Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam's own words, to which without doubt
our author is referring :
t <?;+> LiLiio xj>e ^\*, sJlc <__ k*>j> -h*j J^Jl ijJis ij* Jl Jxil j-jC ^)1 J Is
' Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam says : The first who measured the rise of the Nile in Egypt
was Joseph, upon whom be peace ! who set up a Nilometer at Memphis.'
Cf. below, fol. 68 a, 69 b, 70 b; cf. also Diodorus, Bibl. Hist. i. cap. 36, who
speaks of the earliest Nilometer as being at Memphis; and Herodotus, ii. cap. 13,
who implies the existence of a Nilometer at Memphis under king Moeris.
3 I.e. the great dykes and sluices of brick and stone near the village of
Al-Lahun, which regulated the supply of water into the Fayyum. This ancient
structure, attributed by the Mahometan historians to Joseph (Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
i. p. rFv f . ; Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. rff ; As-Suyuti, Husn al-Muhddarah,
i. p. r r), was destroyed by French engineers early in this century, and a new lock
erected. (A. J. B.)
4 Also called from its reputed author Bahr Yilsuf or 'Joseph's River.' It is
THE FAYYUM. 51
cultivated the land of Egypt. The Fayyum contained three hundred
and sixty-six districts, according to the number of days in the year 1 ,
each district corresponding to a day ; and the yearly revenue from each
canton was a thousand dinars. The lands of this district are laid under Fol. 18 b
water when the river rises twelve cubits ; but are not entirely submerged
with eighteen cubits. There are here tracts of common land 2 , in which
no one has the right of property ; for men are allowed to make use of
still in working order, and flows from a spot named Rds al-Manhi or ' Head of
Al-Manhf,' near Darwah Sarabam (fol. 77 b), to Hajar al-Lahun, where it branches
out into the many canals which irrigate the Fayyum. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort.
iii. p. <\rr; Mardsid al-Ittild' ad voc. ; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. vi.
1 That is of the Coptic, not of the Mahometan year, which consists of 354 or,
in the intercalated years, of 355 days. The Coptic year consists of twelve months
of thirty days each, with five or six additional days called Nissi.
2 Here our author quotes Al-Kindi's Fadail Misr. Al-Makrizi says, quoting
by name from the same book :
l_jLauallj (j^ill Hi r^j J .Xfelj" ^j Ju-o ija J^ l& sJ* ^j-J U* rUM ^ Ift^
' In the Fayyum there is common land in which none has the right of property
whether Muslim or of the allied peoples; and all, both rich and poor, may
demand a share of it ; and it consists of more than seventy sorts of land/
Al-Kindi, followed by our author, is speaking of the different sorts of crops
grown on the land. Seventy different crops seems a high number, unless every
variety is to be separately enumerated. Al-Makrizi gives a list of the principal
crops of Egypt, and names thirty-nine of them, without reckoning all the kinds of
fruit-trees, and without counting all the different species and varieties of each
genus. He names wheat, barley, beans, lentils, chick-peas, flat peas, flax, leeks,
onions, garlic, lupins, water-melons, haricots, sesame, cotton, sugar-cane, colocasia,
egg-plant, indigo, radish, turnip, lettuce, cabbage, vine, fig, apple, mulberry,
almond, peach, apricot, date-palm, narcissus, jasmine, myrtle, beetroot, gillyflower,
banana, cassia, lotus-tree. See the section entitled :
'Account of the different kinds of land in Egypt and of the various crops grown
there,' in Khitat, ii. p. 1 . . ff.
h 2
52 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
it as they please, and to demand a share of it according to their circum-
stances, and the land is of seventy kinds. The revenue of the Fayyiim
was estimated by Ibn Tarkhan in the time of Kaffir al-Ustadh 1 , Emir
of Egypt, generally known by the appellation of Al-Ikhshidi, under the
Abbaside dynasty 2 , in the year of the Arabs 2>55> when the revenue
amounted to 620,000 dinars 3 ; and this equals the amount calculated
to come from Ar-Ramlah 4 and Tiberias and Damascus.
1 Abu '1-Misk Kaffir al-Ustadh, or the eunuch, was the son of 'Abd Allah.
He was a negro slave, sold, it is said for eighteen dinars, in a. h. 312 = a.d. 924
to Abfi Bakr Muhammad ibn Tughj al-Ikhshid, governor of Egypt, who subse-
quently emancipated him and appointed him guardian over his two sons. When
Al-Ikhshid died in a.h. 334 = a.d. 946, his eldest son Abfi '1-Kasim Anfijfir
became ruler of Egypt, but the state was actually administered by Kaffir, who is
known as Al-Ikhshidi on account of his having belonged to Al-Ikhshid. When
Anfijfir died in a.h. 349= a.d. 960, his brother Abfi '1-Hasan 'Ah succeeded
to the government of Egypt, and Kaffir acted as his lieutenant, as he had acted for
his brother. 'Alt died in a.h. 355 = a.d. 966, and then Kaffir became uncontrolled
ruler of Egypt, as the son of 'Ali was too young to reign ; and this state of affairs
continued until the death of the negro in a.h. 357 = a.d. 968. Kaffir is
celebrated as the most successful and powerful of all the black eunuchs who rose
to eminence under Mahometan rule. The poet Al-Mutanabbi wrote in his praise.
See Abfi '1-Mahasin, ed. Juynboll and Matthes, ii. pp. rvr-rir; Ibn al-Athir,
viii. pp. PM-Pri ; Al-Makrizi, Kkitat, i. p. rrl ; Ibn Khallikan, trans. De Slane,
ii. p. 524 ; As-Suyfiti, Hum al-Muhddarah, ii. p. it 6 . (A. J. B.)
2 The Abbaside caliph reigning at Bagdad in a.h. 355 = a. d. 966 was
Al-Muti', who was proclaimed in a. h. 334=^. d. 946, and abdicated in a. h. 363 =
a.d. 974.
3 This statement seems to be borrowed from Ibn Zfilak :
*y&\ j^Uii.}!! jjiffi e^JJiCj C5AJ-M! j*l* c \ja\ lc JJibJl \Jv6 ij (J^jj ^l JlSj
jwi 1 all ^jiJis-A \Ju>* i^-p ' all ijl<^ Ajl*iU ^..%i Cw> aJU. isi ajl*JI usst i
' Ibn Zfilak says in Al-Kindi's book of information on the emirs of Egypt, that the
Fayyfim was reckoned for Kaffir al-Ikhshidi in this year, namely the year 356, as
yielding a revenue of more than 620,000 dinars.' (Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. rt^.)
4 I.e. Ar-Ramlah on the coast of Syria, a little to the south of Yafa or Joppa.
THE FAYY&M. 53
There were in this province thirty-three monasteries within its
borders. In the patriarchate of Theodore 1 , the forty-fifth in the order
of succession, the name of the bishop of the Fayyum was Anba
Abraham 2 , and the revenue received into the treasury of the govern-
1 Occupied the see from a.d. 727 to 737, Renaudot, Hist. Pair. p. 201 f.
2 The form Ajt\j>\ , Afraham, is intended to reproduce the Coptic pronunciation
of ..&.p<L<LJUlj the fi being pronounced as v by the Copts. Our author is here
referring to an incident which occurred in the life of Theodore but is recorded at
the beginning of the biography of Michael his successor, by John the Deacon,
which is to be found in the history of the Coptic patriarchs compiled by Severus,
bishop of Ushmunain, in the ninth century of our era. The following is the
passage which our author must have had in his mind ; the writer is describing, as
an eyewitness, an interview between the patriarch Theodore, who was accompanied
by certain bishops, and Al-Kasim the wall of Egypt :
sJ^lj Iff^ V*>\ U-<ia. IJi p&j^ J*-^ r*^-^ ' "**^ i^l/J W^ ( aJLi^l i_j^I (sill* jj\S
8-Jls ,jOj Ujj (| wXj> J- 2 -^ eis-u.l sjufc f^y} 1-*-$ Jtsi a-o^-o e^iOj ij\jJ^\ ^
sJUil ^J>\ ijjt* sulk; OaIJ U-Jj (c 3 .! ^*j ^* Ua- dU>l [cJl J*i' Ool J Jlsj JUL>^)0
jAi^l sj} s-JI (k-^^-s .LiJO ajUjlJJ iLo Jj,I sJ Jlfii ^xj *-*-*]; 3 .l u^-fi-M xJ Jlii eU
Jjti ^ LJLJLi^\ (3 s - tJJl 9A3 W" *!= J>J u^ (jLs^-j *.++u\ d-oyjjl U^3 "** c/ -
SJJC (jO |j^) ^*.JJ ?^-y J^> iJ (J^J ^oliAJ l&Ju^J U,^a.U ,Up AjUlliJI ja3*\ &) Jlfti
' And the bishop Anba Abraham, bishop of the Fayyum, was present on matters
of their business. And when we entered' the presence of Al-Kasim the next
time, he called one of his odalisques who was from Western Africa, and he said
to Anba Abraham : " This is thy daughter ; " and he laid the bishop's hand upon
her hand, for his heart was as the heart of children. And he said to the bishop :
" Thou knowest that I have loved thee deeply since my father's time, and all that
thou didst ask of my father I will do for thee." And the holy Abraham said to
him : " It is good." So Al-Kasim continued : " I desire of thee 300 dinars."
Then the archdeacon who accompanied the bishop, and whose name was Simeon,
and who was afterwards found worthy to succeed him as bishop, came to him and
54 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
ment, from the crops grown on the lands of these monasteries, amounted
to five hundred dinars yearly.
It is said in the Book 1 of the Conquest of Egypt by the Muslims
he said to him : " Bring the 300 dinars." So he brought them and gave them to
Al-Kasim. Now Anba Abraham had much money derived from church property;
for he had in his diocese thirty-five monasteries, in the Fayyum ; and he was the
administrator of their goods ; and he was bound to pay a land-tax of 500 dinars
into the public treasury of the government on their account. He was the head
of all of them, and the merchants of Egypt sold to him and bought from him.'
MS. in Bib. Nat. Paris, numbered Anc. Eonds Arabe 139, p. 142, lines 5-13.
1 By Ibn Abd al-Hakam, who probably wrote at the beginning of the third cen-
tury of the Hegira, and who is the source from which subsequent historians drew.
It is unfortunate that this work, which is still extant, has not been published. See
article in Zeitschr.fiir die Kunde des Morgenlandes, vol. iii. p. 329 ff., 1840, on
Geschichte der miihammedanischen Eroberung Aegyptetis. Yakut quotes the passage
of Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam as follows :
l_>Jii I sLuaJ (jl ddi.1 'Kjj 0JI9 JL- dJU & :i i^j\\s>.L tJjCjS (jyo H-Jh-o V-aalrtC yOA J^
j L-S-\s ^1 JoaJJl LjIo *4illii* |*4^1c ^13 {jj^f f*^^^ ^Xa- i^jJJiJj sJiic j-s-*Jj ^ s -
jiocj 1*3**^ oot)j ti Si*^s? ^j ^j* ~5.li L lyila *^1 Jlsi j^J^o Sx\ Jyill dJjj bojIc
^i\ ajlet*' u*>o ,j! Iff (*& J .\; Z 1 *^^ sJc^iit J^je,a!1 U aJLoj, oou Ujl. ->-*! i^~>
~-l^j eJAb Jl ji) .itajJ AJjil *lo ( \yai ,jl i_ s-jj) J~> uj^/1 l^lai < R-^J \\ ios-**^
J Ok-iJlJ lil ^*?Jj ^- 9 (^* iJ^>S iS*"*" 5 ^ v}^* *^- x -^ ** J^3 ' **"3-2 ^^ do-Ui. .Jl
,*1^ ^a iLa.U ^0 ^ji ^1 y i3 jJL) lS.il C*i!i dJ^il ^11 l^l t_^;fl J jU Ijb Iftl V_JW
^ .i^Ul Ja-03 ^ j^c JjL> ..a.* Jaij ^j_iJL J Is ,j^l Jl *hs? 1 isjli-o j* ill .^*
l^j-j (O-v^' ^' ^^ W :: - Jt -^1 J^j ^3^* 3! Ksr ^j> })1 _Li ^* ^Aj r^ jjjj' ^ 1*1-0
Jl s-o-1 J J Is sj;.L.c eUi eu^l ^ dlUl Lftjl J..JO i__ fi-oaJ Jlii s-iiJb. 5)1 l^lai ^0
Jl IIS >UJ^ ^ J^R.aJl Jcl ^ Is^* lb. SSiU^ajsJ u l l_A-ji Jl ^jls sJLsP"
Jl 1JS a-oj-j. ^* l*^c W" "^j ^ /-^-<> (Jl 1>>j a^j-o ^ W^r- W^j 1JS >t^j.^
&C. yjSb'HW Jl ^j^iil Jcl ^-0 ^^J.1 ^Ji* jks? J Call 2-^J A-y9 Iji A-^-o
' 'Abd ar-Rahman ibn 'Abd Allah ibn 'Abd al-Hakam says : I learnt from Hisham
THE FAYYUM. 55
that the Fayyum was known as the Waste Ground ; it was an outlet for
the waters of Upper Egypt. Joseph the Truthful dug the canal here,
and brought the water through it, and the Nile began to flow into it.
Joseph was of the age of thirty years, in the reign of Ar-Rayyan 1 , the
ibn Ishak that when Joseph governed Egypt his dignity was increased by Pharaoh.
And, when Joseph's age had passed a hundred years, the viziers of the kingdom
said, "Joseph's understanding has decayed, and his reason is disturbed, and his
wisdom is departed." But Pharaoh reprimanded them and denied their statements
and softened down their words, and they refrained from repeating them. Then
after some years they repeated their charge, so Pharaoh said to them, " Come,
suggest something by which we may try him ! " Now in those days the Fayyum
was called the Waste Land, and moreover it was an outlet for the superfluous
waters of Upper Egypt ; so they all agreed that this should be the test by which to
try Joseph. So they said to Pharaoh, " Desire Joseph to spread abroad the
waters of the Waste Land, so that fresh territory may be added to your dominions
and fresh revenues to your revenues." So he called Joseph, and said, " Thou
knowest the place of my daughter such an one ; I have determined when she
grows up to seek for her a city, and I have not found any for her except the
Waste Land, which is a small town, near to us, but which cannot be reached
from any part of Egypt except by passing through deserts and wildernesses up to
this time. For the Fayyum is in the midst of Egypt as Egypt is in the midst of
the countries, for Egypt cannot be reached from any part except by passing
through deserts. I have settled this district upon my daughter. Do not therefore
leave any means untried by which thou mayest gain thy object." So Joseph
answered, "Yea, O king, if this be thy desire I will perform it." Pharaoh said, " The
sooner it is done the better it will please me." Then an inspiration from God
came to Joseph that he should dig three canals; one from the further part of
Upper Egypt, from such a place to such a place, and one in the east from such
a place to such a place, and one in the west from such a place to such a place.
And Joseph disposed the workmen and dug the canal of Al-Manhi, from a point
above Ushmunain to Al-Lahun.' Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. <\rr f. Cf. Al-Makrizi,
Khttdt, i. p. rfo, where the same passage is quoted; As-Suyuti, Husn al-Muhd-
darah, i. p. ri .
1 Ar-Rayyan ibn Walid ibn Dauma' is the name given by most of the Arabian
historians to the Pharaoh of Joseph ; although Al-Makrizi says that the Copts
$6 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
son of Dauma, surnamed Pharaoh, after the interpretation of the dream
and the explanation of it. Pharaoh clothed Joseph with a robe of
honour, and entrusted him with his signet-ring and with the adminis-
tration of his kingdom.
Certain matters concerning Egypt.
Fol. 19 a The seventeenth section 1 of the history of the church, and the
biography of Anba Kha'il 2 , the forty-sixth patriarch, contains an
estimate of the yearly revenues of Egypt, at the end of the caliphate
of Marwan 3 , the ' Ass of War,' the last caliph of the dynasty of the
Omeyyads, and at the beginning of the caliphate of As-Saffah 4
\Abd Allah, the Abbaside, which sets the amount carried into the
public treasury at 300,000 dinars, apart from the expenses 5 .
called him Nahra'ush. It is impossible at the present day to say whence the
names of the ancient Pharaohs found in Arab writers were derived; none of them
seems to be known to Muhammad in the Koran. The names seem to have been
borrowed by later writers from Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam, who was himself indebted to
Ibn Ishak.
1 The seventeenth section of the patriarchal biographies compiled by Severus
of Ushmunain begins with the life of Kha'il, the forty-sixth patriarch. Anc. Fonds
Arabe 139, pp. 140 and 141, line 17.
2 Occupied the see from a. d. 743 to 766 according to Renaudot, Hist. Patr.
pp. 203-236. The name J^jU*., Kha'il, is an abbreviated form of J^jls^*,
Mikhail or Michael. Another form of the name is JW, Khayal. The biography
of Michael, included in the history of the patriarchs compiled by Severus of
Ushmunain, is one of the most important parts of that work, and is the contem-
porary composition of John the Deacon, who was an eyewitness of many of
die events which he relates. See MS. Anc. Fonds Arabe 139, pp. 140-191.
3 This caliph, the second of his name, is referred to several times in the
present work. He reigned from a.h. I26-I33 = a. d. 744-751. See Introduction.
4 The first of the Abbaside caliphs, who overthrew the Omeyyad dynasty.
Reigned a.h. 133-137 = a. d. 75i"755-
5 Our author is referring to the following passage in the biography of Michael,
which narrates events that occurred shortly after the death of Marwan :
dX.Ll! _^oxJ 8-J1 fr^ 3 ^ ^_J u^aloJl 1^ eyliiij .iljo.^1 i^UUaal Sso \ j-oa c.lflj.1 ^0.
CERTAIN MATTERS CONCERNING EGYPT. tf
The first worshippers of idols were the people of Egypt and
Babylon, and the Franks and the people of the sea-coast. In the
days of Kuhtan, the son of Falik, the father of the Arabs, men made
likenesses of all that were renowned for virtue, and of good repute, and
famous for valour and beauty of form, and worshipped their images.
Abu Naitur 1 , the fourth son of Noah, learnt, through the inspi-
ration of God, the science of the sphere 2 , and the art of reckoning
it by years, months, days, and hours, and the like. Afterwards
Nimrod 3 the giant learnt from him, and composed books on the
science of the sphere, and on reckoning it ; and men wondered at the
wisdom which he showed in his books, and copied them after him,
so that Ardashir envied him ; and Nimrod also served Satan, and
fasted for him, and offered sacrifice to him, and burnt incense to
him, and humbled himself before him. Therefore Satan appeared
to him, and taught him magic 4 , and how to raise false phantoms ; and
' The revenues of Egypt, after deducting the pay of the troops and the expenses
of the governor's house and what was needed for the administration of the country,
amounted to 200,000,000 dinars carried yearly to the public treasury.' MS. A?ic.
Fonds Arahe 139, p. 180, line 25, p. 181, lines 1, 2. The figures have been altered.
1 AbO. Naitur is not elsewhere mentioned.
2 I.e. astronomy. As it is well known, the Arabs derived their first knowledge
of astronomy from the Arabic translation, made by order of the caliph Ma'miln.
of the Almagest of Ptolemy, and it is from that work that the term dLU = o-tyalpa
is borrowed.
The attribution of a knowledge of astronomy to Nimrod is based on
a genuine tradition of the devotion of the ancient Babylonians to that science.
Haji Khalfah remarks upon the use made by Ptolemy in the Almagest of the work
of Chaldaean astronomers; Lex. bibliogr. (ed. Fluegel) i. p. 71. Many legends
are related of Nimrod, the 'Enemy of God,' by the Arab historians, and he is
alluded to in the Koran, following Jewish tradition, as the persecutor of Abraham.
See Ibn al-Athir, Al-Kdmil, i. p. a i ff.
4 The Mahometans consider Babylon to have been the original home of
i [II. 7.]
58 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
revealed to him the worship of the stars ; and Nimrod the giant learnt
from Satan the doctrine of Taghut 1 . Nimrod was the first who wore
Pol. 19 b a crown 2 of gold, set with jewels, and put on purple robes, and showed
himself in such guise.
Section referring to the distinguished men of Egypt, and to the
wonders which are to be found there. Among the former were Moses
and Aaron his brother, and Miriam their sister, who were born at
Askar 3 , in the region of Egypt. On Mount Sinai God spoke with
Moses : and Moses struck with his rod.
magic, which was taught to men there by the two evil angels Harut and Marut
(see Surat al-Bakarah, 96), who still hang head downwards among the ruins of
the great city.
1 An idol of the ancient Arabs of Mecca ; see Koran, Stir at al-Bakarah,
257, 259, where the religion of Taghut is placed in antithesis to the true religion of
Islam. Cf. Surat al-Maidah, 65.
2 Eutychius reports this legend, in speaking of the time of Abraham :
J^Jo^)l i+2j ^->Jj J>.W*. tsU-o dJU Jjl wl J^fiJj Jj^. dib> XJr *3j+> u V^ l#
^jl5 lj_4 J.s.1 ^*j juJ, As. &Jt^jjo J-^-^ S-J fib* liJLs ^JJ L-jls.*** j-o U J! .J
' In his time lived Nimrod the giant, king of Babylon. It is said that he was the
first king who reigned in Babylon ; and he saw in the sky the likeness of a crown
formed of clouds ; so he called a goldsmith, who fashioned a crown for him, and
he put it upon his head. For this reason men said that a diadem descended upon
him from heaven.' Eutychius, Annales (ed. Pococke), i. p. 62. Cf. MS. Bodl. Or.
294, p. 60.
The epithet \1*. , 'giant,' corresponds to "lis? in Genesis x. 8, 9.
Some of these legends of Nimrod may be looked upon as genuine traditions
of the ancient culture of Babylonia.
3 This was a well-known town, two days to the south of Al-Fustat, in the pro-
vince of Al-Itfihiyah. Many of the Muslims, as well as the Christians, accepted
the tradition that Moses was born there; see Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. ror;
Al-Makrizi, Khitat, ii. p. oiy ; Ibn Dukmak, iv. p. irr. The MSS. of Al-Makrizi
write the name as fij^\ .
Askar still exists in the district of Itfih in the province of Al-Jizah ; see Rec.
de I'Egypte, ii. p. 51.
CERTAIN MATTERS CONCERNING EGYPT. 59
In Egypt Moses divided the sea, and performed the ten miracles.
Joseph the Truthful 1 ruled over Egypt.
In Egypt also is the palm-tree. Here is the Holy Valley 2 , and the
fissure of the Abii Kzr s , to which the birds of that species go on pil-
grimage every year. One bird is caught in this fissure, and remains
hanging there until the winds blow it to pieces. In this country also
is the Halt al-Ajiiz*, from Al-'Arish to Aswan; which is sometimes
called Ha it al-Hujiiz.
1 This is a constant epithet of Joseph among the Mahometans, and originated
in the Koran, Surah Yiisuf> ver. 51 :
' The wife of Al-'Aziz said : Now the truth is made manifest. It was I who
tempted him to sin. Surely he is one of the truthful.'
Compare ver. 46 :
- ---.- 0~ - O -. ;owui 'ui^ 9909
' O Joseph the Truthful ! teach us with regard to the seven fat kine,' &c.
2 I can only conjecture that this may mean the Wadi Natrun or Wadi Habib,
the ancient Nitrian valley, so famous in the annals of monasticism.
3 This legend of the Abukir birds is found in most of the Arab historians who
have written on Egypt; see Quatremere, Mem. Hist, et Ge'ogr. i. p. 32, where our
author is quoted among others. The fissure is said by our author (fol. 86 b) to
be on the Jabal al-Kahf. Other writers say the Jabal at-Tair, the well-known hill
which still bears the name, on the Nile, opposite Samallut and Taha. As-Suyuti,
who reckons the Jabal at-Tair as one of the twenty wonders of Egypt, on account
of these birds, describes them thus :
Is:*-^! i sUal Ja-u J.^lJi e^Wa* ^Ut^l Jj-j (jl>
' They are piebald, with black necks, striped on the breast, with black tips
to their wings.' Husn at-Muhadarak, i. p. ri.
Al-Makrizi says that the prodigy had ceased in his time. Khitat, ii. p. o.r f . ;
cf. i. p. r 1 .
4 ' Wall of the old woman,' also called Jisr al-'Ajiiz, ' dyke of the old
woman.' It still exists in portions near Jabal at-Tair, near Kusiyah, and at
other places.
The ' old woman ' is said by some writers to be Dalukah (see fol. 70 b), who
i 2
60 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
In the river Nile there is a fish, which is called the ' thunder-fish V
Even if a strong man places his hand upon it, his strength will not
prevent him from receiving a shock through his body, and his arm
will remain thunderstruck and will be paralysed during the space of
an hour.
In this country is the meeting-place of the two seas, which is called
the Isthmus 2 ; here the two seas approach one another. Between them
are two dykes 3 . The two seas are the sea of the Romans and the sea
of the Chinese 4 ; and the dyke is a journey of one night 5 from both of
reigned over Egypt in remote antiquity. The purpose of the wall is said to have
been to defend Egypt from her enemies. Another story makes the old woman
build the wall to prevent the lions from coming down to the Nile to drink,
in revenge for the death of her son, who had been devoured by a lion. See
Yakut, Geogr. Wort. ii. p. \\,\ Al-Makrizi, Khitdt, i. p. n; As-Suyuti, Hum
al-Muhddarah, i. p. rl.
Our author, on fol. 57 b, makes Cleopatra the builder of the Ha it al-Ajuz,
which extended not only from Al-'Arish or Al-Farama to Aswan on the eastern
bank of the Nile, but also from Nubia to Alexandria on the western bank.
In these statements he follows Eutychius, Annates (ed. Pococke), i. p. 301.
The statement of Diodorus that Sesostris built a wall 1,500 stades in length,
to protect Egypt on the east from the Syrians and the Arabs, is well known ; see
Diod. Sic, Bibl. Hist. bk. i. cap. 57.
1 I.e. the electric eel, gymnotus electricus, the properties of which are well
known. They were much celebrated by Arabic writers on Egypt. See Yakut,
Geogr. Wort. iv. p. aii; Abu '1-Mahasin, op. cit. i. p. r\; Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
i. p. 11; Al-Mas'udi, Muruj adh-Dhahab, ii. pp. 392-3; 'Abd al-Latif, Mukhtasar
(ed. White), p. 82.
2 I.e. Isthmus of Suez. This passage is partly repeated on fol. 58 a.
3 The high ground to the north of Lake Timsah is still called Al-Jisr t
' the dyke.'
4 Our author here treats the Red Sea as part of the Indian Ocean, and
the latter as part of the China Sea.
5 On fol. 58 a the distance between the two seas, which is about eighty miles,
is given as a day and a night's journey, and Al-Makrizi makes it the same. Yakut
and the Mardsid al-Ittila make it four days.
CERTAIN MATTERS CONCERNING EGYPT. 61
them, between Al-Kulzum 1 and Al-Farama 2 . In no other country do
the seas approach nearer to one another than at this place ; for in the
east there is a journey of several months between them. There is no
country in the world in which the people eat fresh fish from both seas,
except Egypt.
1 The Greek and Coptic KXuo-/xa, kXycJUI<L, formerly situated a short
distance to the north of Suez, which must be regarded as its successor; see
Amelineau, Ge'ogr. pp. 227-9. Al-Mukaddasi, who wrote in a. h. 375 = a.d. 986,
says, speaking of the inhabitants of Al-Kulzum :
^J\ *U JLil Jc lHj~ (j^ ^r>. J^ ^y> <j*$ ^j^ J *U>I ^\ J*s^
u**" ^ (** cir o**i? M ' ij" 6 (&/"j U***^ of* r*j J^ tr^ w'~ ' \j*$ ^$*j
'Water is conveyed to them in boats; and from a place called Suwais (Suez),
at a distance of one post, bad, discoloured water is carried to them upon camels ;
so that one of their proverbs says : The people of Al-Kulzum receive their provi-
sions from Bilbais, and their drink from Suwais, and they eat the flesh of the Tats
(wild goat)' (ed. De Goeje), p. 196. This passage was not made use of by
Quatremere in his discussion of the position of Al-Kulzum, Mem. Hist, et Ge'ogr.
i. pp. 1 51-189. The distance of one post or about twelve miles is too great,
as the ruins of Al-Kulzum are placed by Niebuhr about one mile to the north
of Suez. See also Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. 1 oa; Mardsid al-IttiW (ed. Juynboll),
ad voc; Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome) [p. 49]; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, p. nr.
The last of these writers says that in his day Al-Kulzum was ruined and its
site was known as Suez. This is inaccurate, as it has just been shown.
2 The classical Pelusium, and the Coptic nepeJULOY n, near the north-eastern
frontier of Egypt ; cf. fol. 56 b. It has now disappeared, with the exception of
some mounds and broken columns. See. Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iii. p. aai~; Al-
Mukaddasi (ed. De Goeje), p. no; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. mi; Amelineau,
Ge'ogr. p. 317 f.
Al-Makrizi reckons the ancient remains at Al-Farama among the wonders of
Egypt ; see Khitat, i. p. ri .
It was at Al-Farama that the first engagement took place between the Arabs
and Egyptians when 'Amr invaded Egypt in a. h. 18; see As-Suyuti, Husn
al-Muhddarah, i. p. rt 5 .
M. Ame'lineau does not explain why he adopts the form El-Ferma.
6z CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
In this country brocaded stuffs are made: gauze of Tinnis 1 , and
shard' 2 , a stuff used for tents, and coloured Dabiki 2, ; and there is no
1 The fine tissues of Tinnis are much celebrated by Arab historians and
geographers. Ibn Haukal, who wrote in a. h. 367 = a. d. 978, says of Tinnis
and Damietta :
iJLllj c i>l i \^\Si U
' In these two cities are manufactured fine DabiM and shard and splendid dyed
garments, the equals of which in beauty and price do not exist in the whole world '
(ed. De Goeje, p. 1 .1).
Al-Makrizi {Khitat, i. p. ui) says that the veils for the Ka'bah were made at
Tinnis from the early times of Islam, and he describes some of the designs upon
them. These manufactures ceased when the people of Tinnis were removed
to Damietta in a. h. 588 = a. d. 1192, and only the citadel remained inhabited.
The foundation of the stuffs of Tinnis is said to have been linen (Ibn Haukal,
loc. cit.), with which silk was interwoven. Cf. Quatremere, Mem. Hist, et Ge'ogr.
i. pp. 308, 309, 327 ff. ; Al-Idrisi (trans. Jaubert), i. p. 320.
2 A precious tissue; see Glossary to De Goeje's Bibliotheca Geog. Arab. p. 272.
3 Al-Makrizi says :
^JLojJIj Jojlil <*Pj^\ *jU*JU aAJu.11 LjLill I4JI v_-a~~> JLo ijJs ^ ajJ <jo.i
c^i ijlo I4JLX. i*lc Jb JjL (jjXij I4J J*jo a*a jl I i^-iJI *jUjJI ojISj 1^*4 Jl I JUJI
J5'j J~~J <Sy^ j^J AjU^x.3. i^aAJJI (^v* Aolx!\ xi-^^j ^^uijjlj A:*.}-*!.* eyU^i W^J
(jl jjl AjLibj (jtv^j (_>***" *""*' ?">\ r?. **^M Rr*-^ i*y (i ^*/^3 *jUJ1 JA OoXa-j
' Dabik is a town in the neighbourhood of Damietta, which gives its name to the
sumptuous robes and the dyed turbans of sharb, and the trimmings of Dabiki
interwoven with gold. Turbans of sharb, interwoven with gold, were made there ;
each turban being 100 cubits in length, and bearing designs woven with gold of
the value of 500 dinars, without reckoning the price of the silk and the linen
thread. These turbans and the rest were brought into fashion in the time of
Al-'Aziz bi 'llah, son of Al-Muizz, who reigned from the year 365 (a.d. 975) until
he died in the month of Sha'ban, in the year 386 (a. d. 996).' Khitat, i. p. rri.
CERTAIN MATTERS CONCERNING EGYPT. 63
stuff, not interwoven with gold, of which garments are made, of the value
of 100 dinars, except the stuffs of Tinnis 1 and Damietta, and Al-
Manhab (?) and Sikillt % . The Egyptians make woollen garments, and
robes of goats' hair of Samalus, which are not to be found anywhere Fol. 20 a
in the world except in Egypt. The natives of this country can boast
of the wonderfully prolific nature of their horses, mules, and asses. They
Cf. Quatremere, Me'm. i. p. 340, where this passage is translated in Quatremere's
usual loose manner.
Barjawan, a black eunuch and vizier to the Fatimide caliph Al-Aziz bi'llah,
left at his death in a. h. 390 = a. d. iooo, one thousand pairs of trousers of the
stuff called DabiM; see Ibn Khallikan.
The name DabiM was extended to other brocades or damasks besides those
actually made at Dabik, and was applied to the fabrics of Usyut and even of
places beyond the borders of Egypt; see Glossary to De Goeje's Bib. Geogr.
Arab. p. 232.
See also Yakut, Geogr. Wort. ii. p. of a ; Mardsid al-Iltild' ad voc. ; Al-Idrisi
(trans. Jaubert), i. p. 320.
The town of Dabik no longer exists.
1 Al-Makrizi likewise says :
\^s- Aio ajU i_**i ^i-> ?r- i ^ J j a j & -*- ^j*-^ AWj u L ^y j\r -^' ^j lt-^J
' There is no brocade in the world with a foundation of linen, of which a single
garment, not interwoven with gold, fetches a price of 100 dinars in cash, except
the brocade of Tinnis and Damietta.' Khitat, i. p. 1 w.
Cf. Quatremere, Mem. i. p. 308, who makes the mistake of translating u b5 by
' cotton.' Al-Makrizi says that the robes made at Tinnis for the caliph, in which
a large quantity of gold was employed, were worth 1,000 dinars a piece; and
that the sale of these fabrics at one time brought in a yearly receipt of 20,000 or
30,000 dinars from Al-'Mk alone. Cf. Al-Idrisi (trans. Jaubert), i. p. 320.
2 I. e. Sicilian tissue. As in many other cases, a name derived from the place
where the material was originally manufactured is retained, even when the
manufacture is no longer confined to that place Sikilli was also made in Spain.
See Al-Mukaddasi (ed. De Goeje), pp. \fo and rri.
64 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
have the gold-mines 1 and the emerald-mines 2 , and red and yellow ochre ;
1 In the Wadi 'l-'Alaki, which lies to the south-east of Aswan, in the country
of the Bajjah or Bisharis. The mines have not been worked for many centuries,
but were known in the time of Rameses II. See Al-Idrisi (trans. Jaubert), i. pp. 36,
41; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. pp. 1 10, 1 <w, 1 <u ; Abu '1-Fida, Tab. Aeg. p. 35 f.
2 Quatremere gives an interesting chapter on the emerald-mines of Egypt
{Mem. ii. p. 73 if.) He first quotes an extract from Al-Makrizi [Khitat, i. p. rrr),
who copies however from Al-Mas'udi, and Al-Mas'udi's informant was 'Abd
ar-Rahim, sometime government clerk at the mines. The mines are said to lie
in the midst of a waterless desert at Kharbah, a place seven days' journey to the
south-east from Kus or Kift, the nearest town on the Nile. They are in a mountain
range in the territory of the Bajjah, north of the great peak called Karkashandah.
Various names are given of the different species of gems obtained, and the
estimation in which the several sorts of emerald are held in different countries is
stated. Al-Makrizi adds that the mines were regularly worked till about 1358 a.d.,
when the vizier 'Abd Allah ibn Zanbur put a stop to the mining. But it is related
that Ibrahim Pasha, who governed Egypt about the end of the tenth century of the
Hegira, in travelling through Upper Egypt, came to a place called ' the well of
emeralds,' whence he took a vast number of gems. Prosper Alpinus mentions
a well of emeralds, which produced a famous stone belonging to the Grand
Seigneur. Maillet states that the situation of the mine is lost : while Bruce
{Voyage to the Sources of the Nile, vol. i. p. 229) speaks of a Jebel ez-Zumurrud
or Emerald Mountain, which he visited, and where he saw several sinkings or
shafts. But as this mountain lay in an island, it cannot be (concludes Quatremere)
the emerald-mine which Oriental writers agree in placing on the continent.
So far Quatremere. But the mistake of Bruce, whose island was probably
that of Zabargad, led to the rediscovery of the lost mines in 18 19 by a French
explorer named Cailliaud. The results of his visit were published in a large
work by the French Academy ; and the ruler of Egypt, Muhammad 'Ali, was so
convinced of the value of the mines that he sent a number of miners to work
them under Cailliaud's supervision. Cailliaud, however, seems to have spent but
a short time at the work, before he was called away to join Ibrahim Pasha's
expedition to the Soudan. From that time provisions ceased to arrive for the
colony of miners, who gradually melted away, and the place was once more
abandoned. So it remained till 1891, when Mr. Floyer, an Englishman in
CERTAIN MATTERS CONCERNING EGYPT. 65
and marcasite 1 of gold, silver, and copper; and the Lake of Nitre, and
command of an expedition sent by the Khedive Taufik, once more set foot
on Jebel Zabara. For an account of this visit and for many topics of surpassing
interest in relation to the desert between the Nile of Upper Egypt and the Red
Sea, I refer the reader to M. Floyer's learned and ingenious work, Etude stir le
Nord-Etbai (Le Caire, Imprimerie Nationale, 1893).
See also Yakut, Geogr. Wort. ii. p. Piv; Al-Makrizi, Khi'tat, i. p. iip, and
Al-Idrfsi (ed. Rome) [p. 22]. (A. J. B.)
1 Mr. Fisher, of Oxford, has kindly supplied me with the following note on
this mineral :
' The term marcasite is now used by mineralogists for one species of pyrites,
but was at one time of wider signification, and synonymous with pyrites in
general. It is a compound essentially of iron with sulphur (FeS 2 ), containing
46-7 per cent, of iron and 53-3 per cent, of sulphur, but the forms found in nature
contain other metals such as copper, gold, silver, tin, &c. ; arsenic also is
commonly present. In colour it varies from a brass-like or golden appearance to
a silvery white, and is usually glistening and metallic-looking. " Marcasite of
gold " may have reference to its appearance, or to the fact that gold could be
extracted from the specimens so named. The synonyms are numerous, e. g. anhos,
7TvplrT]s (\l6os), marchasita (Arab.), kis (Germ.) or kies, mundic (English miners),
schwefelkies (Germ.), besides xanthopyrites, chalcopyrites. The name mar-
casite or marchasite is of Spanish or Arabic origin. When weathered by
exposure to air and water it produces sulphate of iron (and copper), termed at
one time kupferwasser, which is perhaps corrupted into copperas in the vulgar
tongue.
' On account of the large amount of sulphur the mineral is combustible (whence
the name pyrites from nvp), and gives sparks when struck.'
The word UuASt* seems to have come into the Arabic from the Syriac
Jk.A.ia., which translates the Greek nvpiTrjs (Bar Bahlul). The medicinal use of
marcasite was borrowed by the Arabs from the Greeks (Dioscorides, ed. Spengel,
i. p. 8io=v. 142 ; Galen, opp. t. 13, p. 740; t. 12, p. 199; Pliny, 36, 19, 30, &c.)
The Arab Gebr ( Jabir al-Kufi) gives a chemical analysis of marcasite ; see
Mangeti, Bib. C/iem. i; cf. Wiistenfeld, Gesch. der arab. Aerzte, p. 12 f. Ibn
al-Baitar says : ' Marcasite is sometimes gold, sometimes silver, sometimes copper,
sometimes iron : each kind resembles in colour that metal after which it is
named ; and each kind is mixed with sulphur and gives out sparks when struck
k [TT. 7.]
66 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OE EGYPT.
the salt lakes 1 . In Egypt is found the clay of Aswan, which is called
the 'clay of art,' and of this the jars intended to contain the drink
called fukka 2 are made. The manufacture 3 of white paper exists here ;
factories for boiling sugar 4 are found here; and presses for sugar-
canes; and fields of rice 5 ; and oil of turnip 6 and radish; and oil of
balsam 7 ; and opium 8 and the abramis* and honey-wine.
against iron.' This paragraph is based upon the article by Sadebek and Hoffmann,
' Ueber den Namen Markasit/ in the Nenes Jahrbuch fiir Mineralogie, Stuttgart,
1878, p. 289 ff.
The word 'marcasite' must have come into the other European languages
through Latin translations of Arabic medical works, or through the Spanish mar-
caxita, modern marquesita; see Dozy and Engelmann, Glossaire des mots espagnols
et portugai s derives de I'arabe, p. 301. (A. J. B.)
1 The salt lakes in the Wadi Natrun or Nitrian Valley, which lie about three
days' journey through the desert to the north-west of Cairo, are still a source of
revenue to the Egyptian government. There are other salt lakes in the Delta
and Upper Egypt. (A. J. B.)
2 A kind of beer made of fruit.
3 The Arabs first learnt the manufacture of paper about a.d. 750, probably
from the Chinese, and the first place at which it was made by Muslims was
Samarcand. The manufacture soon spread to other parts of the Mahometan
world. See Mittheilungen aus der Sammlung der Papyrus Erzherzog Rainer,
vol. ii. pp. 87-255, where there is a full discussion of the history and composition
of Arab paper. There was a street and a khan of the paper-makers at Cairo, and
a mill in the latter of these places; see Al-Makrizi, Khitat, ii. pp. 1 ., rr. Buri
near Damietta was famous for paper, which was also made in the Fayyum. The
chief constituent was linen.
4 Al-Makrizi gives an account of the method of cultivating the sugar-cane in
Egypt in his time ; see Khitat, i. p. i . r . The use of sugar in Egyptian cookery
is described by 'Abd al-Latif, Al-Mukhtasar, ed. White, pp. 178-182. The sugar-
factories of Egypt were very numerous ; Ibn Dukmak, at the end of the fourteenth
century, names sixty-five of them in Cairo alone, from many of which the
government derived a large revenue ; see op. cit. iv. p. Fi .
5 'Abd al-Latif says that rice was much used in cookery with meat and fish ;
op. cit. p. 184. It was introduced into Egypt under the Mahometans.
e 7 8 9 Yor these notes see next page.
THE NILE. 6 j
The Nile.
Moreover, the Nile of Egypt is one of the miracles 10 , at which the
people of the earth marvel when they hear of them ; for it rises at the
6 'Abd al-Latif, who was a contemporary of our author, says of the Egyptians :
*i. u _^L-*j 5 sj ^j^^-j yJJj j^Mj J-?*- 11 ; y>. ^ jrl/* 2 **^ U^ tiy^-j
,ji->-}t .fi<aio *' 'd) t*&^. "3 uy.^"
' They have a peculiar custom also of extracting oil from the seed of the
radish and the turnip and the lettuce, and this oil they burn for light ; and they
make soap of it also : and their soap is moist, and red, yellow, or green in
colour/ ( c Abd al-Latif, op. cit., ed. White, p. 176.)
7 'Abd al-Latif also mentions oil of balsam among the products of Egypt, and
says that it was only made at 'Ain Shams (Heliopolis) in that country ; remarking
that no balsam was to be found in his day in Syria, where Galen and Nicolaus
say that it grew in the greatest perfection; op. cit. pp. 22-26. See also Butler,
Coptic Churches, ii. p. 331. (A. J. B.)
8 'Abd al-Latif says that opium was made from the black poppy ((jils^-il
$yjft) in Upper Egypt, and was often adulterated; op. cit. p. 48.
9 The abramfc was a fish found in the Nile. It is curious that our author
should place it here among the vegetable products. Al-Idrisi says that the
abramis has a red tail, is called the king of fish, is very good to eat, and is a hand's
breadth in length, and half that measure in thickness; see Jaubert's trans., p. 29.
The name of this fish is derived from the Greek afipapis, which occurs in Oppian's
Halieutica, i. 244-7 :
^ok/ciSes nil dpiaaai re /ecu d^papl8cs (popeovrai
ddpoai, aXXore 8' aXXov aX6$ iropov, f/ irep\ irerpas
f) neXdyr/, SoXt^oicri t ineftpapov alyiaXoirriv,
alev apeiftopevai elvr)V 68ov, ijiir dXr/rai.
10 The Nile was naturally reckoned to be one of the twenty wonders of Egypt ;
see As-Suyuti, Husn al-Muhddarah, i. p. P. ; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. ri . The
following passage is a commonplace found in slightly different words in most
ancient writers who have written on Egypt; see Herodotus, ii. 25, 26; Diodorus
Siculus, i. 36; Strabo, xvii. 1; Heliodorus, Aethiopica, cap. 28; 'Abd al-Latif,
p. 4 ff. ; Al-Makrizi, i. p. 0. ff. See below, fol. 26 b.
k 2
68 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
time of the great decrease of water, when other rivers and springs fall
or dry up ; and its rise comes at the very time when it is needed, and
so likewise its fall comes when it is needed, by the special care of God
for the inhabitants of Egypt. After the decrease of the Nile the wells
rise, and the time of sowing depends upon it, and not upon the rains.
The Nile flows continually down to the salt sea, and cleaves its way
through it visibly.
God has spoken of the Nile of Egypt by the tongues of his prophets ;
for Isaiah the prophet says : ' God shall bless the people of Egypt, and
those whom his hands created in Al-Mausil V
The Gospel also says : ' The angel of the Lord appeared in
Fol. 20 b a dream, and said : " Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee into
the land of Egypt, and be there until I bring thee word 2 ." And the
Lord Christ and his mother, the Pure Virgin, and the blameless old man,
Joseph, dwelt two years in Egypt.
And in the prophecy of Hosea, as the pure Gospel bears witness,
it is said : ' From Egypt have I called my Son 3 .'
Sojourners in Egypt.
That which causes Egypt to excel other countries is the sojourn
in this land of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the flesh, with the Pure Lady
Mary 4 , and the truthful old man, Joseph the carpenter, by the command
of God ; and also the sojourn at Alexandria of Mark the Evangelist 5 ,
1 Isaiah xix. 25. Al-Mausil, Mosul or Moussol, being opposite the ruins
of Nineveh, was often confused with the latter city, and spoken of as ' Nineveh.'
Moreover the territory of Al-Mausil ( J^U ^S) forms part of what was once the
kingdom of Assyria, and so the name was used as synonymous with ' Assyria.'
Cf. e.g. Al-Masudi, Mur&j adh-Dhahab (ed. Barbier de Meynard), ii. 77 :
(,/jJLjO 0-X*5 J"*^ 123d*
' The kings of Al-Mausil and of the city of Nineveh.'
2 Matt. ii. 13. 3 Hosea xi. 1, and Matt. ii. 15.
4 Sj.^j\ or fl^X* is the Syriac tt~.i~ wij-aa, 'my Lady Mary;' it occurs
constantly in this work as the appellation of the Blessed Virgin.
The Copts have, as it is well known, unanimously preserved the tradition,
SOJOURNERS IN EGYPT. 69
who was the nephew of Stephen, the chief of the deacons, and first of
the martyrs in Jerusalem.
Some of the pure patriarchs 1 also came into Egypt ; namely, Abraham,
the Friend of God ; and Jacob, the son of Isaac, who lived here seventeen
years and died here, and whose body was taken back to Syria ; and the
fathers of the twelve tribes, who were his sons. The posterity of the
latter in Egypt increased to the number of six hundred thousand five
hundred and fifty souls 2 , including the descendants of Joseph the Truthful
and his sons Manasseh and Ephraim, without 3 reckoning the sons of
Levi, whose number amounted to twenty-two thousand two hundred
and seventy-three souls. Joseph died in Egypt, and his body was carried
into Syria ; and Moses prayed and worshipped at his prison 4 .
Among those who dwelt in Egypt were Moses, and Aaron his
brother, and their sister Miriam. Lot also, the son of Abraham's
brother, entered this country ; and Joshua the son of Nun ; and the Fol. 21 a
also found in Greek and Latin ecclesiastical writers, that St. Mark was the
founder of the church of Egypt, and the first bishop of Alexandria. The Arabic
Lives of the Patriarchs, by Severusof Al-Ushmunain, begins with an account of the
episcopate of St. Mark ; see British Museum MS. Or. 26,100, pp. 16-23. Cf. the
old Greek diptychs preserved in MSS. of the Coptic Liturgy of St. Cyril, which
give a list of the bishops of Alexandria beginning with St. Mark (jUL<LpK01f
tot .yiot ^.hoctoXot k<u eTf^VYeXicTcnf .Lp^senic-
KOTIOT K<LI JUL^pTTpOc).
1 This passage is based, like that above, upon the Fadail Misr of Al-Kindi.
As-Suyuti, borrowing from the same source, mentions, among the prophets who
sojourned in Egypt, Abraham, Ishmael, Jacob, Joseph, the fathers of the twelve
tribes, Lot, Moses, Aaron, Joshua, Daniel, Jeremiah, Jesus; see Husn al-Muhddarah,
i. p. n .
2 Cf. Numbers i. 46, 47.
3 I have here dislocated the translation in order to avoid an awkward
parenthesis.
4 See above, fol. 17 b. The tradition among both Christians and Muslims
was that Moses visited the prison of Joseph at Busir, and consequently there
was here a mosque erected in the name of Moses, and called Masjid Miisd ; see
Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iii. p. t*v ; Al-Makrizi, i. p. r.v .
70 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
prophet Daniel 1 and the prophet Jeremiah, and Ezekiel ; besides others,
kings, great men, wise men and philosophers, captains and rulers, in all
ages and all times 2 .
Boundaries of Egypt.
The furthest point of the land of Egypt on the east is c Abbasah 3 , and
on the west Alexandria. Its greatest length is from Al- C Arish 4 to 'Aidhab 5 ,
1 It is not clear when Daniel and Ezekiel are thought to have visited Egypt,
unless they came in the train of Nebuchadnezzar, of whose invasion of Egypt the
Mahometan and Christian historians of the East preserve very clear records ; see
below, fol. 23b, 76b, 80a. As-Suyuti says:
ja+\ j5j ^^3 0^3) ^ s^j u^ J^ J^ l^ *** L_ ^ (k J^- 3 ^3
' With regard to Daniel I have not, up to the present time, met with any record
[of his sojourn in Egypt] ; but Ibn Zulak counts him among those that were born
in Egypt.' (Husn al-Muhddarah, i. p. rr .)
2 The lists of distinguished visitors to Egypt given by the Mahometan
historians remind us of the similar lists in Diodorus (i. 96). As-Suyuti gives
the names of many Greek philosophers and writers who sojourned in Egypt,
among whom are Plato, Hippocrates, Ptolemy, Aratus, Euclid, and Aristotle ; see
Husn al-Muhddarah, i. p. ri f.
3 A small town on the Syrian frontier of Egypt, fifteen parasangs from Cairo.
It is said, among other accounts, to have been named after a daughter of Ahmad
ibn Tulun. It is now included in the district of Sawalah, in the province of
Ash-Sharkiyah. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iii. p. oil ; Al-Makrizi, i. p. rrr ; Quatre-
mere, Mem. i. pp. 62, 189 ; Rec. de ttgypte, ii. p. 3. (A. J. B.)
4 The classical Rhinocolura ; a very ancient town on the sea, near the Syrian
frontier of Egypt. It is now the seat of a governor, and in 1885 contained with
its dependencies 3,923 inhabitants. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iii. p. <n . ; Al-Kazwini,
ii. p. iFv; Al-Makrizi, i. p. r 1 . f. ; Quatremere, Mem. i. p. 53; Rec. de VEgypte,
ii. pp. x, xi, 20. (A. J. B.)
5 On the Red Sea, opposite Jiddah, and near the frontier of the Bisharin
tribes. There was a road to it from Kift (see fol. 103 a) and Kus; and from
a. h. 450 = a. d. 1058 to a. h. 665 = a. d. 1 267 this was the route taken by the
pilgrims on their way to Mecca. 'Aidhab was .also a port much frequented by
merchants from India and Yemen,, until the middle of the fourteenth century
THE CITY OF FUSTAT MISR. 71
and its greatest breadth from Barkah 1 to Ailah 2 . It is said that Barkah
is also called 'the Five Cities.'
The City of Fustat Misr.
Account of the city of Misr 3 . It is related, in the history of the
church and the lives of the patriarchs 4 , that 'Amr ibn al- e Asi, and the
Arabs who invaded Egypt with him, took the road from the mountains
of our era. M. Ame'lineau, who speaks as if the Synaxarium and the revenue-list
alone preserved the name of this important town, seems to have overlooked
Quatremere's account of it, as well as Al-Makrizi's, which proves that Aidhab was
existing not only at the end of the fourteenth century, as the revenue-list published
by De Sacy shows, but as late as the middle of the fifteenth century, although
it was then in a state of decadence, and no more than a village of huts. See
Yakut, Geogr. Wort, ad voc. ; Al-Makrizi, i. p. r.r; Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome) [p. 49];
Quatremere, Mem. ii. pp. 162-172, where Ibn Haukal and Abu '1-Fida are also cited.
M. Amelineau (Geogr. p.160) would identify 'Aidhab with Berenice or Myoshormos,
the former of which is probably correct, the latter being absolutely out of the
question.
1 The name of a town and district to the west of Alexandria, corresponding
to the classical Barca or Pentapolis, which latter appellation is translated by the
Arabic u Xo u^+h* , ' the Five Cities.' The province was not, strictly speaking, part
of Egypt. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. ovr; Al-Makin, Tarikh al-Muslimin,
ad ann. 27.
2 A small town on the shore of the Gulf of Suez, and on the borders of Syria
and the Hedjaz. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. prr; Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome)
[p. 123 f.]; Al-Makrizi, i. p. up.
3 ' Misr ' here denotes the city of Al-Fustat or Fustat Misr, the remains
of which are now called Masr al-'Atikah, and incorrectly named by foreigners
' Old Cairo.' The city was founded by 'Amr ibn al-'Asi, the Arab conqueror
of Egypt, in a. h. 20 = a. d. 641, and remained the capital of the country until it
was superseded by the suburb of Al-'Askar, which was founded to the north of it.
4 Our author is quoting loosely from the biography of the patriarch Benjamin,
in Severus' history of the patriarchs :
72 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
until they reached a fortress, built of stone 1 , between Upper Egypt and
the Delta 2 , which was called Bablun 3 . Here they pitched their tent,
and all of them prepared to meet the Romans and to fight with them.
And they called that place 'Al-Fustat' in their language; and the
meaning of this word is ' The Tent.' In this way the Arabs called
the Fort of Ash-Shama 4 at Misr ' Fustat Bablun.'
*$:ib jt&\ (JLcl A-j^U (fitfi \y* *4j1 J *^l*"j +jj)\ ili'lflU \j*>j> Jfa. dU* *&>^p-
u"y\ s^-ujI *a Jolkfl!l ^j Job
' Then [the Arabs] crossed the hills until they arrived at a fort built of stone,
between Upper Egypt and the Delta, which was called Bablun, and there they
pitched their tents, that they might prepare to fight with the Romans. Then they
named that place, that is to say the fort, Bablun Fustat in their language ; and
that is its name at the present time.' (Brit. Mus. MS. Or. 26,100, p. 105, lines
12-14.)
1 The Roman fortress referred to is built with alternate courses of stone and
brick, and has stone pediments over the gateways ; so that the use of stone
predominates sufficiently to justify the expression in the text. I have given a plan
of this fortress in Coptic Churches (vol. i. chap. 4). (A. J. B.)
2 I translate \-m)\ by ' the Delta' because that is its obvious meaning here.
See note on fol. 12 a.
3 The Arabic form of Babylon (BapvXav, &&.&.T7\(Mti), the name given by
the Greeks and Graecizing Copts to this town and fortress on the Nile ; see
Diodorus, i. 56; Strabo, xvii. 1, 35; Josephus, An/. Jud. ii. 15. Other Arabic
forms are Babluniyah (jLojl>\j), Babliyun (y^JbU), Bab al-yun (^1 i_>b), but the
Arabs only knew the Greek form of the name, and never called the place Babil
(Jl) like the city on the Euphrates.
4 In my Coptic Churches (vol. i. chap. 4) I was unable to give any satisfactory
account of the name Kasr ash-Shamd or ' Castle of the Candle,' which is the
familiar designation of the place to-day. Now, however, I am inclined to think
that Shamd is a corruption of the old Coptic name ^HJUU, 'Egypt.' The
town and fortress of Babylon were called by the Copts &.fWXujrt ItTG
^HJULI or 'Babylon of Egypt.' Thus, in the Acts of the Coptic martyr John of
Phanijoit or Zaitun, we read that the saint resolved to go to &<L.&_tXcoIT n.T
^XHJULI, to appear before the Sultan Al-Kamil (ed. Amelineau, p. 37). ^HJULI
is also used by itself to denote Cairo {op. cii. pp. 44, 45, 47, 48). See Quatremere,
THE CITY OF FUST AT MISR. 73
I found an account of the conquest of Egypt in the Book of
Al-Janah. It says that 'Amr ibn al-'Asi conquered Egypt in the year
19 1 of the Hegira. He encamped outside a place called Janan ar-Rihan,
whither the Arabs came down to besiege the city of Misr. The bishop
of the Romans at Misr and Alexandria was named Cyrus 2 . The Pol. 21b
Mem. i. pp. 49, 50 ; Champollion, L'figypte sous les Pharaons, i. p. i84f., ii. p. 1 10 f.
It is further noticeable that the Arabic name, Misr, ' Egypt,' is applied both to
the capital and to the country. (A. J. B.)
1 See Introduction.
2 Cyrus was the Greek patriarch of Alexandria at the time of the Arab
invasion of Egypt. He is mentioned in the following passage of Eutychius
(Annates, ed. Pococke, ii. p. 266):
!_>& li dJU*. ^*3uJj As***. (>-i- (^3JaJ jb JjO dJ,XLX-j^)| ~jj> (JMj A^..W.:W...pJ\ (Jl
Jo^, L)jSSw% ^Oj J.J,jfc ^i ^ W'J;'- u^Jj dJ,JJL5L.^)l ^jc ^/.^. u-^ ***>.J?
liXwj ul JyM (./"JT u 3 ^J^\ u*)_t ^^* u^^'J/^'t^^ kj~^%t*- *J J^ *-?**];
^ja.Lo dJliLo a ij.ii Jk.l (*9^5 Ji' J^j s'J^'j a < ^ .> j^aIr^-03 * Al
'At the beginning of the caliphate [of 'Umar] George was appointed patriarch
of Alexandria. He remained four years in possession of the see. Then when
he heard that the Muslims had conquered the Romans, and had vanquished
Palestine, and were advancing upon Egypt, he took ship and fled from Alexandria
to Constantinople; and after his time the see of Alexandria remained without
a Melkite patriarch for ninety-seven years.
' When George took flight, Cyrus was appointed patriarch of Alexandria in
succession to him ; Cyrus was a Maronite, and followed the religious faith of [the
Emperor] Heraclius. Now there was a monk at Alexandria named Sophronius,
who condemned the doctrines of the patriarch Cyrus ; for Cyrus taught that Our
Lord Christ consisted of Two Natures with One Will and One Energy and One
Personality ; and this was the doctrine of Maro.'
Cf. Le Quien {Oriens Christ, ii. col. 447 ff.), according to whom Cyrus was
elected patriarch in a. d. 632, deposed in 639, restored in 641, and died in 642 ;
and Zotenberg, CJiron. de Jean de Nikiou, p. 439.
1 [n. 7-]
74 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
people of Al-Fustat dug a moat against the Arabs. Al-Fustat was then
called Al-Luniyah 1 ; but the Arabs called it Al-Fustat, because they
said : ' This is the tent (fustat) of the people, and their place of meeting/
'Amr, then, came thither with three thousand and five men ; but after-
wards he was joined by Az-Zubair ibn al-'Awwam, with twelve thousand.
'Amr took possession of the fortress 2 , and captured it by force 3 ; and
thereupon he gave up to plunder all the treasures that it contained.
He spared the lives of the natives on condition of their becoming
a ' protected people ' ; but he laid tribute upon them throughout their
country. The governor of Al-Luniyah, or Al-Fustat, demanded a tax
of two dinars from every adult : that is to say twenty-seven dirhems,
all but one-third ; unless the man was poor. Every rich man was
obliged to pay every year two dinars and three ardebs of corn. In
this way 'Amr raised a revenue of two millions of dinars from the poll-
tax of Egypt ; and 'Abd Allah ibn Sa id ibn Mufarraj 4 raised four
millions of dinars. The government of 'Amr ibn al-'Asi lasted ten
years and four months, and that of 'Abd Allah 5 his son for two years.
It is also said that, when the Muslims came into Egypt, they
made an enclosure of canes, extending from the road called Al-Farr
to the place named Daurah Khalf ; and hither they assembled them-
selves ; and it was called Al-Fustat, or the meeting-place of the people ;
and the Arabs did not put up a tent, not being acquainted with the use
of tents.
1 This is simply part of the word Bablilniyah (jLJ^LIj) or Babylon, which the
Arabs supposed to be two words, meaning Gate of Luniyah.
2 M. Amedineau, who has published a translation of the greater part of
fol. 2i b (Ge'ogr. p. 542), translates ^a>. by 'fosse" ' ! He also reads, a line or two
further down, ' Louiiah ' instead of ' Luniyah,' not being aware that the latter is
simply part of the form JuiJols (Babluniyah), used by Al-Makrizi for ' Babylon.'
3 For remarks on the conquest of Egypt, see Introduction.
4 Al-Makrizi (i. p. 1a) says that 'Amr raised a revenue of twelve millions, and
'Abd Allah ibn Sa'd ibn Abi Sarh fourteen millions. The latter succeeded 'Amr as
emir of Egypt (op. cit. p. rii). Our scribe has evidently altered the figures.
5 Some say that it was not 'Abd Allah the son of 'Amr who governed Egypt
after the latter, but 'Abd Allah ibn Sa'd.
THE CITY OF FUST AT MfSR. ?$
'Amr ibn al-'Asi conquered Egypt on a Friday, on the first day
of the month of Al-Muharram, in the year 20 of the Hegira, and in the
caliphate of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, in a battle which took place near
the fortress known as the Fort of Al-Hammam 1 . The number of the Fol. 22 a
Copts who inhabited the land of Egypt, without counting the decrepit
old men and the children below the age of understanding, amounted to
six millions of souls. 'Amr imposed upon all of them a yearly tax 2 of
twenty-six dirhems and two-thirds ; but from the rich men, all alike, he
exacted two dinars and three ardebs of wheat a head, in every place
that he occupied. In this way the country produced twelve millions
of dinars, without reckoning the tribute of the Jews in Egypt and its
provinces. All this money was carried to 'Umar ibn al-Khattab ; and it
was the first money that was taken to him from Egypt. 'Amr ibn
al-'Asi had visited Egypt during the days of ignorance, and knew
the roads leading thither, through trading there together with one of
the tribe of the Kuraish 3 .
1 See Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. ri .
2 See Al-Makrizi, i. p. 11.
3 These words are borrowed from Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam, who relates that Amr
went from Arabia to Jerusalem on a trading expedition with some members of the
tribe of Kuraish. In Syria, Amr was able to render certain services to a Greek
deacon of Alexandria, who was visiting Jerusalem on a pilgrimage, and who, in
gratitude to 'Amr, invited him, with one of the members of the tribe of Kuraish,
to visit Alexandria, where the two Arabs were much struck by the wealth and
magnificence of the capital of Roman Egypt. See As-Suyuti, Husn al-]\luhddarah,
i. p. oi ; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. ioa; Ibn al-Athir, iii. p. w; Abu '1-Mahasin,
i. p. -1 .
The words of Al-Makrizi, quoting from Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam, are :
S.L->0 (_^a~o (jOj 1^9 La ijS L^)J W^ 3 ' [P) J"" *s**"r ti J 1 ^* *** v* c u 3
' 'Amr had visited Egypt during the days of ignorance, and knew the roads leading
thither, and had seen the wealth of the country ; and the cause of his visit
to Egypt was that he travelled to Jerusalem for purposes of trade, with some
members of the tribe of Kuraish/ &c.
1 2
y 6 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
I found it stated in the History of the Church that the Muslims
entered Egypt and took possession of it in the month of Ba'unah, in
the year 321 of the Righteous Martyrs 1 .
The number of those that were slain in the conquest of Egypt,
without reckoning those that were killed during the siege, was twelve
thousand three hundred 2 .
The places named after the Arab tribes, who laid them out at the
time of the conquest of Egypt in Muharram of the year 20 of the
Hegira, were [the streets or quarters named after 3 ] Muharrah ibn
Haidan ibn 'Amr ibn al-Haf ibn Kuda ah ; Tajib Umm 'Adi ; Lakhm
1 Our author does not seem to have copied his authority very accurately here
as regards the date. The passage in the life of the patriarch Benjamin runs as
follows :
p)\ jj$Z> ^ j~ia&i AJjjJ ^ j^us. jlill p^JI
' The king [i. e. caliph] of the Muslims sent an expedition, under one of his trusted
friends named 'Amr ibn al-'Asi, in the year 357 of Diocletian the slayer of the
martyrs; and the army of Islam invaded Egypt in great force on the 12th day of
Ba'unah, [that is to say] in the Roman month of December.' (Brit. Mus. MS.
Or. 26,100, p. 105, lines 7-10.)
Cf. Renaudot, Hist. Pair. p. 162.
Ba'unah does not correspond to December, but to May 26-June 24.
It is well known that the so-called Era of the Martyrs really begins with the
accession of Diocletian, a. d. 284 (Aug. 29), and was originally employed by
heathens as well as Christians.
2 Al-Kindi makes the number of slain only 3,500 ; see Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
i. p. Mi 6 .
3 This passage seems to be somewhat corrupt. Perhaps the copyist did
not understand it. It is doubtless borrowed from Al-Kindi's Khitat Misr.
Al-Makrizi says :
lj*JaiAi\ ^ >> tsb^-i-j (> _ 5 ^s- <?> ^ i>j^" Jabil 1c .*c Jy a-jI^U i j^jLjj
THE CITY OF FUST AT MISR. 77
and JudMm, the two sons of 'Adi ibn Murrah ; Rashidah ibn Jazilah
ibn Lakhm ; the Banu '1-Maghafir ibn Ya far ; the Banu Wail ; (names
were given to the Khalij and Al-Kantarah and the Quarter 1 ); Habib
ibn Mughaffal, who dwelt in the Wadi Habib 2 ; the Karafah 3 ; the Pol. 22b
Banu Hajas ibn Yusuf ibn Wail ; Al-Malik Abu '1-Khair ibn Sharahil ;
^ \J^ij y-UI \Jji\ j^JJl f* \y& 3 <jj\&\ *r& rf J>j-j J^il pj^ J>. J;* C J
' When 'Arar returned from Alexandria and settled at the place where his tent
(fustat) had been pitched, the tribes assembled together and divided the place
between them. Then 'Amr appointed as stewards of the quarters Mu'awiyah ibn
Khadij of the tribe of Tajib, and Sharik ibn Simi of the tribe of Ghatif, and 'Amr
ibn Kahzam of the tribe of Khulan, and Haiwil ibn Nashirah of the tribe of
Maghafir ; and it was these men who appointed settlements for the Arabs and
divided the place among the tribes; and this was in the year 21.' (K hit at, i.
p. r"W.)
The names of the Arab tribes here furnished by our author as those which
laid out the different quarters of Al-Fustat, and gave their names to them, are
also found in Al-Makrizi (ibid) and Ibn Dukmak, iv. p. 1 f., with the addition
of others.
1 This passage seems to be corrupt.
2 Habib was one of the companions of Mahomet, shared in his flight, and took
part in the conquest of Mecca. Under the caliph 'Uthman, he retired into the
Nitrian valley, which was therefore named after him. Wadi Habib is the most
usual of the names given by the Arabs to the Nitrian valley (see fol. 20 a), which
they also called Wadi Natrun, Wadi '1-Muluk, Desert of Askit (2Kva6is, Scaetis),
Desert of Shihat and Mizan al-Kulub (Balance of Hearts). Of the last two names
the former is simply the Coptic Shihit (ctJI&JTr), from which 2nva0is and Askit
are derived, and the latter is an Arabic translation of the two elements of which
the Coptic name appeared to be composed, namely oji, 'measure,' 'weigh,' and
OHT, 'heart' See Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. m ; As-Suyuti, i. p. in .
3 This is said to be the name of the tribe which settled on the plot of ground
to the north-west of Al-Fustat which afterwards became the great cemetery of
Al-Karafah; but another account of the origin of the name 'Karafah' is given on
fol. 42 a. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. Fa .
78 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Wardan the Roman 1 , the friend of 'Amr ibn al- c Asi ; Shajaah ibn
Mandaghan ibn Malik ibn Kab ibn al-Harith ibn Ka b. The market-
place of Barbar 2 was named after Barbar ibn Abi Habib. The street
of Al-Khadiji was the settlement of 'Abd ar-Rahman ibn Mu'awiyah
ibn Khadij ibn Hajar, emir of Egypt 3 in the caliphate of 'Abd Allah ibn
az-Zubair 4 at Mecca and of Marwan 5 in Syria.
'Amr ibn al-'Asi ibn 'Adi is described as being dark and short,
with a large head and prominent brows, wide-mouthed, with a long
beard, broad-shouldered and broad-chested 6 . He died in the year
43 ; and he was buried in the Mukattam 7 hills, in the neighbourhood
of the Ravine, on the road towards the Hedjaz.
1 Wardan is said to have been an Armenian. Under the caliph Mu'awiyah,
he was the director of the tribute of Egypt ; and he was killed at Alexandria in
a. h. 53. The market-place of Wardan at Al-Fustat was named after him. See
Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iii. p. 1 w .
2 In Al-Fustat ; see Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iii. p. 1 ir .
3 From Sha'ban a. h. 64 = a. d. 684 to Rajab a. h. 65; he succeeded Sa'id
ibn Yazid. Al-Makrizi calls him 'Abd ar-Rahman ibn 'Utbah ibn Jahdam. See
Khitat,'\. p. r. 1 f.
4 'Abd Allah was the eighth caliph, but was not recognized in Syria and only
by a party in Egypt. He reigned 128 days, during the latter part of a. h. 64 and the
earlier part of a. h. 65. In the month of Jumada '1-Ula, a. h. 65, the Omeyyad
caliph Marwan invaded Egypt, and fought with 'Abd Allah and his emir 'Abd ar-
Rahman, whom he defeated and slew, so that the Omeyyad dynasty was established
throughout the Mahometan world. See Al-Makin, Tdrikh al-Maslimin, ad ann.
64 and 65; Abu '1-Faraj (ed. Pococke), pp. 194-8; Abu '1-Fida, Annales, i. p.402ff.;
Al-Makrizi, i. p. r.i f . ; As-Suyuti, Hnsn al-Muhddarah, ii. p. a.
6 Son of Al-Hakam, and fourth of the Omeyyad caliphs ; reigned from a. h. 64
= a.d. 684 to a.h. 66 = a. d. 686. See Abu '1-Faraj, p. 197 f. ; Abu '1-Fida, A nnales,
i. p. 404 ff. ; Al-Makin, ad ann. 64-66 ; Al-Makrizi, i. p. r . i f. ; As-Suyuti, ii. p. a .
6 This description is taken from Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam. See An-Nawawi, Kitdb
Tahdhib al-Asmd (ed. Wustenfeld), p. fv* ff.
7 The well-known hills to the east of Al-Fustat and Cairo, about which many
legends were told by the Arabs ; see Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. 1 rr .
KING AFTUTlS. 79
King Aftiitis.
I found it written in the history of Mahbub 1 ibn Kustantin Al-
Manbaji (now the city of Manbaj 2 is also called the ancient City of
the Priests, and is on the banks of the Euphrates), in the first part, that
a king named Aftutis 3 , in the time of Isaac son of Abraham, was the
1 Otherwise called Agapius (^j^lcl) ; see Introduction.
2 The Syriac Mabug (^sjo , see Assemani, Bib. Or. ii. p. 22 ; cf. ' Mabog,'
Pliny, H. N. v. 19), and the Greek Hierapolis, in northern Syria, to the east
of Antioch and not far from the right or western bank of the Euphrates. It is
now called Menbij or Benbij, and by the Turks Kara Bambuj or Buguk Manbej,
but is in a ruined state. In the time of our author it was a flourishing city and
renowned for its salubrious climate (Yakut, Geogr. Wort, ad voc.) Eutychius
incorrectly identifies it with Megiddo (Annates, i. p. 242). ' The City of the Priests '
(^l^Jl ajjA*) is a translation of the Syriac name of the place, )Jop ki*Zao or
J!cJo>o 0... t-to , which the Greeks converted into Hierapolis. This parenthetical
passage of our author is based upon the words of Mahbub, son of Constantine,
himself:
^\J&\ ,Jli As- i^.J^> (| *^ uy$ W^ c ^*>. i&i-l c^/*"" k * ;> - u^^ ^^ ij
iilcx!l ^- &^.X* ,Aj u^^l^ ZliS*
' At that time [i. e. the period of Jacob] the queen Semiramis built a great temple
to Kuyus the idol in a city on the bank of the Euphrates ; and she appointed
seventy men priests to Kuyfis. The name of this city was Hierapolis, the interpre-
tation of which is " City of the Priests," and it is the ancient city of Manbaj.'
(Bodleian MS. Hunt 4,178, fol. 70 a.)
If it may be conjectured that Kubbus (u-^ls) is the correct reading instead
of Kuyus, the statue referred to may be that of Kombabos, of which we hear
in the treatise De Dea Syra ascribed to Lucian, that it stood in the temple of the
great goddess in whose honour the temple of Hierapolis was actually erected.
Agapius accepts the tradition mentioned in the same treatise that Semiramis was
the founder of the temple.
3 This name appears as Utis on fol. 57 a and b, but is more often found in
8o CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
first who discovered books and sciences and astronomy and arithmetic.
He studied the latter in the books of the Chaldaeans and people of the
East, and introduced them into Egypt, besides magic and the art of
Fol. 23 a conjuring. At the same time, Sodom and Gomorrah were built ; and
Babylon 1 also was built upon the river Nile. This king, mentioned
above, reigned for thirty-two years.
Revenues of Egypt.
Under the administration of Joseph, son of Jacob, the land-tax
of Egypt, after the country began to flourish through his enterprise,
reached the sum of twenty-four million six hundred thousand dinars 2 .
The Pharaoh of the time of Moses drew a revenue of ninety millions
of dinars ; his name was Al-Walid ibn Mus'ab 3 ; and he dug, by the
the shortened form Tutis (^J^k), the name of a king whom Al-Makrizi calls the
son of Maliya, son of Kharaba; see Khitat, i. p. u 6 . ; As-Suyuti (Husn al-Muhd-
darah, i. p. n) calls Tutis the son of Maliya, son of Kalkan, son of Khartaba.
1 For a different account of the foundation of the Egyptian Babylon, see
fol. 60 b. The generally accepted story of its origin is given by Strabo, Geogr.
xvii. cap. 1, 30, and Diodorus, i. cap. 56, 3 ; cf. Josephus, Ant.Jud. ii. 15. The
recently-discovered tablets from Tall al-Amarna show that intimate relations existed
between Egypt and Babylon on the Euphrates, at least 1,500 years before our
era. (A. J. B.)
2 Al-Makrizi says 97,000,000 dinars, and adds that according to the compu-
tation of Ibn Dahyah 90,000,000 Pharaonic dinars were equivalent to 270,000,000
dinars of his own time. Ash-Sharif al-Harrani says that from a Sahidic list
translated into Arabic he found that the revenues of Egypt in the time of Joseph
amounted to 24,400,000 dinars, thus nearly agreeing with our author. The
same figures are given by Al-Hasan ibn 'Alt al-Asadi. See Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
i. p. vo.
a This is the name commonly given by Arab writers to the Pharaoh of the
time of Moses ; see Al-Mas'udi, ii. p. 397 f.; An-Nawawi, Tahdhib al-Asmd, p. . . ;
Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. ifr ; As-Suyuti, Husn al-Muhddarah, i. p. re . Other
names, however, are mentioned by Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam.
REVENUES OF EGYPT. 81
agency of his officers Karun and Haman 1 , the canal of Sardus 2 , which
has more windings than any other.
The Romans derived a revenue of twenty millions of dinars 3 from
Egypt. The country was placed by Heraclius under the government
of George, son of Mennas, the Mukaukis*, on condition of receiving
1 Haman, the minister of Pharaoh, is mentioned in the Koran, Siirat al-Kisas,
v. 5 and 7 ; al- Ankabut, v. 38; al-Mumin, v. 25 and 38 ; and (Karun) Korah in
al-Kisas, v. 76; al- Ankabut, v. 38; and al-Mu'mi'n, v. 25. Korah is represented
in the Koran, following the Talmud, as a man of immense wealth, and insolent
towards his fellow-countrymen.
2 Our author is doubtless borrowing from Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam, who says that
Haman was commanded by Pharaoh to dig this canal, and that the people of the
villages in whose neighbourhood it was to run offered him money if he would
allow the canal to be brought close to them, which could only be effected by its
making many turnings; see Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. v. f. ; As-Suyuti, i. p. re.
Quatremere identified the so-called canal of Sardus with the ancient Tanitic
branch of the Nile, now named the Bahr Mu'izz (Mem. i. 301).
3 It is impossible to conjecture on what these figures are based. Very pro-
bably the population was about eight millions, and there is nothing improbable
in the statement of Abu Salih, which would give z\ dinars per head, or 1 5s. od.
of our money. But the Roman revenues were in kind as well as in money.
Herodotus (iii. 91) makes the revenue from Egypt and parts adjoining, including
Barca and Cyrene, 700 talents of silver, without counting the income from
the fishery of Lake Moeris, and 700 talents in coined money. St. Jerome, on
Daniel xi. 5, says that Ptolemy Philadelphus derived from the countries under his
sway 14,800 Egyptian talents, besides 7,000,000 bushels of corn. Towards the
end of the Lagide dynasty, the revenue of Auletes was 6,000 talents, though Cicero
puts the amount at 12,500; but even this would be only about 2,250,000 as
against Abu Salih's 10,000,000. In the time of Augustus, the amount of corn
sent by Egypt to Rome was nearly 3,000,000 quarters per annum, and if the value
of this were included, a near approach would be made to Abu Salih's figures.
See 'Abd Allah Simaika's Province Romaine d'figypte, p. 129 seq. (A. J. B.)
4 The position, name, and title of this official, which have so long been
a problem to Arabists, seem to have been settled as far as possible by
Prof. De Goeje in his memoir De Mokaukis van Egypte, and by Prof. Karabacek
m [II. 7.]
8a CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
a sum of eighteen millions of dinars yearly. 'Amr ibn al-'Asi drew,
in the year 20 of the Hegira, one million of dinars ; but in the year
22, twelve millions. Under the Abbasides, when Egypt was adminis-
tered by Ahmad ibn Tulun, it produced five millions ; and, when
administered by Ya kub ibn Yusuf, four millions ; and it finally went
down to three millions 1 .
A survey of the provinces of Egypt, so far as the Nile waters
them, was made in the days of Hisham 2 ibn 'Abd al-Malik, and their
extent found to be thirty millions of feddans 3 . The annual revenue
also of Egypt and its dependencies, during the government of Kafur
in his article Der Mokaukis von Aegypten in the Mittheilungen aus der Samvilung
der Papyrus Erzherzog Rainer, vol. i. pp. 1-1 1. The latter authority concludes that
the full designation of the Mukaukis was probably Georgios son of Menas (Mennas)
Parkabios, according to the Coptic custom of double names, thus explaining the
name Farkab {^j for ^j>) given to his father by Yakut, Al-Makrizi, and
As-Suyuti ; and that his office was probably that of Pagarch, which corresponded
to the more ancient office of Nomarch, with, perhaps, the post of Strategos
held in addition. Strategos is found in the papyri translated into Arabic by
iijAl J-olc or djjsi.1 i_^>U, and Pagarchos by -1,11 J^lc or simply J*lc; and
Eutychius calls the Mukaukis -bil Js J-olc, while As-Suyuti says that he was
chief military officer as well as superintendent of the taxes. The term Mukaukis
itself is believed by Prof. Karabacek to be the Greek fxeyavx^ (v. Aeschylus,
Persae, 641), an honorary epithet which would be analogous to /xeyaXoTrpeTreVraros-,
eVSo^oTcn-os and tvKXeeaTaros, found in papyri of the time of the Mahometan con-
quest and later as applied to the Pagarchs. (A. J. B.)
1 Cf. Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. r\\.
2 The tenth of the Omeyyad caliphs; reigned from a. h. 105 = a. d. 724 to
A. H. I25 = A.D. 744.
3 Taking the feddan as equivalent to an English acre, which it slightly
exceeds, it is difficult to understand this estimate. ' The area of the cultivable
tract of Egypt, which has remained unaltered since the remotest antiquity,
is about 11,342 square miles' (Baedeker). At 632 acres to the square mile
this gives 7,168,144 acres or considerably less than one-third of our author's
estimate. The statistics of revenue in the remainder of this paragraph are credible
enough. (A. J. B.)
NEBUCHADNEZZAR. 83
al-Ustadh al-Ikhshidi, was added up, so far as it could be estimated,
together with all the expenses, and it amounted to three million two
hundred thousand and more than seventy thousand dinars ; but the
expenditure exceeded the revenue by two hundred thousand dinars. Fol. 23 b
In the year 162 (a.d. 779), in the caliphate of Al-Mahdi ibn al-Mansur 1 ,
the Abbaside, the revenue of Egypt was estimated at one million eight
hundred and twenty-eight thousand five hundred dinars.
Nebuchadnezzar.
Nebuchadnezzar 2 , the satrap of the east, invaded Egypt, and
ruthlessly pillaged the country for booty. Belteshazzar 3 however, his
son, restored Egypt after its devastation, which lasted forty years 4 ; and
the first district which he restored in the country was that of Al-
Ushmunain 5 .
1 The third of the Abbaside caliphs; reigned at Bagdad from a. h. 158 = a.d.
775 to a. h. 1 69 = a.d. 786.
2 A very distinct tradition has been preserved in Egypt of its invasion by
Nebuchadnezzar, spoken of by Jeremiah (xliii. 16 fT. and xlvi. 13 ff.) and by
Ezekiel (xxix. 19). See As-Suyuti, i. p. n f. ; Al-Makiizi, i. p. rAi, &c. ;
Eutychius, i. p. 253. It is well known that there exist fragments of a cuneiform
inscription of the date of Nebuchadnezzar, which contained an account of his
invasion of Egypt; see Schrader, Keilinschriftliche Bibliolhek, iii. pt. 2, p. 140 f.
3 Belshazzar. Eutychius writes the name .~li> ; At-Tabari -o-idb , and Ibn
Khaldim .^jlJj .
4 This number seems to arise from a confusion with the true number of years
in Nebuchadnezzar's reign, viz. forty-three years according to Berosus, the Canon
of Ptolemy, and the Babylonian contracts; see Strassmaier, Babyhnische Texte:
Inschriften von Nabuchodonosor.
6 The classical Hermopolis or Mercurii Oppidum, and the Coptic ajJULOTIt,
on the west bank of the Nile between Munyah and Manfalftt. It is now in the
district of Raudah in the province of Usyut, and in 1885 had 2,312 inhabitants ;
but it has much declined from its ancient importance. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort.
i. p. tat; Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome) [p. 47]; Al-Makrizi, i. p. ita; Ame'lineau, Geogr.
p. 167 ff.
m 2
84 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
The Patriarch Demetrius.
The first who appointed bishops for the land of Egypt and its
provinces was Demetrius 1 , the twelfth patriarch.
Restoration of Churches of Al-Fustdt.
The history of the church, in the biography of Anba 2 Mark
the Younger, the forty-ninth patriarch, testifies that the churches of
1 This statement is borrowed by our author from Eutychius :
dp^aj Jj\ jAj AftSL.1 Ail5 Jusl l$V^a> ^jj^o .L IJi UaJ l^sM sLs ^jJI iVlkJ)
laiL.1 (j^-i-c JLoU i>,Jj5w<^l As- IsJpJai Js,a s-Vjo ^ tub IJs asLsL^I J*c dJ-.UX^U
' From the time of Ananias (Annianus), who was appointed patriarch of Alexandria
by Mark the Evangelist, until Demetrius the eleventh patriarch of Alexandria, there
were no bishops in Egypt, and the predecessors of the last-named patriarch
appointed none. But when Demetrius became patriarch, he appointed three
bishops, and he was the first patriarch of Alexandria who made bishops. When
he died, Heraclius was constituted patriarch of Alexandria after him, and appointed
twenty bishops.' {Annates, ii. p. 330.)
The assertion of Eutychius is contradicted by the patriarchal history of Severus
of Al-Ushmunain, which not only states that St. Mark himself consecrated Annianus
(wjj> lol) bishop of Alexandria, and left him there in that capacity during his
sojourn in Pentapolis, but also mentions bishops in Egypt, other than the patriarch,
in the lives of Avilius (^^iLL) the third patriarch, of Celadion (^^ibo^S) the ninth,
and of Julian (,jj\Jj>) the eleventh; see Brit. Mus. MS. Or. 26,100, p. 21, line 18;
p. 24, line 5; p. 25, lines 9 and 19. I use the word 'patriarch' here as being
that employed by Severus.
2 Occupied the see from a. d. 799 to 819 (?). See Renaudot, Hist. Pair.
pp. 246-266. This date of the restoration of the churches corresponds closely
enough with my estimate of the date of, e.g. the church of Abu Sirjah in the
Roman fortress at Al-Fustat ; see Coptic Churches, i. p. 181. (A. J. B.)
RESTORATION OF CHURCHES OF AL-FUSTAT. 85
Fustat Misr were rebuilt, and that their restoration was commanded,
under the superintendence of that patriarch 1 , after they had been
1 Our author is referring to the following passage in the life of the patriarch
Mark in Severus' collection :
/*?* ^a.9l ^1 jj<**^1> dJ olS J5 5Jls &Jsli.j JU-Aa-U &X9.J 5^>5lj S-ls - ^ S-Jc A~J (Jl?^
L$ LjaiJU l^iU l&SjU i-l. i^y* dl ^jU W^i u^U Aa-la. JU i_>HaJ Jj (SIsnJ^=>-
J ^1 Juo dliUaL,j dba, J> jj^_5 dUU! Jaaadl c^l ^ *^5o d,WJI J Jlij d) <J~-=-
*^> UaU U ,j^ dJ^U- J I t-^lj /^Jlj ^-flj^l ^Jc Jj -U. ^ JL ^Jc d-x-^ \jLj>
&Js ^ 4ill J^t-s? dl ko^U dtd^.*- (J^j W* (J^ W;^* 30 . ^ (v&l u^ ^ ^1; ^1)
' When they understood the discourse of the wall, and his care for the affairs of
the churches, Anba Michael, bishop of Misr, said : Now is the time for us to take
measures for the restoration of the churches, since it is evident that the wall bears
an affection towards the Christians. Next day, therefore, the patriarch returned
to the wali, who saluted him, and showed respect to him, and honoured him, and
raised him from the ground, and made him sit beside him, and discoursed with
him, saying : I told thee yesterday that I would perform whatever thou requirest,
but thou hast asked nothing of me ; now, therefore, mention to me whatever thou
needest, and it shall be done because of my love for thee. So the patriarch
answered with soft words : May the Lord preserve thy days and increase thy
dignity and authority ! Thou knowest that thy servant has not been set as ruler
over revenues and taxes, but over souls and churches ; and I beseech thy greatness
for we have here churches, some of which have been destroyed by the un-
righteous one before thy coming to Egypt, therefore the Lord destroyed his
houses and cut off his life from the face of the earth but if it seems good to
thee to command us to rebuild these churches, so that we may pray in them and
intercede for thy greatness, the matter rests with thee. Then God quickly put
it into the heart of the wali that he should order the restoration of those churches ;
and all the churches in Fustat Misr were rebuilt.' (Bib. Nat. Paris MS. Anc . Fonds
Arabe 139, p. 211, 1. 17-p. 212, 1. 1.)
86 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
destroyed in the patriarchate of Anba John 1 , the forty-eighth in the
succession.
The city of Misr, outside which is Madinat ash-Shams 2 , was
founded by Mizraim, the son of Canaan, the son of Ham, the son of
Noah, the son of Lamech the Blind, and it was called after the name
of the king of the Egyptians, Mizraim. Beyond Egypt is the district
between the two rocks, beyond Al-'Arish.
Churches of Al-Fustat.
The first church built in Fustat Misr was that which is beyond
Al-Kantarah 3 ; it was built in the time of Maslamah ibn Mukhallad
al-Ansari 4 . The name of Misr in Greek is JibF; and in Frankish Roman 6
it is Babylon the Fortress. The church above mentioned was in the
1 Occupied the see a. d. 775-799; see Renaudot, Hist. Pair. pp. 241-246.
The destruction of some of the churches of Al-Fustat in his time is mentioned
in Bib. Nat. MS. Anc. Fonds Arabe 139, p. 207, 1. 20.
2 Or 'Ain Shams: the Coptic cort or neT^pK, the Hebrew On (jiK)
or Beth Shemesh (&nf JTa Jer. xliii. 13), the classical Heliopolis, a few miles
to the north of modern Cairo. The only remaining vestige of the famous city
is the obelisk which stands near the village of Matariyah. See Al-Makrizi, i. p. r 1 ;
Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. 111; Amelineau, Ge'ogr. p. 287.
3 Literally, ' The Bridge ' or 'Arch :' a suburb of Al-Fustat, also called Al-
Hamra al-Wusta (fol. 29b); see Al-Makrizi.
4 The well-known 'Companion' of the Prophet; he governed Egypt, under
the caliphs Mu'awiyah and Yazid, from a. h. 47 = a.d. 668 to a. h. 62 = a. d. 682 ;
see Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. r. 1 ; As-Suyuti (ii. p. v) names this first church.
5 Evidently an apocopated form of Aiyvwros, and therefore a formation analogous
to Kibt (Copts). As the Egyptians give the hard pronunciation to the _, they
would sound the word Ghibt. The Greek y becomes _ in Arabic in the words
Jirjis for Teapyios, Sirjah for Sepyios, jaghrdfiyd for ycaypacpia, and many others.
6 I. e. the lingua Franca. Babylon, as the name of Fustat, or Fustat and
Cairo together, was widely employed in Europe at the time of our author and
later; see Mandeville's travels, edition of London, 1568, fol. ciiii verso: 'And
who so wyll go through the land of Babylon wher the Soudan dwelleth . . . hee
CHURCHES OF A L- FUST AT. 87
quarter, between Cairo and Misr 1 , running from the church of Saint
George, called Al-Hamra. The church was in the middle of this quarter,
which is also called Harat ar-Rum 2 , and was inhabited by Christians and
Abyssinian monks and others. When the quarter was demolished, as
the others also were demolished outside Misr, and the houses which it
contained were destroyed, the bricks and timber were carried off for
other buildings in Cairo. A few ruined houses, however, remained, Fol. 24 a
and were inhabited by the men of Maimun 3 .
The church of Saint George, called Al-Hamra, had fallen into ruin
and disorder ; but Al-Mu'allim Sarur Al-Jullal undertook to improve and
renew it in the caliphate of Al-Mustansir. The said Al-Jullal was full
of wealth and honours. Thus when our lord Al-Mustansir went up to
the manzarah called As-Sukkarah 4 for the breaking of the dam of the
shall goe from Gaza . . . and from thence men come to Babylone and to Kayre ;
and in Babylone is a fayre churche of our lady wher she dwelled vii yere whan
she was oute of the lande of Jewes, for dreade of kynge Herode. And there
lyeth the body of Saynte Barbare vyrgyn, and there dwelled Joseph whan he was
solde of his brethrene . . . There dwelleth the Soudan, for there is a faire citie and
stronge castell.' Mandeville is said to have travelled early in the fourteenth century.
The Romaiince of the Sowdone of Babyloyne, published by the Roxburghe
Club in 1854, is well known. Cf. ' Saladino, Soldano di Babilonia ' in Boccaccio,
Dec, Giorn. x, Nov. 9, &c.
1 Here we have Misr used as synonymous with Al-Fustat or Fustat Misr, and
in antithesis to Cairo, which was nevertheless sometimes called Misr al-Kahirah,
and is now called Masr ; the remains of Al-Fustat being called Old Masr.
2 ' Quarter of the Romans;' see above, fol. 6 a.
3 Maimun al-Kasri was an officer in Saladin's army; see Ibn al-Athir, xii.
pp. ir, 1 .1, 1 oa .
4 This was a pavilion erected by the caliph Al-'Aziz (a. d. 975-996), on the
western bank of the canal of Cairo near the Nile. It was surrounded by a garden.
It was here that the Fatimide caliphs witnessed the breaking of the dam of the
canal at the time of the high Nile, an operation which was conducted then as now
with much ceremony. See Al-Makrizi's long description of it in Khitat, i. p. fv . ff.
The pavilion seems to have been destroyed in the twelfth century (ibid). See
also Ibn Dukmak, iv. p. 1 r . ,
88 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
canal 1 dug by 'Amr ibn al-'Asi, emir of Egypt, in the caliphate of the
Prince of the Faithful, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, the Mu'allim Sarur
al-Jullal offered to the caliph handsome gifts, consisting of different
kinds of food and drinks and sweetmeats, and prepared for him many
kinds of fresh fish and sugar in varied forms; and the caliph accepted
them from him, and gave him a robe of honour, and granted his requests,
and sent him to Al-Kulzum 2 , which is a fortress built to protect the country
on the side of the Hedjaz ; and the name of the place is derived from
the weaver's cord, with which a garment is held fast, and which is called
kulzum*. Jauhar al-Mu'izzi 4 built a bridge 5 over that canal, leading to
Fol. 24 b the bank of Al-Maksam. Here is the watercourse called Al-Majnunah G .
Before this bridge, there was a bridge which was destroyed ; but traces
of it are left on the east side, and part of it on the west side, below
the garden, near the road constructed from thence to Az-Zuhri, for
carrying provisions to the canal which runs from Cairo to Al-Kulzum, that
they may be taken thence to Mecca and Medina, and also to the region
1 The famous Khalij or canal of Cairo, sometimes called Khalij Amir al-
Miiminin, or ' Canal of the Prince of the Faithful,' after 'Umar, the first who
assumed that title. It runs from the Nile at Al-Fustat northwards to Bastah
(Zagazig), whence it turned eastwards and terminated in the Red Sea, near
Al-JKulzum. Its original purpose was to furnish Mecca and Medina with provisions
from Egypt. The Khalij now only serves to convey water to the city of Cairo,
and terminates at Matariyah, near the site of 'Ain Shams or Heliopolis. In
constructing this canal, Amr had only to avail himself of and render navigable
the very ancient Amnis Trajanus. For an account of the Khalij in Mahometan
times, see Al-Makrizi, i. p. v i ; Ibn Dukmak, iv. p. i r . .
2 See above, fol. 19 b.
3 Intended, as Prof. Margoliouth suggests, for a transcription of the Greek
KXaafia.
4 The general of the Fatimide caliph Al-Mu'izz, who conquered Egypt and
founded Cairo in a. d. 969 ; see Introduction.
5 A complete list of the bridges over the canal, with a plan, is given in
C. Niebuhr's Voyage en Arable, 4to, Amsterdam, 1776, torn. i. p. 89. See also
Al-Makrizi, Khitat, ii. p. tfi ff. (A. J. B.)
6 Al-Makrizi gives this name to a canal in the Fayyum ; see Khitat, i. p. rPi.
CHURCHES OF AL-FUSTAT. 89
of A1-' Abbasah. Our lord Al-Mustansir was crowned with the jewelled
turban and the canopy was spread over him, and he was * * * 1 sitting
on the dais of state, and the aforesaid Sarur came out to wait upon
him, and the caliph saluted him ; and Sarur wore a garment of Nasd/i,
and a turban of Sikilli, bound round the middle with a band of Dabiki,
interwoven with gold ; and he was summoned by name on both occa-
sions, when he went up [to Al-Kulzum], and when he returned to
Cairo I mean this Mu'allim Sarur al-Jullal.
Sarur was full of benevolence and virtue and usefulness to other
men : to each according to his needs. For himself he provided a tomb,
roofed with a cupola, and consisting of a vault under ground, contiguous
to the apse 2 of the church. His son, Najah, built over it a church,
named after Saint John the Baptist, which was entirely of solid timber,
decorated with carving.
The church of John the Baptist was restored by the Shaikh
As-Sa id Abu '1-Fakhr, father of An-Najib Abu '1-Barakat, known as
Ibn Sa id ; and it was consecrated in the month of Tut 3 , in the year 897
of the Blameless Martyrs (a.d. 1180). The Shaikh al-Wajih Abu Pol. 25 a
'1-Hasan ibn al-Amahh, the scribe, provided for the improvement of
the churches attached to the Great Church, in the year 892 (A.D. 11 76)
of the Blameless Martyrs.
The building lasted until the time of Shawar as-Sa'di 4 , vizier in the
caliphate of Al-\Adid, and of [the invasion of] the Ghuzz and the Kurds 5 ,
who came with Yusuf Salah ad-Din ibn Ayyub, the Kurd, who became
governor of Egypt, and was called, on the dirhems and dinars, ' Partner
1 Erasure in original.
3 jli. is here correctly written ; compare ^U. on fol. 5 a.
3 The Coptic Thoouth (e(JUOTo)=Aug. 29-Sept. 27.
4 Vizier from a. h. 558 = a.d. 1162 to a. h. 564 = a.d. 1168 to the last of the
Fatimide caliphs, Al-'Adid. See Introduction. As-Sa'idi is incorrect.
5 Here the copyist has correctly written .jl^Slj till instead of \j>y\ jiJl as on
fol. 2 a and elsewhere.
n [II. 7.]
yo CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
of the Prince of the Faithful V upon the invasion of the king of the
Franks, on account of the victory gained over them during the year 559 2
(a.d. 1 1 64). The Ghuzz and the Kurds attacked this church, with the
mob of Cairo, and it was burnt with fire 3 , and rased to the ground like
the other churches, in the month of Jumada the First in the year 559
1 Gold dinars of a. h. 571 have the following inscription :
ajIc dlU jjcj sJl ,-lcj sJlc 41)1 ,L u^^il y J. sJi jjJjJl (Jff *^a*5 jjil ^-Jj
' In the name of God the compassionate and merciful. This dinar was struck
at Cairo in the year 571. There is no deity but God alone; he has no partner.
Abu Muhammad Al-Mustadi bi-amri 'llah is Prince of the Faithful. Mahomet
is the Apostle of God, who sent him under his guidance with the true religion,
that he might reveal it above all religion, even if the polytheists are indignant
thereat; may God bless him and his family and the most Victorious Prince
Yusuf ibn Ayyub.' (Poole, Brit. Mus. Cat. of Or. Coins, iv. p. 63.)
Silver dirhems of Damascus, a. h. 573, have the following superscription:
-oUI dlAU Ajjl Jj-j, Jm>S? SJ,:j 41)1 ^1 JI ^ ^j^jW j^r*\ 4jjl j*\>. jjaX-J.1 *U}H
&c. <*->j>\ ,j> i a-jjj r)iJJ!j LjjJI X
'Al-Imam Al-Mustadi bi-amri 'llah, Prince of the Faithful. There is no deity
but God alone. Mahomet is the Apostle of God. Al-Malik an-Nasir Salah
ad-Dunya wad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub, &c.' {Ibid.)
From these inscriptions it does not appear that Saladin (Al-Malik an-Nasir, &c.)
was actually called ' Partner' of the caliph al-Mustadt, Prince of the Faithful, upon
the coins ; but that he was named upon them as if he were his partner.
The dirhem was a silver coin about forty-five grains in weight.
2 Amaury, king of Jerusalem, invaded Egypt in a. h. 559, but his final and
ignominious retreat on the approach of Saladin was not till a. h. 564.
3 The burning of Al-Fustat by order of Shawar is several times mentioned
in this work : see Introduction.
CHURCHES OF AL-FUSTAT. 9 i
(A.D. i i 64). Afterwards it was restored, in the year 560, and the
excellent Shaikh Abu '1-Fakhr undertook its rebuilding. He had
been scribe for religious matters in the caliphate of Al-Hafiz ; and he
was assisted in this act of restoration by the distinguished Shaikh,
Abu Hasan ibn al-Amahh, in the year 892 of the Righteous Martyrs
(a.d. i i 76). After this, all the churches that had been wrecked were
restored by the following shaikhs and chief men : the Shaikh As-Sa'id
Shadid al-Mulk ibn al-Fakhr ibn Busaiwah, and Abu '1-Barakat his
son, and Al-As'ad Abu '1-Khair Jirjah ibn Wahab, known as Ibn Pol. 25 b
al-Mikat. The restored churches were consecrated, by the help
of God ; and prayers and liturgies have been offered in them up to
this day.
When the restoration took place, and when this great church
I mean Al-Hamra was put into order, then the envious and the con-
tentious were indignant because it had been erected anew ; and they
incited the common people to assist them, and they pillaged the church,
and it was destroyed a second time. Afterwards the property of the
church that had been scattered was restored, and a fresh consecration
took place, and the liturgy and prayers were offered according to the
customary practice.
The tomb of Al-Mu'allim Sarur al-Jullal, which has been men-
tioned before, remains in this church to the present day 1 . In this
church there is also a tank, and a well of running water.
The aforesaid Al-As c ad Abu '1-Khair ibn al-Mikat was sent for by
Shawar the vizier, who was indignant with him without just cause ; and
began to subject him to tortures. So he died a martyr. His body was
carried to this church and buried here. May the Lord grant rest to his
pure soul ! He was laid in the northern porch. Outside this church
and near it there is a Christian burying-ground.
Near the above-mentioned church of John the Baptist, there was
1 I am quite unable to identify this church, and indeed doubt its existence
at the present time. The Epiphany tank and the well of fresh water are common
features in the churches of Egypt ; see Coptic Churches, i. p. 22. (A. J. B.)
n 2
92 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
a kitchen 1 , which was pulled down by the Shaikh As-Sa'id Abu '1-Fakhr
Sa id ibn Busaiwah, who rebuilt it as a church dedicated to Our Lady
the Pure Virgin. When it was completed, it was consecrated by the
Fol. 26 a father and bishop, Anba Gabriel, bishop of Misr, in the presence of
Anba Peter, bishop of the Fayyiim, on the fourth Sunday of the Holy
Fast, being the fifth of Barmahat 2 in the year 903 of the Righteous
Martyrs, which is equivalent to the 19th of Dhu '1-hijjah, in the year 582
(a.d. 1 187). From the roof of this church a view is obtained of the
Pool of Karun 3 . The view from this church is agreeable, on account
of the gardens and pleasure-grounds and handsome buildings which
surround it. It is spacious and pleasant during both the high Nile and
the seed time, and there are many people in the gardens and pavilions
which surround it.
Among those who at any time have attacked this church there was
a body of blacks, called the Juyushiyah 4 , who grew insolent and violent,
and whose hands were stretched out until they stopped the roads and
seized the money of travellers, or shed their blood. When the Ghuzz
and the Kurds obtained possession of Egypt, in Rabf the Second of the
year A. H. 564 (a.d. 1169), a body of Armenian Christians overcame
the blacks, and drove them away and killed many of them ; and the
quarter which they inhabited was left deserted : it was in the neighbour-
hood of Al-Hamra, as it has already been said. The quarter was
bought by Hatalba the Ghuzzi, wall of Cairo, from the Divan ; and he
ploughed it, and made wells and waterwheels, and laid it out in gardens,
and sowed seeds of many plants, and was the first to make the ground
Fol. 26 b green with vegetation. The entrance to the church was altered, since there
was no door in this street, but it was at the side, in the road mentioned.
1 Probably one of the sugar manufactories, of which there were many in
Al-Fustat and Cairo at this time.
2 The Coptic Pharmouthi (cb^.pjt*.onfOl) = March 27-April 25.
3 This was one of the pools between Al-Fustat and Cairo, and its banks
were thickly peopled when Al-'Askar and Al-Katai' were flourishing, but were
desolated when Cairo superseded these suburbs. See Al-Makrizi, ii. p. 111.
4 This was one of the troops of which the army was composed ; see fol. 54 a.
POPULATION OF EGYPT. 93
Population of Egypt.
The book of Fadd'il Misr x relates that Al-Walid ibn Zuwa ah was
set over the taxes of Egypt, in the caliphate of Hisham ibn c Abd al-
Malik al-Ahwal, and went to number the population, and stayed six
months in Upper Egypt, and in Lower Egypt three months. He
counted more than ten thousand villages ; and in the smallest of the
villages there were five hundred male Copts ; and the total number of
the Copts was five millions of souls.
The Nile.
The learned are all agreed that there is not in the world a river
of greater length than the Nile 2 . For its course through the land of
the Muslims amounts to more than a month's journey ; and its course
through Nubia to two months' journey; and for a journey of four
months it flows through uninhabited deserts, until the source is reached
in the Mountains of the Moon, to the south of the Equator 3 . There
1 By Al-Kindi.
2 This account of the course of the Nile is quoted in almost the same words
by Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. Air .
3 See also fol. 10 1 a.. This statement is borrowed by the Arab geographers
and historians from the Geography of Claudius Ptolemy, which was translated
into Arabic in the reign of the caliph Al-Ma'mun, a. h. I98 = a.d. 813 to a.h. 218
= a.d. 833, although this translation has long been lost; see Haji Khalfah, ed.
Fluegel, i. pp. 602-3. Ptolemy says {Geogr. bk. iv. c. viii) that to the west of
the Anthropophagous Aethiopians lie the fountains of the Moon, from which
the melted snows flow into the lakes which form the sources of the Nile, and
these mountains extend from long. 57 , lat. 12 S. to long. 67 , lat. 12 S.
(to rrjs 'SeXrjvrjs opos dfp* ov VTrobexovrai ras x l vas a ' T0 ^ Net'Xov Xlp.vai ncti eW^ei
poipas ra TTtpara tov ttji "2(\j]vr]s opovs v vot. t/3 L' kcu f vot, i]3 h'.)
Ibn al-Fakih al-Hamadani says in the Kitdb al-Bidddn, which he wrote about
a.h. 290 = a. d. 903, that the Nile comes from two lakes beyond the equator,
called Buhairatd'n-Nil (ed. De Goeje, p. if).
Al-Mukaddasi says that according to Al-Jihani the Nile rises in the Mountains
94 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
is no other river, again, which runs from south to north, except the
Nile ; and there is no river which flows both into the sea of the Romans
and the sea of the Chinese 1 , except the Nile of Egypt. There is
no other river, too, which rises when the heat begins, at the time
when other rivers fall, and some rivers and springs are entirely dried
up ; and as the heat increases so the height of the Nile increases ; and
Fol. 27 a there is no other river which rises and falls regularly except the Nile ;
nor does any river in the world produce such a revenue as that which
comes from the overflow of the Nile.
Churches of Al-Fustdt {continued).
In the aforesaid quarter 2 there is a church dedicated to the Angel
Gabriel, which was restored by Su'luk al-Jullal. Above it there is
a church named after the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ in the
Flesh. The cupola over the sanctuary of the church is very lofty, and
is conspicuous from a distance ; it was erected by the brother c Abd
al-Masih. The Ghuzz and the people of Cairo pillaged it, and broke
the pillars of the apostles 3 , and part of the roof was burnt. In conse-
of the Moon, and flows first through two lakes beyond the equator (ed. De Goeje,
p. t.).
'Abd al-Latif says that the sources of the Nile are springs which rise in the
Mountains of the Moon, eleven degrees beyond the equator (ed. White, p. 4); and
Al-Idrisi says sixteen degrees (ed. Rome, p. 19). (A. J.B.)
1 The Red Sea was looked upon as a branch of the Indian Ocean or China
Sea ; cf. fol. 19 b. The Mardsid al-Ittild' says :
' The Sea of Al-Kulzum is a branch of the Indian Sea.'
Our author means, of course, that the Nile was connected with the Red Sea
by means of the canal of Cairo {Khalij Amir^al-Mii miniti). (A. J. B.)
2 I.e. Al-Hamra.
3 The expression Al-Bustuldt (y^k^Jtf) undoubtedly denotes the main columns
of the nave, frescoed or painted with the figures of apostles. I may quote
a surviving example from the church of Abu Sirjah in the Roman fortress of
CHURCHES OF AL-FUSTAT. 95
quence of this, the restoration of the church was undertaken by the
Shaikh Ath-Thikah Gabriel, the scribe, in the caliphate of Al-'Adid ;
and it was consecrated afresh, and the liturgy was celebrated in it.
Now at this church there was a lotus-tree 1 of large size and well
proportioned, which grew as high as the roof of the church ; this tree
was cut down and sold for a considerable price, and the money was
spent upon the rebuilding of the fabric.
Besides this, there is a fourth church, large, and contiguous to the
others ; surrounded by a wall of sun-dried bricks ; with a separate door
leading into it. It is among gardens and pleasure-grounds, and com-
mands a view of the canal. When Misr was burnt, in the month of
Safar, in the year 564, this church was pillaged and part of the walls
w r as thrown down, and not a single Christian was found at the time
to undertake its restoration ; so that it has remained to this day in Fol. 27 b
suspense between hope of revival and the prospect of utter ruin. The
wall of the aforesaid fourth church was destroyed and levelled with the
ground ; and the church was profaned through the destruction of its
wall, and became contiguous to the road, and was united with a pavilion
in the garden, known as Dmvairah Sandal 11 . Part of the roof also
disappeared, namely the timber above the sanctuary ; therefore the
Shaikh Al-Jullal Ibrahim undertook to restore it, with the help of some
Babylon : ' On each of these eleven ancient pillars is painted the life-size figure
of a saint or apostle, now so begrimed and obscured that in the doubtful light all
may easily escape notice, and it requires close attention to make them out when
discovered.' Coptic Churches, i. pp. 187-8. (A. J. B.)
1 'Abd al-Latif says : '
' The lotus-tree is plentiful in Egypt, and its fruit is the Nabk, and is very sweet '
(ed. White, p. 58).
Al-Makrizi mentions the lotus-tree among the principal objects of cultivation
in Egypt ; see Khitat, i. p. 1 . r . (A. J. B.)
: This may be a proper name, or the correct translation may be ' Pavilion of
Sandal-wood.'
9 6 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
of the chief men. They put part of the church into order ; and the
liturgy was celebrated in it on one occasion. Part of it, however,
remained neglected, but it continued to be visited twice or three times
in the year. The partial restoration was carried out with much care and
labour on the part of the tenants of the neighbouring garden ; and it was
completed on the 26th of Ba'unah 1 . It was arranged so that it no longer
remained possible for men and women to enter the church from the
garden, as they had been able to do on account of the union of the
ground, which had formerly been within the enclosure of the church,
with the garden. In the year 903 of the Martyrs ( . . . . 910) the
church was improved by the Shaikh Abu Said ibn Andunah, the
financial secretary of the Divan and chief notary, who rebuilt that which
had been thrown down, and completed the dome, and whitewashed it.
The consecration was performed by Anba. Gabriel, bishop of Misr, in
the presence of a body of bishops, priests, and deacons, of the chief
Pol. 28a men and of the orthodox laity of Misr and Cairo. The liturgy was
established in the church for every festival and every Sunday and the
night 2 of Sunday. The aforesaid Shaikh Abu Sa'id was present at all
times in this church with a body of priests and deacons of the sons of
the chief men ; at all the festivals, and at the night and day services
of Sunday. He also bought the courtyard in front of the church, and
opened a road to it from the canal. Now the church returned to its
proper condition ; and a body of monks took up their abode there.
The shaikh provided for the church and for them. Now a congregation
of priests and deacons and Christian laity again began to visit the
church every Sunday. All this took place in the patriarchate of
Anba John 3 , the seventy-fourth in the order of succession.
In the same street there is also a church of the Melkites. There
were five churches in this street, from one of which a procession issues
1 The Coptic Paoni (n<L(Jurtl)=May 26-June 24.
2 I.e. the vigil services of Saturday night: the navvvxties or SuivvKreptvaeis of
the early church (see e.g. Eusebius, H. E. ii. 17 ; vi. 9).
3 Occupied the see from a.d. 1 189-1216 ; see Renaudot, Hist. Pair. pp. 554-67.
AHMAD IBN TULUN. 97
on Palm Sunday, and goes up to Cairo. The Ghuzz and Kurds took
possession of four of the churches [of the Melkites], robbed them of
their timber, and threw down their walls, so that they were level with
the ground, on account of the weakness and small numbers of the
Melkites ; but one church of theirs remained, near the church of
Saint George of the Copts in this quarter 1 .
Ahmad ibn Tiiliin.
The biography of Al-Mutamid 2 , the fifteenth of the Abbaside Fol.28b
caliphs, relates that the number of the persons killed by Ahmad ibn
Tulun 3 or by his troops was two thousand.
Sayings of Mahomet with 1'egard to the Copts.
The Book of Fadail Misv 1 " states, among its narratives, that the
Copts of Egypt are related by affinity to Abraham, the Friend of God 5 ,
and to Joseph the Truthful 6 ; and the chain of this tradition starts from
1 Al-Hamra. 2 Reigned from a.h. 256 to 279 = a. d. 869-892.
3 Wali of Egypt from a.h. 2 54 = a. d. 868 to a.h. 2 70 = a. d. 884, and builder
of the famous mosque, still in existence, which bears his name. See Introduction.
4 By Al-Kindi; see fol. 26 b, &c.
5 Through Hagar. The Arabs preserved the tradition of their descent from
Ishmael, and prided themselves upon it; see Ibn Hisham, Sirah Sayyidind
Mtihanwiad, ed. Wiistenfeld, i. p. t* f., where the author quotes Ibn Ishak, who
died a.h. i5i = a.d. 768. Cf. Abu '1-Mahasin, i. p. rr .
6 Through Asenath, daughter of Potipherah, priest of On. As-Suyuti says :
jb.lo i^^i . . . Jii\
' Ibn c Abd al-Hakam says : 'Umar ibn Salih informed us that he had learnt from
Marwani al-Kassas that three of the prophets were connected with the Copts
by affinity ; for Abraham had Hagar as his concubine ; and Joseph married the
daughter of the chief [priest] of 'Ain Shams [i. e. On or Heliopolis] ; and the
Apostle of God had Mary as his concubine.' (Husn al-Muhddarah, i. p. v.)
O [IT. 7.]
98 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
the companions of Mahomet. Ashhab ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz 1 said : ' When
you conquer Egypt take charge [of the inhabitants], for truly they
may claim your protection, and kinship with you ! ' Isma'il 2 ibn 'Abbas
said, quoting from Ashhab : ' Take charge of the Copts of Egypt,
for you will find among them useful auxiliaries against your enemy.'
Abu Salimah 3 said : ' Mahomet at his death said, " I charge you to
drive away the Jews from the Arabian peninsula 4 ." Then he added :
1 Ashhab ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz is the authority quoted by Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam in
his Futuh Misr, from which our author borrows the whole of this passage.
Ashhab is said to have derived the tradition from Malik ibn Anas, who quoted
Ibn Shahab, who quoted Abd ar-Rahman ibn Ka'b, who quoted his father, who
heard the words of the 'Apostle of God.' See As-Suyuti, Husn al-Muhddarah,
i. p. o. Cf. Ibn Hisham, Sir ah Muhammad, i. p. o, and Abu '1-Mahasin, i. p. ro.
2 As-Suyuti's words are :
' Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam quotes from Muslim ibn Yusar to the effect that the Apostle
of God said : Take charge of the - Copts, for you will find them excellent
auxiliaries in fighting your enemy.' {Husn al-Muhddarah, i. p. i .)
3 This is a mistake of the author or his copyist for Umm Salimah, the name
of one of Mahomet's wives. As-Suyuti says:
J^ ,j! AL. J ijC- ^s? JI~J 8j*Jl Joi)j ^j **ai jilj jSS\ ^j (J^Jall r/^3
is- Si \y?y*is (*fe^ uj;*^** r^^ J** ^ <j ^ ^ J^ "^J JJC iO^ . . 4l1
' At-Tabarani in Al-Kabir and Abu Nairn in Dala il an-Nabif ah quote, according
to a genuine chain of tradition, from Umm Salimah to the effect that the Apostle
of God . . ., at the time of his death, charged them, saying: God ! God is with
the Copts of Egypt ; for you shall conquer them, and they shall be for you an
increase of numbers and a body of auxiliaries in the path of God.' {Husn
al-Muhddarah, i. p. i .)
4 This command of the Arabian prophet is handed down among the 'genuine'
traditions collected by Al-Bukhari ; see his Kitdb al-Jdmi' as-Sahih, ed. Krehl,
pt. i. p. rip, under the title :
SAVINGS OF MAHOMET WITH REGARD TO THE COPTS. 99
" God ! God commits the Copts of Egypt to your charge ; for you
shall rule over them, and they shall be to you an increase of numbers,
and a body of auxiliaries in the path of God." He said also 1 : "Take
charge of the men with curling hair, the Copts of Egypt, for truly
they are your uncles and kinsmen, and your auxiliaries against your
enemy, and your helpers in your religion." Then some one said to him :
"But how shall they help us in our religion?" To which he replied:
" They shall relieve you of the affairs of this world 2 , so that you may be
at leisure for religious worship." According to the tradition handed
down from 'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'Asi, Mahomet said 3 : ' The Copts
1 As-Suyuti says :
Jlai (jlil J iLiUI julc il J Jjtil -J^b \**>y.J\ JlSi JjUl J sJtfi- i&-^ Lfj*
+s$\ ^ . . . 4)1 J^ LI *Uj\ j^jSll JUs dJi Jio Jlai IsJLJI julc ^1 J dJi Jio
Jkilyilj ^jJ^ (^ c *&^jd ~ftj >W|j JU=^ (^^ .r^- 6 ^ JLi s^JLj (jlsU Jjtil
' Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam quotes from Musa ibn Abi Ayyub al-Yafa'i, who reports
the words of a man of the tribe of Al-Marbad to the effect that the Apostle of
God . . . fell sick and swooned, and when he recovered, he said : Take charge
of the men with curling hair. Then he swooned a second time, and when he
recovered said the same words. Again he swooned for the third time, and said
the same words. So the bystanders said : The Apostle of God commits to our
charge the men with curling hair ; and when he recovered they asked him his
meaning. So he said : The Copts of Egypt arc our uncles and our brothers-in-law,
and they shall be your auxiliaries against your enemy and on behalf of your
religion. Then they said: How shall they help us in our religion, O Apostle
of God ? Then he answered : They shall relieve you of the affairs of this
world, so that you shall be at leisure for religious worship,' &c. {Husn
al-Muhddarah, i. p. v .)
2 See note on fol. 16.
3 Abu '1-Mahasin quotes the following among the ' sayings of the Prophet
with regard to Egypt :'
O 2
ioo CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
are the noblest of foreigners ; the gentlest of them in action ; the most
Fol. 29 a excellent of them in character, and the nearest of them in kinship to the
Arabs generally, and to the tribe of Kuraish in particular.' Mahomet
also said emphatically 1 : ' God ! God is among the protected people,
the people of the desert, the blacks, the men with curling hair 2 .
They are related [to the Arabs] and akin to them, in distinction from
all the other protected peoples.'
Mission from Mahomet to the Mnkankis.
Mahomet sent Hatib 3 ibn Abi Balta ah, of the tribe of Lakhm, to the
Mukaukis, governor of Alexandria, to urge him to adopt the religion
' 'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr ibn al-Asi says : The people of Egypt are the noblest of
all foreigners; the gentlest of them in action, the most excellent of them in
character, and the nearest of them in race to the Arabs generally and to the
Kuraish in particular/ i. p. rr .
1 Cf. Ibn Hisham in his Life of Mahomet :
' Abd Allah ibn Wahb informed us, quoting from 'Abd Allah ibn Lahi'ah, who
reported the words of 'Umar the freedman of Ghufrah, that the Apostle of God
said : God ! God is among the protected people, the natives of the black soil,
the dark-coloured people, the people with curling hair,' i. p. t 6 .
2 It is said to have been the curling hair of Mary the Coptic maiden which
attracted the admiration of Mahomet.
3 The mission ot Hatib took place in a.h. 6 = a.d. 628, at the time when
Mahomet also sent envoys with the same object to the king of Persia, Hera-
clius, emperor of the Romans, the prince of Ghassan, the governor of Yemen,
and the Negus of Abyssinia. Ibn Hisham compares this proceeding of the
Arabian prophet with the sending out of the twelve apostles by Jesus Christ. See
At-Tabari (ed. De Goeje), ser. i. p. 1 ool f. ; Ibn Hisham, Sir ah Muhammad, p. <w 1 ;
An-Nawawi, Tahdhib al-Asmd, pp. 1 <n and ver; As-Suyuti, i. p. oa ff. ; Ibn
al-Athir, ii. p. rrv ff.
THE THREE HAMRAS. 101
of Islam ; but he did not do so. Hatib, when he returned to Mahomet,
brought him as a gift four maidens, among whom was Mary 1 the Copt,
and Sirin, her sister, and his mule Duldul 2 , and his ass Ya'fur, and
a purse of money, and a eunuch 3 whom the Mukaukis also sent with
them. Mary became the mother of Ibrahim 4 . Her sister Sirin was
given by Mahomet to Hassan 5 , the poet, and she became the mother
of 'Abd ar-Rahman, his son.
The Three Hamras.
Section in which are mentioned the three great Hamras 6 , which
are Al-Kuswa, Al-Wusta, and Al-Hamra ad-Dunya. According to the
Khitat of Al-Kindi, in a copy of the Futiih Misr, the Hamra were
a people of the Romans, among whom were the Banu Nabih and the
Banu '1-Azrak and the Banu Rubil ; or, perhaps, a people of the Persians ;
and 'Amr ibn al-'Asi named them Al-Hamra, because they were not
Arabs, and had become Christians.
1 Mary is described as being exceedingly beautiful, of fair complexion, with
curling hair. She became a Mahometan, and the prophet took her as his
concubine. She died in a.h. 15 or 16. See authorities referred to in last note.
The Sural at-Tahrim refers to Mary the Copt.
2 This is said to have been the first mule seen in Arabia ; see Ibn al-Athir,
ii. p. rr* .
3 The eunuch's name was Ma'bur; see Ibn al-Athir, ii. p. rrv .
4 Ibrahim, the son of Mahomet and Mary the Copt, lived to the age of fifteen
months, and died in a.h. io = a.d. 631, so that Fatimah was the only child of
Mahomet who survived him.
5 Hassan ibn Thabit died at Madinah a.h. 54 = a. d. 674; see An-Nawawi,
Tahdhib al-Asmd, p. r.r f.
6 The three quarters named Hamrd, a word which is apparently the feminine
of ahmar, ' red,' lay between Al-Fustat and Cairo. The quarters or suburbs
of Al-'Askar and Al-Kata'i' were subsequently built upon their site. The Hamras
were founded at the time of the conquest of Egypt by the Arabs, but fell into
decay about the time of the fall of the Omeyyad dynasty. Al-Makrizi (Khitat,
i. p. ru) and Ibn Dukmak (iv. p. p f.) mention the foundation of the three Hamras
in terms similar to those employed by our author here and below, fol. 32 a ff.
102 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Fol. 29 b The Hamra al-Wusta, which is known as Al-Kantarah 1 , is the place
where the Red Standard stood at the time of the conquest of Misr
by the Arabs ; and around it were gathered those who asked protection
[of the Muslims], and marched in their rear-guard. On this account
the place was called Al-Hamra 2 .
Monastery and Church of Saint Mennas.
The monastery 3 named after the martyr Mennas 4 , the owner of the
three crowns 5 , which came down to him from heaven, who was a native
1 See above, fol. 23 b.
2 In this passage we have a different account of the origin of the name
Al-Hamra, deriving it not from the appellation of a tribe, but from the Red
Standard {Ar-Rdyat al-Hamrd).
3 Between Al-Fustat and Cairo, in the Hamra, which was afterwards called
Kanatir as-Saba'. A church and monastery of Abu Mina. are still existing, but
better known to-day as Mari Mina. They are fully described in Coptic Churches,
i. p. 47; and in ii. p. 362 a brief legend is given, identifying the saint with the
church at Maryut. Under the Sultan An-Nasir Muhammad ibn Kala'un, the
monastery and church of Abu Mina were wrecked ; but they have since been
restored ; see Al-Makrizi, Khitat, ii. p. 1 r . (A. J. B.)
4 The festival of St. Mennas is kept by the Copts on Hatur i5 = Nov. 11,
and by the Roman Church on the same day. It is said that his father was
a native of Nakyus, but was appointed governor of the province of Africa. Under
Diocletian, Mennas, who was then serving in the army, was beheaded on
account of his attachment to the Christian religion, and was buried near Lake
Mareotis. See Bib. Nat. MS. Arabe 256 {Synaxarium), ff. 53 b-54 b. Amelineau,
Actes des MM. de V&glise copie, p. 88 ff. ; Eutychius, Annates, i. p. 402. St. Mennas
is represented in Coptic paintings accompanied by camels, because some beasts
from the sea like camels prevented his body from being carried away from the
spot where it was destined to be buried, and when the body was laid on the back
of three camels in succession, each refused to move in spite of blows; see
Synaxarium.
5 This is an allusion to the legend that St. Mennas saw heaven open, and the
martyrs wearing beautiful crowns, such as were afterwards bestowed upon him.
MONASTERY AND CHURCH OF SAINT MENNAS. 103
of Nakyus 1 , and whose pure body is buried in the church 2 at
Maryut 3 , was restored in the caliphate of Hisham ibn 'Abd al-Malik
ibn Marwan, when Al-Walid ibn Rufa'ah was wall, at the expense of
all the Christians who lived in that quarter, in A. H. 106 (a. d. 725).
This was after the conflict with the Arabs, when the Christians com-
plained to the wali that their women and children were not secure
from molestation while going to and returning from the churches
in Misr, especially on the nights of the Forty Days' Fast. In conse-
quence of these outrages a great number of the Arabs were killed.
There were in this quarter many chief men among the Christians ;
so they were allowed to restore their churches, and they began to
rebuild Al-Hamra, and to renew what had been destroyed there. They
renewed the church [of Saint Mennas] 4 , and made for it beautiful
1 The Arabic Nakyus was called NikIovs or NikIov by Greek authors, and Niciu
in the Itinerary of Antoninus. It is a town frequently mentioned by Coptic
writers. It is also called Ibshadi (<^^UjI) in the Copto-Arabic lists of names,
and is the Coptic nctj<5/f\ The modern village of Ibshadi, which in 1885 had
1,059 inhabitants, is probably on the site of the ancient Nakyus ; it is in the district
of Manuf, in the province of Al-Manufiyah, and a little to the east of the Rosetta
branch of the Nile. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. a 1 . ; Quatremere, Me'm. i.
pp. 420-446; Ame'lineau, G/ogr. pp. 277-283.
2 It is said that the grave of St. Mennas at Lake Mareotis remained for
some time unknown, until a princess was cured of leprosy by mould from it.
The emperor then erected a church over it, which was replaced by a larger
church built by Arcadius and Honorius. See Synaxarium, loc. cit., and Ame'lineau,
Actes des MM. p. 90.
3 This town, the Coptic JUL<Lp!(JOT~HC and the classical Marea (Mapda),
on the shores of Lake Mareotis, was flourishing after the Arab conquest, but
seems to have fallen into decay before a. d. 1376, as its name does not appear in
the revenue-lists of that date. Some ruins on the borders of the lake, however,'
still bear the name. Ame'lineau, Geogr. pp. 241-3.
4 Al-Makrizi mentions as the chief act of Al-Walid ibn Rufa ah, wali of Egypt,
that in a. h. 117 he allowed the Copts to rebuild the church of St. Mennas in the
Hamra. According to Al-Makrizi, Al-Walid died in a.h. ii7 = a. d. 735, after
governing Egypt for nine years and five months. See Khitat, i. p. r.r.
104 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
vessels of silver and other things. They also bought much property,
Fol 30 a besides a garden in which were two wells with waterwheels ; and all
this property was occupied by houses. In the church was a large
tank. Several churches in the upper story [of Saint Mennas] were
rebuilt, namely the church of Saint George 1 , which is said to have
been originally dedicated to Saint Theodore 2 ; and a church named
after the martyr Saint John 3 . There was" in it, [I mean] in the
Great Church of Saint Mennas, the body of the martyr Saint John,
on a stand of solid wood 4 . The river was near to this church, but
afterwards receded from that place, and changed its bed until it
reached the church of Theodore at Damanhur 5 upon the river, and
did damage to that church, and afterwards removed to the church
of the Lady at Shubra. The church of Saint John was restored,
after the fire 6 , by the most honourable Shaikh Ibn Abft '1-Fada'il ibn
1 For the arrangement of these satellite churches or chapels, see Coptic
Churches, i. p. 137. (A. J. B.)
2 Our author does not state whether this is St. Theodore the Greek or Western
(Amshir 28 = Feb. 22), St. Theodore the Eastern (Tubah i2=Jan. 4), or St.
Theodore of Shutb (Abib 2o=July 14).
3 There are four martyrs of the name of John in the Coptic calendar, com-
memorated respectively on Abib n=July 5, and 19= July 13, Ba'unah 14 =
June 8, and Tut 7 = Sept. 4.
4 Similar reliquaries may still be seen in some of the churches : as a rule, how-
ever, relics are enclosed in small bolsters of silk and placed in an aumbry. One
moveable reliquary such as that of the text, the only one at Cairo, is to be found
at the church of Al-Mu'allakah in the Roman fortress. In the Natrun desert,
Dair as-Suriyani contains another, and a third belongs to the chapel of Al-'Adhra
adjoining the church of Anba Bisha'i ; while several bodies are preserved at Dair
Abu Makar. See Coptic Churches, i. pp. 219, 304, 320-1, 338, &c. (A.J.B.)
5 Damanhur Shubra, close to Cairo; not to be confounded with Damanhur
in the Delta. These alterations of the course of the river are partly but imperfectly
indicated upon the plan in vol. i. of Mem. de la Mission Archeol. Franc., showing
the topography of Cairo. But the plan is incomplete. (A. J. B.)
6 The burning of Al-Fustat by order of Shawar.
MO NA S TER I T A ND CHUR CH OF SA INT MENNA S. 1 05
Abu Sa'id, in the caliphate of Al-Adid, and the vizierate of Shawar.
The church of the Holy Nativity looks upon the courtyard of the Great
Church, and so does a very small church which was renewed by
Abu Ghalib ibn Abi '1-Makarim al-Bilbaisi, and named after Saint
Mercurius.
In the Great Church 1 there is an ambon of coloured marble, the
greater part of which is red and transparent ; it is supported by marble
pillars, of skilful workmanship. There is also an episcopal chair of
wood. Near [the ambon], on the north side, there is an altar, dedicated
to the martyr Mercurius, and provided by the Shaikh Abu 1-Fadl, son Fol. 30 b
of the bishop, which has a wooden tablet 2 upon it. Above the altar in
the sanctuary, there is a wooden cupola 3 , supported by marble pillars ;
and upon this altar too there is a wooden tablet.
Near this church is the monastery, entered by a separate door ;
and here there are a number of nuns, in separate habitations. In the
monastery there is a well of running water, which was dug and sounded
and furnished at the expense of the Shaikh Abu Zakari As-Sairafi, in
the caliphate of Al-Hafiz.
Within the sanctuary was [the entrance to] the bakehouse 4 , in
which is an ancient tomb. This bakehouse was selected by the Shaikh
Al-As'ad Salib ibn Mikha'il, the son of the hegumen 5 , who separated
1 We are still occupied with the church of St. Mennas.
2 The wooden tablet is a common feature of the Coptic altars to-day ; see
Coptic Churches, ii. pp. 3-5, and the woodcut there given. (A. J. B.)
3 This is a reference to the baldakyn so often seen in the Coptic churches.
(A. J. B.)
4 The Bait al-'Ajin or 'House of Ddugh' is the chamber in which the
eucharistic breads are prepared. (A. J. B.)
5 The Greek fjyoifievos, borrowed through the Coptic. A commoner form of
the word in Arabic is ^^U (kummus). The hegumen is properly, of course, the abbot
of a monastery ; and the office of ordination of the hegumen refers entirely to the
duties of an abbot; see e.g. the office in MS. Bodl. in. The title of hegumen,
however, is often given to priests of a superior rank, as, for instance, to the priest
in charge of the patriarchal church of Cairo. Cf.Vansleb, Hist, de I'Eglise d 'Alex.
p. 178.
P [IT- 7-]
io6 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
it off, and made it a church, dedicated to Saint George, with a separate
door near the Great Church, and also a door from the sanctuary. When
he had completed this church, it was consecrated by the bishop Anba
Mark, bishop of Cairo, in the presence of Anba Jonas 1 , the patriarch;
and the liturgy was celebrated in it.
Much opposition was made by evil-minded Muslims during the
furnishing of this church, and so the Christians explained that it right-
fully belonged to this [Great] Church, and was not a new building ;
and God helped the right, and those among the Muslims who knew,
testified that it had been a chamber within the church, according to
the testimony of those who lived near the church.
Pol. 31 a This church stands among gardens, and is beautifully situated ; and
is much frequented by the monks and others.
In the month of Jumada the First, in the year 559, when the
Kurds and the Ghuzz came with Salah ad-Din Yiisuf ibn Ayyub, and
the king of the Franks^ was appealed to for help against them, then
this monastery and this church were burnt to the ground, except the
apse 3 , and the northern and southern sides of the sanctuary, which were
preserved intact. These were restored, and domes and arches were
built, and piers [were set up] instead of the marble columns, in the
caliphate of Al- c Adid, and in the vizierate of Shawar. The expenses
were paid by the most excellent Shaikh Salib, already mentioned,
and by Karim ad-Daulah ibn 'Ubaid ibn Kurrus al-Jullal, and by
Mansur ibn Salim al-Jullal, of Cairo, and by others ; and out of the
money brought by Makarim ibn Abu '1-Minna, the priest of the Church
of the Lady, called Al-Mu'allakah, at Misr, to Anba Jonas, the patri-
arch, as a consecration fee 4 , that he might make him bishop of
1 Otherwise called John, the seventy-second patriarch, a. d. 1147-1167;
Renaudot, Hist. Pair. pp. 517-530.
2 See Introduction. 3 See note on fol. 5 a.
p
* Shartimiyah (ll'^]o) is the Greek x ei P 0T0V '- a , used as an ecclesiastical term
for 'ordination' or 'consecration.' The fact that it had acquired the secondary
meaning which it bears in the text points to the existence of simony to a con-
siderable extent among the Copts.
MONASTER V AND CHURCH OF SAINT MENNAS. 107
Tunbudha 1 , although the acceptance of such fees is forbidden by the
canons. So the patriarch accepted the money for this object, and [the
priest] was consecrated bishop. [The expenses were also paid] out of
the money raised by the sale of the silver vessels belonging to the
church. By the restoration, the church was completely furnished, as it
had been before ; and it was consecrated, and the liturgy was said in it.
The church of Saint John, which has already been mentioned, built Pol. 31 b
above the Great Church 2 , was restored by the Shaikh Khassat ad-Daulah
Abu '1-Fada'il, known by the name of Ibn Dukhan, and was conse-
crated, and the liturgy was said in it. He also rebuilt, in front of it,
a tower, close to it, which was old and had fallen to ruin ; he built
it in three stories in a place which belonged to the monastery. This
and the furnishing were [partly] paid for by the most excellent Shaikh
Salib, the above mentioned. The tower was not, however, completed ;
and the cause of the delay was Abu '1-Barakat, son of the excellent
Shaikh Abu '1-Fakhr ibn Sibuwaih.
While the aforesaid church was being restored, the greater part of
the monastery was destroyed. [The Shaikh Salib] also dug a great well
for a water-wheel. He also built the first story of the tower, and half
of the second story ; and he was making efforts to finish it, when
he was addressed by the aforesaid Abu '1-Barakat, who said : ' None
shall finish this work but I, with my own money.' In the courtyards
outside this church there are burying-grounds. The rest of the
monastery and the pavilion have not been finished up to this time.
Five wells have been dug in this monastery, and in the courtyards which
surround it and are its property.
The greater part of the houses and the shops, bought for this
monastery when it was restored, were ruined ; and those which remained
1 Or Tanbadhah (j'jJIjis), see Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iii. p. 00., whereas in
i. p. r*o he gives ^j^lk It was the Coptic T<Lrtcb(JOT, and is now in the
district of Bani Mazar in the province of Minyah, with a population in 1885
of 1,487. See Amdlineau, Geogr. p. 479. Tun'oudha and Ishnin were called the
' Two Brides' ( u L,j,3tH) on account of their beauty ; see Yakut, op, cit. i. p. rso .
2 Of St. Mennas.
P 2
io8 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
were left deserted, and were surrounded by ruins. Then they were sold
Fol. 32 a by Anba Mark, bishop of Misr, to a certain man, who demolished them,
and carried away the bricks and the timber ; so that this monastery
remained in the midst of ruins, among the mounds of rubbish.
Among the dependencies of the church, within the wall which
surrounds it, and on the northern side, there is a church, named after
Saint Theodore, which is suspended 1 and supported on marble columns.
This church was wrecked, and its columns were carried away, and it was
turned into a mosque, in the caliphate of Al-Hakim ; and a minaret was
built for it. The architectural features and the wall of this church remain
outside the fabric. There is also, in the Hamra al-Wusta, a church
named after Saint Coluthus 2 , built in the caliphate of Al-Amir, and
under the government of Suwarr ibn Rufa'ah, on ground bought by the
Christians from the tribe of Banii Fahm ; it stood near the baths of Ibn
Najah, and the alley named Zukak ibn 'Akil 3 .
The Three Hamrds.
According to the Book of Al-Khitat, by Al-Kindi, the three
Hamrds 1 were the Hamra al-Kuswa, the Hamra al-Wusta, and the
1 Any building resting upon columns is called 'suspended' (jli*). (A.J. B.)
2 This saint, whose festival is kept by the Copts on Bashans 2 5 = May 20, was
a priest, and his sister was married to Arrianus, governor of the Thebaic! under
Diocletian. Coluthus suffered martyrdom by decapitation after terrible tortures.
See Georgii, De miraculis S. Colutht, &c, Rome, 1794 ; Zoega, Catal. Codd. Copt.
p. 237, cod. xli ; Amelineau, Actes des MM. p. 21.
The form of the name Kullah (jjAs) is analogous to Jirjah (*.), Sirjah (iay-i),
Tadrah (s,jli'), Kurrah (ip), Andunah (ajjJjI), &c, and to Syriac forms such as JJo.3,
derived from the Greek vocative; see Noldeke, Syr. Gram., p. 79. Cf. Coptic
KoXee, &c.
3 Ibn Dukmak calls it c \jJ-^ Jvic ^ J4- (jlSj ' The Alley of Sahl ibn 'Akil
in the Hamra;' see Kitdb al-Intisdr li-wdsitah 'ikd al-amsdr, iv. p. rt* .
4 Here follows an account of the laying out, at the time of the Arab conquest
and of the first foundation of Al-Fustat, of the three quarters called respectively
the Further, Middle, and Nearer Hamras. A similar account of the first laying out
THE THREE H AMR AS. 109
Hamra ad-Dunya, and the first part of them was that which was laid
out by the tribe of Bill ibn al-'Umar ibn al-Haf ibn Kuda ah, from the
street called Darb Az-Zajjajin, by which the market-place called Suk
Wardan is entered, to the alley called Zukak Abu Farwah, or its
vicinity, and it ends at the passage called Khaukhat al-Istabl in the
Hamra. That which was laid out by the tribe of Banu Bahr ibn
Suwadah ibn Afsa extends from the Hamra ad-Dunya, opposite the Fol. 32 b
mosque of Al-Kurun, to the covered passage called Sakifat as-Sari
or its vicinity. That part of the Hamra al-Wusta which was laid out
by Hadhil ibn Madrakah extends from the guard-house of Abu
'1-Mahajir or its vicinity to the place called Bain al-Kumain 1 . That
of these quarters is given by Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. m a , and by Ibn Dukmak, iv.
p. i* f. It is difficult at the present day to identify many of the points described.
1 Bain al-Kumain is south of the Roman fortress where Dair Bablun and
Dair Tadrus are situated. Jabal al-Kabsh is a rocky elevation in the quarter
of Ibn Tulun, and upon it stood the well-known Kal'at al-Kabsh, of which a
good illustration with an interesting note is given in R. Hay's Illustrations of
Cairo, London, 1840, fol. The hill on which this castle stood was also called
Jabal Yashkur. As far as I am aware there is no moat or canal at the foot of the
hill now. But it is evident so far that Abu Salih is speaking of a quarter extending
from the Bab Ibn Tulun across the present rubbish-mounds in a south-westerly
direction to Dair Bablun. The mention of St. Mennas below gives another fixed
point, if it may be identified with the present Dair Mari Mina ; and this would
show that Al-Hamra extended also west of the line from Bab Ibn Tulun to Dair
Bablun, in the direction of the Khalij. Finally Dair Abu 's-Saifain, lower in the
text, is described as situated in the Hamra ad-Dunya. Al-Makrizi states that under
the Abbaside caliphs the Further Hamra was again built over, and called Al-'Askar,
so that a plain which had grown bare save for the Christian monasteries dotted
over it was once more covered with houses. See Hamaker's Expugnatio
Memphidis, notes, p. 102. In the Memoir es de la Mission Arch/otogique Frangaise
an Caire, 1 881-1884, there is an essay on the early topography of Cairo, illustrated
with four plates, which are exceedingly interesting and, as far as they go, most
valuable. But the author has strangely neglected this region of Old Cairo and
Al-Hamra, devoting all his learning and talent to the Fatimide city. On p. 417
(torn, i) there is a brief note upon Al-Hamra, which certainly makes the boundaries
no CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
part which was laid out by the tribe of Banu '1-Azrak extended from the
Hamra al-Kuswa to the street of Yashkur ibn Jazilah ibn Lakhm, and
to Al-Kantarah and its road, down to the moat or canal, at the foot
of the Jabal al-Kabsh, and to Al-Majaiz and the monastery of Mary
or its vicinity ; and the flat below the hill is all named after Yashkur,
from the cemetery and the mosque of Al-Khaluk and the pool of Karun
and the hill of Yashkur ibn 'Udwan ibn Lakhm.
The Book of Al-KJiitat also relates that the tribe of Banu Kinanah
ibn 'Amr ibn al-Kibr ibn Fahm laid out that part of the Hamra
al-Wusta. which extends from the alley of Sahl ibn 'Akil to the conduit
where the wheat-sellers are, and the alley called Zukak at-Turmus,
opposite the church of Saint Mennasj and that the tribe of Banu Rubil,
whose ancestor Rubil was a Jew, laid out part of Al-Hamra, as far as
the monastery of Mary, north of the gardens of Hawi and the mosque
of Al-Khaluk on the flat. The sons of Yashkur ibn Jazilah ibn Lakhm
laid out part of the Hamra al-Kuswa, namely the open place of
Ad-Dunya and that of Ar-Rayah, and the road of Khulan from the
Darb al-Kantarah to the market-place of Wardan, and from the road
Fol. 33 a of Al-Hamra and the part beyond it on the Nile, which is called
the place of Al-Kaba'il, to the stable and to the baths of ' As-Salib '
or ' the Church 1 .'
of the district too narrow : and it is not even marked on the plan which professes
to show Fustat Misr in the year 969 a.d. The old bed of the river is well shown
in contrast with the present line : but there again the plan seems to me erroneous,
inasmuch as for the whole river frontage of Old Cairo the present line of the bank
is given, and the divergence of the old channel from the present channel is made
to begin at a point by the Fum al-Khalij and to extend only northward of that
point, whereas there can be little doubt that even in the tenth century the bed of
the river southward from Fum al-Khalij to Kasr ash-Shama' was still eastward
of the present line. (A. J. B.)
1 The baths of Al-Fustat and Cairo often changed their names. The bath
of 'the Church' (;l~j3o!) was named after the church of St. Sinuthius, which stood
near it. This bath was also called the 'Bath of the Vault' (jJill J+s*). See
Ibn Dukmak, iv. p. i.i,
CHURCH OF SAINT ONUPHRIUS. in
Church of Saint Onuphrins.
In the Hamra also is the church 1 of Saint Onuphrius 2 , the holy man,
the pilgrim, the contemplative, which was restored by a woman named
Turfah, according to the testimony of an [inscribed] board which was
put up at the door of it, near the well which is now filled up ; and
through this door the women entered. Near this church were the
houses where lived Amin al-Umana Abu ; 1-Yaman Sums ibn Makrawah,
son of Zanbur, who was nazir of the Delta, and his son the incom-
parable vizier, the lord of those that wield the sword and the pen,
Abu Sa'd Mansur 3 . The latter was sent out to meet Nasir ad-Daulah
ibn Hamdan and the tribes of Kais 4 and Lawatah 5 , the traitors, and
a body of the chief officers of the army were with him ; this was in the
caliphate of Al-Mustansir. Abu Sa'd remained vizier for a short time
only, for the soldiers demanded their pay of him, and he promised it
and then fled, and his career came to an end.
At the entrance of the sanctuary in this church [of Saint Onuphrius],
there was a threshold of black granite, upon which were figures carved
1 Ibn Dukmak (i. p. i .a) mentions this church as
' The church called after Abu Nafar : this church is in the Middle Hamra in the
street of Kibarah, near the mosque which is there.'
2 This saint, called in Arabic Abu Nafar. whose festival is kept on Ba'unah 16
= June 10, and by the Roman church on June 12, was a hermit in Upper Egypt.
His life was written by St. Paphnutius (see below, fol. 65 b), of whom Onuphrius
was an elder contemporary. See Sy?iaxaritim, Paris MS. Arabe 256, fol. 228;
Acta SS. at June 12, where versions of the life by Paphnutius are given.
Onuphrius would seem to have died about a. d. 400.
3 Vizier for a few days only to Al-Mustansir. See As-Suyuti, Hum al-
Miihadarah, ii. p. 1 of ; Quatremere, Mem. ii. p. 353.
4 The Kais were an Arab tribe who settled in Egypt soon after the Mahometan
conquest. See Al-Maknzi, translated by Quatremere, Mem. ii. p. 207 ff.
5 The Lawatah were a tribe of North Africa, of Berber origin, who settled in
Egypt. According to Al-Makrizi they pretended to be of Arab descent and
connected with the great tribe of Kais. See Yakut, ii. p. riv ; Al-Makrizi, trans-
lated by Quatremere. Me'm. ii. p. 207.
ii2 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
and painted in the style of those in the ancient temples, and it was
placed there to prevent the little birds from going into the sanctuary,
or into the tank ; and it is said that a man from Upper Egypt, who
visited this church, passed the night here, and imagined that he could
decipher certain letters upon the stone 1 . In this way the tank was
freed from the little birds which went into it.
Fol. 33 b The church was burnt during the fire of Misr, in the month of Safar,
A.H. 564 (a.d. 1 169), in the caliphate of Al- c Adid, and the vizierate of
Shawar. It was afterwards restored, with its domes and arches, by the
Shaikh Abu '1-Makarim ibn Hanna the scribe, and by other Christians.
Among the churches attached to this church of Saint Onuphrius, there
is, on the ground floor, a church dedicated to Saint Coluthus, restored
by Abu '1-Fakhr ibn Furaij ibn Khuwair, [who was priest] in the church
of the Island of Misr 2 ; and, in the upper story, is the church of
Saint Mennas, built by the Shaikh Sa'id ad-Daulah ibn Munja ibn
Abu Zakari ibn as-Sarid. There is also a church of the Pure Fathers,
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, restored by the Shaikh Abu Sa'id Gabriel
ibn Buktur, known as Ibn al-A c raj, and afterwards by Abu '1-Fakhr, the
scribe of salaries 3 , known as Sa'idan. There is also the church of Saint
Or 4 , restored by the Shaikh Abu '1-Fakhr, the scribe of salaries of
1 This may, of course, have been a mere exercise of fancy, or it may point to
a traditional knowledge of the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics as well as of the
hieratic and demotic scripts, long preserved in Upper Egypt. The bishop
Pisentius, in the seventh century, learnt in a monastery to decipher demotic
papyri containing the names of mummies ; see Amelineau, Contes et romans de
Vfigypte chre't. i. p. xxxix.
2 The Island of Misr is north of Raudah or Roda, the large island in the Nile
nearly opposite to Old Cairo. There was a Coptic monastery upon this island called
Dair ash-Shamd, doubtless from its proximity to the Kasr ash-Shamd . (A. J. B.)
3 I. e. one of the secretaries who superintended the payment of the officials of
the government.
4 Hur, whose festival is kept on Kihak 2 = Nov. 28, is a saint famous in the
annals of Egyptian monasticism. His name appears as *%> in Greek, and as
P,(JOp in Coptic, and Or in Latin. He was an abbot in Upper Egypt. Sayings
CHURCH OF SAINT 0NUPHR1US. 113
the Diwan al-Majlis 1 . The Great Church 2 [of Saint Onuphrius] was
restored by Abu '1-Faraj ibn Zanbiir, in Barmahat of the year 899
of the Righteous Martyrs (a.D. 1183); and it became a patriarchal
church in Tubah of the year 900 (a.D. 1 183-4), through the agency
of the aforesaid.
It is stated, in the Guide to the Festivals 7 ', that, on the 7th of Kihak,
Ibn Katib al-Farghani was beheaded. It was he who superintended
of his are among the Apophthegmala Patrum. See his life in Rosweyde, Vitae
Pair urn, p. 714 f.; cf. Zoega, Cat. Codd. Copt. p. 299; Synaxarium (Paris MS. Arabe
256), ad diem ; Acta SS. at Aug. 7. The prefix Aba (1>1) is the Coptic <.n<L, and
appears in Greek as ana (Greek inscriptions at Philae), or anna (Callimachus,
Hymn, in Dianam 6, and Greek papyrus quoted by Karabacek). Whether it is
a form of Abba, the Syriac [s>?, generally written in Coptic as <L.fi_.&.<L, is disputed.
It was sometimes applied to secular officers.
1 The preposition has been omitted by the scribe before ^jWo. The Diwan
al-Majlis was the chief of the Divans or government boards in Egypt, and was
subdivided into several smaller boards, employing many scribes or secretaries ;
see Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. pp. riv-t 6 .. .
2 The Great Church means, of course, the principal church, to which these
smaller churches or chapels were added, whether above it, or contiguous to it on
the same level.
3 It appears that there were several 'Guides to the Festivals' among the
Copts. The Synaxarium says at Hatur 17 :
'The 17th day of Hatur, on which, as it is agreed by the Guides of
Alexandria, and the Guide written by Anba Jonas, bishop of Kift, and the Guide
of the Melkites, the death of Saint John Chrysostom is commemorated/ &c.
(Paris MS. Arabe 256.)
The ordinary Synaxaria, however, do not mention the death of this Coptic
martyr Ibn Katib.
q en. 7]
ii4 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Fol. 34 a the construction of the Nilometer 1 , in A. H. 247 2 (a. D. 864), and his
body is in the church of Saint Coluthus, which was a separate church
in the caliphate of Al-Amir, and has already been mentioned, in
connection with the church of Saint Mennas in the Middle Hamra.
At the time of the fire already mentioned, the threshold of black
granite, which has been described, was removed and placed at the
outer entrance, near a well of running water, where there is a burying-
ground.
The garden which lies opposite to this church was its property,
until it was sequestrated by the Diwan of the government, in the
caliphate of Al-Amir. The material of all the houses in the neigh-
bourhood, the property of Ibn Zanbur, was sold, and the ground was
turned into a single courtyard, in which was a well with a water-wheel,
skilfully constructed. All this property was bought, and devoted to
the use of the church, by the Shaikh Sanfat al-Mulk Abu '1-Faraj,
1 This was in the caliphate of Al-Mutawakkil, the Abbaside, and under Yazid
ibn 'Abd Allah the Turk, governor of Egypt.
2 The date here given corresponds with that generally recorded by Arab
historians for the completion of the Nilometer. Some repairs were carried out
by Ahmad ibn Tulun twelve years later, but Al-Makrizi, As-Suyuti, and Al-Ishaki
agree that the Nilometer had been very little altered up to their own time, and
there is no doubt that it remains substantially the same now. The pointed arches
used in the construction of this Nilometer are about sixteen years older than those
in the mosque of Ibn Tulun, and they are of course much older than any example
of the pointed arch in Gothic architecture. Lane thinks it probable that both the
mosque and the Nilometer were built by the same architect. It was known that
the mosque of Ibn Tulun was built by a Copt, and if Lane's theory is correct, we
have his name in Ibn Katib al-Farghani, the Coptic architect of the Nilometer.
See Lane's Modern Egyptians, vol. ii. p. 341 (App. F) ; S. Lane Poole's Art of the
Saracens in Egypt, pp. 54-55 ; Murray's Egypt, vol. ii. pp. 174, 232 (6th ed.).
Pococke (vol. i. p. 29) gives a cut showing a plan and section of the Nilometer,
and claims special credit for its accuracy ; but he exhibits circular, not pointed
arches. Norden's section is better ; see his Voyage d'figypte el de Nubie,
Copenhagen, 1755, fol., plate xxvi. (A. J. B.)
CHURCH OF SAINT ONUPHRIUS. 115
son of the Shaikh 'Ilm as-Su c ada Abu '1-Yaman, son of the Shaikh
Sani'at al-Mulk Abu '1-Faraj ibn al-Wazir, who handed over the
management to the Shaikh Abu ' 1-Makarim ibn Hanna, and to those
whom he should choose after him. This church was included within
the fortress built by Shawar the vizier, who constructed a passage
leading to the church, at which you arrive from the entrance of the
mosque of Al-Kurun 1 , in the nearer Hamra. This mosque was built
by As-Sahri ibn Al-Hakam. To this church belonged the hegumen Fol. 34 b
Bashir ibn an-Nashr, a native of Munyat al-Umara 2 , who was wise and
learned, a good priest, sweet-voiced, beautiful in countenance, perfect
in stature, respected by men. The Shaikh Abu '1-Fadl ibn al-Uskuf,
scribe of Al-Afdal Shahanshah, was assiduous in his prayers in
this church, and communicated in it ; and when he had received the
eucharist, each day that he came, he threw into the plate 3 a dinar for
this priest, on account of the pleasure which he took in his ministration
and the sweetness of his voice. This priest was drowned in the Bahr
al-Jizah ; may God give rest to his soul !
1 According to Ibn Abd al-Hakam, whom our author is probably following,
this mosque was rebuilt by As-Sahri (or As-Sirri) ibn al-Hakam, after it had been
burnt down, and was called Mosque of the Horns {^/), because its pillars
resembled horns! See Ibn Dukmak, iv. p. ai .
2 A small town in the neighbourhood of Cairo, on the road to Alexandria.
Yakut places it one parasang from the capital. It was famous for its Sunday
cattle-market, and for the wine which was made there in large quantities. Of
the latter commodity no less than 80,000 jars are said to have been destroyed
in the inundation of a. h. 7 18 = a. d. 13 18. As it may be inferred from this
statement, most of the inhabitants were Christians. The place was also called
Munyat al-Amir and Munyat al-Shiraj. There seem to have been two other
places called Munyat al-Amir. Mina, '1-Amir is now included within the district of
Badrashain in the province of Al-Jiziyah, and had in 1885 a population of 2,935.
See Yakut, Mushtarik, p. p . s ; Revenue-list of a. d. 1375 in De Sacy's Abd-Allatif,
pp.599 and 676 ; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, ii. p. ir. ; Ibn Dukmak, v. p. Fv ; Rec. de
VEgypte, ii. p. 218. Cf. below, fol. 61 a.
3 For the tabdk or 'plate' see Coptic Churches, ii. p. 33. (A. J. B.)
q 2
ii 6 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Church of Saint Mercurius or Abii 's-Saifain.
The Hamra ad-Dunya was formerly called Al-Bawasir, and the river
ran by it, and it was also called the Bank of As-Sa'ir. The book of
Al-Khitat bi-Misr testifies [that near] the Kaisariyat al-Jamal 1 stands
the important church dedicated to the martyr Mercurius 2 ; and this church
was upon the bank of the river, which has now receded from it. The
church was restored by the father Anba Ephraim, the Syrian, the
[sixty-second] in the order of succession 3 , in the caliphate of Al-Imam
Al- c Aziz bi-'llah, son of Al-Imam Al-Muizz li-dini 'llah. In ancient
times there had been a church dedicated to Saint Mercurius, on the
bank of the river, but it was ruined and turned into a storehouse for
sugar-canes. Then, in the time of this patriarch, enquiries were made
about the creed of the Christians, whether they believed in the truth
1 The passage is slightly corrupt. The reference is, of course, to the Khitat
Misr of Al-Kindi, from which our author so frequently borrows. There were
many Kaisdriyahs in Cairo and Fustat Misr; and accounts of them are given
by Al-Makrizi, Khitat, ii. pp. ai-i i, and Ibn Dukmak, iv. pp. rv-p. . They were
quadrangles, enclosed by a colonnade, and used as market-places or bazaars. The
name was borrowed by the Arabs from the famous Caesarium (Kuiadpiov) of
Alexandria, mentioned by Strabo, xvi. c. i. and by Pliny, H. N. xxxvi. 14, 4.
2 We are now coming to the history of the present church of Abu 's-Saifain.
The tradition that the Nile came near it consists with the similar tradition con-
cerning Kasr ash-Shama' (see R. Hay's Illustrations of Cairo, where is an
excellent sketch of the great Roman gateway and the two bastions adjoining ;
see also note upon the plate). The main, and I think decisive, reason for this
identification lies in the absolute certainty of the association of the existing church
of St. Mercurius or Abu 's-Saifain with the legend attached to the church
of St. Mercurius of the text. The story as related to me by the priest of the
church, and the legend recorded by Al-Makin in the fourteenth century, are both
given in Coptic Churches, i. pp. 124-127: and the one-eyed water-carrier of the
legend corresponds with the one-eyed tanner of Abu Salih's earlier version.
(A. j. B.)
3 Occupied the see from a. d. 977 (?) to 98 1 (?); see Renaudot, Hist. Fair.
PP- 366-373-
CHUR CH OF SA INT MER C URIUS. 1 1 7
or in a lie. So the Christians assembled and went out to the mountain, Fol. 35 a
and the Muslims and Jews went out at the same time, on account of
a certain event which is related in the history of the church. Many of
the Muslim sayyids 1 came forward, and prayed, and cried AlldJm akbar,
and implored the assistance of God, but no sign appeared to them.
Then the Jews followed them, and still no result followed. Then the
patriarch came forward, and the tanner, for whom God had performed
a miracle, followed him ; and all the orthodox people followed them.
They prayed to the most high God, and burnt incense, and cried
Kyrie eleison 2 three times ; and God showed his wonders, and the
mountain moved : namely, that part of the Mukattam hills which is
near the hill of Al-Kabsh, between Cairo and Misr. This miracle
took place through the faith of the tanner, who had plucked out
his own eye by the root, and in the presence of Al-'Aziz 3 and the
chief men of his government, and the cadis of the Muslims. When
Al-'Aziz had witnessed this great miracle, he said : 'It is enough,
O patriarch ; we recognize what God has done for you ; ' and then he
added : ' Desire of me what thou choosest, and I will do it for thee.'
The patriarch, however, refused with thanks ; but Al-'Aziz begged him
to ask for something, and did not cease until the patriarch had asked
for a certain church, which had fallen into ruin. So Al-'Aziz Fol. 35 b
commanded that this church should be restored for the patriarch,
and it is said to have been the church of Saint Mercurius.
When the patriarch was about to begin to work upon this church,
the common people of the Muslims attacked him. F.or the church had
fallen into ruin, and nothing was left to mark it except "the walls, which
were also in a state of decay ; and it had been turned into a storehouse
for sugar-canes. So the command was issued that it should be restored
by the patriarch, and that money should be allowed him from the
1 Or members of the family of the prophet Mahomet.
2 It is well known that this liturgical formula of the first Christians has been
preserved in the original Greek in the Coptic ritual, as it has been in the Latin mass.
3 The caliph Al-'Aziz bi-'llah Abu Mansur Nazar, fifth of the Fatimides,
reigned from a. h. 365 to 386=a.d. 975 to 996.
n8 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
treasury, as much as he should ask for. The patriarch, however, took
the decree, but returned the money, with apologies, saying : ' God, to
whom be praise, who has shown his great power, is able to assist in
the erection of houses for his worship, and has no need of this world's
money.' And he begged Al-'Aziz to restore the money to its place,
and not to force him to accept it ; so the caliph consented to his request.
And when the patriarch was hindered, by those who attacked him,
from restoring the church to its original state, and when they raised
disturbances and showed their indignation at the matter, news was
brought to the prince of the faithful, Al-'Aziz bi-'llah, that the common
people would not allow the patriarch to carry out the decree for the
restoration of the church. Then Al- c Aziz commanded that a body of
his troops and his mamelukes should go and stand by during the
rebuilding of the fabric, and should repulse any who tried to hinder it,
and punish them as they deserved for opposing 'that which we have
decreed to them 1 .' When the people saw this, they refrained from
their attacks. Thus the work was begun.
Now it happened at that time that the Shaikh Abu '1-Yaman
Kuzman ibn Mina, the scribe, travelled to Palestine and the surrounding
districts, and remained there a considerable time, employing himself in
the work to which he had been called ; and in this way he gained much
Fol. 36 a money. He lived a solitary life, for he was not married ; and none
lived with him except his servants ; and he was abstemious and con-
tented with little, and economical in his way of life. So he brought
the money which he had laid by to the aforesaid patriarch, when he
was about to return to Syria, to continue the work to which he had
been called by the government of the caliph ; and he said to the
patriarch : ' Spend all this money in the path of God ; in building
churches, and in other pious works for the sick and orphans and the
poor, according to the will of the most high God ; and may he impute
it to me as a good deed ! ' So he departed to go to Syria ; but before
he left he gave two thousand dinars to the monasteries in the desert
1 The first person is used in this last clause only, apparently a quotation from
the decree.
B URNING OF THE CHUR CH OF SA INT MER C URIUS. 1 1 9
of Saint Macarius 1 , and he begged the monks to remember him in their
prayers, and to pray for the continuance of peace and a good end.
So the patriarch began the restoration 2 , and a body of the chief
men and the orthodox laity helped him in this work, and brought him
that which he needed of various kinds for the restoration ; and the pages
and soldiers and mamelukes of the prince of the faithful stood by with
him, to prevent attacks that might be made upon him, until the work
was finished with the help of God. Then the church was consecrated,
and the first liturgy was celebrated in it, on the middle altar ; and that Pol. 36 b
was a day of great joy and exultation over that which God had done
from the beginning to the end.
After this the patriarch began to restore dilapidated churches, and
to renew those parts of them that were falling into decay. All this
is related in the Lives of the Patriarchs^ ; but I abridge the account of
it here, that it may not be tedious. Thus the churches were put into
good order.
Burning and Restoration of the Church of Saint Mercurius.
After the fire of Misr, caused by the mob of Mahometans of that
city and of Alexandria, in the caliphate of Al-'Adid, and in the vizierate
of Shawar, in the month of Safar, in the year 564 (a.d. 1168), [the church
of Saint Mercurius also was burnt]. Now the patriarch Anba Jonas 4 , the
seventy-second in the order of succession, had foretold that the last-
named church should be burnt, and that this should take place in the
time of another patriarch ; and so it came to pass. The cause of the
burning of this church was that the Christians had brought many gifts
to it, and had made for it many splendid vessels ; so the mob of
Muslims desired to pillage it thoroughly, but were unable to do this.
1 That is the Nitrian desert, or Wadi Natrun, where the principal monastery
is dedicated to St. Macarius. (A. J. B.)
2 Of St. Mercurius or Abu 's-Saifain.
3 See Renaudot, Hist. Pair. pp. 368-371.
4 Or John; he occupied the see from a.d. i 147 to 1167.
120 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Pol. 37 a Then a large multitude of them assembled and gave way to their fury,
and set fire to the church, so that nothing remained except the walls,
and a small chapel within it, which was not burnt. This chapel was
dedicated to John the Baptist 1 , and here the liturgy continued to be
said, until the Christians decided to restore the Great Church aforesaid.
So they restored it, and completed the sanctuary, and substituted for the
roof of timber cupolas and arches of baked brick. The wooden baldakyn
over the middle altar was renewed, and a wooden tablet was placed
upon the latter. The wooden baldakyn over the middle altar was
exceedingly handsome, of skilful workmanship, and supported on four
pillars of hard marble 2 . All this was provided by the Shaikh Abu
1-Barakat ibn Abu Sa'id Hablan, the scribe, in the year 892 of the
Righteous Martyrs (a. D. 11 75-6) 3 , at his own expense; except the
pillars, which were paid for out of the funds of the church, consisting
of that which the chief men subscribed towards it, and that which was
brought by the bishops, who were appointed to vacant sees, as a present
from them. For this was in the patriarchate of Anba Mark 4 , who was
known, before his promotion, as Abu '1-Faraj ibn Zar ah, the scribe ; and
this patriarch forbad the acceptance of bribes for consecration, in obedience
to the command of the law, ' Cursed is he who receives, and cursed is he
1 There is now no chapel of St. John the Baptist attached to the Great Church
of Abu 's-Saifain, though there is a chapel dedicated to St. John the Evangelist.
See the plan of Abu 's-Saifain in Coptic Churches, i. p. 78. It is possible that
the chapel named in the text occupied the east end of the south aisle : and
this conjecture is borne out by the subsequent statement of Abu Salih that the
chapel of St. George also escaped the fire : for the chapel of Mari Jirjis is in
the triforium, i. e. on the first floor directly over the south aisle ; see plan, ibid.
p. 119. (A.J.B.)
2 This description of the altar-canopy resting on marble columns corresponds
with that now existing. The wooden tablet or altar-board has already been
explained. (A. J. B.)
3 This date, with that given below, roughly fixes a. d. 1170-90 as the date
of the present building, although parts are earlier. (A. J. B.)
4 The seventy-third patriarch; he occupied the see from a. d. 1174 to 1189.
RES TOR A TION OF THE CHURCH OF SAINT MERCUR1US. 121
who gives ; ' and this was one of the good deeds of this patriarch. This
was in the caliphate of Al- Adid, and the vizierate of the most glorious
Yusuf an-Nasir ibn Ayyub, brother of Asad ad-Din Shirkuh 1 , the Kurd, Fol. 37 b
under the dynasty of the Ghuzz. This restoration was superintended
by three architects, among the principal architects of Cairo. This church
had been the episcopal church, until the death of Anba. Philotheus,
bishop of Cairo ; but Christodulus 2 transformed it into a patriarchal
church 3 , and appointed an income for Anba Gabriel, the successor of
Philotheus, which he continued to receive from it ; and arranged that
he should say liturgies here at fixed times continually, as the manzarah* 1
bears witness. In the upper story of this church was the chapel 5 of
1 Salah ad-Din (Yusuf ibn Ayyub) was, of course, nephew, not brother, of
Asad ad-Din Shirkuh.
2 The sixty-sixth patriarch; he occupied the see from a. d. 1047 to 1100.
3 This would be quite a century before the restoration of the church. The
existing tribune and patriarchal throne show how the restorers marked the char-
acter conferred on the church by Christodulus. See Coptic Churches, i. p. 111,
and plan on p. 78. (A. J. B.)
4 This passage refers to some inscription in the manzarah of the church. The
manzarah was a gallery in the upper story of a house, church, or mosque, open
at the side like an Italian loggia. There is a well-known example of such
a manzarah in the still existing mosque of Ka it Bey. The word also denotes,
as here, a reception-room on the ground floor: and even a separate pavilion.
(A. J. B.)
5 The chapel of St. George (Abu Jirj or Mari Jirjis) is in the south triforium
of the church of Abft 's-Saifain, and the cupola referred to is part of the external
fabric, although it rises over the sanctuary. It is curious that Abu Salih here
specifies this chapel as escaping the fire which destroyed the main fabric, when
he had a little earlier singled out the chapel of St. John as remaining uninjured,
and so seemed to imply that no other part of the church survived. The expression
'whole and untouched' is remarkable, and would seem to show, what is otherwise
probable, that the fire was of a very partial character : unless the conjecture of
a previous note holds good, that the chapel of St. John was actually under that
of St. George. It must, however, be noticed that Abu Salih's expression only
applies to the haikal and dome, and seems to imply that the rest of the chapel
r [II. 7-]
122 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Saint George 1 , with the lofty cupola, erected by the Shaikh Abu '1-Fadl
Yuhanna, son of Kiil, the bishop ; whose father received the name of John
at the time of his promotion as bishop to the see of Atrib 2 . The cupola
and the sanctuary, that is to say the altar, and the walls of this chapel
remained whole and untouched at the time of the fire. Ibn Abu
'1-Fada'il ibn Farruj built an enclosure around this church, which he
also whitewashed and paved ; and it was solemnly opened in the year
570 (A. D. 1175).
Church of the ArcJiangel Michael.
The church of the angel Michael 3 was the patriarchal Cell from
westward was burnt. I may be pardoned for quoting a description of the existing
chapel written twelve years before I had seen Abu Salih. ' The choir of this
chapel retains part of the ancient panelled roof which probably once covered
the whole triforium. The beams and coffers are sumptuously gilt, and coloured
in the style of the thirteenth century : but only faint relics of its former beauty
remain.' By putting the date somewhat earlier and merely architectural dates
in these churches are not very certain one may possibly identify this ceiling
as previous to the general restoration. If not, it certainly dates from that epoch.
(A. J. B.)
1 The Arabic forms of the name George are various, but correspond to
different Coptic forms of the same word. We have in Arabic Jirjiyus (^v^*.),
Jirjis (u^j*.), Jirj (?-/), Jirjah (i^j*), and the diminutive form Juraij {^./^) ',
and in Coptic we find vetcpvioc, vecupvi, veopve, vetopve, recopr,
VGOpv, and veop. See Mr. W. E. Crum's Coptic MSS. from the Fayyum,
Index 1. (A. J. B.)
2 The classical Athribis and the Coptic <LOpH&I, the site of which lies
a little to the north-east of the modern Banha al-'Asal on the eastern bank of the
Damietta branch. Atrib was still a town or village in the fourteenth century and
later. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. in; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. ivo f . ;
Quatremere, Mini. i. pp. 1-25 ; Amelineau, Geogr. p. 69 f.
3 Abu Salih now mentions three churches, the church of St. Michael, the
neighbouring church of Aba Nub which was destroyed by the fire, and the
CHURCH OF SAINT ANUB. 123
the time of the promotion of Anba Gabriel 1 Abu 'l-'Ula, son of Tarik
the scribe, the seventieth in the order of succession, and after him
under Anba. Jonas 2 , the seventy-second. This Tarik was a priest, who
lost his wife, and then solicited the rank of bishop ; but when the
patriarch demanded money of him, he refused to gain promotion to
a rank in the hierarchy by bribery. Then, since he had much wealth,
he built this church, and ceased to solicit the dignity of bishop. This Fol. 38 a
was in the patriarchate of Anba Michael 3 the Sinjarite 4 . The church
was restored by the Shaikh As-Sadid Abu '1-Fadail, known as Ibn
Sittumi'ah(?), the scribe of the Emir c Ali ibn Ahmad, the Kurd, in the
caliphate of Al-Mustadi, the Abbaside, and in the vizierate of An-Nasir
Yusuf ibn Ayyub, in the year 568 (A. D. 1172); and it was solemnly
opened on the feast of the angel Michael, the 7th of Hatur, in the year
809 5 of the Blameless Martyrs, when the liturgy was said in it.
Church of Saint Anub.
Adjacent to the last-named church, there is a church dedicated to
church of St. Anthony, built on the same site as Aba Nub. These, I think, were
separate buildings, i.e. not part of Abu 's-Saifain; indeed this is proved by the fact
of St. Michael being the patriarchal Cell, and having its own courtyard, and by
the fact of Aba Nub being turned into a summer residence. But it is remarkable
that these three names are found attached to three chapels side by side in the
upper story of Abu 's-Saifain : see Coptic Churches, i. p. 119, plan. There can
be little question that these three chapels are meant to preserve the names of
the three churches which have perished. (A. J. B.)
1 Occupied the see from a.d. 1131 to 1146. See Renaudot, Hist. Pair.
pp. 500-513.
2 Or John.
3 The sixty-eighth patriarch; he occupied the see from a.d. 1093 to 1102.
See Renaudot, Hist. Patr. pp. 471-483.
4 I.e. of Sinjar, the Coptic nctjirtvepl, in the northern Delta, between Burlus
and the marshes. See Amelineau, Ge'ogr. p. 375.
5 It would seem that this date should be 889 = a. d. 1172.
r 2
124 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
the glorious martyr Saint Anub 1 , to the expenses of which the patriarch
Anba. Gabriel contributed. It is said that it was founded by Abu
Nasr, brother of Abu 'l-'Ula ibn Tarik, but was not finished ; and
then was newly built by the Shaikh As-Safi Butrus ibn Muhna, the
scribe. Afterwards the priest Abu '1-Khair, known as Ibn al-Amadi,
chose to pass the summer at the church of Saint Anub, and in part
of the courtyard in front of [the adjacent church of] Michael ; and here
the patriarchs generally sat on a wooden dais, to enjoy the coolness
during the days of summer. [Saint Anub] was restored as a church
after the fire, under the name of Saint Anthony, and was solemnly
opened by Anba John, the seventy-ninth 2 patriarch, at the beginning
of his patriarchate, in the year 903 3 of the Righteous Martyrs (a.d.
Pol. 38 b 1187). All those named contributed to the expenses of the annual
[dedication] festival. The [last-named] patriarch died in the year 92 -j 4
of the Righteous Martyrs (a.D. 1207), on Thursday, the 1st of Bashans 5 ;
and in this very year his elder brother the priest died.
Church of Saint Sophia.
There is also an ancient church, broad and spacious, the walls of
which became weak, and some of the paintings fell to pieces. It was
1 The Arabic Aba Nub represents the Coptic <LTI. <LttOY.ft., The saint,
whose festival is kept on Abib 24= July 18, was beheaded in his youth, under
Diocletian, after enduring horrible tortures. See Synaxariwn (MS. Arale 256), at
Abib 24; Zoega, Cat. Codd. Copt. Cod. xxiv ; Ame'lineau, Actes des MM. p. 145 ff.
2 This should be 'seventy-fourth.'
3 There is some difficulty about this date, as the Patriarchal History and Abu
'1-Barakat assign the election of John, the seventy-fourth patriarch, to a.m. 905 =
a.d. 1 189, and Al-Makrizi makes it only one year earlier; see Renaudot,
Hist. Pair. pp. 554-5. Our author, however, is a contemporary witness.
4 The other writers give a.m. 932 = a.d. 12 16 as the date of John's death,
which was followed by a vacancy of the see lasting for many years. Oriental
chronology is full of discrepancies !
5 The Coptic n^-^CJOn^ April 26-May 25.
CHURCH OF SAINT M AC A It 1 US. 125
formerly named Agia Sophia 1 ; and the building was wonderful for
its plan and its construction and its symmetry. It was restored at
the expense of the Shaikh Safi ad-Daulah ibn Abu Yasir ibn 'Ahvan,
the scribe.
Church of Saint Macarius.
There is a church named after Saint Macarius 2 , attached to the last-
named church. Those parts of it which had fallen to decay were
renewed by the deacon Abu Ishak ibn 'Abd al-Masih.
Church of the Four Living Creatures.
There is the church of the Four Angels, who are the Living
Creatures which support the most high throne 3 . It was restored by
the Shaikh Ibn Amin al-Mulk ibn al-Muhaddith Abu Sa id ibn Yuhanna,
the Alexandrian, the scribe, who constructed for it a wooden roof of
skilful workmanship, in the year 893 of the Righteous Martyrs
(a. D. 1 1 76); [and it was opened] on Wednesday, the 8th of Hatur,
which is the festival of the Four Creatures. The church contains
their special altar ; and the altar named after the Presentation of the
Lord in the Temple ; and an altar dedicated to the martyr, the valiant Fol. 39 a
1 There is no remaining church of this name near Cairo. It would seem to
have been named after Justinian's famous church at Constantinople. The rough
breathing is, of course, not pronounced in modern Greek.
2 There are three Saints Macarius especially celebrated in Egyptian hagiology :
St. Macarius the Great, monk of the Nitrian Desert ; St. Macarius the abbot, of
Alexandria ; and St. Macarius the bishop of Jerusalem.
The festival of the Four Incorporeal Living Creatures (Apocalypse iv. 7-9 ;
Ezekiel i. 5 and x) is kept on Hatur 8 = Nov. 4. See Synaxariimi (MS. Arabe
256) ad diem.
126 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Theodore Basradiladus 1 . The church was restored by Al-Mu'allim Zawin,
who was damin 2 of Cairo in the caliphate of Al-Hafiz. Afterwards it
fell into decay and ruin, and was restored by the Shaikh Al-Makin
Abu '1-Barakat, known as Ibn Kitamah ; and when it again fell into
decay, it was restored by Amin ad-Daulah ibn al-Musawwif, who added
on the south side of it a sanctuary named after the glorious angel
Michael. The church was consecrated by Anba Gabriel, bishop of
Misr, under the government of Salah ad-Din Yusuf 3 , the Kurd.
Other Churches in the Hamras.
There is the church of Poemen 4 the Confessor, adjacent to which
is a sanctuary named after the Lady, between it and the church of
Saint Coluthus 5 , which has already been described.
1 Basradiladus is a transcription of the Coptic TiecTpA/THX^THC, which
is the Greek <TTpa.Trjk6.TTis with the Coptic article prefixed. This word translated
the Latin Magister militum or general of troops (in Arabic .M^aJ), a post held
by Theodore under Licinius. The saint is also called St. Theodore of Shutb,
after the native town of his parents; and his festival is kept on Abib 2o=July 14.
See Synaxarium (IMS. Arabe 256) at that day ; Amdlineau, Actes des MM. p. 182 fif.
St. Theodorus Dux (ai-paT^XaT?^) is commemorated by the Roman church on
Feb. 7 (see Acta SS.) ; but, although he suffered under Licinius, his history is
different from that of the Coptic martyr. The Greek church also commemorates
him.
2 See note on fol. 12 b. 3 I. e. Saladin.
4 The Arabic Bamin is intended as a transcription of the Graeco-Coptic
ITOIJULHrt. This saint, whose festival is kept by the Copts on Kihak 9= Dec. 5,
was one of the famous hermits of Egypt in the fourth and fifth centuries. Some
of the acts and sayings of Poemen or Pastor are to be found recorded in Rosweyde ;
Synaxarium (MS. Arabe 256) ad diem ; Zoega, Cat. pp. 290, 299, 319, and 340.
The Roman church commemorates Poemen on Aug. 24. He is said to have
died in a. d. 451, at a very great age. See Acta SS. at Aug. 24.
5 See fol. 32 a ff.
MONASTERY OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST. 127
There is the church of the glorious angel Gabriel. There is also,
over the tank, a church named after Saint John the Baptist 1 , restored
by Abu '1-Fath, of Upper Egypt, who was priest at the church of
Al-Mu c allakah 2 . It was roofed with great beams. On a recent occasion
the blacks determined to pillage this monastery, and they attacked this
roof, so that they succeeded in ruining the building. Afterwards it was
restored by the aforesaid persons 3 , and was solemnly opened on Sunday,
the 22nd of Barmahat 4 , in the year 900 of the Blameless Martyrs
(A.D. 1184), by Gabriel, bishop of Misr, and Anba Peter, bishop of the
Fayyiim. Near it is the tower, which is entered from the church, and Fol. 39 b
beneath which lies the garden; it overlooks the lake of Al-Habash, and
the river Nile, and Al-Bustan.
Monastery of Saint JoJin the Baptist.
[Attached to the last-named church is] the monastery of Saint
John, which is of beautiful aspect, and wonderful for its situation near
the lake of Al-Habash, especially in the time of high Nile 5 , and in
spring, and in the ploughing season and seed-time of summer. Yahya
ibn al-'Ubaidi the scribe was superintendent of this monastery ; but
Gabriel, the seventieth patriarch, called Abu l-'Ula Sa'id, son of Tarik
the scribe, was informed that the conduct of this man was worthy of
blame, and that he treacherously allowed many Muslims to attend
the liturgies. Accordingly the patriarch rebuked him for this time
after time, but yet he did not amend ; and at last he was expelled
from the monastery, and was obliged to give it up until he should
1 This church as well as the two previously mentioned and those subsequently
named as standing near the lake of Al-Habash are unknown, though obviously
existing at the time of our writer, in different degrees of repair. (A. J. B.)
2 See note on fol. 9 b. 3 Only one has been named.
4 The Coptic cb^jULeitCJ0O = Feb. 25-March 26.
6 Because the lake of Al-Habash, like the other then numerous pools of
Cairo, was full of water only at the time of high Nile. Most of the pools within
the city were filled up by Muhammad 'Ali, who is said thereby greatly to have
improved the health of the place at the expense of its picturesque character. (A. J. B.)
128 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
return to his faith. Yahya. suffered much from this, and at last
repented, and consented to abandon his evil habits ; and so the
monastery was restored to him. Nevertheless, he returned to his repre-
hensible practices, and the remedy employed was of no profit. Therefore
Yahya was expelled again, and another was appointed in his place. It is
said that through Abu Shakir, the scribe, of Alexandria, the removal of
Yahya was facilitated by the condition that he should be allowed to live
in the tower, and to have the enjoyment of the garden. Satan induced
Yahya. to abandon the Christian religion, and he became a Muslim, and
made a kiblah 1 in the bakehouse, and another kiblah over the entrance
into the monastery ; and he did much injury to the monastery. He took
Fol. 40 a possession of the road by which the monastery was entered, and he
separated the tower and the garden from the monastery, and allowed
all except Christians to enter them ; but the Christians took measures
to open another door, near the first, leading into the monastery only.
This was in the caliphate of Al-Hafiz. Thus Yahya had possession
of the tower and the garden. When that apostate died, after repenting
and neglecting the matter of his religion, his sons acquired possession
of the garden and the pavilion, and made use of them ; and they also
were Muslims.
Beside the same lake 2 , near this monastery, stands the monastery
named after Saint John the Baptist, celebrated for its beautiful and
pleasant situation, but now in the possession of the Melkites. It was
formerly restored by Abu '1-Fadl ibn al-Baghdadi and Abu Nasr ibn
\Abdun, known as Ibn al-' Addas, the metwalli of the Divan of Syria,
in the caliphate of Al-Hakim. Ibn al- c Addas rose high in the affairs
of the government and became Nazir ; his sobriquet was Al-hamdu z
lilldhi 'aid md yastahikku.
1 The term kiblah is commonly applied to the niche in the wall of a mosque,
showing the direction of Mecca, although this is properly called mihrdb, and kiblah
denotes the point to which the eyes are directed in prayer. The meaning here is
that Yahya set on these two places the symbol of Mahometan worship. (A. J. B.)
2 I. e. the lake of Al-Habash.
3 ' Praise to God as lie is worthy.'
MONASTERY OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST. 129
In the upper story of this building was the remarkable manzarali,
prepared for the assembling of the novices. Here were a large
number of Melkite nuns, who were supported by Abu '1-Fada'il
ibn Abi '1-Laith, the scribe, the owner of a garden near this
place, which he rented from the Divan of Upper Egypt, and which
contained fine palm-trees, pomegranates, myrtles, and many kinds of Fol. 40 b
trees, bearing excellent fruit, such as are not to be seen together else-
where. When this Abu '1-Fada'il died, he left a nephew named Abu
'1-Makarim Mahbub, son of Abu '1-Faraj al-'Abudi, whose wife was the
sister of Abu '1-Barakat ibn Abu '1-Laith. Abu 1-Makarim deserted
the Christian religion, and became a Muslim, and was circumcised at
the age of nearly forty years. He laid his hand upon the aforesaid
garden, and took possession of it as part of his inheritance ; he forced
the nuns to depart from it, and he dismantled the manzarah, and turned
it into a mosque. He also weakened the monastery. There he enter-
tained the Imam Al-Hafiz, who visited him there. So the monastery
was weakened more and more ; and the Melkites were prevented from
visiting it. Then troubles followed one after the other, and the greater
part of the monastery and the church fell into decay and perished. The
Melkites had a bishop at Misr, named Joseph, who did what lay in his
power to renew and restore this monastery; but the restoration remains
to this day unfinished, on account of the weakness of the sect, and their
small numbers, and the remissness of their head, and his neglect of the
supervision of this place and others. The bishop of this sect at
Misr began once more to visit this monastery on the Monday of the
second week of the Great Fast, together with a great number of
Melkites and Copts who assemble to hear the Lenten charge, and the Fol. 41 a
instructions which are given them as to what must be done during that
season. Moreover, festival is kept in this monastery on the second day
of the feast of the bathing 1 .
1 The festival of the bathing is otherwise called 'Id al-Maghtas or ' feast of
the tank/ because of the custom of bathing in the church tank, formerly observed
by the Copts on that day. The festival is observed in memory of the Baptism of
Christ, and it coincides with the western Epiphany, being kept on Tubah 11 =
Jan. 6. At the time of our author, the custom of bathing in the Nile on the
S [II. 7 .]
130 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
The Book of the Monasteries, by Ash-Shabushti 1 , bears witness that
this monastery is on the bank of the lake of Al-Habash, near the river,
and that beside it are several gardens, one of which was laid out by
the emir Tamim, brother of Al-'Aziz bi-'llah ; and in this there is
a pavilion, the roof of which is supported by pillars. The pavilion
is beautifully designed, skilfully constructed and adorned, and decorated
with paintings ; near it is a well called Bir Naja'i, beside which grows
a tall sycamore affording much shade ; and here the people assemble
to enjoy the shade, and saunter around the spot, when the Nile is high
and the lake is full, and also when the crops are green and the flowers
are blooming. Near the aforesaid sycamore is the bridge which leads
to many roads, and at which men set lines for fishing during the days
of high Nile; and this is a pretty sight.
Al-Hakim seized upon part of this monastery and church, and rebuilt
it as a mosque, with a minaret ; and his name was inscribed upon it.
Now 2 the first who constructed minarets 3 in mosques was Mukhallad
al-Ansari 4 .
night of the Epiphany was still observed ; and not only the Christians but the
Mahometans also followed the practice, and marked the festival by illuminations,
and a fair with its usual accompaniments ; many of them pitching tents beside
the river. Al-Mas'udi, who witnessed the festival in a. h. 330 = a. d. 942, describes
the illuminations and festivities on this night ordered by Al-Ikhshid, then governor
of Egypt ; and Al-Masihi describes the observance of the festival by the Fatimide
caliph Az-Zahir in a. h. 4I5 = a. d. 1024. See Al-Mas'udi, Murilj adh-Dhahab
(ed. Barbier), ii. p. 364 f . ; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. t^p.
1 See Introduction.
2 I have changed the order of the sentences to avoid the awkward parenthesis
in the text.
3 In a paper which I wrote some years ago in the Athenaeum, 1881, I tried
to show that the minaret (i\u = lighthouse) took its origin from the Pharos at
Alexandria (ib,jjl,})1 isiu), and that theory has been rather strengthened than
shaken by subsequent research. Al-Makrizi relates that all the early minarets
were of brick, and that the first stone minaret was that of the mosque of
Al-Maridani ; see S. Lane Poole's Art of the Saracens, p. 59. (A. J. B.)
4 It was not Mukhallad, but his son Maslamah ibn Mukhallad, governor of
Egypt under the caliph Mu'awiyah from a. h. 47= a. d. 668 to a. h. 62 = a. d. 682 ;
CHURCH OF SAINT VICTOR. 131
The church of Saint George, the property of the Copts, was near
the monastery of Saint John the Baptist. It was very large. Afterwards Fol. 41 b
the river flooded it, and not a trace of it remained.
The district of Al-Habash 1 , and the Well of the Steps 2 , beside
which grows a great sycamore, which throws a broad shade and is round
like a tent, and the Well of Al-Ghanam 3 , and three feddans of black
soil. It is said that these two wells and the land were the property
of Taj ad-Daulah, the Syrian, son of Sabil, known as the ' Golden Nose.'
It is also said that all this land belonged to the vizier, Abu '1-Faraj, the
West-African, in the caliphate of Al-Mustansir, besides quarries of
yellow clay at Al-'Adawiyah, of which the [pots called] Khasaf
are made.
Church of Saint Victor.
The church 4 dedicated to the martyr Saint Victor 5 stands in the
see above, fol. 23 b. Maslamah was the first who made additions to the mosque
of 'Amr, by building in a. h. 53= a. d. 673 new structures on the north and east
sides of it, and by adding a minaret. He also decorated the walls and roof of the
mosque. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iii. p. aSa; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, ii. p. rfv f.;
As-Suyuti, Husn al-Muhddarah, ii. p. v .
1 The district of Al-Habash was adjacent to the lake of Al-Habash, and was
called in Coptic rueO.YCtJ (Ame'lineau, Geogr. p. 162). It is mentioned, not
only by { Abu Selah,' as M. Ame'lineau remarks, but by Yakut, who speaks
{Geogr. Wort. i. p. oil) of
l^Jl jbjwj:* ^jJU if-M"^. * 'j*> r^j^** 1 .
' Gardens named Al-Habash, after which the pool of Al-Habash is so called;' and
by Al-Makrizi, Khitat, ii. p. lor .
2 So called because a flight of steps led down into it. This well was con-
structed by Al-Hakim. See Al-Makrizi, Khitat, ii. p. Pi . .
3 Also called 'Well of Abu Salamah.' It is said to have been situated in the
most beautiful spot near the lake of Al-Habash. See Al-Makrizi, Khitat, ii. p. Pi . .
4 This church is named in two Copto-Arabic lists of churches and monasteries
as <LTT<L fiTJCTUOp Itieo^.'VCy ^Lb^laib 1>1, 'The church of Saint Victor
at Al-Habash.' See Ame'lineau, Geogr. pp. 579 and 581.
5 St. Victor, whose festival is kept on Barmudah 27= April 22, was a soldier
s 2
i 3 3 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
district of Al-Habash, near the Well of the Steps. On the wall
of the apse of this church, a Coptic inscription was found, giving the
date of the paintings upon it, namely the year 759 of the Martyrs 1
(a. D. 1043), in the patriarchate of Anba Sinuthius 2 , the sixty-fifth in
the order of succession. At the end of the church were built two
altars: one of them named after the martyr Saint Cosmas 3 , with his
brothers and his mother, and the other named after Saint John, the
martyr of Aswan ; and these were built at the expense of Abu 1-Barakat,
the above mentioned, in the year $J2 (a. D. 1177). In the upper story
is a church named after George the Martyr, erected by the Shaikh
Al-Makin Abu '1-Barakat ibn Kitamah, the scribe, in the caliphate
of Al-Fa'iz 4 ; and the said shaikh also rebuilt, in the year 573
(a. d.i 178), beside the church of Saint Victor, a church named after
Fol. 42 a the martyr Saint Mennas, containing a well of running water. Near
this church there is a garden, which belongs to it, but is now a desert,
and nothing is left standing in it except palm-trees.
Opposite this church, and within the enclosure of the garden known
as that which was founded by the vizier Abu 5 '1-Faraj, the West- African,
in the Roman army ; and he was beheaded after manifold tortures in the persecu-
tion of Diocletian. See Synaxarium (Paris MS. Arabe 256) ad diem ; Amelineau,
Actes des MM. p. 1776".; Zoega, Cat. pp. 113, 239. There are other saints of
the name in the calendar.
1 These paintings are again wall-paintings, or 'frescoes;' although the term
is not technically correct, as the Coptic artists worked in distemper, not in the
fresh plaster. But this date, fixing the middle of the eleventh century of our era
for the execution of the work, is exceedingly interesting. (A. J. B.)
2 Occupied the see in the middle of the eleventh century, but the date of his
election and death are uncertain ; see Renaudot, Hist. Patr. pp. 408-417.
8 Saints Cosmas and Damian with their mother and their brethren were
popular saints in Egypt. Their festival is kept on Hatur 2 2 = Nov. 18.
4 The thirteenth of the Fatimide caliphs; reigned from a. h. 549~555 = a. d.
1154-1160.
5 Abu '1-Faraj Muhammad ibn Ja'far al-Maghrabi became vizier in a. h. 450,
and remained in office about a year. See Al-Makrizi, Khilat, i. p. roi ; As-Suyuti,
Hum al-Muhddarah, ii. p. 100 .
CHURCH OF SAINT VICTOR.
133
in the caliphate of Al-Mustansir, there is another church named after
Saint Victor, which is now furnished and complete with its domes and
walls. For a long time there was no liturgy there, and when this state
of things had long continued, the vizier TalaT 1 ibn Ruzzik commanded
that some of the columns should be taken to build the mosque which
he founded in that part of Misr named Karafah. The tribe of Karafah
were called Banu Hajas or Banu Yusuf ibn Wa'il, and they took up
their quarters at this place, when the Arabs conquered Egypt. The
place was called Karafah 2 , a word which means 'copyist,' or ' copyist of
books ;' and there were many monks here in hermitages and monasteries,
and many churches, which the Muslims destroyed when they came with
'Amr ibn al-'Asi ibn c Adi, in the month of Muharram of the year 20
(A. D. 641). Those of the hermitages which remain have been turned
by the Muslims into minarets. Then their hands were stretched out,
until they built of part of the walls of the hermitages the foundations
of this garden, which at the present time is still in cultivation. After-
wards, Al-Ajall Taj al-Muluk Buri 3 , the Kurd, brother of Salah ad-Din Fol. 42 b
Yusuf, built many pavilions in this garden and outside it, and
embellished them with marble and gilding, and spent much money
upon them.
1 See note on fol. 7 a.
2 The Greater and Lesser Karafahs were the principal burying-grounds of
Cairo and Fustat, and the name is still retained for the well-known cemeterv
where the ' tombs of the caliphs' and the ' tombs of the mamluks' stand. The
place was selected as a burying-ground immediately after the Arab conquest.
Various accounts are given of the origin of the name : that it was the name of an
Arab woman; or of a branch of the tribe of Banu Maghafir ; or, as the text
suggests, a word of Greek origin (ypafevs), meaning 'writer' or 'copyist.' See
Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. Fa ; Al-Makrizi, Khttat, ii. pp. PPr-FPo .
3 A younger brother of Saladin. He was slain at the siege of Aleppo in
A. h. 57q = a. d. 1 183: a disaster which elicited from Saladin the lament :
' The fall of Aleppo has been dearly bought by the death of Buri.' (Abu l'Fida,
Annates, iv. p. 58.)
134 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Monastery of the Nestorians.
In this quarter also is the monastery known as the monastery
of the Nestorians, dedicated to Saint George, and enclosed within
a surrounding wall of hewn stone. It is beautifully and artistically
constructed, and greatly celebrated as a place of resort. The Shaikh
Abu '1-Fada'il, the Nestorian, known as the physician of the tribe of
Al- c Azamiyah, in the caliphate of Al-Amir, restored it at his own
expense, and renewed it in an excellent style, with hewn stone ; and
there were here many Nestorian monks. But when Al-Amir was
informed of this restoration, he issued a decree against Abu 'l-Fada'il,
and acted extortionately towards him, and seized all his money ;
and the decree remained in force until the caliph had built a mosque
within the monastery. The originator of this act of tyranny was
Abu '1-Fadl Jafar ibn 'Abd al-Mun'im, known as Ibn Abu Kirat, the
metwalli of the Diwan al-Khass 1 of Al-Amir. There was some land
attached to this monastery and belonging to it, outside the enclosure,
and this land was farmed by Abu '1-Barakat ibn Kitamah, the Jacobite
scribe. There was now -no one in the monastery, which was empty,
Fol. 43 a and deprived of liturgies and prayers. One of the stewards of Kitamah
lived there, in a garden which was the property of his master ; but
the priest Yusuf, the Nestorian, gained possession of it, and let the
land to Muslims, and sold the upper story of the church at Misr,
including the bakehouse, and let most of the property with which the
Nestorian churches were endowed at low rents to the Muslims, for long
periods. There are no Nestorians with him ; but they live in the east,
and in Persia, and in Al-Trak and Al-Mausil, and by the Euphrates,
and in Mesopotamia ; and in Egypt they are few in number and of
a low class.
This monastery [of which we have been speaking] came into the
possession of the Copts of Misr in the patriarchate of Anba Mark ibn
Zar ah, the seventy-third in the order of succession, who made it
1 The board which regulated matters connected with the privy purse.
MONASTERY OF THE NESTORIANS. 135
patriarchal, and dedicated the church in it to Saint Philotheus 1 of
Antioch. In the upper story of the monastery there are manzarahs ;
and the whole building is of hewn stone, within and without. The
church was solemnly opened and the liturgy was said in it the first week
of the blessed fast, namely on Tuesday, the 16th of Amshir, of the year
899 of the Righteous Martyrs, which is equivalent to the 24th of
Ramadan of the year 576 (a. D. 1 18 j ). [This change of ownership took
place] because no Nestorians were left in Misr except one or two men.
The monastery was solemnly opened by Anba. Peter, bishop of the
Fayyum. It contains three altars : one named after Philotheus of Fol. 43 b
Antioch ; the second after John the Evangelist ; the third after Thomas
the Disciple. Its expenses were paid by the Shaikh Abu '1-Mansur ibn
Bulus, who also paid for the liturgies and the eucharistic elements and
the rest, and did not cease to supply all that was needed until the day
of his death. His son continued to provide for [the expenses of this
monastery], as his father had done may God rest his soul! and
appointed ministers, both priests and deacons. The monastery is now
prosperous, and the people of Upper Egypt come to it, and open its door.
There is also a burying-place for the Coptic Jacobite Christians and
the bishops of Misr, in the district of Al-Habash ; and the body of Anba
Zacharias 2 , the sixty-fourth patriarch, is buried there, and the people
receive blessings from it ; [and it was taken there] because he com-
manded at his death that he should be buried among the people of
Misr, on account of his knowledge of the pre-eminence of their faith,
and what they had suffered in the caliphate of Al-Hakim 3 . In [the same
burying-ground] also are the tombs of the bishops of Misr; and near
1 The festival of this martyr is kept on Tubah 16= Jan. n. He was con-
verted to Christianity in his youth, and martyred in the persecution of Diocletian.
See Synaxarium ad diem.
2 Occupied the see from a. d. 1002 (?) to 1032; see Renaudot, Hist. Patr.
pp. 386-408. On p. 401 Renaudot refers to this passage of Abu Salih.
3 See Al-Makrizr, Khitat, ii. p. no, and Renaudot, Hist. Patr. p. 390 ff., for
an account of Al- Hakim's terrible persecution of the Christians, and the plunder
and destruction of their churches. (A. J. B.)
136 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
it there are two wells of running water : one constructed by Abu '1- Hasan
Sa'id ibn Mansur, the scribe, and the second made by Nasir, the grave-
digger. In this burying-ground there is a conspicuous monument of
syenite, sculptured with a cross of points 1 . Near the burying-ground
is the Well of the Steps, with the sycamore beside it, and the guard-
house. At the upper end of this ground, there is a cemetery of the Jews
Fol. 44 a and Samaritans, and when they come near the Christian cemetery they
see the sign of the cross, and then they return to that part of the ground
which Anba Michael, the fifty-sixth patriarch 2 , sold to the Jews, at the
time when Ahmad ibn Tulun extorted money from him. This patriarch
also sold a church to the Jews 3 in the Kasr ash-Shama', besides the
property of the churches at Alexandria, and the herds of camels of the
monks of the monastery of Saint Macarius. The Melkites, however, have
no cemetery in the district of Al-Habash, but their burying-places are
within their churches, and on the hill where the monastery of Al-Kusair
stands. The Armenians and the Nestorians likewise [bury] in their
churches.
Church of Al-Martiiti.
The garden called Al-'Adawiyah 4 , or Munyat as-Sudan-, was
1 The 'cross of points' is doubtless the Coptic cross, such as that represented
on the cover of my Coptic Churches. (A. J. B.)
2 Occupied the see from a. d. 881 to 899(F); see Renaudot, Hist. Pair.
pp. 319-398. He was the second of the name.
3 The church, sold by Michael or Khail to the Jews in a.d. 882, still belongs
to that community, and is used as a synagogue, after a possession of 1,000 years.
An account of it is given in Coptic Churches, i. p. 169, and its position shown on
the plan facing p. 155. (A. J. B.)
4 Al-'Adawiyah and its monastery stand about eighteen miles to the south of
Old Cairo, on the same bank of the river. The church of Al-Martuti, however,
is not now in existence, possibly because the confiscation recorded by Abu Salih
was permanent. Yakut calls Al-'Adawiyah a village on the eastern bank,
possessing many gardens ; and he suggests other derivations of the name ; see
his Geogr. Wort. iv. p. in* . (A. J. B.)
5 Two villages of this name are now in existence, but neither of them is near
CHURCH OF AL-MARTUTI. 137
named after a woman called 'Adawiyah, who came from Western
Africa in the days of Al-Mu'izz. She had much money, and she took
up her abode in this place, which was named after her.
The church of the Pure Lady Mary, called Al-Martuti, is sur-
mounted by a cupola. In ancient days this was a place of worship
of the Israelites when they were in bondage in Egypt ; and when our
Lord Jesus Christ came down into Egypt from Syria, with his mother
in the flesh, our Lady the Pure Virgin, and the righteous old man Joseph
the carpenter, they sat in this place, where there is now a picture of
the Lady before the holy altar. The church was founded by the Copts Fol. 44 b
under the name of the Lady, and was called Al-Martuti, which is the
Greek word Matir-td 1 , and means ' Mother of God the Word.' When
this church grew old it fell into decay, and was restored by the Shaikh
Abu '1-Yaman Wazir, a native of Sanhur 2 , and metwalli of the Divan
of the Delta, and by Abu '1-Mansur,his son, in the caliphate of Al-Amir,
and in the vizierate of Al-Afdal Shahanshah. In its upper story Abu
'1-Yaman built a beautiful mansarah, called As-Salukiyah, and the priests
assembled there, and he conversed gaily with them ; this was in the lunar
year 478 (a. d. 1086), in the patriarchate of Cyril 3 , and the episcopate of
Daniel. He also caused a complete set of vessels of goldsmiths' work to
be made for this church, for the liturgy and the incense and all the needs
of the church. In the upper story of the church he built several depen-
Al-'Adawiyah ; see Rec. de Vfigyple, p. 222. Cf. Yakut, Mushtarik, p. p.q.
Al-Idrisi, however, mentions the place named by our author, saying, according
to Jaubert's translation : ' Quand on part de Missr pour se rendre en remontant
le Nil dans l'Egypte superieure, on va de Fostat a Miniet es-Soudan, joli port situ6
sur la rive occidentale (sic!) du Nil et environ a. 15 milles de Missr.' (Tome i.
P-3H-)
1 Mrjrrjp Qeov.
2 A town between Alexandria and Damietta, now included in the district of
Dasuk, in the province of Al-Gharbiyah. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iii. p. 1 v . ;
Amelineau, Geogr. pp. 415-417.
8 The sixty-seventh patriarch; occupied the see from a. d. 1078 to 1092; see
Renaudot, Hist. Pair. pp. 449-470.
t [II. 7.]
138 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
dences and offices. A small garden was attached to the church, and
was entered from the interior of the building ; and the door gave proof
of its existence. So the government laid its hand upon this garden,
and it was taken away from the church.
A certain Jew, named Abu '1-Fakhr ibn Azhar as-Sanf, became
a Christian, and was converted to the religion of the Messiah, and was
baptized in this church by Anba John, bishop of Tamwaih, in the
province of Al-Jiziyah, assisted by the priest Abu Yasir ibn Abu Sa'd
Fol. 45 a ibn al-Kustal, in the caliphate of Al-Fa'iz, in the vizierate of TalaT
ibn Ruzzik, and in the patriarchate of Jonas, the seventy-second in
the succession ; this took place in the month of Rajab, in the year
554 (a. D. 1 159). God enlightened this Jew so greatly that he learnt
to read Coptic, and translated it into Arabic ; and he was ordained
deacon, on account of his peculiar merits, in the church of the Pure
Lady 1 , in the Harah Zawilah, in the city of Cairo, by Anba Gabriel,
bishop of Misr, on the 15th of Abib, in the year of the church 901
(A. D. 1 1 85).
Adjacent to this church of Al-Martuti, is a church which had fallen
into decay, but was restored by Abu '1-Fada il ibn Ash-Shubramuray-
yiki 2 , with the assistance of a body of Christians, in the year 902 of the
Righteous Martyrs (a. d. i i 86). The furnishing of the church was
completed by the Shaikh Abu '1-Faraj ibn Zanbur, the scribe of
As-Subasi the Turk, wall of Cairo ; he paid the expenses himself, and
he provided for it a dome and a roof, and constructed over the dome
a beautiful dome of timber ; and he built in it two altars, one named
after Saint George, and the other after the angel Michael. In the midst
of the church he erected a long vaulted transept, in which he also opened
a door which led to the altars in the old church ; and he separated them
from one another. The number of altars in this church amounted to
Fol. 45 b five, ancient and modern. Abu '1-Faraj completed the restoration of the
church by whitewashing and painting it, and it was solemnly opened
1 See fol. 3 a and note.
2 The town of Shubra Murayyik (j^ 6 Ui), in the province of Al-Gharbiyah, is
mentioned by Yakfit, Mushtarik, p. rrv.
CHURCH OF AL-MARTUTl. 139
on Monday, the 21st of Barmahat, the second day of the fifth week of
the holy fast, in the presence of Anba Mark ibn Zar'ah, the seventy-
third patriarch, and Michael, bishop of Bastah and Al-Khandak, and
Anba Gabriel, bishop of Misr, and Anba Simon, bishop of Al-Bahnasa 1 ,
and Anba Peter, bishop of the Fayyum, and an assembly of the clergy
and of the chief men.
In the upper story of this church, the steward, Sayyid al-Ahl, son of
Thomas, the archdeacon, built a church in the name of Saint Mercurius,
with a wooden altar 2 , and it was consecrated by Anba John, the seventy-
fourth 3 patriarch, on the 10th of Bashans, in the year 910 of the
Righteous Martyrs (a. D. 11 94). The Shaikh Abu '1-Yaman Wazir
removed the body of Saint John from the church at Damanhur, near
Cairo, to this church, because, so it is said, when he was in the neigh-
bourhood of it on a certain night, he heard a voice from the shrine of
the martyr, saying : ' I cannot remain in the church of the Lady ; there
is no church for me except that in which I was at first.' Accordingly
the body was restored thither. Fol. 48 a
In this neighbourhood, the Nestorians had a large monastery like
a great castle, within an enclosing wall of hewn stone, and containing,
a large church, separate and conspicuous, of which all the architectural
features remain to this day ; but the apse has been turned into a Kiblah,
and above it rises a lofty minaret, and, around it, the chambers, which
belonged to the monks, are inhabited by Muslims ; and this change
took place in the caliphate of Al-Hakim.
1 The classical Oxyrhinchus, and the Coptic HeJULXG ; then the capital
of a province. It stands on the western bank, at some distance from the stream.
It was said that our Lord and his mother sojourned at Al-Bahnasa. The town
is now ruined and contains about sixty inhabitants ; it is in the district of Bani
Mazar, in the province of Minyah. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. w 1 ; Al-Makrizi,
Ktiitat, i. p. rrv ; Amelineau, Geogr. p. 90.
2 This is the only definite instance known to me of a Coptic altar constructed
of wood; see Coptic Churches, ii. p. 3 ff. (A. J. B.)
3 Occupied the see from a. d. 1189 to 12 16; see Renaudot, Hist. Pair.
PP- 554-567-
t 2
140 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
At the church of Al-Martiiti, the history of which has been related,
there was a priest named Abu Yasir, son of the priest Abu Sa'd, known
as Ibn al-Kustal, who maintained customs at variance with those pre-
scribed by the pure Fathers : such as growing the hair long, and baring
the head at the time of the liturgy 1 , and christening infants without
circumcision 2 , and giving permission to the bridegroom to see the
bride before marriage 3 . If a priest with shaven hair and covered head
said the liturgy, he would not communicate from his hand, but he had
a second liturgy for himself. Thus he divided the church into two
parties ; and, although he was often rebuked for this, he would not
repent or change his opinions. The state of affairs required that in
order to maintain the canons, he should be expelled from the church ;
may God reconcile him to himself!
To the church of this priest there was a garden attached, as it has
Fol. 46 b already been related. This garden was seized by the emir Jabril, son
of the Imam Al-Hafiz, who built opposite to the church, near the river,
in the place called Al-KJiaimat al-kibliyah, for the survey of the taxes,
a manzarah, which was visited by the Imam Al-Hafiz and the Imam
Az-Zafir 4 , his son, during the lifetime of this emir Jabril; and after his
death the Imam Al-'Adid came here. Each of them contributed to the
support of this church, and received the food that was brought to him
from the monastery. This church stands in the midst of the gardens, and
from its upper story a view of the blessed Nile is obtained, as far as that
part of the river bank on which Tamwaih, in the province of Al-Jiziyah,
is situated, and as far as Munyat ash-Shammas 5 and other places on
1 These two customs of wearing long hair and uncovering during the liturgy
seem to refer to the priests only : neither of them is now practised. See above,
fol. 9 b and 15 a. (A. J. B.)
2 I have before stated that circumcision on the eighth day is customary, but not
obligatory, with the Copts ; while circumcision after baptism was always regarded
as forbidden. See Renaudot, Hist. Pair. pp. 286, 497, 588. (A. J. B.)
3 In prohibiting this the Copts seem to have followed the Muslims.
4 The twelfth of the Fatimide caliphs, who succeeded his father Al-Hafiz in
a. h. 544 = a. n. 1 149 and died in a. h. 549 = a. d. 1154.
5 There were two places of this name in the province of Al-Jiziyah, but this
TURA. 141
the western bank. It is a place of devotion and of pleasure ; and the
church is much visited because intercessions are accepted here, and
visible miracles are performed for the faithful.
Al-Ajall Saif al-Islam Tughtikin 1 , brother of Al-Malik Salah
ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub, the Kurd, acquired possession of the garden,
and of Al-'Adawiyah, and the church of As-Stidan, and the bank of
the river near it ; and he rebuilt the manzarah, and added a gallery to
the upper part of it, and he planted many trees in the garden and spent
much money here. At Al-'Adawiyah are the quarries of yellow clay,
of which the [pots called] kJiazaf are made ; and they are to the north,
on the estate of the vizier Abu '1-Faraj al-Maghrabi.
Tar
a.
The district known as Tura 2 , which leads to Itfih 3 , by way of
the monastery of Shahran 4 . Under the southern sycamore, in the Fol. 47 a
southern part of Tura, Moses the prophet prayed upon him be peace,
and in the town there are monuments of 'Abd al-Aziz ibn Marwan 5 .
Tura was allotted as a fief to the Ghuzz and the Kurds, when they
conquered Egypt. Itfih is the name of one of the sons of Mizraim.
Shahran is a large village, and was flourishing and populous. It is
is probably that one which was also called Dair ash-Shama' ; see fol. 65 b. It is
still existing in the district of Badrashain in that province, and in 1885 had
a population of 883. See Yakut, Mushtarik , p. F.v; De Sacy, Abd-Allatif,
p. 676 ; Rec. de I'figypte, ii. p. 221.
1 Ruler of Yemen after a.h. 577 ; died a.h> 593.
2 To the south of 'Adawiyah and to the north of Hulwan, on the eastern
bank. It is now in the district of Badrashain, and in the province of Al-Jiziyah,
and in 1885 had 1,335 inhabitants. See Yakut, Geogr. Diet. iii. p. oi.; Al-
Makrizi, Khitat, ii. p. . 1 ; Amelineau, Geogr. p. 519. (A. J. B.)
3 See fol. 2 b, and note.
4 The site of Shahran cannot be identified. (A. J. B.)
5 Son of the caliph Marwan I, and wall of Egypt from a.h. 65 = a. d. 685 to
a.h. 86 = a.d. 706. He attempted to make Hulwan the capital of Egypt; see
below.
142 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
built on the side of the river ; and they say that Moses the prophet
upon him be peace was born 1 there, and his mother cast him thence
into the river, in the wooden ark. Shahran is celebrated as a spot
frequented by visitors, on account of the beauty of its situation, and
the views obtained from it of Misr and the river Nile; so the Book of
the Monasteries, by Ash-Shabushti, testifies. Opposite this monastery
of Shahran, in the mountain on the east, there is a large cavern 2 ,
supported by pillars like a house, which has been hollowed out in the
side of the mountain, and is exceedingly extensive ; and it is said to be
called ' the city,' and the end of it is unknown.
Monastery of Shahran, near Turd.
The monastery called Shahran was restored by Poemen, the monk,
who had been perverted to the religion of the Muslims, but returned to
his own faith in the caliphate of Al-Imam al-Hakim, and became once
more abbot of the monastery. This monk was the cause of the opening
Fol. 47 b of the churches which had been closed, and of the changing of the
costume 3 which Al-Hakim had injoined, and which he had maintained
for nine years, during which Zacharias, the sixty-fourth patriarch, was
imprisoned 4 , and thrown to the lions, which did him no harm ; for God
forbad the lions to touch the patriarch, on account of his holiness, and
the strength of his faith in God. The instigator of this persecution was
a monk from the monastery of Saint Macarius 5 , named Jonas 6 , because
1 On fol. 19 b, Askar is said to be the birthplace of Moses.
2 Doubtless one of the subterranean quarries in the Mukattam range near
Tura. These caverns were cut out by ancient Egyptian workmen quarrying for
stone for the pyramids and other buildings. The Arabs have a great horror
of mining in the dark, and tell marvellous legends of these openings into the
heart of the mountain. (A. J. B.)
3 Al-Hakim had forced the Christians to wear black clothes and turbans, and
to use black trappings for their mules and asses, forbidding them to ride on
horseback. (A. J. B.)
4 See Renaudot, Hist. Pair. p. 391 ff. 5 In the Nitrian desert.
6 Or John. See the story in Renaudot, Hist. Pair. p. 388 f.
MONA STERY A ND CHUR CH AT TURA . 1 43
he had solicited a bishopric from that patriarch, but was prevented
from obtaining it by Michael, the patriarch's nephew, who had demanded
money from Jonas, [but did not receive it] ; the whole of this story is
told in the Lives of the Patriarchs.
In the aforesaid monastery there is a tower, entered through the
monastery, and it had a garden attached to it, measuring six feddans,
in which were fruit-bearing palms and corn-plots. Al-Imam al-Hakim
was fond of visiting the country at this monastery, and of taking the air
here ; and from it he went out to the mountain, and made journeys into
the country.
Monastery and Church at Turd.
. The monastery known as the Monastery of the Potter is dedicated
to Saint Mercurius. It is said also to have been named after the
martyr Theodore. There is also a church, named after the glorious
Saint George, which is in the district of Tura, on the bank of the river.
This church was small when it belonged to the Jacobite Copts ; but
at the time when Gregory 1 , the patriarch of the Armenians, came to
Egypt, and Amir al-Juyush Badr was surrounded by Armenians, in the
patriarchate of Anba. Cyril, patriarch of the Jacobites, and the district of Fol. 48 a
Tura was allotted to the Armenians, then they seized this church, and
pulled it down, and built instead of it a large and spacious church, with
several cupolas, which was dedicated to the name of Saint George.
Above it there rose a tower, the door of which was within the church ;
and the latter was enclosed within a wall, and within the enclosure
there was a well and a water-wheel. Around the church there was
a space planted with orange-trees, and two duwairahs, which are fruit-
bearing palms, and other trees. When, however, the series of misfor-
tunes befell the Armenians, the church came back to the Jacobites, in
the patriarchate of Anba. Mark, known before his promotion as Abu
'1-Faraj ibn Zar'ah, the scribe ; he was the seventy-third in the succes-
1 See note on p. 3. This passage is referred to by Renaudot {Hist. Pair,
pp. 459 and 508), who writes Dora for Tura.
144 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT,
sion. In this church the priest named Abu Yasir, whose history has
been related with reference to the church of Al-Martutt, which is called
Al-'Adawiyah, restored all that was required for the furnishing of it ;
and the people began again to frequent it at all times. Outside it,
there are stone foundations visible on the surface of the ground, which
are said to have been made for the purpose of building upon them
a manzarah ; but it was never fully prepared, and now there is only
one fragment of building in a cracked condition. When the patriarch
came to this church to consecrate it, an assembly of bishops and priests
and of the Christian laity were present.
In another copy it is said that the monastery of Saint George came
into the possession of the aforesaid priest Abu Yasir, known as Ibn
Fol. 48 b al-Kustal, and was solemnly opened in the month of Ba'iinah, in the
year 559 ( A - D - II ^4)> m the patriarchate of Anba John, with the consent
of the Armenians. Abu Yasir built in the upper story a church to the
martyr Saint Mennas, and a church in the name of the great saint
John the Baptist and of Gregory. The latter church was to the south
of the great central sanctuary, in the monastery of the Armenians at
Tura, and it was consecrated on the 30th of Ba'unah. in the year 902
of the Righteous Martyrs (a. d. i 1 86) ; and the expenses of the building
were paid at first by Ibn Mashkur, and at the time of its consecration
by Abu Mansur, the superintendent of the building of the walls of Cairo
and Misr. In the same monastery there is a tower, and a mill, and
a garden which belonged to the Armenians ; and, when it ceased to
belong to them, it came into the possession of the Jacobites, after the
year 600 (a. d. 1204). When the priest Abu Yasir died, the monastery
became the property of his disciples, and of the Copts, permanently
down to our own time.
The Eastern and Western Ranges.
The eastern hills known as Al-Mukattam, which was the name of
the son of Mizraim, the son of Misr, the son of Ham, the son of Noah.
Mukattam was the first who worshipped on this spot, and here he gave
himself up to the service of God ; so that after his time the mountain
MELKITE MONASTERY OF AL-KUSAIR. 145
was known as Al-Mukattam. It is situated near Tura, by the stone-
quarry, and is contiguous to Tura. lengthwise, and it is a holy place.
The western range unites itself to the mountain chain of Western Fol. 49 a
Africa and to the western shores, which at last reach the land of Ibn *
Ghawatah, and the Dark Sea 2 . The river Nile flows between these two
mountain-ranges.
Melkite Monastery of Al-Kusair.
The monastery known as Al-Kusair is on the summit of the eastern
mountain-range. From this monastery there is a view of the blessed
Nile, and of the district of Tura. It was founded by Arcadius 3 , the
Great, son of Theodosius the Great, emperor of the Romans, over
the tomb of his teacher, Saint Arsenius, after whose name he called
it. This Arsenius had fled from the emperor, and devoted himself
to religious worship in the desert of Saint Macarius in the Wadi Habib ;
but afterwards he removed to this mountain, and spent his time in
worship there. This monastery was known as Kusair 4 . A great festival
1 A mistake for Baraghwatah (jiUlys^), which was a district in north-western
Africa, inhabited by a tribe of the same name ; see Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. 1 f ;
Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome) [p. 87]; Ibn Khaldun, vi. p. r.v
2 The Atlantic.
3 Arcadius can hardly have founded this monastery in memory of his teacher,
who is said to have outlived him by some forty years at least ; see Gibbon
(Edinburgh, 1832), vol. v. p. 148 n. The association of Arsenius with the monas-
tery is, however, probably authentic. The fulj name of the convent, according
to Al-Makrizi, was monastery of John the Dwarf (Yuhannus al-Kasir or Al-
Kusayyir), i.e. St. John Kolobos; see Khitat, ii. p. 0.1 . (A. J. B.)
4 Our author probably borrows this account of the foundation of Al-Kusair
from Eutychius, with whose narrative the statements in the text agree; see his
Annates (ed. Pococke), i. p. 537. Quatremere gives an article on this monastery
in Mem. ii. pp. 499-502, which consists of translations from Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
ii. p. . r , where Ash-Shabushti is quoted, as by our author. Yakut also describes
the monastery of Al-Kusair among the few monasteries which he writes of; see
his Geogr. Wort. ii. p. iao.
u [II. 7.]
146 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
is kept there in honour of Arsenius, at which many people assemble.
Below his church on the mountain-top, there is another church, hewn
out in the rock with the pickaxe 1 , and in it there is an altar. The
monastery is on the upper part of the mountain and stands on a terrace,
on a peak of the mountain, and is fairly constructed and commands
a beautiful view. It has a well hewn in the rock, from which water is
drawn. In the monastery there are excellent pictures, of extremely skilful
and admirable execution. The monastery contains an upper room [built
by] Abu '1-Jaish Khamarawaih 2 , son of Ahmad ibn Tulun, which has
Fol. 49 b four windows in its four sides. The road to this monastery from Misr
is difficult, but on the southern side the ascent and descent are easy.
At the side of it there is a hermitage, always inhabited by a hermit.
The monastery overlooks the village named Shahran and the desert
and the monastery of Shahran, which is a large and flourishing village,
on the bank of the river, according to the testimony of the Book of
the Monasteries, by Ash-Shabushti. This Al-Kusair is one of the
monasteries that are visited for worship, and also for the pleasure of
sauntering around them.
The patriarch Eustathius 3 founded in this monastery the church of
1 This would be the church of St. John the Baptist named below on fol. 51a.
2 Khamarawaih, son of Ahmad ibn Tulun, and second of the Tiilunide
dynasty, ruled Egypt and Syria, nominally under the suzerainty of the Abbaside
caliphs, for twelve years, from a. h. 27o=a.d. 884 to a. h. 282 = a. d. 895. The
annual tribute demanded from him by the caliph amounted to about 500,000
dinars. He was famous for his magnificence and his love of art. The story
which our author tells of his admiration for the mosaics at the monastery of
Al-Kusair is told also by Yakut, Geogr. Wort. ii. p. 100.
3 Eustathius succeeded Balatianus, as Melkite or orthodox patriarch of
Alexandria, in the sixteenth year of the caliph Harun Ar-Rashid, i. e. a. d. 802, and
occupied the see for two years. See Eutychius {Annates, ii. p. 410), who is
the authority from whom the statements in the text are taken. Eutychius
explains ,3x0 as :
Cf. Le Quien, Or/ens Christ.
MELKITE MONASTERY OF AL-KUSAIR. 147
the Apostles, and he founded a cell for the bishops. The monastery-
is in the possession of the Melkites, and contains a body of their
monks. There is kept every year the festival of Saint Arsenius, on
the 13th of Bashans 1 . This Eustathius was a linen-merchant, and he
found a treasure in the place where the flax was beaten ; and then
he became a monk in this monastery, and built in it that which has
been mentioned. After that, he was made patriarch of the Melkites,
and the length of his patriarchate was sixty-four years 2 . In this
monastery there are eight churches, and they are enclosed within
a wall. In it also there is a mansarah, and a cemetery ; and below
it there are many caves hewn in the mountain. The church of the
Apostles in this monastery was destroyed in the caliphate of Al-Hakim,
in the month of Sha'ban, of the year 400 (a. D. 1010); and a band of
the common people came here, and seized the coffins of the dead,
and the timbers from the ruins. Afterwards it was decreed that [the
monks] should restore the ruined building, and Al-Yasal, the brother Fol. 50 a
of Taj ad-Daulah Bahram, assigned to the monastery sixteen feddans
of land as an endowment.
There was in this monastery a mule, to carry the water from
the river, and bring it up to the monastery ; and one of the monks
went down with it to fill up the quantity required ; and the monk
remained by the river, while the mule kept going backwards and
forwards by itself, until he had finished his business. The monastery
is enclosed within a stone wall ; but on one occasion a mob of Muslims
went up, and by a ruse induced the monks to open the gate to them,
whereupon they entered and sacked the monastery, and killed some
of the monks.
The monastery known as Al-Kusair al-Hakkani is within the desert,
and is uninhabited ; it is half-a-day's journey from the monastery which
is being described.
The number of churches at the monastery of Al-Kusair, accord-
1 I.e. May 8. Cf. Synaxarium (Paris MS. Arabe 256) for that day.
2 This must be a confusion with the length of Eustathius' life.
u 2
148 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
ing to a description, of the date of Barmahat, in the year 891 of the
Blameless Martyrs (a.D. 1175), was ten.
(1) In the upper part is the church of Saint Arsenius, the teacher of
the sons of the emperors ; and his body is buried under the altar, which
is the only altar 1 , and is surmounted by a baldakyn; over the middle of
this church is a long vaulted 2 roof.
Fol. 60 b (2) A church named after our Lady Mary, the pure and holy Virgin,
in which there is one altar, as in the former.
(3) The church of the Apostles or Disciples, in which there was
a picture of the Lady, carrying the Lord, with angels on the right and
on the left, and pictures of all the twelve disciples, the whole being
composed of tesserae of glass 3 , and skilfully executed, as at Bethlehem ;
1 This is exceedingly interesting for two reasons : (i) It is unusual for a church
to have less than three altars now, though Abu Salih proceeds to enumerate several
with this peculiarity ; and (ii) I do not know any other so distinct and unquestion-
able evidence of the practice of burying the body of a saint under the high altar of
an Egyptian church, though ten or twelve years ago, writing on the subject of the
Coptic altar in ignorance of Abu Salih's testimony, I had no hesitation in inferring
that the practice existed. See Coptic Churches, ii. pp. 12-16. (A. J. B.)
2 In technical language this means, I think, that the nave was roofed with
wagon-vaulting, such as may still be seen in the basilica in the Harah Zuwailah
in Cairo, in the church of Al-Mu'allakah within the fortress, and in many
others. (A. J. B.)
3 This is, as far as I know, with the subsequent statements of our author, the
only direct evidence of the use of the Byzantine glass mosaic in the churches of
Egypt, and it is fortunate that Abu Salih's testimony is of unmistakable clearness.
The arrangement which he sketches is common enough, indeed is almost
exactly reproduced in the haikal of Abu 's-Saifain {Coptic Churches, i. p. 112, see
also p. 40). But there the design is painted on the wall, not wrought in mosaic :
and as I have explained (id. id. p. 37 seq.), there is no known instance of a picture
in glass mosaic remaining in the Coptic churches, or anything to show that this
form of art ever flourished in Egypt, though mosaic of another kind constitutes
some of the most splendid decoration in churches and mosques alike. There is,
however, some evidence from early writers to support the construction of the text.
MELKITE MONASTERY OF AL-KUSAIR. 149
and some of these glass tesserae were gilded and some were coloured.
Khamarawaih, son of Ahmad ibn Tulun, used to stand before these
The allusion to Bethlehem is, of course, to the church of the Nativity erected
there in a. d. 327 by the empress Helena, and it is possible that even at that date
glass mosaics were employed for decoration : for those in the church of S.
Pudenziana at Rome and S. Costanza at Naples are said to date from the fourth
century. However that may be, there is no doubt that by the time of Justinian
the walls of the church at Bethlehem were covered with mosaics, traces of which
remain even at the present day in spite of renewals and destructions.
Eutychius records the visit of the caliph 'Umar to this church, his admiration
for the mosaics in the southern transept (' for the whole vault was decorated with
many-coloured designs in mosaic work '), and his order that no change should be
made in the decoration (ed. Pococke, ii. pp. 158, 288). But the best account
of these mosaics is given by De Vogue in his Eglises de la Terre Sainte,
p. 66 ff.
The word rendered tesserae in the text is ,joye3, the plural of ^ /ass. But
Eutychius, in the passage just quoted, uses the word Li~~i ftisaifisd as the term
for glass mosaics a term derived from the Byzantine yjrrjQaxns. Now the author
of the History of Damascus speaks of ^j>yas or tesserae, coloured and gilt, which
are known zsfusaifisd ; and similarly Kamal ad-Din feftn.es fusaifisd as equivalent
to ^Jk'xc ^aj) or gilded tesserae. Further, Ibn Batutah mentions a mosque
adorned with pictures of great beauty in gilt mosaic, and again of animal figures
in mosaic. These authorities are quoted by Quatremere, Hist, des Sultans
Mamlouks, ii. Liv. i. append, p. 270 n. But the point which Quatremere misses
is that if these passages are examined, they are found all to establish the use
of glass mosaics, but out of Egypt in Syria and Arabia. I do not, however,
know of any passage proving the use of Byzantine mosaic in Egypt to put beside
this clear and explicit evidence of Abu Salih, here and on fol. 104 a. The splendid
lamps of the type called Kala'uni, found till recently in churches and mosques,
but now chiefly in museums, show what skill in glass-work the Egyptians pos-
sessed in mediaeval times a skill far higher than would be needed for making
the cubes of mosaic work. Going further back, we find record of famous glass-
works at Fustat. Further back still, Olympiodorus of Alexandria wrote on the
sacred art of alchemy, which included the making of glass coloured like precious
stones. This was early in the third century, and the MS. is in the Bibliothequc
150 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
pictures and admire the beauty of their execution, and was much
delighted with them, especially with the picture of the Lady ; so that
he even built a manzarah for himself at this monastery, that he might
come there for recreation. This church was very large ; but Al-Hakim
destroyed it in the year 400 (a.d. ioio). Afterwards there was built
on the same site a new church, named after Peter and Paul, in which
there was one altar surmounted by a baldakyn, and over the middle
of which there was a vaulted roof.
(4) The church of Stephen, the chief of the deacons and first of the
martyrs for the name of Christ among the Israelites.
(5) A church named after Saint George.
(6) The church of Saint Sabas 1 of Alexandria, which was restored
by the Shaikh Abu '1-Barakat Yuhanna, the scribe, son of Abu '1-Laith,
in the caliphate of Al-Amir, and in the vizierate of Al-Afdal Shahanshah ;
Fol. 51 a and his brother, Abu '1-Fada'il, was charged with the control of the out-
lay. This Abu '1-Barakat was the metwalli of the Diwan at-ta/ikik 2 , in
Nationals. See Hendrie's Theophilus or Arts of the Middle Ages, 1847, p. 163.
The same most interesting work has a long account of glass-making and painting
in Book II, and Greek enamelling and mosaic are described ib. ch. xiii-xv.
pp. 133-135. Strabo was told by the glass-workers of Alexandria that they
were enabled to execute their magnificent works of art solely through the exis-
tence in Egypt of a peculiar earth (Book XVI, ch. ii. 25, quoted by Perrot
& Chipiez, Hist, of Art in Egypt, ii. p. 375). Indeed the manufacture of glass
is now supposed to have had its origin in Egypt, and the art of enamelling which
flourished under the caliphs certainly began with the Pharaohs. (A. J. B.)
1 This 'Melkite' saint is, of course, not also revered by the monophysite
Copts, since he was the great opponent of the monophysite leader, Severus of
Antioch, and the determined adherent of the Roman see.
2 This was the board which regulated the expenses of the government.
The metwalli of this Divan was a person of high rank. In a. h. 501 a sum of
700,000 dinars is said to have passed through the hands of this Divan, apart from
the expenses of the officials, and Abu '1-Barakat ibn Abi '1-Laith arranged the
dinars in boxes on one side of the room and the dirhams on the other side.
When the vizier Al-Afdal saw this large sum of money, he said to Abu '1-Barakat :
' By my father's tomb, if I hear of any well out of order, or of any land lying
MELKITE MONASTERY OF AL-KUSAIR. 151
the vizierate of Al-Afdal, and afterwards, until he was put to death in the
year 528 (a. D. 1134). In this church there is one altar, surmounted by
a small baldakyn ; and over the midst of the church there is one large
cupola of conspicuous size. The church contains pictures of the forty
martyrs of Sebaste ; and beneath it is the tomb of the said Abu '1-Fada'il.
(7) The church of the martyr Barbara, which is small.
(8) [The church of] Saint Thomas.
(9) The church of Cosmas and Damian and their brothers and their
mother, who were all martyred for the name of Christ.
(10) Below this is the church of Saint John, the Baptist and Fore-
runner, in a cave, and with a stone roof, supported on a pillar, like
a house which is concealed. In the midst of it, and on the roof, are
ecclesiastical paintings, most of which have been effaced. Near this
church is the tomb of John the monk, who planned the walls of
Cairo and its gates 1 , in the caliphate of Al-Mustansir, and in the
uncultivated, or of any village in ruins, I will cut off thy head ! ' to which the
metwalli answered : ' Far be it from thee that in thy days any village should be
ruined, or land left uncultivated, or well allowed to fallout of repair !' Al-Makrizi
confirms the statement of our author that Abu '1-Barakat was put to death in
a. h. 528. See Khitat, i. p. F. 1 .
1 This piece of information is very interesting, and is one more proof that the
Copts were the architects of Cairo, as I have always contended, and not the
Moslems.
What Abu Salih says is that John the monk planned the new walls of Cairo
in the vizierate of Badr, under the caliphate of Al-Mustansir. The original walls,
of brick, were built by Jauhar, under the caliph Al-Mu'izz in a. d. 969 or 970 (see
Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. rw ff.) ; but a century later these walls, being outgrown,
were demolished by Badr al-Jamali, in a. d. 1087, who extended the boundaries
of the city, especially on the northern and southern sides, erecting new walls of
brick, with gateways of stone (see Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. rvi). In his learned
essay on the topography of Cairo, M. Ravaisse gives a very clear plan, showing
the walls of Jauhar and those of Badr. Saladin subsequently extended the citadel
and made other enlargements, but in the main the existing walls are more probably
those of Badr than those of Saladin. See M. Ravaisse in Mem. Archeol. de la
Miss. Frang. au Caire, 188 1-4 ; esp. plate 2 facing p. 454. (A. J. B.)
i 5 2 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
vizierate of Amir al-Juyush Badr ; over his tomb there is a marble slab
in the wall 1 .
The church of Saint George 2 , which has already been mentioned
among these numerous churches, is outside, on the peak of the moun-
tain, and it was founded by the Shaikh Abu '1-Hakam, brother of Abu
Fol. 51 b "1-Khasib, and relative of Abu '1-Barakat ibn Abu '1-Laith.
On this mountain there are many caves, hewn in the rock, which also
forms their roof ; one of them is the cave of Saint Arsenius, which was
made for him, and it contains the stone which he used as a pillow.
Within the monastery there is a cistern, which receives water from the
mountain at the time of rain. There is also a well of springing water,
hewn in the rock, of which the monks and their visitors drink. There
is a mill hewn in the rock. The churches are likewise founded in the
rock. Near the church of Saint Sabas, restored by Abu '1-Barakat,
there is a manzarah which was made for Al-Amir, who came here in
the hunting season ; and there is a place for his attendants. There
is here the manzarah of Khamarawaih, son of Ahmad ibn Tulun, in the
upper story of the monastery on the eastern side ; it has now fallen into
decay. The monastery now, in our time, contained five monks in poor
circumstances, until the end of Barmahat, in the year 891 of the
Righteous Martyrs (a.d. 1175). After that, Fakhr ibn al-Kanbar 3 ,
the misleader of the ignorant through his false creed, came to live
there, with a body of his followers ; and he dwelt there twenty years,
until he died, on Monday, at the beginning of the White Week 4 , in
the second week [of the Fast], on the 23rd of Amshir 5 , in the year
Pol. 52 a 924 of the Righteous Martyrs (a. D. 1208). The monastery is now
1 This tomb was apparently in the cave in which the church was hewn. The
slab over the tomb is worth notice, as the Copts never mark the burial-places of
the dead in any of the old churches. (A. J. B.)
2 No. 5 in the list of churches. 3 See above, fol. 9 a ff.
4 I. e. the first week of Lent, during which the use of fish and other white meat
is allowed. (A. J. B.)
5 The Coptic Mechir (JUUTXIp) = Jan. 26 to Feb. 24.
CHUR CH OF THE CHA MBERLA INS AT AL -KA NT A RAH. 153
in the possession of his followers, who form a large body, but are in
poor circumstances. It is said that in former times there were in the
monastery and in the caves hewn in the mountain-sides nearly six
thousand monks.
Hermes Trismegistus.
Kalkali 1 , son of Kharaba, son of Malik, one of the sons of Baisur,
son of Ham, son of Noah, was exceedingly wise ; and it is said that
his teacher was Hermes 2 , who was the first inventor of alchemy, and
turned lead into gold, and hardened quicksilver into solid, white gold,
and melted sand into glass 3 ; and his glass-furnace was at a place called
' the Oven 4 ,' at the top of the eastern mountain, outside Cairo.
Church of the Chamberlains at Al-Kantarah.
The church of the Lady Mary, the Pure Virgin, at Al-Kantarah 5 ,
commonly named the church of the Romans. It is also called the
church of the Christian Chamberlains, because it was restored by
1 Al-Makrizi and As-Suyfiti write this name Kalkan (J&), and the father's
name Khartaba (U,i.) or Khariba (W>) ; see Khitat, i. p. ri ; Husn al-Muhddarah,
i. p. r . .
2 See below, fol. 64 b.
3 This legend is so far correct that the art of glass-making probably began in
Egypt, and not, as it was stated by Pliny and those writers who have followed
him, among the Phoenicians. See Perrot and Chipiez, Hist, of Art in Phoenicia
and Cyprus, ii. p. 326; Hendrie's Theophilus, p* 162. (A. J. B.)
4 On the top of the Mukattam hills, to the east of Cairo. For the legends
related of the spot, see Al-Makrizi, Khitat, ii. p. Foo .
5 This village, or suburb of Al-Fustat, has already been mentioned ; see fol.
23 b and 32 b. The reason for the foundation of this church at this spot is given
by Eutychius, namely that when the caliph was residing at his palace called the
' Dome of the Air' on the Mukattam hills, his Greek (Roman) chamberlains
found it too far to go to the Melkite churches in the Kasr ash-Shama or Fortress
of Babylon, and so asked and obtained his permission to build a church at the
nearer suburb of Al-Kantarah ; see Eutychius, Annates (ed. Pococke), ii. p. 430.
X [II. 7.]
154 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
the chamberlains of Al-Ma'mun 1 'Abd Allah, son of Harun ar-Rashid,
since it was near the ' Dome of the Air 2 ,' which he founded on the
Mukattam hills. The Christians wore black garments 3 , and rode on
horses, until the caliphate of Al-Mutawakkil Ja'far, who forbad them
to do so.
Hulwdn.
Hulwan 4 . 'Abd al-'Aziz 5 ibn Marwan ibn al-Hakam. surnamed Abu
Fol. 52 b '1-Usbu', lived in this place, and Hulwan was the name of his eldest
son. It was in this neighbourhood that Al-Imam al-Hakim bi-amri'llah
alighted from the ass which he was riding, and ordered his groom, who
accompanied him wherever he went, to hough the ass ; and he himself
went alone into the inner parts of the desert and never returned ; nor
is it known to this day where he retired. This happened in the month
of Shawwal, in the year 411 (a.D. 1021).
1 The seventh of the Abbaside caliphs; reigned from a. d. 813 to 833.
2 The Kubbat al-Hawd was on the mountain near the citadel of Cairo ; see
C. Niebuhr, Voyage en Arabic, &c, i. p. 93. (A. J. B.)
3 Al-Mutawakkil reigned from a. d. 847 to 861. It would appear from
Abu Salih's remark that the Christians voluntarily affected a black dress at this
time, and that the ordinance of Al-Hakim two centuries later was an enforced
reversion to an old custom. (A. J. B.)
4 Hulwan or Halwan (Helouan), the Coptic ^^.XoTf^rt or g^X-S-A-rt, is on
the right or eastern bank of the river, five or six miles to the south of Al-'Adawiyah,
and is still a favourite health-resort of the Cairenes on account of its sulphureous
springs. The place seems to have been in existence, and to have had a bishop,
before the Mahometan conquest. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. ii. p. rr 1 ; Al-Makrizi,
Khitat, i. p. r.i f. ; Amelineau, Geogr. p. 584. (A. J. B.)
5 See fol. 47 a.
6 Bar-Hebraeus states that Al-Hakim was assassinated at the instigation of his
sister, and that this was the explanation of his disappearance. Al-Makrizi also
mentions this report but denies its truth (ii. p. tai). Ibn Khaldun, iv. p. 1 1 ; Ibn
al-Athir, ix. p. rn ; Abu '1-Fida, iii. p. 48 ; As-Suyuti, ii. p. ia; and Ibn Khallikan
relate the same story.
HULWAN. 155
At Hulwan 'Abd al-'Aziz erected some handsome buildings, and
set up a Nilometer. He was attacked by the disease called lion-
sickness, or elephantiasis, and he took many medicines, but the medi-
cines did him no good, and so the physicians, in treating him, selected
[Hulwan 1 as a residence for him]. This c Abd al-'Aziz pulled down the
Old Mosque at Misr, known as the foundation of 'Amr ibn al-'Asi,
governor of Egypt, and rebuilt it, adding to its extent 2 . At Hulwan
he made a large lake, into which water flowed from springs in the
hills, named the Mukattam hills, by an aqueduct which he constructed
[from the hills] to the lake. Beside the latter he erected a pavilion
of glass 3 .
'Abd al-'Aziz also built several mosques at Hulwan, and spent much
money here. One copy of the history states that he spent a million of
dinars here. He also planted palms and other trees here. He levied
the land-tax several times in every week, fearing that a rebellion might
arise and come upon him, and that then he would stand in need of
money. He built the bridges over the canal of the Prince of the
Faithful 4 . It was his wish to remove the seat of commerce by land
and water to [Hulwan], and to depopulate Al-Fustat. [In his time] Fol. 53 a
the public treasury was at Hulwan.
[There is at Hulwan] a monastery named after the Lady Mary,
the Pure Virgin. It was erected at the expense of the bishops, in the
1 I translate the words thus because the statement and even some of the words
are apparently borrowed from Eutychius, who says :
^IjJb. i^>A* 'LWl &J .Ixi-U Jjil ilc > ualjcal Ss ^o
' He had begun to be attacked by the disease of elephantiasis, so the physicians
selected the city of Hulwan as a residence for him.' (Annates, ii. p. 369.)
2 This was in a. h. 79=a. d. 699; see Al-Makrizi, Khitat, ii. p. pPa . An
abstract of Al-Makrizi's full history of the Old Mosque is given by Lane in
Modern Egyptians, vol. ii. App. F. iii. p. 348. ( A. J. B.)
'' Our author's account here seems to be taken from Eutychius; see Annales
(ed. Pococke), ii. p. 369.
4 The Khaltj or canal of Cairo; cf. above, fol. 24 a & b.
x 2
156 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
patriarchate of Anba Isaac 1 the monk, who was the forty- first in
the order of succession, and in the patriarchate of his successor, Anba
Simon 2 the Syrian, the forty-second patriarch, during the governorship
of c Abd al- c Aziz ibn Marwan, through the agency of Gregory 3 , bishop
of Al-Kais 4 . The monastery is called the monastery of Abu Karkar ;
the last word being derived from the name of Gregorios.
Occupied the see from a. d. 686 to 688; see Renaudot, Hist. Pair.
pp. 177-9. Al-Makin gives the name of the patriarch as Isak (dl~^) in Coptic,
transcribing the word IC^.^.K ; see Ta'rikh al-Muslimin, ad ann. 66. The
foundation of a church by the patriarch Isaac at Hulwan, during the residence there
of- 'Abd al-'Aziz, is mentioned in the Coptic life of this patriarch; see Amelineau,
Hist, dupatr. Isaac, p. 78. The Patriarchal History also says:
iLJ>U jA Ss (jOj PJ*'l J^c j**^ (Jl i^+t- u <**t?^ ^ <3 O^ ul>^ - **^ J - ^J
dJLijJ.1 jjljls: 5 - Il\~wo s-~iJ Jo-U JS ,^~>o u I jyv\ J^j J^xJl
' And [Isaac] built a church at Hulwan because he was visiting the emir
'Abd al-'Azfz at that place. Now the emir had commanded the chief men
of Upper Egypt and all the provinces to build each one a house for himself at the
city of Hulwan.' (Brit. Mus. MS. Or. 26,100, p. 126, 11. 22-4.)
2 Occupied the see from a. d. 68 8-700 (?); see Renaudot, Hist. Pair. pp. 179-189.
3 This bishop is mentioned as the chief bishop present at the election of John,
who was set aside by 'Abd al-'Aziz in favour of the patriarch Isaac ; see Brit. Mus.
MS. Or. 26,100, p. 125, 1. 27 p. 126, 1. 1. The building of the church in
question and of other churches was entrusted to the superintendence of the
bishop Gregory by 'Abd al-'Aziz.
AiJL.jll LjI'j ,jUk (i ,^.ix-*->. U^-o ,j\ t fl.yj5 (J! aasL.^1 (jlkl rr^ M ij^ J^J
' After three years 'Abd al-'Aziz dismissed the bishops to their sees that they
might find means for building two churches at Hulwan ; and the bishops spent
money from their own revenues upon the building ; and the governor entrusted
the superintendence of the building to Gregory, bishop of Al-Kais.' {Ibid. p. 135,
11. 4-6.)
4 The Coptic K<LIC Now in the district of Bant Mazar in the province
of Minyah, with a population in 1885 of 3,160. In Yakut's time it was in ruins.
CHURCH AND MONASTERY AT DAHSHUR. 157
There is a second monastery, which was restored in the same way.
'Abd al-'Aziz ibn Marwan decreed that a church should be founded for
the patriarch Jonas 1 and the bishops ; and so this church was founded
by the Christian chamberlains of 'Abd al- c Aziz ibn Marwan, in the
name of the glorious martyr Saint George. This church was small,
and was called the church of the Chamberlains 3 . These Christian
chamberlains were Melkites.
Church and Monastery at Dahshur.
The church of Moses, who spoke with God. This is a large
and spacious church on the bank of the blessed Nile, near Hulwan 3
and Munyat as-Sudan. (Now the Pharaoh of Moses was Al-Walid 4
ibn Mus'ab.)
There is a monastery adjacent to this last-named church. This Fol. 53 b
is a large building, skilfully planned and constructed, and it contains
a large number of monks and devout old men. A festival is kept
in this monastery, on the 17th of Tubah, every year, in memory of the
two saints, so celebrated for their monastic life, Maximus and Domitius,
his brother, the sons of the emperor Valentinian 5 , and superiors
See Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome) [pp. 47 and 113]; Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. no;
Amelineau, Geogr. pp. 395-397.
1 Or John; he occupied the see from a. d. 677 to 686 (?), and was the
predecessor of Isaac, and the fortieth of the Coptic patriarchs. See Renaudot,
Hist. Patr. pp. 174-177.
2 There would seem to be some confusion between this church and that
mentioned on fol. 52 a. Both accounts, however, are based on Eutychius, who
speaks of the church built by the chamberlains of 'Abd al-'Aziz at Hulwan in
Annates (ed. Pococke), ii. p. 369, and calls it c ^l/ll a~.u3 as here.
8 We are told a few lines further down that it was at Dahshur, which is
on the western bank, opposite Hulwan.
4 The father of Ar-Rayyan according to most of the Arab historians; see
above, fol. 18 b.
The form of the name is corrupt. The two saints are commemorated on
Tubah i7=Jan. 20. They are said to have been the sons of the emperor
158 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
of the monastery of Our Lady, named after Baramus 1 , in the desert
of Saint Macarius or Wadi Habib.
It was the custom among Christian pilgrims to make a pilgrimage
to these two saints three times in the year: namely, at the Feast of
the Cross, on the 17th of Tut; at the Feast of the Bathing 2 , on the
nth of Tubah ; and on the Monday of Easter; and the people mani-
fested great joy on account of these saints, and held spiritual communion
[with them].
The revenues of this monastery and this church, which are in the
district called Dahshur 3 , in the province of Al-Jiziyah, were composed
partly of an income of money and produce, together with the
endowments and votive offerings and other receipts. But this state
of things was afterwards changed, and disappeared through the dis-
appearance of the good people ; and this church became a mosque, and
was called the mosque of Moses ; and the monastery was entirely
inundated by the river.
Church of the Virgin.
Fol. 54 a There is a church named after Mary, the Pure Virgin. It was
restored in the patriarchate of Anba Isaac, the forty-first in the
succession, by Gregory, bishop of Al-Kais. The bricks and timber
of this church were taken away, at the time of the victory of the emir
Valentinian I, and to have been devoted to pious exercises from their youth. After
a pilgrimage to Nicaea, the scene of the Council, they determined to become
monks, and finally they became disciples of St. Macarius in the desert of Scete.
See Synaxarium ad diem. In the Bib. Nat. of Paris there is an Arabic life of the
two saints.
1 This famous monastery is still standing,
2 The Epiphany; see fol. 41a.
3 On the western bank ; now in the district of Jarzah, in the province of
Al-Jizah, and in 1885 had a population of 1,987. It is celebrated on account
of its pyramids. It stands opposite to Hulwan, but further to the south. See
Yakut, Geogr. Wort. ii. p. irr ; Rec. de ttigyplc, ii. p. 93.
MONASTER! 7 OF SAINT ANTHONY NEAR THE RED SEA. 159
Husain ibn al-Hafiz and of the quarrel between the Raihaniyah and
the Juyushiyah 1 , when many on both sides were killed. With the
materials thus seized, the mosque called ' Mosque of the Hyena,' at
Itfih, was restored, in the lunar year 528 (a. D. 1134). The result was
that this church was entirely ruined and fell to the ground.
Monastery of Saint Anthony near the Red Sea.
Itfih received its name from one of the sons of Malik, son of
Tadras, one of the sons of Mizraim ; for most of the large towns are
called after the names of their sons. [Itfih] travelled towards the west,
until he reached the [Sea of] Darkness' 2 , and beheld many wonders.
The monastery named after Saint Anthony 3 . This stands to the
east of Itfih, and to the south of Misr, and from it to the river Nile there
1 These two sections of the Egyptian army quarrelled and fought in the reign
of Al-Hafiz, and his son Husain had much trouble in quelling the riots. See the
account in Al-Makrizi, Khitat, ii. p. 1 v ff.
2 The Atlantic Ocean, called by the Arabs Az-Zidmah or Bahr az-Zulumdt,
was thought by them to be the western portion of the circumambient ocean. In
these dark regions, curiously enough, is placed the Fountain of Life, of which
Al-Khidr drank and so lives on to the Day of Judgment. (A. J. B.)
3 Abu Salih now passes from the Nile valley eastward through the desert to
the celebrated monastery of St. Anthony, which lies in the mountains towards
the Red Sea coast, to the south-east of Cairo, and nearly in lat. 29 N. In Coptic
Churches, i. p. 342 ff., may be found some remarks on this and the neighbouring
monastery of St. Paul. A woodcut of Dair Antdniyus is given in Sharpe's Hist,
of Egypt, ii. p. 350. St. Jerome in his Life of Hilarion gives a brief description
of the place, mentioning the gardens with their springs of running water, and the
chapel of St. Anthony on the height. For the visit of the P&re Sicard, see
tome v. pp. 125-200 of Nouveaux Me'?)i. des Missions du Levant, Paris, 1725,
where there is an interesting plan of Dair Antdniyds and Dair Biilus, as well as
a map of Egypt. Still earlier is the visit in the seventeenth century of Jean
Coppin, a French officer, who published his travels in a work called Bouclier
de V Europe, Paris, 1686, 4to, where there is an account of these monasteries on
p. 305 ff. Pococke (vol. i. p. 128), besides some brief notes on the two monasteries,
160 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
is a distance of three days' journey through the desert of Al-Kulzum.
The pure body [of Saint Anthony] lies at this monastery, buried in his
cave 1 , in which he used to pray ; [the body] is walled up within. His
church, named after him, stands upon the summit of the holy mountain.
Fol. 54 b This monastery possesses many endowments and possessions at Misr.
It is surrounded by a fortified wall. It contains many monks. Within
the wall there is a large garden 2 , containing fruitful palm-trees and
apple-trees and pear-trees, and pomegranates and other trees ; besides
beds of vegetables, and three springs of perpetually-flowing water, with
which the garden is irrigated and of which the monks drink. One
feddan and a sixth in the garden form a vineyard, which supplies all
that is needed ; and it is said that the number of the palms which the
garden contains amounts to a thousand trees ; and there stands in it
a large and well-built keep. The cells of the monks overlook this
garden. The monastery possesses property and gardens also in Itfih.
There is nothing like it among the other monasteries inhabited by
Egyptian monks. It is in the possession of Jacobite monks.
It was in the Egyptian desert that Anba Andunah, the Egyptian,
appeared. He was also named Antonios, the Star of the Desert and
Father of Monks 3 . He was the first monk who lived in the desert ; and
gives a rude plan which he says was taken from a ' MS. map of the country about
them.' Quatremere has some remarks on the monasteries in Mem. i. p. 153 ff.
In recent times, the late Mr. Greville Chester visited Dair Anldniyus, and published
a short account of it in pamphlet form. Mr. Headlam, of All Souls College,
went to the monastery of St. Anthony and thence, like Coppin, on foot across the
mountains to that of St. Paul. (A. J. B.)
1 The cave of St. Anthony lies high above the monastery on the steep side
of the mountain. From it there opens a magnificent view of the Red Sea and
Mount Sinai. (A. J. B.)
2 The gardens are still celebrated for their fertility. They are watered by
springs from the mountain, of a slightly brackish kind, and not by wells as are the
gardens of the Nitrian desert. See St. Jerome, quoted above. (A. J. B.)
3 For an account of Anthony and of monasticism in Egypt see Gibbon's well-
known chap. 37; Sozomen's Eccl. Hist. i. 13, where it is stated that Anthony
MONA ST FRY OF SA INT A NT HO NY NEA R THE RED SEA .161
monks gathered together to him. He began the building of monas-
teries and the assembling of monks in them. This holy monastery
[which has been described] was built in the reign of the emperor Julian
the apostate, son of the sister of Constantine the believer, and in the Fol. 55 a
reign of Sapor, son of Artaxerxes, son of Babek, the Sassanian.
This great saint, Anthony, was the first monk who clothed him-
self in wool, and exhibited the monastic habit, and left the world and
dwelt in the deserts. The angel of the Lord also appeared to him,
and showed him how to wear the monkish habit 1 , and taught him how
he must act in dwelling in the desert, that he might be an example
to other monks, who should imitate him and live according to his
pure life.
That emperor of whom we have spoken, I mean Julian, was slain
by the martyr Mercurius 2 , as it is related by Basil 3 , bishop of Caesarea,
who saw the similitude of blood on the point of his lance 4 . According
to the history of Sa c id ibn Batrik 5 , who was patriarch of the Melkites,
was born at Ko/uS or K6fia near Heraclea, and where his life is given ; Bibl. Magna
Pa/rum, torn. ix. p. 729 ; Athanasius, Op. torn. ii. p. 450 ff. ; Rosweyde's Vitae
Pat rum, s.v.; Sharpe's Hist, of Egypt, ii. p. 274, &c. (A. J. B.)
1 Hence called the Angelic Habit; see Coptic Churches, i. p. 347 and p. 334.
(A. J. B.)
2 This story is related in the legend of St. Mercurius given in Coptic Churches,
PP- 357-36o. (A. J. B.)
3 The story is not to be found in the works of St. Basil now extant in Greek.
* Eutychius relates, on the authority of St. Basil, that the latter was sitting in
his room, with a picture of St. Mercurius before him, when it suddenly disap-
peared from the panel on which it was painted ; but that it reappeared an hour
later with blood on the point of the lance, much to the astonishment of St. Basil,
until he heard that at that very hour Julian had been mysteriously slain. (A. J. B.)
6 I. e. Eutychius; see the story in his Annates (ed. Pococke), i. p. 485, whence
Abu Salih has borrowed it. Artaxerxes is, of course, inaccurately put for his
descendant Sapor, mentioned a few lines above. Artaxerxes was the founder of
the Sassanian dynasty of Persia, and reigned from a.d. 226 to 241. Sapor II
reigned from a.d. 310 to 380. The death of Julian was in a.d. 363, whereas
the year of Alexander (i. e. of the Seleucian era) 580 would be 267. (A. J. B.)
y [ii. 7-]
1 62 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
this happened in the reign of Artaxerxes, in the year 580 of Alexander,
or, according to another copy, in the year 554 of Alexander. The
history of Mahbub al-Manbaji, son of Constantine, relates the same
incident.
With [Anthony] also was Paul 1 the monk; and these two were
the first who clothed themselves in woollen garments, and dwelt in
Fol. 55 b the deserts. This was in the patriarchate of Dionysius 2 , the fourteenth
in the succession. In the time [of Anthony] also lived Athanasius 3 , the
scribe, patriarch of Alexandria, and Saint Pachomius 4 , the Egyptian
monk, and Basil, bishop of Caesarea.
In this district [of Itfih] 5 there are seven churches, of which six
1 The name is corruptly written ; it probably passed through the stages
^ji, l/^JJ) u^-M* lH'" 30 .' u^Ss*., which are intelligible enough if we suppose that
they were the result partly of careless dictation, partly of careless writing from
dictation, and partly of careless copying.
Sozomen (vi. 29 and i. 13) mentions two Pauls, viz. (1) a saint who lived
at Pherme, a mountain in Scete or the Nitrian desert. There were 500 monks
with him. He prayed 300 times a day, and had a bag of pebbles by which
to count his orisons a sort of rosary. (2) Paul, called the Simple, who was
a disciple of Anthony and who gave his name to the monastery of St. Paul or
Dair Bulus, as it is now called, a day's journey to the south of Dair Antilniyus.
Abu Salih's account of Dair Bulus a very scanty one is given a few pages
below. (A. J. B.)
2 Occupied the see from a. d. 248 (?) to twelfth year of Gallienus, i.e. 264-5.
See Renaudot, Hist. Patr. pp. 32-39. St. Anthony lived from a. d. 251 to 356.
3 Athanasius was a friend of St. Anthony. His life and writings are too well
known to need special reference. (A. J. B.)
4 A celebrated monk of Tabennesi, called the Father of the Coenobites, because
he first gathered the monks together into monasteries. His ' Fifty Rules for the
Monastic Life' are given in Migne's Paires Aegyptii, p. 948; and Palladius gives
his history. See Acta SS. for May 14, Rosweyde, Tillemont, and the Coptic
life by his disciple Theodore, published in 1889 by M. Amelineau. Pachomius
seems to have been born about a. d. 280, and to have died in a. d. 348 or 349.
His festival is kept by the Copts on Bashans 14 = May 9. (A. J. B.)
5 As the road to the monastery of St. Anthony started from Itfih or near it,
THE HERETIC BALUTUS. 163
belong to the Copts and one to the Armenians ; this last is named after
the martyr Saint George.
Monastery of Al-Jummaizah.
The monastery called the monastery of Al-Jummaizah 1 stands
upon the bank of the blessed Nile. Adjacent to it there is a keep,
and a garden, and a mill, and a wine-press. It stands near Dahrut 2 ,
and contained, up to our own time, thirty monks.
The Heretic Balutus.
In the [aforesaid] monastery of Anba Andunah, or Antonios, there
was a monk named Balutus, learned in the doctrines of the Christian
religion and the duties of the monastic life, and skilled in the rules
of the canon-law. But Satan caught him in one of his nets ; for he
began to hold opinions at variance with those taught by the Three
Hundred and Eighteen [of Nicaea] ; and he corrupted the minds of
many of those who had no knowledge or instruction in the orthodox
faith. He announced with his impure mouth, in his wicked discourses,
that Christ our Lord to Whom be glory was like one of the prophets.
He associated with the lowest among the followers of his religion, Fol. 56 a
our author speaks as if the monastery was in close connexion with the town ; see
above, fol. 10 a.
1 There are two places of this name : Al-Jummaizah the Great (Al-Kubra)
and Al-Jummaizah the Little (As-Sughra), both near Itfih. This monastery-
is mentioned by Al-Makrizi (Khrtat, ii. p. o.r), who says it was also called
Al-Jud, and was dedicated to St. Anthony. Perhaps it is identical with the
monastery of St. Anthony near the Nile, a little to the south of Itfih and there-
fore not far from Al-Jummaizah; from this monastery provisions were sent to
the great monastery of St. Anthony near the Red Sea.
2 A town about twenty miles below Al-Kais, on the west bank, and not far
from Al-Bahnasa ; see Yakut, Geogr. Wort. ii. p. nrr ; Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome) [p. 113].
It does not seem to be in existence now. As the place is at some distance from
Al-Jummaizah, and on the opposite bank of the river, perhaps our author or his
abbreviator has here confused two monasteries.
y 2
1 64 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
clothed as he was in the monastic habit, girded with the ziiniyah and
the askim 1 . When he was questioned as to his religion and his creed,
he professed himself a believer in the Unity of God 2 . His doctrines
prevailed during a period which ended in the year 839 of the Righteous
Martyrs (a.D. 1123) ; then he died, and his memory was cut off for ever.
CJiurches at Al- Bar nil and Saul.
In the district of Al-Barnil 3 there is a church of the Lady, the
Pure Virgin Mary. Beside it there is another named after the saint
Abu '1-Arah 4 .
1 I have already explained that by the askim is meant properly the o^/ua
dyytXiKov or angelic habit, but it sometimes denotes merely the leathern girdle,
as Al-Makrizi says :
' The askim, which is a leathern belt with a cross upon it, and with which the
monks gird themselves.' [Khitat, ii. p. o.a .)
The wearer of this girdle has, nowadays, for the time being to double his
offices and make 600 daily prostrations. The order made by St. Pachomius for
the monkish habit enjoined the use of a sleeveless cassock x l v dx ei P aTOS >
a hood crKiraafia or kovkov\iov, a girdle a>vr) the ziiniyah of the text, and the
dvajUdXfvs, which is defined as rovs coyiovs ko.1 tovs ^pa^iovas dve'xoov, and seems to
have been a sort of scarf worn across the shoulders (Sozomen, iii. c. 14). But
the Pere Sicard seems to identify the angelic habit with this dva^o^vi. He says
that the habit is a sort of ' pallium ou scapulaire ' of leather, called the askim ;
that it falls from the shoulders over the back and chest and has four ends worked
with crosses, and that these ends are disposed crosswise over the body in various
fashions. (JNouv. Mem. des Missions dans le Levant, v. p. 150.) (A. J. B.)
2 Or ' a Unitarian.' (A. J. B.)
s Yakut sets this place on the eastern bank of the Nile, but says no more
about it. It does not seem to be in existence now, but was presumably between
Itfih and Saul. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort, ad voc.
4 I can only conjecture that this saint is the martyred priest of Shatnuf, Aba
Ari ((j.\ \i\), commemorated in the Synaxarium on Misri 9 = Aug. 2. See
Hyvernat, Actes des MM. de I'Egypte, p. 202 ff. Cf. Am&ineau, Actes des MM.
copies, p. 151.
CHUR CHES AT II FIH. 1 65
In the district of Saul 1 there is a church named after the Lady, the
Pure Virgin Mary.
There is also a church named after the glorious and valiant martyr
Theodore, the Eastern 2 .
There is also a church to the glorious Saint John 3 .
Churches at Itfih.
Moreover in the district of Itfih, in the city and outside it, there
were more than twenty churches ; but only ten of them remain to the
present time. One of these is a church in the district of Balujah 4 ,
named after the Disciples, and enclosed within a fortified wall ; it has
a garden, and a water-wheel attached to a well of fresh running water.
[In this district is] the church of Saint Mercurius ; and a church of
the Lady, which belongs to the monks ; and a church named after
the valiant martyr Theodore ; and a church named after Saint Cosmas ;
and a church named after the Lady, the Pure Virgin ; and a church
named after the saint Aba Jul 5 ; and a church of the martyr Saint
1 On the east bank, to the south of Itfih ; the place is now included in the
district of Itfih (Atfih), in the province of Al-Jiziyah, and in 1885 had a population
of 3,184. See Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome) [p. 48]; Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iii. p. fro ;
Rec. de V Egypte, ii. p. 296.
2 This saint, whose festival is kept on Tubah 12= Jan. 4, is very popular
among the Copts. Amdlineau, Actes des MM. p. 179 ff . ; Synaxarium, ad diem.
He fought in the Roman army against the Persians together with St. Theodore of
Shutb, with whom he is probably confused, and was martyred under Licinius.
s It is impossible to say to which St. John this church was dedicated, since
there are several saints of that name. One of them is ' St. John of the Golden
Gospel' (^aJJI J~?^ u-ao.L), commemorated on Abib i6=July 10, who had
the gospels written out for him in golden letters. (A. J. B.)
4 There is some difficulty about this town, which Al-Makrizi places close to
Daljah, i. e. on the west bank, to the west of Mallawi and Ushmunain (Khitat, ii.
p. 0.0), whereas our author seems to set it on the east bank, near Itfih.
5 Aba Jul is without doubt a corrupt form of Aba Bajul, the Coptic .n<L
1 66 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Fol. 56 b Mennas, called the ' Church of the Column,' over which is a sheet
of metal, and to which many votive offerings are brought. The
Melkites have a sanctuary in this last-named church, in which they
celebrate the liturgy. There is also another church named after the
martyr Saint Mennas, near the ancient temple 1 .
There is another monastery in the desert, called the monastery of
the Mule 2 , containing many monks.
Monastery of Saint Paul near the Red Sea.
Within the desert is the monastery of Saint Paul 3 . It stands
on the bank of the Salt Sea 4 , and between it and the monastery of
Al-Jummaizah there is a journey of two days through the desert.
Monks in priest's orders and deacons come from the monastery of the
great Saint Anthony to the monastery [of Saint Paul] to celebrate
ITXCJoX or rKTtbX, the name of a celebrated hermit, the first teacher or
religious superior of St. Sinuthius. See Zoega, Cat. p. 375; Amelineau, Mem.
pour servir a Vhist. de Vltglise chre't. au 4 et 5 siecles, p. 5.
1 The notice of an ancient temple, such as is denoted by the term birba,
existing in the twelfth century near Itfih, as Abu Salih apparently implies, is
interesting, and may be of use to explorers. It is said that there are no ancient
remains there now. (A. J. B.)
2 According to Al-Makrizi (Khitat, ii. p. e.i) this was another name for the
monastery of Al-Kusair, in connexion with which our author has already told
the story of the mule ; see fol. 50 a.
3 This is the famous monastery of St. Paul (Dair Btilus), of which I have
spoken above, near the Red Sea and almost a day's journey beyond St. Anthony.
St. Jerome, in the Life of Hilarion, quotes St. Anthony's disciples, Amathas
and Macarius, as stating that Paul the Theban was the real author of monasticism
' principem ejus rei fuisse non nominis ' if the reading is right ; and St. Jerome
professes his own agreement with that opinion ; although St. Anthony is generally
called, as by Abu Salih, the ' father of monks.' (A. J. B.)
* The sea is called JUil^s.-*' in distinction from js** 1 without an epithet,
which might mean simply a river or canal, and in Egypt generally means ' the
Nile.'
AL-FARAMA. 167
the liturgy in it by turns. It stands in the Wadi 'l-'Arabah 1 , near
the pool of Miriam ; and it is near Mount Sinai, but divided from it
by the passage over the Salt Sea.
Al-Arish.
The region of Al-'Arish. In this region there are two large
churches, which have stood here from ancient times, and are now in
ruins, but their walls remain up to our own time ; and the wall of the
city 2 , which ran along the side of the Salt Sea. is still existing.
It is said that of all the marble and columns which are to be found
at Misr, the greater part and the largest specimens came from Al-'Arish.
Al-Faramd.
The city of Al-Farama. This city was built by Pharaoh 3 , on
the river Nile, in the twenty-eighth year after the birth of Moses
1 The Wadi 'l-'Arabah is a valley running from west to east between the Nile
and the Red Sea. The ' pool of Miriam ' is a name given by our author to
a spring which bursts out of the rock behind the monastery of St. Anthony and
supplies it with water, and in which Miriam, the sister of Moses, is said to have
bathed at the time of the Exodus (Makrizi, Khitat, ii. p. . r ; cf. Murray's Guide,
p. 324).
2 It is interesting to know that remains of the ancient Rhinocolura existed in
the time of Abu Salih. The columns at Misr would be mostly those used in the
construction of the Christian churches and of the> mosques. These columns were
taken from classical buildings, and were not cut or designed during the middle
ages. The use of columns for building is illustrated by the well-known story
of Ibn Tulun and the Christian architect who built his mosque ; see Al-Makrizi,
Khitat, ii. p. 1*10 ff., and S. Lane-Poole's Art 0/ the Saracens in Egypt, p. 54.
(A. J. B.)
3 Champollion justly points out that the towns denoted by the modern Arabic
names are not as a rule on the actual site of the ancient towns which they repre-
sent, and argues that Al-Farama was rebuilt by the Arabs nearer to the sea than the
ancient Pelusium, which is said by Strabo to have been 2,040 yards from the sea,
i68 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
the prophet ; and its name was taken from Faramunus 1 . It was
exceedingly wonderful, and one of the most ancient of foundations of
which there is a record. It is said that there was a way from this
Fol 57 a Cli y to t ^ e island of Cyprus on dry land, but the sea covered it. The
sea also covered the quarry of black and white marble of Gaza, and
the quarry of white marble which was in Libya 2 . There were at Al-
Farama many churches and monasteries, which were wrecked by the
Persians 3 and the Arabs ; but it is said .that the wall of the city remains
to the present day.
The book of Fadail Misr* relates that there was in the city of
Tinnis a governor called Ibn al-Mudabbar, who sent men to Al-Farama,
to pull down the stonework of the gateways on the eastern side of that
city. But when those who were sent to extract the stones arrived, the
people of Al-Farama went out armed to meet them, and forbad them to
extract the stones, saying : ' These gates are ancient and have never
been injured by any king or any other man ; how then can we allow
you to extract the stones from them, and take them away to another
country? It was through these gates also that Jacob, the father of
and is put by Champollion at 3,000 yards. Abti Salili states above that the Arab
town was on the sea (fol. 19b); Al-Maki izi is evidently wrong in placing it at the
distance of a day's journey. Al-Farama was occupied by 'Amr on his way to the
conquest of Egypt. Subsequently it was refortified by the caliph Al-Mutawakkil
about a. d. 853; and about 11 17, as Abu Salih records, it was taken by Baldwin,
king of Jerusalem, who, being unable to hold it, laid it in ruins and retired. See
Hamaker, Incerti auctoris Expugnatio Memphidis, pp. 16, 17; Champollion,
L'lZgypte sous les Pharaons, ii. pp. 82-87 > Quatremere, Mem. i. p. 259. (A.J. B.)
1 This is evidently a transcription of the Coptic Pheremoun or Baramoun.
Both the Coptic name and the Greek n^Xoi'o-to^, as well as the modern Arabic
designation At-Tih, have the connotation of ' mud.' (A. J. B.)
2 This account of Al-Farama is borrowed from Al-Kindi; see Al-Makrizi,
Khitat, i. p. mi.
3 During the invasion of Chosroes; see Patriarchal History, Brit. Mus. MS.
Or. 12,000, p. 101.
* By Al-Kindi. Cf. Al-Makrizi (Khitat, i. p. r 1 r), who quotes Ibn Kudaid.
ISHMAEL. 169
the tribes, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham the Friend [of God]
upon them be peace! made his entry 1 ; and if perchance one of the
kings who believe in God shall undertake to restore the gates, then
their stones shall be found safe and in their places.' So the men went
away and did not displace a single stone.
Ishmael.
It was Utis 2 , the son of Khartaba, who gave to Sarah, the
wife of Abraham the Friend [of God], her handmaid Hagar, in the
thirty-fifth year of the life of Abraham ; or, according to another
copy, in the eighty-fifth ; and the latter is the true date. By Hagar,
Abraham became the father of Ishmael, who was called his son by Fol. 57 b
Hagar ; and the Arabs call Ishmael their ancestor, because he took
a wife from among them ; and they are called Ishmaelites, because
Ishmael was their father, and because Ishmael grew up among the
Arabs and spoke the Arabic language. Ishmael lived one hundred
and thirty-nine years 3 . He had, by his Arab wives, twelve sons 4 , who
1 The allusion is, although somewhat incorrectly made, to the Koran, Stir ah
Filsiif, ver. 67, where Jacob says to his sons when they are about to journey
to Egypt :
.a*? ~i 10-1 o 1 ' 1 .' 1 1 ' \~ 1 ' ' 1 / " VT - 1 "
' My sons, do not enter by a single gate, but enter by different gates/ Cf.
Al-Makrizi, Khitdt, i. p. rir. Cf. the Midrash Rabbah on Gen., Par. 91 (quoted
by Geiger, Was hat Mohammed aus dem Judenlhume aufgeno??ime?i ? p. 148) :
nnx nnsa oa^a iD:an ba apir or6 nos
' Jacob said to them : Do not all of you assemble at one gate.'
2 We have here another of our author's digressions. TJtis is the ancient king
of Egypt who is named Aftutis on fol. 22 b; see note there.
3 The Hebrew text and the LXX have 137 years.
4 See Gen. xxv. 13-15. The Arab writers naturally give somewhat corrupt
forms of their names ; see e.g. Ibn Ishak quoted by Ibn Hisham, Sirah Muhammad^
p. P .
z [IT. ?]
170 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
were great giants among the Arabs ; and they were the [heads of]
tribes. And Nabish 1 was one of the sons of Ishmael. Now he, I mean
Utis, dwelt at Al-Farama. His name is also said to have been Saduk.
He built many cities, and called them by the names of his sons : such
as Tinnis and Damietta and Nubah 2 and Dakahlah 3 ; and he rebuilt
Samannud. It is said that Pharaoh built Al-Farama, which was a lake
of water ; and a thousand boats were sunk in it, and the sea over-
whelmed a thousand men, and therefore it was called Alfa ramd^.
Cleopatra, queen of Alexandria, built the wall of A/-HujY/s 5 , on the
eastern side of the country, from Nubia to Al-Farama, and on the
western side from Nubia to Alexandria, to fortify herself against
Augustus Caesar, emperor of the Romans, who captured Jerusalem,
and carried the Jews away thence to Rome.
Invasion of Egypt by Baldwin I.
Sirbaduwil G , king of the Franks in Syria, came to Al-Farama in
1 This is the form given by Ibn IsMk ; the Hebrew is Naphish (G^SJ) ; see
Gen. xxv. 15.
2 Nubah or ' the Nubians' is the name of a tribe, not of a town.
3 The Coptic TKGP^Xl. It is the town which gives its name to the province
of Ad-Dakahliyah in the Delta. It stands between Damietta and Damirah, on the
east bank of the Damietta branch, in the district of Faraskur, and in 1885 had
1,197 inhabitants, having much sunk from its former importance. See Yakut,
Geogr. Wort. ii. p. oa i ; Amelineau, Geogr. p. 509 f.
4 'It cast a thousand;' the etymology reminds us of Virgil's derivation of
Latium, ' his quoniam latuisset in oris.' (A. J. B.)
5 The Ha it al-Hujilz or 'barrier-wall,' generally called Ha it al-Ajuz or
fisr al-'Ajuz, 'wall' or 'dyke of the old woman,' has already been mentioned
on fol. 19 b. It was generally said to have been built in remote antiquity by
a queen called Dalukah; and our author's statement that Cleopatra built it to
fortify herself against Augustus, is probably borrowed from Eutychius; see
Annates, i. p. 301.
6 I. e. Siear Baudouin or Baldwin I, king of Jerusalem from a. n. 1 100 to 1 1 1 8.
AL-KULZUM.
f/i
the caliphate of Al-Amir and the vizierate of Shahanshah al-Afdal, in
the fifteenth year of the patriarchate of Anba. Macarius 1 , the sixty- Fol. 58 a
ninth in the succession. This king of the Franks came with his troops
and his army, and plundered the city, and burnt it. He made up his
mind to march as far as Misr, in order to take possession of that city ;
but he fell sick at Al-Farama on the third day after his arrival, and,
as his sickness increased, he commanded his followers to carry him
back to Syria. They did as he commanded them, and when he came
near to Al-'Arish he died ; and so they embalmed him, and carried him
back to Jerusalem, where he was buried.
Al-Kulzum.
Al-Kulzum 2 was the fortress of the king, on the frontier bordering
upon the Hedjaz, and he named it after the cord of the weaver's
stand, which holds the garment, and which is called kulzum 3 . Here is
the church of Athanasius 4 . There is a monastery in the district of
Ranah, founded by the emperor Justinian. At Al-Kulzum was the end
of the canal from Cairo. Here, between the two seas, namely the Syrian
Sea and the Sea of the Hedjaz, is the barrier or isthmus, which is the
narrowest piece of dry land on the surface of the earth ; and it is the land
lying between Al-Farama and Al-Kulzum, a distance of one day and one
night's journey. A certain prince 5 undertook to dig a canal between
1 Occupied the see from November a. d. 1103 to 1129 ; see Renaudot, His/.
Pair. pp. 483-500. His fifteenth year therefore corresponds with a. d. 1118, the
year of Baldwin's invasion of Egypt and of his death.
2 See above, fol. 1 9 b.
3 I. e., as Professor Margoliouth suggests, the Greek kKuxj^m.
4 Anba Siyus is incorrectly written for Atanasiyus or Athanasius. His death
is commemorated on Misn 29 (Aug. 22). See Synaxarium at that day. Eutychius
names the church of St. Athanasius at Al-Kulzum, and states that it was built by
order of the emperor Justinian ; see Annates, ii. p. 163.
5 It might be thought that this refers to the canal of Pharaoh Necho, who is
said to have been warned by an oracle that his enterprise would only help the
z 2
ijz CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
these two places, in order that the two seas might be connected, the
one with the other ; but he feared that the Romans might attack
the shores of the Hedjaz with their ships.
Al-Farama is surrounded by a fortified wall of stone without gates,
which is in a state of ruin.
It is said that it was in the sea of Al-Kulzum, which is the
Red Sea, opposite to the monastery of Anthony, that God drowned
Pharaoh and his host, and led the prophet Moses and the children of
Pol. 58 b Israel over on dry land by twelve paths ; and some of them remain
to this day, and witnesses to them are not wanting 1 ; and this sea is
the Bahr Siif 2 .
The history of Sa'id ibn Batrik, the Melkite, relates 3 that the
dearth was raging at Medina, near Mecca, and the people of Medina, of
the Hanifite religion, were in great distress ; so "Umar ibn al-Khattab,
in the eighth year of his caliphate, wrote from the Hedjaz to 'Amr ibn
al-'Asi ibn 'Adi, emir of Egypt, to inform him of this. Then 'Amr
ibn al-'Asi sent to 'Umar a caravan of camels loaded with corn, for
which the point of arrival was Medina, and the point of departure Misr.
Then 'Umar wrote to 'Amr commanding him to dig a canal to Al-
Kulzum, that thus the transport of the corn might be facilitated. So
'Amr dug the canal, which passes through Al-Kantarah, and is called
the canal of the Prince of the Faithful ; and thus boats brought wheat
and barley from Al-Fustat along the canal to Al-Kulzum, whence they
barbarians, i. e. Phoenicians. But all ambiguity is removed by a passage in Al-
Mas'fidi (quoted by Quatremere, Mem. i. p. 175), who states that the caliph Harun
ar-Rashid contemplated making a canal across the isthmus, but was deterred by
the representation that the Greeks would take advantage of it to gain command of
the Gulf of Suez and attack the pilgrim ships on their way towards the holy places
of Arabia. (A. J. B.)
1 It would seem that these two clauses refer to the army of Pharaoh, some
relics of which are said to have remained.
2 I.e. the Hebrew ^ID"^.
3 See Eutychius, Annates, ii. p. 321. This canal of Cairo, or Khalij A?)iir
al-Muminin, has already been spoken of on fol. 24.
CHURCHES IN THE PROVINCE OE AL-JIZAH. 173
were carried over the Salt Sea to Medina, which is the city of Afram,
belonging to the diocese of Al-Kulzum, and the children of Israel built
it for Pharaoh at that time.
It is said that the canal 1 of Cairo starts from the dam near [the
island of] Raudah at Misr, and finishes at As-Sadir, in the province
of Ash-Sharkiyah, where there is a bridge, and where the wheat is
transferred from the bank to the dealer who travels to Mecca and
the Hedjaz.
C Jmrclics in the Province of Al-Jizah.
The western bank [of the Nile]. The province of Al-Jiziyah 2 . Pol. 59 a
The fortress of Al-Jizah was built by 'Amr ibn al-'Asi, in the year
22 of the Hegira (a. d. 43), and was completed for the Hamdan 3 . This
last is [the name of] an Arab tribe who settled there at the time of the
conquest of Alexandria.
1 The present canal or hhalij was doubtless the old Amnis Trajanus, and
it starts from the Nile, as described, at the Finn al-Khalij, near the island of
Raudah. Yakut (Geogr. Wort. iii. p. oi) speaks of As-Sadir as a marshy district
on the eastern boundary of Egypt, being the first place arrived at by one coming
to that country from Syria ; and he adds that he had visited the place himself. Abu
Sal ih means, I suppose, that the canal at the time of his writing, in the twelfth
century, was still available for merchandise as far as As-Sadir, from which point
transport to the east had to be made by camel. The greater part of the canal
was disused as early as the eighth century, when the caliph Al-Mansur is said
to have filled it up. (A. J. B.)
2 Al-Jizah, now pronounced Ghizah, is the name of the town or village on the
west bank of the Nile, opposite Cairo, and it gives its name to the province.
The Coptic name of Al-Jizah was "f"HepCHC or TiepCIOI. (A. J. B.)
3 The caliph 'Umar warned the Muslims not to allow any great river to
intervene between them and their home in Arabia, so that if they had to flee back
to their native country there might be no obstacle in their way ; but in spite of this
the tribe of Hamdan insisted on settling at Al-Jizah on the further side of the Nile,
and 'Amr built a fort for them there. See As-Suyuti, Husn al-Muhddarah, i. p. ai .
174 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
In the western part of Al-Jiziyah are the tombs of the kings 1 or
Pharaohs, in which are their treasures, all traces of which have been
effaced.
In this district [of Al-Jizah] is the church of the martyr Victor, son
of Romanus 2 , on the bank of the river; it was built at the expense of
Abu '1-Khair as-Sairafi, a native of Al-Jizah. A light was seen to
proceed from the picture of the Lady in the apse of this church on
several occasions ; and this thing became celebrated, and was talked
of by many of the faithful who had witnessed it, and by other persons of
authority. The foundations of this church were inundated by the river,
so that it almost fell into ruin ; but it was restored, and its foundations
were strengthened, and an enclosure in the river was built for it,
to give it strength, by the Shaikh c Izz al-Kufat Abu '1-Fakhr ibn
Sulaiman, the scribe, who spent much money upon it. This [shaikh]
was celebrated in his time for his benevolence and his almsgiving.
The Ghuzz and Kurds destroyed part of the aforesaid church ; but
God on this account performed a great wonder, so that they never
attacked it again ; and this was that by the end of the year not one
of those who had attacked the church was living.
Fol. 59 b Adjacent to this church there is a garden. After a time the river
gained upon the building ; and the architects were unable to invent
any remedy, so that the river carried away the eastern side of the
building. Then Fakhr ad-Din, the wall of Misr, known as Ghulam
al-Baniyasi, carried off eighteen pillars, marked with the sign of the
cross 3 ; and he built with them an inn and other houses for himself;
but he was deprived of the governorship of Misr, and was fined soon
after this, and all his property was seized to pay the fine ; and he died
during his imprisonment.
1 The pyramids are, of course, intended. (A. J. B.)
2 The name is corruptly written here, but all other authorities make it
Romanus; see Synaxarium (Paris MS. Arabe 256), which has ^^iUj. ; Zoega,
Cat. p. 239, &c. ; Ame'lineau, Actes des MM. p. 177 if.
s This allusion to consecration crosses cut or painted on the pillars is
interesting. See Coptic Churches, i. p. 188, &c. (A. J. B.)
CHURCHES IN THE PROVINCE OF AL-JIZAH. 175
The house of Fakhr al-Kufat 1 stood by the river ; and he feared lest
the river should destroy it, as it had destroyed the rest ; so he pulled
it down, and carried away all the materials and the timber, and the
timber of the roof of the church which has been described, with its
materials, and rebuilt with them a church which had fallen into ruin,
and which was named after Mark 2 the Evangelist. This building he
made wider and handsomer than the former church ; and it remained
for several years in good order, until the Ghuzz and the mob of Muslims
attacked it and wrecked it ; and after that no one restored it again ; but
its walls are still standing, in a ruined state, and it is deprived of liturgies
and prayers. This destruction took place at the promotion of Anba
John, son of Abu Ghalib, the seventy-fourth patriarch.
There is a church of Saint Peter at Al-Jizah, on the bank of the
Nile, the foundations of which are in the river. It was in this church Fol. 60 a
that the Christians assembled, at a time when the Nile was slow in
rising ; and they offered prayers on this account by night and by day,
and fasted for the space of a whole week ; and at the end of the week
God filled up the measure of the waters of the Nile, and they increased
beyond that, after the rising of Arcturus, until they reached a height
of seventeen cubits or more; and the Life of Anba Michael states that
they reached 3 eighteen cubits ; and men ceased to despair of the
1 Izz al-Kufat.
2 Mentioned by Al-Makrizi, and by the Copto- Arabic lists (Amdlineau, Ge'ogr.
pp. 578 and 580).
3 I have inserted these two clauses here instead of lower down, where the
copyist has misplaced them in the text. The history of this rise of the Nile in
answer to the prayers of the Christians is borrowed by our author from the Life of
Michael the forty-sixth patriarch, by John the Deacon, included in the patriarchal
biographies. This writer describes the assembly of bishops at Al-Fustat, according
to the custom which prescribed that all the bishops should meet the patriarch in
synod, twice in the year ; and having stated that the Nile had not risen that year
above fourteen cubits, he adds :
ipSS\ ax?J! jjl UiaOj ijs.- ^W*J J^'^ ULj ^t^< ^ >^<dlj ^AMj blk-ill J*!
176 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
rising of the Nile. Then Narun, the wali of Misr, said : ' How does
God receive the prayers of the Christians!'
At Al-Jizah there is also a church named after the angel Michael,
near to which lies the village of Al-Khaizaraniyah. It was to this
lu Lil iut* ^jlSj i__^LiJl ciKiaJl (*-*jl5 <***lAb u^^^ l# ]y i*^ ts*-* i^d/^ cJ"
<_^JJLU J-*S?VI_j uywJudl j^vJuoU* rJ^J I *:> ^-^^J 8* (j-J^il Jw^S^lj * BJu> I SJLJ
.S^ll ^j* ??*^ (*-^*^ ^-*^ (j* 3 " jU 1 -^ (J- 6 eyWLi dJ'Mi !l ^j^aJlsS ^*j*.Le ( _ r *jt.^JI
i|5j tsr^ /tlbj r^^ s ^**'^ J 1 ?" /*-*~* <J^"J ! ^^ sri "' *^ (J' Lij^ ^ f*^J c^~* ^1?
tS~~- /*^>j *a ' sl-j "-r* 5 ^ Uj;^- _/**^ J"^ ^J ^/^j ^ *^ cr "^J J*lj pl)^
'When the 17th of Tut came, which is the festival of the Glorious Cross, the
clergy of Al-Jizah and of distant places assembled, with most of the lay people of
Al-Fustat, old and young, and walked in procession carrying the Gospels and
censers with incense. Then we entered the great cathedral church of St. Peter,
the foundations of which lie in the river ; but the church could not contain the
people on account of their multitude, so that they stood in the outlying places.
Then the patriarch raised the cross, while Anba Mennas, bishop of Memphis,
stood by him with the holy Gospel, and led us all forth, bearing crosses and
books of the Gospel, until we stood on the banks of the river ; and this was before
sunrise. And the patriarch prayed, and Anba Mennas, the bishop, prayed, and
the laity did not cease crying Kyrie eleison until the third hour of the day ; so that
all the Jews and Muslims and others heard our cries to the most high God.
And he heard us, praise be to his glorious name ; for the river rose and
increased in height by one cubit ; and every man glorified God and gave
thanks to him. And when Narun heard of this matter he was filled with wonder
and fear, both he and all his troops.' (Paris MS. Anc. Fonds Arabe 139, p. 183,
11. 5-i4.)
Cf. Renaudot, Hist. Patr. p. 230, where he wrongly says that the church of
St. Peter was at Misr. Al-Makrizi also mentions the event.
The subsequent rise to the height of eighteen cubits is mentioned in the MS.
just quoted on p. 180, 1. 7.
CHURCHES IN THE PROVINCE OF AL-JIZAH. 177
church [of the angel Michael] that Anba Michael, the forty-sixth
patriarch, came with the bishops who were his fellow-prisoners, when
they were released from the hand of Marwan al-Ja'di, the last of the
Omeyyad caliphs. Afterwards the river inundated this church, and not
a trace of it remained.
The monastery named after the glorious martyr Mercurius. The
church belonging to it was destroyed by the Khorassanians 1 , when they
were transported to the western bank of the river, in order to fight with
Marwan, surnamed the Ass of War 2 .
There is a church of Mark 3 , the evangelist and apostle, in the
fort built by Khush 4 , king of the Persians, at the same time as the
Kasr asJi-Sliamd at Misr. The king used to alight at both of them Fol. 60 b
from his boat.
The church of the angel Michael, also called the Red Monastery 5 ,
is on the bank of the blessed Nile. In this monastery there is a church
named after Cosmas and Damian, which has a conspicuous dome of
stone.
1 The best account of the attack upon Marwan made by the Khorassanian
troops of the Abbaside caliph As-Saffah is given by the contemporary witness,
John the Deacon, in the life of Michael just quoted.
2 This sobriquet alluded to his vigour and tenacity.
3 This must be the church already mentioned on fol. 59 b.
4 I. e. Artaxerxes Ochus. The name is shortened from ^^.1 , and the points
over the ^ are, of course, incorrect. Eutychius, after mentioning Artaxerxes
Mnemon, says :
'And after him reigned his son Artaxerxes, called Ochus.' Further down
Eutychius says :
x*-iJl >-^> ,*vJl 1 9j ,*U jd>\ ,-** Jolla-Jb (w,all dlo (wji^'l llij
' And Ochus, king of the Persians, built at Fustat Misr the fort which is now
called Kasr ash-Shamd! (Annates, i. p. 267.)
5 This must still be in the province of Al-Jiziyah, and is not to be confounded
with the Red Monastery of Upper Egypt.
a a [IT. 7.]
178 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OE EGYPT.
Al-Khaizaraniyah 1 . Here is the church of Saint Poemen, [the
garden of] which contains fruitful palm-trees and an arbour of trees 2 .
Munyat Andunah 3 . Here there is the church of the saint
Abu Bimah 4 ; and a church named after Abu Bagham 5 , the
1 This village or district was, as we have been told a few lines above,
contiguous to Al-Jizah. Both the locality and its church of St. Poemen are
named in the Copto-Arabic lists (Ame'lineau, Ge'ogr. pp. 578 and 580), thus
' [Church of] Saint Poemen at Pouhit or Al-Khazraniyah.' M. Amelineau, in
spite of his study of Abu Salih, has not discovered the mention of this place and
church in our author, and therefore is totally at a loss as to the position of
Al-Khazraniyah, or Al-Khaizaraniyah {op. cit. p. 363). The name of St. Poemen,
M. Amelineau assures us, is translated into Greek [sic] by ' Pastor ' !
2 LjLiilj put by a clerical error for i_>LiM, seems to denote trees, and is
probably the Syriac J^-s-j.
3 This village, on the west bank, a little to the south of Al-lizah, is said to
have been named after a Christian scribe of Ahmad al-Mada'ini, whose riches
excited the cupidity of Ahmad ibn Tulun, so that he fined him 50,000 dinars.
See Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. r.A .
4 In Coptic <LTI<L eiTIJULe, which is more correctly transcribed in Arabic
as ' Aba Abimah.' Pie was a celebrated martyr, born at Pankoleus in the nome of
Pemje or Al-Bahnasa. Pankoleus appears to be the same as Jalfah, which is
mentioned by our author on fol. 73 b and 74 a; see Ame'lineau, Ge'ogr. p. 96.
Epime or Abimah was a landed proprietor and the chief of his townsmen. In
the persecution of Diocletian, he was ordered to bring forth the presbyters of the
town and to hand over the sacred vessels, but answered that there were no
permanent priests there, and that the vessels were of glass. The saint was sent
to Alexandria, where Armenius, the governor, condemned him, it is said, to be
thrown into a furnace at the baths, from which he emerged unhurt; but finally he
was beheaded, after manifold tortures, at Annas. His life was written by Julius
of Akfahs; and his festival is kept on Abib 8= July 2. See Synaxariutn at that
day; Zoega, Cat. p. 22 ; Ame'lineau, Actes des MM. p. 134.
5 A soldier in the time of Diocletian, who, on account of his adoption of
Christianity, was scourged and afterwards put to death. His festival is on
Kihak 2 = Nov. 28.
CHURCHES IN THE PROVINCE OF AI-JIZAH 179
martyr, whose body lies within it, although his monastery is at
Suyut \
Wadab al-Kum. Here is one church.
Bunumrus 2 or Kasr Khakan. There is here a church named
after the holy martyr Saint George, which was restored by Tim as-Sarf
Abu '1-Makarim al-Wizan bi 'sh-Shafa if ; and within it there is a tablet
of wood fastened with thread.
Bulak 3 . Here is the church of Saint George, beside which grows
an ancient lotus-tree ; and the church of the valiant martyr Theodore.
At Mukhnan 4 there is a single church.
1 Suyut or Usyut, now more commonly called Asyut, is the largest town in
Upper Egypt, since it contained, in 1885, 31,398 inhabitants. It is the Coptic
CKJOOYT" and the classical Lycopolis; and it is now, as it was in the time of
our author, the capital of a province. See AmeTneau, Ge'ogr. p. 466.
2 Called Abu 'n-Numrus by Al-Makrizi and others. It is now in the district
of Badrashain, in the province of Al-Jizah, and had in 1885 a population of
2,593 inhabitants, besides 299 Bedouins. It was called in Coptic TIorUULOttpOC,
and the Arabic form whh J\ is, of course, the result of a popular assimilation to
other names compounded with that word. See Amelineau, Ge'ogr. p. 361 f.
3 I. e. Bulak ad-Dakrur. The suburb of Cairo named Bulak was not founded
until a. d. 13 1 3 ; see Al-Makrizi, Khitat, ii. p. ir. .
4 This place, the Coptic JULO^ortOIt, lay in the province of Al-Jizah,
a little to the north of Cairo, on the east side of the Rosetta branch of the Nile,
and was sometimes called Mukhnan Muna '1-Amir, as being close to the latter
place. M. Ameiineau's article on the name consists of the following words :
'Mokhonon, JULO^OItort, ^^s.**- Ce nom se trouve dans la liste des eglises
de l'Egypte, qui est publiee a la fin de cet ouvrage. II devait sans doute faire
partie de la banlieue du Caire, comme la plupart des lieux cites dans cette liste.
II n'a pas laisse" de traces dans l'Egypte contemporaine, et e*tait meme deja perdu
dans le xive siecle' {Ge'ogr.^. 585). It is remarkable that M. Amelineau here
disregards the testimony of our author himself, of Yakut, and of the revenue-list
published by De Sacy, although he expressly states that he has had recourse to
these very authorities for the composition of his book. See Yakut, Gcogr. Wort.
i. p. aai ; De Sacy, Relation de TEgyple par Abd-Allatif, p. 676.
a a 2
180 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Muna '1-Amir 1 . Here there is a single church.
Tamha. Here is the church of the martyr Theodore, which was
restored by the Shaikh Abu '1-Yaman al-Bazzaz, who paid the expenses
of it.
Wasam 2 . Here is the church of the Lady, restored by the priest
George, of Upper Egypt, scribe of Al-Ustadh Sandal al-Muzaffari. It
is said that there were at Wasim 366 churches, in which the liturgy
was celebrated every day, and t'o which priests and deacons were
attached ; at which also the laity congregated.
Fol. 61 a Al-Muharrakah 3 , contiguous to Bunumrus. Here there is an
extensive church, and a large monastery containing many monks.
Monastery of Nahyd.
The following is the history of the monastery of Nahya 4 , as
I learnt it from Sa'id the deacon, son of Najah, who was a novice
1 See above, fol. 34 b. Near Mukhnan, and now included in the district of
Badrashain, in the province of Al-Jizah, with a population in 1885 of 2,935.
Mund (**) is the plural of Munyak, and the place in question was sometimes
called in the singular Munyat al-Amir. Nevertheless M. Amelineau writes it ' Mina
al-Emir ' {j^\ l~*), as if it were compounded with the Arabic L~, ' harbour.' The
modern pronunciation Mina (,V*, less correctly L*) arises from the present vocaliza-
tion of the singular as Minyah (ii*). DeSacy transcribes the name as Mona al-Amir.
The place is called in Coptic HlJULOftH JULIl^JULepe. See Yakut, Mushtarik,
p. P.l ; De Sacy, Relation de I'Egypte par Abd-Allatif, p. 676; Recensemetit de
VEgypte, ii. p. 218; Amelineau, Ge'ogr. p. 256 f.
2 On the west bank of the Nile, near Cairo, a little to the north-west. It is
now called Ausim, and gives its name to a district of the province of Al-Jizah.
In 1885 it had 7,170 inhabitants. In Coptic it is fiOYOJHJUL. See Yakut,
Geogr. Wort. iv. p. in ; Amelineau, Ge'ogr. p. 51 ff.
3 This village, if correctly placed here, must not be confounded with
Al-Muharrakah at Kusakam, named on fol. 78 a.
4 A little to the west of Al-Jizah, in the same province, and now, with
a population of 3.914, included in the district of Wasim (Ausim). See Yakut,
MONASTERY OF NAHYA. 181
[there], and a native of the town of Nahya, when I visited the monas-
tery in the month of Shauwal, in the year 569 (a. D. 1173), at the
feast of the holy Pentecost, in order to receive the communion there.
He said that he had found, in a chronicle 1 , the statement that this
holy monastery was erected by a merchant, who had come to Egypt
from the west, when he arrived at Misr 2 from the frontier district
of Alexandria, before the reign of Diocletian, the unbeliever, who shed
the blood of the martyrs, and commanded the people to serve idols, and
slay victims for them, and offer them up to them, and burn incense
to them. That merchant had come from the west forty years before
these things happened.
When Al-Mu'izz li-dini 'llah came from Western Africa, and took
possession of Egypt 3 , he encamped beneath the walls of this monastery,
and stayed there seven months, and laid out in front of it a garden, with
a well and water-wheel, at the foot of the hill to the west of the sycamore-
tree, besides constructing a cistern for the convenience of travellers. This
well is now filled up, and the cistern is disused. Subsequently [Al-
Mu'izz] entered Misr. At the present day the garden is a waste, and
there is nothing left in it except the roots of sycamores and lotus-trees.
Geogr. Wort. iv. p. Aer ; Rec. de tEgypte, ii. p. 258. This was one of the monas-
teries of Egypt which were famous even among the Mahometans. There was
an account of it in Ash-Shabushti's Book of the Monasteries, from which our
author himself quotes on fol. 64 a and b, and which is also quoted by Yakut,
Al-Kaz\vini and Al-Makrizi. Quatremere gives a translation of our author's
account of the monastery of Nahya (Nehia) in Mem. i. pp. 1 16-125, Dut w ^h
certain alterations and omissions. (A. J. B.)
1 That this monastery once possessed a good library may be inferred from
Ibn Mansur, quoted by Quatremere, Rech. Cn't. et hist, sur tE^yple, p. 145.
(A.J.B.)'
2 Memphis is often spoken of by the Arabs as Misr al-Kadimah, or Ancient
Misr.
3 Al-Mu'izz was great-grandson of the founder of the Fatimide dynasty at
Tunis. Egypt was conquered by his troops in a. d. 969, and in a.d. 973 he
himself arrived in Egypt. (A. J. B.)
1 82 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Al-Hakim caused this monastery to be burnt to the ground. After-
wards, however, it was restored by an official, a native of Wasim in
Fol. 61b the province of Al-Jiziyah ; and Al-Hakim granted an endowment
there to the monks, which has remained up to this day. The columns
of this monastery, at its restoration, were constructed of granite.
Al-Amir bi-ahkami ['Hah] visited this monastery in the vizierate
of Muhammad ibn Fatik ; but he found the doorway, which was closed
by an iron door, too low for him 1 , and as he would not consent to
enter with bowed head, he turned his face to the outside, and his
back to the door, and crouched down, until he had entered. Then he
walked straight forward until he had entered the sanctuary. Then he said
to one of the monks: ' Where is the place at which the priest stands?'
So [the monk] showed it to him. Then the caliph said : ' Where is the
place at which the deacon stands ? ' So the monk informed him where it
was. Then Al-Amir took his stand in the priest's place, and said to
the monk : ' Stand opposite to me, in the place of the deacon.' So
the monk did this. When the caliph had walked round the church,
he gave to the monks a thousand dirhams, after receiving hospitality
from them ; and then he went out of the monastery to hunt, and did
not pass the night in the monastery on that occasion.
The altar was approached by a descent of some steps, followed by
an ascent 2 , but the steps were removed by the Shaikh Abu '1-Fadl, son
of the bishop, who filled up the [hollow] place, and paved it. He also
made a wall of masonry before the sanctuary upon three pillars of
marble 3 .
1 This is the usual form of doorway to a dair in remote places even now, as
at the Natrun monasteries. The description in Coptic Churches, i. p. 296, of
a doorway ' scarcely four feet high, and closed with a massive iron-plated door,'
exactly agrees with that in the text. (A. J. B.)
2 This hollow place before the altar with steps on each side was doubtless
meant to give access to a confessionary in which relics were deposited under the
altar. (A. J. B.)
3 Quatremere translates thus {Mem. i. p. 118): 'II placa devant le sanctuaire
un voile soutenu par trois colonnes de marbre/ ignoring the word 1>M>. The
MONASTERY OF NAHYA. 183
After this, Al-Imam al-Amir began to pay visits to the monastery,
with his retinue and troops, to hunt. He erected here a lofty manzarak,
surmounted by a high cupola on the northern side [of the monastery] ;
its door was outside the monastery, but it possessed a staircase, con-
structed of stone, which was ascended from [within] the monastery.
The door is now walled up.
The worms 1 did so much damage to this manzarah, besides other Pol. 62 a
parts, that it fell, and not a trace of it was left.
The caliph Al-Amir spent a night in the monastery on two separate
occasions, and went out each day to hunt. He was entertained by
the monks ; and accordingly every time that he visited the monastery,
he gave them a thousand dirhams, so that they received in this way
twenty-five thousand dirhams, in good coin. The old wall [of their
dwelling] had fallen to decay; and so the new enclosure which is
now standing was built with that money. The number of the camels
which carried the stone and the bricks to the monastery every day
amounted to forty. Near the monastery, within the enclosure, and in
its south-eastern corner, there is a well of running water, covered with
a roof.
Then the monks, when they saw the great liberality of Al-Imam
A
al-Amir, and began to allow themselves freedom with him, asked him
to grant the monastery a piece of land which they might cultivate year
by year ; and he granted their request, and by a permanent deed of gift
in his own handwriting gave to the monastery a piece of land in the
district of Tuhurmus 2 in the province of Al-Jiziyah, and in their neigh-
bourhood, of about thirty fedddns in extent, [to judge] without measure-
ment ; and this remained in their posses'sion until the Ghuzz and
Kurds conquered [the country] in the year 564 (a. D. 1169), and took
this land away from the monastery, so that nothing was left to the
words are difficult to understand. They seem to refer to an altar screen, although
it is not easy to imagine any symmetrical arrangement with three pillars, the
central one of which would necessarily come where the door should be, nor to
picture a wall ' supported ' in the manner described. (A. J. B.)
1 Termes Arda. 2 Mentioned by Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iii. p. cfo .
184 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
monks except the fishing-pool, on the produce of which they make
a profit.
Fol. 62 b One of the government scribes of Misr came to this monastery to
ask for water to drink, and to wash his hands ; but he found the water
there scanty in quantity, and so he caused a well to be dug within the
enclosure, opposite to the southern wall of the church. Those who
dug the well met with a rock [in the course of their work] and so
he caused it to be cut through, at the cost of one dinar for every
cubit, and the number of cubits amounted to fourteen ; and this was
in addition to the money that he spent on the digging and fitting up
of the well. It is this well from which water is drunk at the present
day. May God rest the soul, and reward the intention of the founder !
The water which comes up from this well is sweet, good, light, and
digestive.
The reporter of this narrative, whom I have already designated,
said that the church of this monastery was named after Martha and
Mary, the sisters of Lazarus, whom our Lord Jesus Christ raised from
the dead, and who lived nine years after that, and became bishop of
Cyprus 1 for a considerable time. The number of the Jews who
witnessed the resurrection of Lazarus was 7,400 men, besides women
and children. The reporter of this true narrative said to me : ' I used
to receive counsel from the monk who was my spiritual father, and he
informed me of all that you have heard from me, for he lived in this
monastery, and met here with old men who told him all that I have
Pol. 63 a told you. On a certain occasion I was about to behave irreverently
in a place opposite the well ; but this old man forbad me. saying :
"This place, my son, contains the tomb of Martha and Mary 2 , which
1 The resurrection of Lazarus is commemorated by the Copts on Barmahat
20= March 16. The emperor Leo translated the reputed relics of Lazarus from
Cyprus, where he was said to have been bishop of Citium, to the monastery
which the emperor had built in his honour at Constantinople. See Acta SS.
at May 4.
2 Nothing is known in the west of the reputed relics of St. Martha and
St. Mary in Egypt.
MONASTERY OF NAHYA. . 185
lie beneath it in a crypt 1 which was made for them." On this account
I began to reverence that place, and to pray in it. One day I measured
[the ground] from this place of which I have been speaking to the edge
of the well, and found the distance to be eighteen cubits, and the dis-
tance from the place of the tomb to the southern wall of the church,
including the distance to the well, [I found to be] twenty-nine cubits.
' God knows that I possess no means of erecting a cupola over their
tomb, so that it might be known thereby ! '
In this church there is a tank, into which the water flowed from
that well which I have mentioned through a pipe, which was afterwards
filled up. There is in the monastery a Persian mill, which contained an
instrument for peeling off the bran, but this has now become useless.
Near the church there is a large and lofty keep 2 , consisting of three
stories, which is entered from within the church by a flight of steps.
This keep fell into decay, and so it was restored by the Shaikh
Al-Makin Abu '1-Barakat, the scribe, known as Ibn Katamah, who
also restored the wall contiguous to the washhouse, below, and
restored the pipe.
Near [the keep] there is a church named after the holy father Fol. 03 b
Andunah or Anthony, which has fallen into decay.
Outside and in front of the monastery there are a number of cells,
which belonged to the monks when they came out from the monastery
of Saint Macarius in the patriarchate of Anba Benjamin 3 , the thirty-
eighth in the succession, but which are now ruined.
1 Tafias is a transcription of the Greek rdfos. , (A. J. B.)
2 The tower or keep is a conspicuous feature in all the desert monasteries at
the present time in fact it is the citadel of the fortress. See the Pere Sicard's
description and woodcut of Dair Antaniyus and the illustration in Coptic Churches,
i. pp. 295 and 309. (A. J. B.)
3 It seems to have been in the patriarchate of Damianus, the thirty-fifth
patriarch, that the monasteries of the Wadi Habib were pillaged by the Berbers,
and they remained in a partly deserted condition until the Mahometan conquest
in the time of the patriarch Benjamin, when they were restored. See the
patriarchal biographies, Brit. Mus. MS. Or. 26,100, pp. 95, 103, noff. The
b b [IT. 7.]
1 86 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
In the monastery there are two crypts : one of them near the church
of Saint Anthony, for burying the bishops of Al-Jiziyah ; and the other
under the keep, for burying the monks. There are also in the monas-
tery places of burial for the villagers.
The worms destroyed the timbers of this monastery and the church ;
and so they were pulled down at the expense of that Sayyid 1 , who
constructed instead of the roof [of timber] a vaulted roof, and enclosed
the columns within piers [of masonry], and none of the columns
remained visible, except the two ancient granite columns which
[stand] in front of the picture of the Lady, the Pure Virgin. The
wooden Rnstul 2 remained, because it had been anointed with myrrh,
which prevented the worms from injuring it.
The number [of the monks] who are assembled together in this
monastery in our own time amounts to seven or less.
According to the Guide to the Festivals, composed by Anba Jonas,
bishop of Damietta, every year, on the 30th of Ba'unah, the festival
of Mary and Martha is kept, who are [buried] near the Two Pyramids,
in the monastery known as the Monastery of the Dogs, the correct
name of which is the Monastery of the Vinedresser 3 ; but the Meikites
burnt it, on account of their hatred towards the Jacobites. It is said
that the bodies of these two saints and the body of Lazarus are at
Fcl. 64a Constantinople, and were translated thither from the island of Cyprus 4 .
destruction of the church of St. Macarius and of the cells by the Arabs of Upper
Egypt (j^-JI \j^f) * s commemorated on Barmudah 1 = March 27; see Synax-
arium at that day.
1 I. e. Ibn Katamah.
2 This sentence is left untranslated by Quatremere in quoting the passage,
doubtless because he failed to understand it. The word Bus/ul has already been
explained in connexion with a similar passage above, fol. 27 a. By the 'wooden
BustuV is meant a pillar painted with the figure of an apostle. (A. J. B.)
8 The Muslims contemptuously changed the name Dair al-Karrdm into
Dair al-Kildb, as they transformed the name of the Church of the Resurrection
(Kiydmah) at Jerusalem into Church of the Rubbish-heap (Kumdmah). (A. J. B.)
4 The translation of the relics of St. Lazarus from Cyprus to Constantinople
is commemorated by the Copts on Babah 2i=Oct. 18.
MONASTERY OF NAHYA. 187
The Guide to the Festivals also states that the birth of the Lad)'
[which took place] outside Jerusalem in the reign of Augustus Caesar,
is celebrated every year on the ]st of Bashans 1 , which is called the
l ld as-SunhdaJi. In another copy of the Guide, the monastery of
Nahya is said to be dedicated to the Lady.
This monastery formerly belonged to the bishop of Al-Jiziyah and
the island of Misr, but the patriarch Anba Mark transferred it to him-
self; he was the seventy-third in the order of succession. He allowed
the bishop to receive three dinars yearly from the revenues of the
monks.
In the district called Nahya 2 , in the province of Al-Jizah, is
situated the monastery which has been described above. It is sur-
rounded by a wall, and the church which it contains, named after the
Lady the pure Virgin Mary, was restored by a merchant who came
from the West.
[The caliph] Al-Imam al-Amir bi-Ahkami 'llah used to come to
this monastery and enjoy the country here ; and he erected in it
a manzarah, and restored the enclosing; wall. The Canon of the
Festivals states that the church of this monastery is named after
Martha and Mary, the sisters of Lazarus, whose festival is kept on
the 28th of Tubah every year, or on the 19th.
The Book of the Monasteries, by Ash-Shabushti 3 , testifies that this
monastery is one of the finest and most agreeably situated in Egypt, Pol. 64 b
and that the view of it is most admirable, especially during the days
of the high Nile, and of the sowing of seed. It has a canal, where
1 I.e. April 26. So also the Coptic Synaxarium, Paris MS. Arahe 256.
'Id as-Sunbulah means ' festival of the constellation Virgo.' Cf. the Gospel of the
Nativity of Mary in Thilo, Proleg. xc-cv and 340 f.
2 Here begins another account of the same monastery of Nahya.
3 This passage from Ash-Shabushti is quoted in much the same words, but
without mention of the source, by Yakut (Geogr. Wort. ii. p. v.t 1 ) and by
Al-Kazwini {Kiidb Athdr al-Bildd, ed. Wiistenfeld, p. irr), and, with due
acknowledgment of the author, by Al-Makrizt.
b b 2
188 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OE EGYPT.
people assemble to enjoy the country. It has also an extensive fishing-
pool. The waters of the blessed Nile surround this monastery on its
four sides x .
Church of Saft Maidiim.
Saft Maidum 2 . Here there is a church, common [to different sects],
containing three altars : one of them, in the middle, belonging to the
Copts, and named after the valiant martyr Theodore ; the second
belonging to the Armenians, and named after the glorious martyr
Saint George ; the third [dedicated] to the Lady, the Virgin Mary,
and belonging to the Melkites.
Pyramids of Al-Jizah.
The Pyramids. These were built by Hermes 3 , the wise, the three-
fold in wisdom, who by his knowledge of the secrets of nature, invented
1 I. e. during the annual inundation.
2 Or Saft Maidun. Formerly in the province of Al-Bahnasa, but now in that
of Bam Suwaif and in the district of Zawiyah, with a population in 1885 of
1748. See Yakut, Mushtarik, p. m ; Recensement de I'figypte, ii. p. 279. The
insertion of the passage referring to Saft Maidum here, in the midst of a descrip-
tion of the province of Al-Jizah, is an illustration of the want of plan of the book
in its present form.
3 The earliest mention of ' Mercurius ' or ' Hermes Trismegistus ' occurs in
Tertullian, Adv. Valent. c. 15, and in Lactantius, if the passage of Manetho
quoted by Georgius Syncellus is an interpolation. A papyrus of the reign of
Gallienus speaks of rpto-^eyto-ro? "Epfiijs as the god of Hermopolis in Egypt, i. e.
Ushmunain ; see Wessely in Mitth. aus der Samml. der Pap. Erzherzog Rainer,
v. p. 133 f. In the hieroglyphic inscriptions, Thoth, who was identified by the
Greeks with Hermes, is called 'great, great,' i.e. 'twice great.' To this Thoth
or Hermes was ascribed the authorship of all the sacred books which the Greeks
called Hermetic ; and Clement of Alexandria says that there were forty-two of
such works, forming a sort of encyclopaedia of knowledge. In the third and
fourth centuries the name was adopted by the writers of various Neo-Platonic
and Cabbalistic works, but it is doubtful whether any writer was ever known
as Trismegistus, although there are extant under the name many MSS. To the
PYRAMIDS OF AL-jiZAH. 189
the art of alchemy, and was able to make substances. His birth-
place was Memphis. He is said to have been the same as Idris,
who is related to have been ' raised up to a high place 1 .' The Sabaeans
Arabs the name was well known through the existence in Arabic of many
treatises ascribed to Hermes Trismegistus ; see Haji Khalfah (ed. Fluegel),
iii. pp. 53, 424, 480, 592; iv. pp. 100, 465; v. pp. 39, 41, 157, 171, 247, 587,
where works of Hermes are mentioned on such subjects as alchemy, talismans,
the mystic use of letters, astrology, the philosopher's stone or elixir (^vM = &p")-
The belief that the pyramids of Al-Jizah were built by Hermes, or that one of
them was his tomb, was widespread among the Arabs, who, however, generally
say that they derived it from the Sabaeans; see Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. 969;
'Abd al-Latif, Mukhlasar (ed. White), p. 99; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. pp. 1 1 i-iri ;
As-Suyuti, Husn al-Muhddarah, i. pp. 1 v, pf, po . (A. J. B.)
1 The identification of Hermes with Idris, who is further identified with the
Enoch of Genesis, is common to most of the Arab historians. The words placed
in inverted commas are a quotation from the Koran, Surah Maryam, v. 27,
where it is said :
Lie U15^o Lxijj LJ ta>^ ^jo nil u-jo! t_jLu.Kj| i r^3
' Make mention of Idris in the Book ; for he was truthful and a prophet, and we
raised him up to a high place.' The last words, of course, refer to his translation
to Heaven. See Al-Baidawi, Anivdr at-Tanzil, &c. (ed. Fleischer), i. p. 0Ar.
Eutychius says that Enoch was called Idris by the Arabs (Annates, i. p. 30).
Ibn al-Athir says that Enoch (j-jJlj*), the son of Jared, is the same as Idris the
prophet ; that he was the first of the prophets, and the first to write and to study
the stars and to calculate; that the learned Greeks ( c j~ili ? Jl 'Lie) call him
Hermes the Wise, and hold him to be great; that he exhorted the people to
repentance, and that God raised him up when he was 365 years old according to
the Pentateuch (Al-Kdmil, i. p. Pr). As-Suyuti says that Enoch, Hermes, and
Idris are the same person (Husn al-Miihdjarah, i. p. iv). Haji Khalfah says
that Idris, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Enos, the son of Seth,
the son of Adam, was the originator of all the learning that existed before the
flood
'LAxll^S Jjs ^J *.! e-^Xe Uil c ,l9j_ll J^i e^k ^11 ^jixl! A^-
and that he is the same as Hermes, and is called the Chief Hermes (l^J^l ^y,)
190 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
make pilgrimages to the two great pyramids, and say that Hermes is
buried in one of them, and Agathodaemon 1 [in the other]. The
Sabaeans come to the pyramids from Harran, on pilgrimage 2 . There
is not on the face of the earth a structure erected by the hand [of man],
stone upon stone, higher than these two pyramids 3 , which are the tombs
of Hermes and Agathodaemon. It is said that the area covered by
each of the two great pyramids is twelve feddans 4 ; and in each of them
there is a well, the site of which is not known.
Monastery of the Vinedresser.
Near this place there is a monastery, known as the Monastery of
Fol. 65 a the Vinedresser, but called by the heretics the Monastery of the Dogs.
and the Threefold in Grace (lsjJl> t^ukU) ; and that he was the first to erect
buildings, and was himself the constructor of the pyramids; see Lex.Bibliogr. ed.
Fluegel, i. p. 63.
1 Nothing is known from Greek or Latin sources with regard to Agathodaemon
except that he designed maps for Ptolemy's Geography, and therefore probably
lived at Alexandria in the middle of the second century of our era; but the Arabs
have more to say about him, since they claimed to possess treatises by him on
amulets and on alchemy (Haji Khalfah, iii. p. 391, vi. p. 51), and identified him
with Seth (ibid. i. p. 65 ; cf. the sources quoted in the last two notes). (A. J. B.)
2 As-Suyuti adds that they offer sacrifices and incense there.
3 The present height of the great pyramid is about 451 ft., but the original
height was 480 ft. 9 in., which is nearly 20 ft. higher than the tower of Strassburg
cathedral, the loftiest building in Europe ; St. Peter's at Rome being 429 ft., and
St. Paul's in London 404 ft. high. The second pyramid is not much smaller
than the first. The third pyramid, however, is considerably less, and was there-
fore less famous than the other two; not to mention the still smaller pyramidal
structures which make up the group at Al-Jizah. (A. J. B.)
4 This is singularly accurate as regards the great pyramid, the present area of
which is i2f acres, the former 13I. The pyramid of Chephren, however, is
smaller, covering now about iof acres, and formerly about n|. (A. J. B.)
THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS. 191
There is also a third pyramid, besides the two former, the base of which
is built of hard granite of variegated colour 1 .
The monastery is near the pyramids, on the western side ; and its
church is called the church of Timothy 2 the monk, a native of
Memphis, whose body is buried in it. His intercession was powerful
in this church, so that those who visited it and prayed to God in the
power of faith, gained their requests ; and if any one were desirous
of entering upon some undertaking, and asked God to guide him
according to that which was best, God revealed to him in a dream
the advantages which would result from his undertaking, or else warned
him not to enter upon it. This is attested by the Book of the Histories
of the Councils.
The Western Mountains.
At the foot of the mountain-range there is a town called
Mastayah 3 . At the foot of the mountains in [the province of] Al-
1 Herodotus and Pliny call this granite ' Ethiopian stone ; ' Diodorus and
Strabo ' black stone ; ' while the Arab writers, from the colour of the granite, name
the pyramid the red pyramid. 'Abd al-Latif says :
Jjj-^JI lsiul'i .*.^1 jjL^all ii,lsxs: 5 . f l^ &J>J C^J^ J s *~ i - ^4-* u^-^ ^L^w\ blj
' The third pyramid is less than the other two by about a quarter ; but it is
built of stones of red granite, which is spotted, and of extreme hardness, so that
iron makes no impression upon it except after a long time.' (Mukhtasar, p. 92.)
(A. j. B.)
2 This must be the martyr Timothy of ancient Misr (djjiH j-**), a name
given to Memphis by Arab writers, who is commemorated on Ba'unah 21 =
June 15; see Synaxarium at that day. He was a soldier in the Roman army
when the persecution of Diocletian broke out, and for proclaiming Christ before
Arianus, the governor of the Thebaid, he was repeatedly tortured and at last
beheaded. Such, at least, is the account given.
3 I transcribe this name conjecturally as Mastayah because De Sacy names
a town called Mestayah in the province of Al-Gharbiyah. A few lines further
down our copyist writes iib , Mastatah (?).
192 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Jizah there are fifty monasteries, flourishing and populous, which have
been ruined and burnt by the heretics : [that is to say] at the hands
of the Berbers of Western Africa, who do not know the truth, or
obey the law, or distinguish between right and wrong. This western
range of mountains is united with the mountains on the western
bank of the Nile, but then branches off from them, until, after passing
by Barca and the whole sea coast of northern Africa, it reaches
the land of Baraghwatah 1 and the shores of the Sea of Dark-
ness. In this western mountain-range is the city called Mastayah,
to which [in former days] they used to bring the dead bodies of the
kings, with all their money and treasures ; and the greatest number
of treasure-hunters haunt the environs of this city, which they call
Dar Manuwil.
Monastery of Ash-Shamd .
Fol. 65 b Munyat ash-Shammas 2 [or Munyah of the Deacon], namely, of
Paphnutius, the novice, is to the west of Tamwaih.
The monastery called ' Monastery of Ash-Shamd 3 .'
1 See note on fol. 49 a, where the name is incorrectly written Ibn Ghawatah.
See Ibn Khaldun (vi. p. -n), where there is a mention of the tribe of Baraghwatah
and their native country in north-west Africa.
2 This place is said by Yakut to be in the province of Al-Jizah, and to be
also called Dair ash-Shamd or ' Monastery of the Candle.' Compare the name
Kasr ash-Shama' and its supposed derivation from y^HJtXl , ' Egypt/ The
revenue-lists of a. d. 1375 also name the place as existing in the province of
Al-Jizah. There were two places of the name in the same province ; but there is
now only one Mit Shammas, which is in the district of Badrashain, in the province
of Al-Jizah, with a population in 1885 of 883. See Yakut, Mushtarik, p. f.v ;
Rec. de V Egypte, ii. p. 221. The monastery of Ash-Shama must have stood
close to Munyat ash-Shammas.
3 Yakut says that this was ' an ancient monastery, held in reverence among
the Christians, in the province of Al-Jizah in Egypt. Between this monastery and
Al-Fustat there is a distance of three parasangs, as you go up the Nile ; and the
throne of the patriarch is in this monastery, and here he resides as long as he is in
the neighbourhood of Misr.' {Geogr. Wort. ii. p. ivr.)
MONASTERY OF ASH-SHAMA\ 193
This monastery is also called the ' Monastery of the Devils 1 ,' for
the following reason. In the days of [the caliph] Al-Mustansir, during
the years of dearth, the monks deserted this building, which remained
uncared for, so that cattle used to feed in it. Moreover certain figures
used to issue forth from the monastery, and used to ride upon horse-
back from nightfall to morning, and enter a certain ruined village.
Thus the monastery received that name. Paphnutius 2 went and lived
in this monastery alone, to take care of it. It was a small domed
structure, and it was restored at the expense of the officials, until it
assumed the form in which it is now. Paphnutius had visited
Onuphrius, the saint and pilgrim 3 , and lived with him for a time;
for whenever Paphnutius heard of a saint, he went to see him and
received his blessing ; and he was with Saint Onuphrius at the time
of his death 4 . There was at the dwelling of the latter a single
fruit-bearing palm-tree ; so Paphnutius thought in his heart that he
would live there in the place of Onuphrius. But God sent a violent
wind, which lasted long and blew down that palm-tree, from which
Onuphrius used to feed himself during his lifetime ; and filled up with
sand the well of water from which he drank. So Paphnutius went else-
where, and every one who saw his form, thought that he was a disciple
[of Onuphrius], although it was not so. Afterwards he became a dis-
1 Yakut mentions a monastery of this name near Al-Mausil in Mesopotamia ;
see Geogr. Wort. ii. p. ivr.
2 This is a famous Egyptian anchorite of the fourth century ; but not the
bishop commemorated by the Roman church on Sept. 11. See Palladius, Hist.
Laus. p. 125; Apophthegmata Pfltrum, p. 3 7 7 f . ; Zoega, Cat. p. 308 f. ; Acta
SS. His festival is kept by the Copts on Amshir 15 = Feb. 9; see Synaxarium
at that day. The name is n<5d)rtOT r |" (' the man of God ') in Memphitic, and
nA-YlrtOTTe in Sahidic. (A. J. B.)
3 Abu Nafar or St. Onuphrius is always called ' the Wanderer ' in the titles of
Coptic paintings. (A. J. B.)
4 The visit of Paphnutius to Onuphrius is described in the Synaxarium at
Ba'unah 16.
Co [II. 7.]
194 ' CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
ciple of Saint Macarius 1 the Great, in the Wadi Habib ; and then he
went to the monastery of Ash-Shama\ This monastery contains his
Fol. 66 a body. The church in this monastery has three altars: the middle
altar named after Saint Anthony ; the northern altar after Saint
Sinuthius 2 ; and the southern after Paphnutius ; and the church is
named after Saint Sinuthius. The liturgy is celebrated at the altar
named after Saint Paphnutius, in the middle of the Fast of the Forty
[Days], every year. It was in [this monastery] that he died ; and
according to his biography, he died on the 15th of Amshir (Feb. 9).
This monastery was restored in the year 66 J of the Righteous
1 Macarius the Great is distinguished by the title of 'the Egyptian' from
Macarius ' of Alexandria ' or of ' the City.' He is, perhaps, the most highly
reputed of the monks of the Nitrian desert, and the best-known monastery there
still bears his name. He has left fifty homilies and ' a volume on Christian
Perfection, which places him in the first rank among the writers on practical
Christianity' (Sharpe's History of Egypt, ii. p. 289. See also Sozomen H. E. ed.
Hussey, bk. III. c. 14 ; vol. ii. p. 289). He is said to have retired to the desert
in a. d. 330, and to have died there in a. d. 390. (A. J. B.)
2 Abu Shanudah, in Coptic ajertcnfTe or cyGttOnf^, and, in the Grae-
cizing form found in Coptic MSS., CIItOTOIOC, Sinuthius, is the name of the
celebrated monk who founded the White Monastery; see below, fol. 82 b. He
was the son of a peasant and was born at Shenalolet, which has been identified
with Shandawil, to the north-east of Ikhmim. He served in boyhood as a shepherd,
and then came under the tuition of his uncle Apa. Pjol (&.YI&. TTXUoX = Lil
Jjs*.), who trained him in the monastic life. Sinuthius is said to have been
present with St. Cyril of Alexandria at the council held to condemn Nestorius.
The death of Sinuthius is commemorated on Abib 7= July 2, and is said to have
taken place in the very year of the Council of Chalcedon, viz. a. d. 451. The
discourses delivered by this saint were carefully preserved, and many attributed to
him are extant at the present day. It is said that a copy of one of them was laid
upon the tomb of St. Peter at Rome, and that the voice of the Prince of the
Apostles declared that ' Sinuthius was the fourteenth Apostle, as Paul was the
thirteenth.' See Synaxarium at Abib 7 ; Zoega, Cat. pp. 375-502 ; Amelineau,
Vie de Schnoudi and Monuments pour servir a Vhistoire de I ' Eglise Chre't. (A.J. B.)
MONASTERY OF ASH-SHAM A\ 195
Martyrs (a. D. 951), according to the stone on which its date is
inscribed over the door of the keep. In this monastery was the body
of Saint Paphnutius, who was the disciple of Saint Macarius the Great
in the Wadi Habib, [lying] on a bed of leather within a coffin 1 above
the surface of the ground. It is said that the body was stolen by
Husain, son of the caliph Al-Hafiz, by means of certain Arabs.
The monastery fell into decay a second time, and was restored by
Anba Gabriel, the seventieth patriarch, known as Abu VUla Said
ibn Tarik, in the caliphate of Al-Hafiz. It is a famous monastery,
and contains many monks. In front of it there is a large keep,
which is entered from the church ; and there are also handsome
manzaraJis in it. It possesses a garden, and land, and houses at
Munyat ash-Shammas. bought by the tribe of Bani Surus from the Pol. 66 b
ancestors of the Shaikh Mustafa '1-Mulk Abu Saflf Yakub ibn Jirjis,
who were natives of Damirah 2 , in the north of [the province of]
Al-Gharbiyah.
This monastery was under the see of Memphis and Tamwaih :
but it became patriarchal. To it is brought the chrism 3 , and it
1 Quatremere {Mem. i. pp. 160- 161) refers to the Ada SS. ii. 15 for a statement
of St. Antoninus that he saw at Clysma several coffins of wood, enclosing the
remains of various anchorites, and among them probably the relics of St. John the
Dwarf and St. Sisoi. In Coptic Churches, i. p. 304, I have noted the existence
at this day of wooden coffins full of relics at Dair Abu Makar ; and, curiously
enough, when the Pere Sicard visited the monastery of St. Macarius he saw four
of such coffins, one of which, the monks said, enclosed the body of John the Dwarf.
(A. J. B.)
2 The Coptic "f~<LJULHpI ; now included in the district of Sharbin in the
province of Al-Gharbiyah, with a population in 1885 of 3,185. See Amelineau,
Ge'ogr. p. 118.
3 The Arabic miriln (^jj^*) transcribes the Greek (ivpov, and denotes ' chrism."
The chrism was originally consecrated at Alexandria, but about a. d. 390 the place
was changed to the monastery of St. Macarius in the Nitrian desert; see Coptic
Churches, ii. pp. 333-334. This passage of Abu Salih is well illustrated by
Renaudot {Hist. Pair. pp. 354-355), who relates that, during the great famine in
C c 2
196 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
is consecrated there. The roads are dangerous, and this course
was found necessary. Anba Mennas, the sixty-first patriarch, built
an altar named after Saint Mark, at Mahallah Daniyal, where the
patriarchs lived ; and the chrism was placed upon it for fear of the
dangers of the roads, from the time of the dearth at the beginning
of the caliphate of Al-Mu'izz in Egypt.
Other Churches of the Province of Al-Jizah.
Munyat ash-Shammas *. In this district there is one church.
The district called As-Saraf lies to the west of the monastery
of Ash-Shama\ and here resided Anba John ibn Abu Ghalib, the
seventy-third patriarch, who occupied the see for twenty-eight years.
To the west also of the monastery of Ash-Shama' there is a church
named after the glorious martyr Theodore.
Damuh 2 . Here is the church of Cosmas and Damian, their brethren
and their mother, which was restored by the Shaikh Abu Sa'id, the
scribe, who was a member of the Diwan al-Mukatabat. Near it there
the time of the caliph Al-Mu'izz, great numbers perished and many episcopal sees
were vacant ; and that the patriarch himself was forced to remain in Lower Egypt,
and was supported with his followers by a wealthy lady at a village called
Mahallah Daniel. (A. J. B.)
1 This is one of the repetitions which prove the want of plan of the author, or
the carelessness of his copyist ; see above, fol. 46 b.
2 Our author seems to imply that this place is in the province of Al-Jizah,
and Al-Makrizi, who calls the place Damuh as-Saba, and names the church of
Saints Cosmas and Damian as well as the synagogue there, actually states that it is
in that province. 'Abd al-Latif also states that Damuh was in the province, and
near the town of Al-Jizah. At the present day there is a Damuh as-Saba in the
district of Dakarnas in the province of Ad-Dakahliyah. Could our author,
'Abd al-Latif and Al-Makrizi', who are not always good geographers, have made
a mistake ? Could the mistake have arisen from the similarity of the names
Damuh and Tamwaih which is next named ? The latter place is sometimes
called Tamuh. See also Quatremere, Mem. i. pp. 137-138.
MONASTERY AND CHURCHES OF TAMWAIH. 197
is a garden containing a well with a water-wheel, upon the high road.
The Jews have in this district a synagogue 1 , enclosed by a wall, Fol. 67 a
within which are lodgings for them, and a garden in which are trees
and palms, and a circular well with a water-wheel. Here disputes
took place between the sects of Rabbanites and Karaites concerning
the lighting of lamps. It is said that the prophet Moses, in the days
of Pharaoh, visited this place, and prayed in it, and slept in it 2 .
Monastery and CJiurcJies of Tamwaih.
Tamwaih. This place is opposite to Hulwan 3 , which lies on the
eastern bank. The monastery which takes its name from Tamwaih
is described in the Book of the Monasteries of Ash-Shabushti 4 . It is
surrounded by an enclosing wall. Its church is named after Saint
Mercurius 5 , and overlooks the river, to which it is close. Contiguous
to the monastery there is a keep, entered from the church ; and in its
upper story there are fine manzaraJis. The monastery commands views
of the gardens and trees and cultivated lands and vineyards with
trellises. It is inhabited by many monks.
This monastery was restored by the Shaikh Abu '1-Yaman Wazir,
metwalli of the Diwan of Lower Egypt, and by the Shaikh Abu
'1-Mansur, his son, in the caliphate of Al-Amir, and the vizierate of
Al-Afdal Shahanshah. The latter used to alight at this monastery,
1 Al-Makrizi says that this had been a church.
2 'Abd al-Latif states that Moses lived at Damuh in the province of Al-Jizah ;
see Al-Mukktasar, ed. White, p. 1 16.
3 More accurately, Tamwaih lies about five miles lower down the river -than
Hulwan, which is to the south-east of Tamwaih, on the opposite bank.
4 The passage of Ash-Shabushti is quoted by Al-Makrizi in his article on the
monastery of Tamwaih (vjjs j>j); cf. Yakut, Geogr. Wort. ii. p. tvf. Both of
these writers quote verses by lbn Abi 'Asim al-Misri, which speak of the pleasures
of drinking wine at this monastery.
5 Tamwaih itself is often omitted in maps, but a monastery of Abu 's-Saifain,
i.e. St. Mercurius, is marked on Nordcn's Plate XXVIII, nearly facing Hulwan
and overlooking the river. (A. J. B.)
198 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
and spend some time there, lounging and sauntering ; and he laid
out a garden near it, and planted in it trees of all sorts, and palms ;
and dug wells over which he placed water-wheels ; and he surrounded
Fol. 67 b the garden with a strong hedge. The annual rent which was received
from this monastery into the public treasury amounted to ten dinars.
Afterwards this rent was stopped, and with the money oil-presses were
built within the enclosure of the monastery, complete in all their parts.
The monastery possessed forty-seven feddans of land, which were
appropriated by the Ghuzz and Kurds and the rest, in the reign of
An-Nasir Yusuf ibn Ayyub, the Kurd.
In the church lies the body of Paphnutius 1 , the superior of this monas-
tery ; and his festival is kept on the 15th of Amshir. The monastery
contains a painting of the Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary. Al-Afdal took
pleasure in sitting in his place in the upper story of the building.
The Shaikh Abu l-Yaman, who has already been mentioned, pro-
vided for this church, at his own expense, vessels of solid silver. He
provided a paten 2 , and a chalice, and a spoon 3 , and a censer, and
a cross, and a splendid veil of silk.
In this district there is also the large and beautifully planned church
of the glorious saint and champion Saint George.
There is also a church named after the female martyr Mahrabil 4 .
1 We were told above that the relics of St. Paphnutius had been in the
monastery of Ash-Shama c , but that they were stolen thence by Husain, son of
Al-Hafiz. Can they subsequently have found their way to Tamwaih ?
2 The curious enlargement of the denotation of the word sintyah (l^") is
remarked upon by De Goeje, in his note on Ibn Hankal, p. rtM, where he points
out that from signifying a china (Chinese) plate or dish, it grew to denote a plate
or dish of any material ; so that a porcelain dish had to be distinguished as
{ j^> i.u~e or l j r yJ\ i^yo. For the use of the names of church vessels and
furniture at the present day, see Coptic Churches, ii. p. 37 ff. (A. J. B.)
3 It is well known that the sacramental elements are administered in the
Coptic church together in a spoon, as in the Greek church. The spoon is used
also in the papal Mass. (A. J. B.)
4 So in the MS. I can only conjecture that the name may be a clerical error
MEMPHIS. 199
And the church of Aba Bimah.
And a church named after the angel Michael.
And a church of the Lady, the Pure Virgin.
Memphis.
Memphis 1 . Baisur, son of Ham, son of Noah, settled here, when
he was 780 years old, with thirty of his sons and family, and therefore
the place was called Manafah 2 , which means 'thirty.' His sons were
Mizraim and Farik and Bah and Mali. The following were the sons Fol. 68 a
of Mizraim : Kift ; Ushmun, the meaning of whose name is ' Come not
hither 3 !' and Atrib. At this place 4 there is a great image of granite,
called Bii 'l-Hul, thrown down upon its side.
Afterwards Manafah was established as the capital of the Pharaohs.
When Baisur died he was buried here, in a place called Abu Harmis ;
and he was the first to be buried in the land of Egypt. The Nile
gradually changed its bed in that direction.
Other writers say that Memphis was built by Mizraim for his son
Kift, who was called Barim ; and others say that this city was built
by Manfaus, the son of 'Adim, who made it thirty miles long and
twenty miles broad, and erected around it thirty towers, each tower
for Maharati, a girl whose martyrdom is commemorated on Tubah 14 = Jan. 9;
see Amelineau, Actes des MM. p. 67.
1 Memphis did not cease to exist in name or to be the see of a bishop till
long after the Arab conquest ; see Abd al-Latif, p. 1 1 6 ff. ; Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
i. p. \rf ff.
2 Yakut, who gives the same derivation, states the Coptic form as Mafah
(isL), which corresponds to the Thebaic JL*_<L<5ne better than to the Memphitic
JUL^.Tl. (Geogr. Wort. iv. p. 667.)
3 The Coptic cyjuio'* ,rt.
4 I. e. Memphis. The image must be the great statue of Rameses II, which,
after lying as it fell for so many centuries, has now been set upright by the
English engineers under the command of Major Plunkett. The name Bu '1-Hul
( 'J^ll ji\), or ' Father of Terror,' i. e. ' Terrific ' or ' Gigantic,' is more commonly
given to the Sphinx ; see fol. 68 b. (A. J. B.)
*oo CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
containing a bath, in the days of Sana', son of Ar'u ; or that it was
built by Pharaoh, surnamed the 'Lover of his Mother 1 ,' who was king
of the Pharaohs.
Joseph the Truthful constructed a large Nilometer at Munaif 2 ;
and he was the first who measured the Nile in Egypt by the cubit.
At Memphis there are wonders : buildings, images, tombs, treasures,
that cannot be numbered. There is here a house of green granite,
hard, variegated in colour, all in one piece, square, with a roof of the
same piece. The church near to this is spread with mats.
Fol. 68 b At Memphis there is a church which has been restored at a place
which is said to be the place where Moses lay in ambush for the
Egyptian and killed him, as it is related in his history. Every [square]
cubit of the land here used to fetch a price of a hundred dinars. Near
the town are the pyramids, three in number. The height of the great
pyramid is four hundred cubits. The pyramids were the landmarks
and the dwelling-places built by Asghusa, the greatest of all the kings
of the earth, and by Arghash, the brother of Shaddad, and by Shaddad,
son of 'Ad, and Malik, son of c Ad, and Farmashat, brother of 'Ad, whose
ancestor was the king Arzakusha. He built here eight hundred courses,
and then died. In these high towers, which are the two great landmarks,
[these kings] placed their treasures and their tombs. The riches con-
tained in one of them were extracted by one of the emperors of the
Romans, named Severus, or the Great ; and he extracted [it], after
four hundred courses, during his whole reign, until he died, in the time
of the author of the treatise 3 .
Near these pyramids is the great image of granite [called] the
Terrific 4 , sunk in the sand up to its middle.
1 This is, of course, a confused reference to Ptolemy Philometor, whom
Eutychius also calls Muhibb Ummihi. (A. J. B.)
2 Memphis.
3 This passage appears to be incomplete or corrupt.
4 I. e. the Sphinx, generally called Abu '1-Hul ; see last page. It was held by
the Arabs to be a talisman, the purpose of which was to prevent the sands from
encroaching upon the inhabited districts. Stories were told of its having been
CHURCHES OF BUS?R BAN A AND OTHER PLACES. 2d
After this we will speak of the Southern Provinces of the land
of Egypt.
Churches of Busir Band and other places.
Busir Bana 1 . This town is named after a sorcerer, called Busir, Fol. 60 a
who lived there, for which reason it was named after him. In this
town is the large church which was entirely built of hard stone, and
is named after the Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary; it stands within
the fortress of this city. The church was erected in ancient times ;
but as time passed by, and the kings stood in need of the stone of
which it was composed, the greater part of it was carried away ; and
the church is now dismantled, although its architectural features are
still visible. It stands near the prison of Joseph the Truthful, son of
Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham, the Friend [of God] upon them
be peace !
In the district of Bana there is a church named after the great
Saint George.
Munyat al-Ka'id. Here there is a church of the Lady, the Pure
Virgin Mary, which was restored by the Shaikh Mufaddal ibn as-Salih,
a friend of the vizier Abu '1-Faraj ibn Killis, in the caliphate of Al-
Hakim. He also restored a church on the banks of the blessed Nile,
which stood for a time, but then the river inundated it, and washed
it away, so that no trace of it remained.
Wana Busir. Here there is a church named after the great martyr
Saint Mercurius ; and a church of the Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary ;
and a church of the holy martyr Saint George ; and a church of the
great angel Michael ; and a church of the martyr Saint John 2 , whose
pure body lies within it.
wilfully mutilated, which diminished its talismanic power. See Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
i. p. i rr. It is well known that the Sphinx is hewn out of the living rock, which
is limestone, not granite. (A. J. B.)
1 The following passage is repeated from fol. 17 b f. Busir Bana and Bana
are again wrongly placed in Southern or Upper Egypt.
2 \J^>js?- seems to be a clerical error for ^jIsl* ; see above, fol. 1 8 a.
d d [II. 7.]
202 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Pol. 69 b Idrijah, one of the villages of Bush. Here there is a church named
after Saint George.
Tansa. Here there is a church named after Nahadah ; and a church
named after the martyr Mercurius ; and a church named after Gabriel
the angel ; and a church named after the Lady, the Pure Virgin.
The Fayy/im.
Madinat al-Fayyum 1 and its province. Al-Fayyum was the name
of one of the sons of Kift, son of Mizraim, who built this city for
a daughter of his, who had offended, so that he banished her thither.
Al-Fayyum existed before the time of Joseph, son of Jacob, son of
Abraham, the Friend [of God] upon them be peace ! but it fell into
ruin ; and Joseph the Truthful restored it, and constructed the
Nilometers, and built Al-Fayyum, and Hajar al-Lahun, which was
built with wisdom, and founded with strength, and help that came
from God, and was executed by the inspiration of God to whom
be praise ! Joseph also dug the canal of Al-Manhi, and cultivated
the land of Egypt. The number of village-districts in [the Fayyum]
amounted to 360, which is the number of the days of the year,
each village corresponding to a day ; and the revenue from each
district amounted to a thousand dinars. The lands of this province
are irrigated by [a rise of the river amounting to] twelve cubits,
but they are not overwhelmed by a rise of eighteen cubits, which is
a great wonder. There is here common land which is not the property
of any one, but all men have a right to demand a share of it accord-
ing to their circumstances ; and the common land consists of seventy
different sorts. The revenue in the days of Kaffir al-Ustadh, emir of
Egypt, known as Kafur al-Ikhshidi, under the dynasty of the Abba-
Fol. 70 a sides, when the province was administered by Ibn Tarkhan, in the year
of the Arabs 355 (a. d. 966), amounted to 620,000 dinars ; and this is
as much as the revenue of Ar-Ramlah, Tiberias, and Damascus.
In this province there were thirty-five monasteries. The bishop,
1 This passage is repeated from fol. 18 a f.
THE FAYYUM. 20
.
under the patriarchate of Anba Theodore, the forty-fifth in the succes-
sion, was named Abraham ; and the land-tax paid into the public
treasury upon the cultivated lands belonging to these monasteries
amounted to 500 dinars.
According to the Book of the Conquest of Egypt by 'Amr ibn al-
'Asi, it is said that the Fayyum was also called the Waste Land, and
was an outlet for the superfluous waters of Upper Egypt ; so Joseph
the Truthful carried them off by digging the canal, to receive the
water of the Nile, which then began to flow into it. The age of
Joseph was thirty years in the reign of Ar-Rayyan, son of Al-Walid,
son of Dauma', after his interpretation of the dream which the king
saw. When Joseph interpreted this dream, the king gave him a royal
robe, and the signet-ring of the kingdom from his hand, and entrusted
him with the administration of the kingdom, and was distinguished
from him only by ascending the throne. When Joseph dug the canal
and admitted the water into it, it flowed from Ras al-Manhi until it
reached Al-Lahun, through a break in which it flowed into the Fayyum,
which it irrigated. The canal contained a great mass of water, but
was the work of no more than ninety days. When the king and his Pol. 70 b
viziers saw it, they said : ' This is the work of a thousand days l ; ' and
so it was called Al-Fayyum. And Joseph made the streams of two sorts,
streams that ran down for the raised grounds, and streams that ran
up for the depressed places, at certain times and hours of the night
and day ; and he framed meters, so that no man could take more water
than his due.
The first city built by Joseph in the Fayyum was Shanah 2 , where
the daughter of Pharaoh lived. Afterwards he measured the land and
the water, and from him the science of geometry was first learnt.
Joseph was the first who measured the Nile in Egypt by the cubit,
and made a Nilometer at Memphis. Afterwards the old woman
1 Alf Yiim, according to the present Egyptian pronunciation.
2 So also Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iii. p. >rr, where he also gives a second form
Shananah.
d (1 2
204 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Daluk 1 founded a Nilometer at Ansina 2 , and a Nilometer at Ikhmim 3 ;
and 'Abd al- c Aziz ibn Marvvan set up a Nilometer at Hulwan 4 . In
later times the province of the Fayyum was settled as a fief upon the
Ghuzz and Kurds, in the reign of Yusuf ibn Ayyub, the Kurd ; and so
it remained until the end of the year 573 (a. d. i 178), when its revenues
were 133,274 dinars. Then it was settled upon Buri. the brother [of
Yusuf ibn Ayyub], and his followers, in the year 576 (a.d. 1180), when
its revenues were 100,046 dinars. Then it was settled upon Taki ad-Din
'Umar ibn Shahanshah, and the son of his sister, in the year already
mentioned, when its revenues were of the amount given above.
In Madinat al-Fayyiim 5 at present there is the church of the glorious
Fol. 71a angel Michael, which is exceedingly large, and contains certain pillars,
large and high, so perfect that few more perfect have ever been seen.
This church stands near that gate of the city which is called the gate
of Sums.
There is also a church of the Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary, outside
the city ; and there is a church of the martyr Mercurius, restored by
the Shaikh Abu Zakari.
1 Generally called i5^b . She was said to have been queen of Egypt in her
own right in remote antiquity.
2 The ancient Antinoe or Antinoupolis, founded by the emperor Hadrian in
memory of Antinous. In Coptic it is called <LrtT lit COOT- Under the later
Roman Empire, it was the capital of the Thebaid, or Upper Egypt. Upon the
site of this city now stands the village of Shaikh 'Abadah, included in the district
of Mallawi, in the province of Asyut, and having in 1885 a population of 1,179.
See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. r*\; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. r.t; Amelineau,
Geogr. pp. 48-51.
3 The Greek Chemmis or Panopolis, and the Coptic OjJUUIt- It is now in
the district of Suhaj, and had in 1885 a population of 18,792. It was formerly
famous for its ancient temple, which was reckoned among the wonders of Egypt,
but of which few remains now exist. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. no; Al-Idiisi
(ed. Rome) [p. 48]; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. pp. ri and rrl ; As-Suyuti, Husn
al-Muhddarah, i. p. r* ; Amelineau, Geogr. pp. 18-22.
4 See above, fol. 52 a ff.
5 This passage is quoted by Quatremere, Mem. i. p. 411.
MONASTERY OF AN-NAKLUN. 205
There is also a church of the Melkites in the quarter of the
Armenians.
Monastery of An-Naklun.
The monastery called the monastery of An-Naklun x lies to the east
of the district called Nawasa 2 . This monastery 3 contains a church
named after the angel Michael, in which there is a pillar of marble,
which sweats as if water were flowing from it ; and also possesses
a large keep, which overlooks a mountain on which there is a boulder.
It is said that the foundations of this church were laid on the 13th
of Hatur, and that it was consecrated by the Lord Christ and his
Apostles on the 18th of Abib. Adjacent to the monastery there is
a church named after the angel Gabriel 4 , enclosed within a wall which
was erected before the church on the 13th of Amshir and was finished
in this short time ; and the building of the church was begun on
the- 26th of the same month, and finished on the 13th of Ba'iinah, on
the 20th of which month it was consecrated. It is said that the moun-
tain called An-Naklun is that which contained the place where Jacob,
son of Isaac, son of Abraham, enjoyed the shade, and worshipped ; and
sacrifices were offered to God there in the days of Joseph, the son Pol. 71 b
1 The Coptic rtGKXcoite. This monastery was also called in Coptic
JULOrt^-CTHpIOIt JlXricge, and sometimes in Arabic ^J& j, both of
which names signify ' Monastery of the Log ' or ' Beam.' It was situated to the
south-west of Madinat al-Fayyum, near the modern Gharak, and has now been
swallowed up by the sands, like the other villages of that district. AI-Makrizi
gives an account of the monastery of An-Naklun. See also Amelineau, Ge'ogr.
pp. 133 and 273. (A. J. B.)
2 Yakut mentions a place of this name, which was, however, in the province
of Samannud, and still exists; see his Geogr. Wort. iv. p. ait, and Rec. de I'Egypte,
ii. p. 264.
3 It is related that ' Aour ' or Aura (see a few lines below), bishop of the
Fayyum, was the founder of the monastery of An-Naklun early in the fourth
century ; and his history translated from the Arabic, is to be found in
M. Ame'lineau's Contes el Rom. de I'figypte Chre't. p. 109 ff.
4 This church is mentioned in the last-named work, p. 122.
206 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGFPT.
of Jacob, when Joseph superintended the building of the Fayyum
and the Hajar al-Lahun. The church in the mountains of An-Naklun
was consecrated, in the episcopate of Anba Isaac, by Aura, son of the
queen's daughter and of Abrashit 1 , the magician, whom she hid away
from him (?) and from her parents.
Monastery of Al-Kalanulu 2 .
The monastery called that of Al-Kalamun. This monastery is
much visited. It possesses land in several districts of Upper Egypt ;
and at Shubra it owns sixteen feddans. It possesses 3 salt-marshes,
from which it annually receives nearly three thousand ardebs [of salt].
Of the dates of the palm-trees it receives a quantity, which are sold
every year.
There is here a spacious church named after the Lady, the Pure
Virgin Mary, which was consecrated on the 14th of Hatur. Anba
Samuel 4 , the superior and administrator of this monastery, was
1 See AmeTneau, op. cit.
2 The hill of Al-Kalamun, upon which this monastery stood, rises to the
south-west of the Fayyum near An-Naklun and near Al-Gharak and the Wadi
Rayan ; but it does not appear that the name is still given to the place, which is
now a mere desert. The monastery is described by Al-Makrizi ; but is barely
mentioned by Yakut, who merely says that it was in the Fayyum and was widely
celebrated. The Coptic name is K<LX<LJULU)It. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. ii.
p. iav ; Amelineau, Geogr. p. 388 f. (A. J. B.)
3 This passage and part of the following account of the monastery are quoted
by Quatremere, i. pp. 474-475.
4 The death of this saint is commemorated on Kihak 8 = Dec. 4. See
Synaxariiim at that day. He was the founder of the monastery of Al-Kalamun,
and Hatri and Hor are said to have been monks there under him, which would
fix his date in the first half of the fourth century. Fourteen monks from
An-Naklun are said to have come over to Samuel. He employed his monks
in preparing salt from the saline pool (jULA-ttG^JULOY), mentioned by our
author below. See Zoega, Cat. pp. 545-546, where quotations from a Coptic
encomium on this saint are given.
MONASTERY OF AL-KALAMUN. 207
a learned man ; and God revealed to him what would happen in
the future, and spoke with him ; and Samuel wrote down what God
said to him, and his prophecies were verified in his own time.
This monastery is enclosed within a surrounding wall, in which there
is a large garden containing palms and olives and vegetables. In the
monastery there are four towers ; and it contains twelve churches. In
the upper part there is a sentinel's cell in which a monk is stationed,
to warn the other monks of the approach of visitors to the monastery, Pol. 72 a
while the latter are yet at a distance, whether they be soldiers or emirs
or walis ; and the sentinel strikes the wooden gong in different
manners, according to the rank of the visitors ; so that the monks
may know, when they hear it, who it is that is approaching the
monastery, and may prepare what is fitting for him before he arrives.
The church of this monastery contains twelve chapels in its upper
and lower stories. There is in it a spring of salt water, flowing day
and night from it into a wide pool. In the latter there are to be found
at intervals [the fish called] bulti 1 , of which men eat, and which are
good for food, and black in colour. In winter the water sweetens
a little in this pool ; and the monks occasionally drink from it.
Outside the monastery there is a cave, in which lives a monk who
is named Muhna ; and he never quits it by night or by day. He fasts
during the whole week. The monks go to him to receive his blessing.
Around his cave there are many fruitful palm-trees. He used to
have with him a hundred dinars of money ; but when the Ghuzz and
Kurds came to this country, he made a present of the money to the
monks, and retained nothing of it. The wild beasts used to come
together to him, and not one of them hurt him ; but they grew so
tame that he was able to feed them out of his hand. The devils also
appeared to him, and stood opposite to him, face to face, but could not
reach him.
1 Al-Idrisi says that this was a round fish of the same kind as the 'Afar (.-a-ff),
and was also found in the Sea of Tiberias ; that it had few bones and was good
to eat, being sometimes of the weight of five pounds. Translated by Jaubert,
i. p. 30.
208 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Fol. 72 b The door of this monastery is plated with iron, and is of skilful
workmanship.
This monk, Muhna, of whom we have been speaking, made, at the
beginning of his monastic life, before he shut himself up in the cave
on the mountain, a church which was hewn out of the rock, and over
it he made cells for the monks. It is said that the father, Anba Samuel,
the celebrated administrator of this monastery, used to worship on the
mountain, at a place called Rayan 1 , opposite to the monastery. Up
to the end of Amshir, in the year 894 of the Righteous Martyrs
(A.D. i 178), the number of monks in this monastery amounted to 130 ;
and they were virtuous and devout.
Monasteries and Churches at Aflah az-Zaitiin.
The monastery of the glorious martyr Theodore, on the [canal of]
Al-Manhi, at Aflah az-Zaitun 2 . This Theodore was a native of the
Fayyum, and was martyred in Upper Egypt. His body was carried
on a wooden chariot, over which his blood flowed ; and it did not cease
to carry him until it reached this district, of which he was a native.
In [this district] there is a church named after him, and containing
his body ; besides many other churches. There are here a church
of the Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary ; a monastery named after the
apostles ; a church named after the martyr Mercurius ; a church of
the angel Gabriel ; a church named after Saint John ; and the church
of the Saviour 3 .
1 I. e. the Wadi Rayan, still so called, to the south of the Fayyum, and,
according to some, on the site of the ancient Lake Moeris.
2 More commonly called simply Az-Zaitun, or ' The Olives ; ' in Coptic
cb^niXtUIT". The Acts of the martyr John of Phanijoit have been published
by M. Am^lineau ; see Un Document copte du xii Steele, 1887. The place is on the
west bank, close to Dalas and Bush Kura, and a little to the north of Bani Suwaif,
to the province of which it belongs; and in 1885 it had 1,300 inhabitants, besides
sixty-two Bedouins. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. ii. p. iio; Ibn Dukmak, v. p. t* ;
Amelineau, Geogr. pp. 327-330. This passage of our author is quoted in sub-
stance by Quatremere, Mem. pp. 412-413.
3 As-Sutir is of course the Greek (tcottj/j.
CHURCHES OF FANU AND NAKAlJFAH. 209
Churches of Fanu and Nakalifah.
The district of Fanu and Nakalifah 1 . In these two districts there
are several churches. There are to be found here the church of the Fol. 73 a
glorious Saint George ; a church of the Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary,
restored by the Shaikh Al-Muhadhdhab Abu Ishak Ibrahim ibn Abu
Sahl al-Musharif, who was known as Az-Zakruk ; the church of the
glorious angel Michael ; the monastery of the Cross in the district of
Fanu, in which the liturgy is celebrated once in the year, on the feast
of the Cross ; and a church of the glorious Saint George.
SailaJi.
In the district of Sailah 2 there is a monastery named after the Lady,
the Pure Virgin, the Virgin Mary ; adjacent to which there is a keep,
which has been restored, but not finished, on the public road.
The monastery known as the monastery of the Brothers. In this
there is a church named after the glorious martyr Saint Mennas. In
this monastery lived the priest John of Samannud 3 , who was devout,
learned, and humble, and consoled by his learning all those that came
to him and heard his discourse ; he afterwards became patriarch of
Alexandria.
1 This passage is quoted in substance by Quatremere, Mem. i. p. 413.
Nakalifah is still existing, and is included in the district of Sanuras in the province
of the Fayyum, with a population in 1885 of 2,664. See Rec. de I'Egypte, ii.
p. 258. In the fourteenth century revenue-lists both places are named; see
De Sacy, Relation de T Egypte par Abd-AUatif, p. 633.
2 Quoted in Quatremere, Mem. i. p. 413. Sailah was in the Fayyum, to the
west of Nakalifah, but is not named in the Rec. de I'Egypte. See Yakut, Geogr.
Wort. iii. p. rr . ; Ibn Dukmak, v. p. 1 .
3 He succeeded Agatho, and was the fortieth patriarch, occupying the see
from a.d. 677 to 686.
e e [II. 7-]
2(0 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
*
Hajar al-Ldhun,
Hajar al-Lahun 1 . Here is the monastery of Saint Isaac 2 ; and
the church named after the Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary. This church
is spacious and beautifully planned, skilfully built and designed, and
resembles the church in the monastery of Al-Kalamun. In the
Pol. 73b [monastery of Saint Isaac] there is also a small church, named after
the glorious martyr Saint Isaac. Round this monastery there is
a triple wall of stone. It is much visited, and stands on the mountain
to the north of Al-Lahun, at the place called Barniyudah. in the
mountain-range in the south of the Fayyum.
Churches of Al-BaJinasa and the neighbourhood.
At Al-Bahnasa there are several churches, namely, the church of
Saint Ammon 3 ; the church of Mark; the church of Saint John 4 ; the
1 The following passage is quoted in substance by Quatremere, Mem. i. p. 413.
The village of Al-Lahun still exists, and in 1885 had a population of 2,416. It
stands at the entrance to the Fayyum, where the ancient lock of the canal of
Al-Manhi was; and it is included in the district of Tubhar. See Amelineau,
Ge'ogr. p. 232.
2 Saint Isaac of DifiT H~d>pe), m tne province of Al-Gharbiyah, was put to
death in the persecution of Diocletian, by order of Arianus, governor of the
Thebaid, after horrible tortures. His martyrdom is commemorated on Bashans 6
=May 1. See Synaxarium at that day; Budge, Martyrdom of Isaac of ' Tiphre,
with Coptic text and translation.
3 Abamun, Abamun, or more correctly Aba Amun or Apa Ammon, is the
name of two martyrs, of the time of Diocletian, whose deaths are commemorated
respectively on Abib 13 and 27 = July 7 and 21. See Synaxarium at those days;
Amelineau, Actes des MM. p. 103. Quatremere borrows from this passage, Mem. i.
p. 255. Al-Makrizi says that there were once 360 churches at Al-Bahnasa, of
which the church of Mary alone remained in his time. We shall return to Al-
Bahnasa on fol. 74 b.
4 Since Abu Yuhannus is not further identified, and there are several saints
named John in the Coptic calendar, it is impossible to say which of them is
CHURCHES OF AL-BAHNASA AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. 211
church of the glorious martyr Saint George ; and the church of the
glorious martyr Mercurius.
At Bahumalis 1 there are several churches, namely, the church
of the angel Gabriel, and a second church of the angel Gabriel ; a church
of the angel Raphael; a church of the glorious Saint Sinuthius 2 ; and
a church named after Saint Armenius 3 .
The district of Kufadah 4 . [Here there is] a church named after
the Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary ; a church of the glorious angel
Michael ; a church of the angel Raphael ; a church of the glorious
martyr Mercurius ; and the church of the glorious angel Gabriel.
At Abtujah 5 is the church of Raphael the angel ; the church of
the angel Michael ; the church of the Lady, the Holy and Pure Virgin
Mary ; and the church of Dioscorus.
intended here and elsewhere. The most popular martyr of this name, however,
would seem to be the John who was martyred together with his cousin Simeon,
with whom he is commemorated on Abib n=July 5. See their Acts, edited
and translated by M. Hyvernat, Actes des MM. de I'Egyple, p. 174 ff. See also
Synaxarium at that day ; and Amelineau, Actes des MM. p. 141 ff.
1 I cannot guarantee the form of this name, nor identify the locality.
2 This may be the famous monk Sinuthius, founder of the White Monastery ;
or it may be St. Shanudah or Sinuthius the martyr, of Al-Bahnasa, commemorated
on Barmahat 14 = April 9 ; see Synaxarium at that day.
3 Abu Harminah is said by Al-Makrizi to have been one of the earliest
monks, and very famous among the Christians. Cf. Paris Synaxarium at
Ba'unah 8 = June 2. There was a St. Harmanus, a champion of the monophy-
site doctrine, who is mentioned in the Patriarchal Biographies, Anc. Eonds Arabe
139, p. 167, 1. 1 ff. The Synaxarium translated by Mr. Malan commemorates
a Harman, bishop of Ka'u, in Upper Egypt, on Kihak 2=Nov. 28.
4 A little to the east of Al-Bahnasa, and nearer the bank of the river.
5 The Coptic TUOXI, a little to the south-west of Al-Bahnasa, but on the
same side of the river. The village is now included within the district of Bani
Mazar, in the province of Munyah or Minyah, and had in 1885 a population
of 1,000. See Amelineau, Ge'ogr. p. 517 f. Quatremere refers to this passage,
Mem. i. p. 258.
e e 2
212 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Fol. 74 a Jalfah 1 . Here there is a church of the Lady, the Pure Virgin
Mary ; a church named after Saint Dioscorus ; a church named after
the saint and glorious martyr Victor, son of Romanus ; and a church
named after Bu Talihah 2 .
At Bardanuhah 3 there are several churches, namely, the church
of Aba Kustul ; a church of the angel Michael ; a church of the angel
Raphael ; a church of the angel Gabriel ; the church of Mercurius,
the valiant martyr ; the church of the saint and glorious martyr Saint
George ; a church named after the valiant and militant martyr
Theodore ; and the church of the saint Aimin.
Saft Abu Jirja 4 . Here are several churches, namely, a church
named after the Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary ; the church of Thomas ;
the two churches of the angel Michael and of the angel Gabriel.
Al-Kufur 5 . Here there is a church named after the martyr
Theodore.
1 The Coptic nxeX&.,. It is now included in the district of Bani
Mazar, in the province of Minyah, with a population in 1885 of 647. It is
probably the Jalaf, which Yakut says was near Al-Kais, in the district of Al-
Bahnasa. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. ii. p. i.p; Amelineau, Ge'ogr. p. 150 f.
Quatremere refers to this passage of our author, Mem. i. p. 257.
2 I must admit with Quatremere that I cannot identify this saint, nor even
read his name with certainty.
3 Now included in the district of Kalusana, in the province of Minyah, with
a population in 1885 of 2,670. It lies on the west bank, a few miles to the south
of Al-Bahnasa, and near Al-Kais and Al-Kafur. See Ibn Dukmak, v. p. 1 ;
Rec. de V Egypte, ii. p. 64.
4 A little to the south-west of Al-Bahnasa, south of Abtiijah and north of Abu
Jirja. The village is now included in the district of Bani Mazar, in the province
of Minyah, with a population in 1885 of 2,316. There were twelve places named
Saft in Egypt. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iii. p. iv, and Mtishtarik, p. vf* ; Ibn
Dukmak, v. p. a ; Rec. de I' Egypte, ii. p. 279.
5 On the west bank, to the south-east of Al-Bahnasa and a little to the north
of Kalusana. It is called in Coptic rUK^cb^p, and is now comprised in the
district of Kalusana, with a population in 1885 of 798. See Amelineau,
Ge'ogr. p. 276 f.
MALL AW t 213
Taha.
Taha al-Madinah x , belonging to the province of Al-Ushmunain.
Here there are a church of the Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary 2 ; a second
church of the Lady ; a church of the angel Gabriel ; two churches
of the two glorious and militant martyrs, Saint George and Mercurius ;
a church named after Saint Mark the Evangelist ; a church named
after the glorious martyr Stephen, the chief of the deacons.
Saft al-Miihallabi.
At Saft al-Muhallabi 3 there is a church named after the glorious Fol. 74 b
angel Michael ; and two churches named after the two glorious angels
Gabriel and Raphael.
Mallawi.
At Mallawi 4 [there is a church] named after the valiant martyr
Abatir 5 ; a church of the martyr Mercurius ; a church of the glorious
1 On the west bank, a little to the north of Munyah or Minyah Bani Khasib,
in the province of which it is now included, being in the district of Kalusana.
It is the Coptic TOIf^O. In 1885 it had 1,113 inhabitants. See Al-Idrisi,
trans. Jaubert, i. p. 124; Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iii. p. on; AmeTineau, Ge'ogr.
p. 471 f. Taha is again mentioned by our author on fol. 77 a.
2 Al-Makrizi mentions two churches alone at Taha, viz. those of Mary and
the Apostles.
3 Our copyist writes .A^Jh but /"LA-^ll is the form given by Yakut in his
Mitshtarik, p. rn, where he says that the village was in the province of Al-
Ushmunain.
4 This is thought to be the place called in Coptic JUL<LItX<LY. It is now
a town of some little importance, since in 1885 it contained 10,777 inhabitants;
and it is situated in the district to which it gives its own name, in the province
of Asyut. Mallawi is on the west bank, a little to the south of Ushmunain.
See Amelineau, Ge'ogr. p. 239 f. Al-Makrizi names the churches of the Apostles,
of St. George, and of St. Michael at Mallawi, but says that the two last were
in a ruined state in his time.
5 I conjecturally read Abatir and identify the saint with Apatil, a soldier of the
214 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
martyr Saint George ; two churches of the two angels Gabriel and
Raphael ; and two churches of the Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary, and
of the glorious angel Michael.
Rifah and Udmnhah.
Rifah 1 and Udrunkah 2 . Here there is a church named after
the Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary ; a church of the glorious martyr
Victor ; two churches of the valiant martyr Theodore ; a church named
after the Saviour ; a church named after Saint John ; two churches
named after the two martyrs Thomas and Severus ; and a monastery
named after the great saint Sinuthius.
Churches at Al-Bahnasd and the neighbourhood.
At Najaj 3 , in the province of Al-Bahnasa, there is a church named
after the martyr Saint John.
fort of Babylon, whose martyrdom is commemorated on Abib i6 = July 10 ; see
Amelineau, Actes des MM. p. 97. There is a martyr Abadir commemorated on
Tut 28 = Sept. 25 ; see Synaxarium at that day.
1 Our author, or his abbreviator, with his usual want of plan, here takes us up
to the neighbourhood of Usyut, from which he immediately afterwards returns.
Rifah is a little to the south of Usyut, on the west bank, and was called in Coptic
epH-S.6. In 1885 it had a population of 4,119, and is now included within the
district and province of Asyut or Usyut. See Amelineau, Ge'ogr. p. 165. Al-
Makrizi names churches and monasteries at Rifah and Udrunkah, but apparently
not those mentioned by our author.
2 Also called Durunkah or Derenkah. It lies a little to the south-west of
Usyut, in the district and province of which it is included. It is a little to the
north of Rifah, and had 4,629 inhabitants in 1885. In the time of our author
and later this was a great Christian centre ; and Coptic was still spoken here
in the time of Al-Makrizi. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. ma; Rec. de I'Egypte,
ii. p. 99.
3 I cannot identify this place. It would be some distance to the north of
Rifah and Udrunkah.
CHURCHES AT AL-BAHNASA AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. 215
Idfak 1 . Here there is a church of the glorious martyr Mercurius.
Turfah 2 . Here there is a church named after Bartholomew.
As-Sakiyah, called Sakiyah Mahfuz 3 . Here there are five churches,
[respectively named after] the martyr Mercurius, Mark, Stephen,
Theodore, and the Disciples.
Al-Bahnasa. The meaning of this word is 'place of marriage 1 ,'
and it was built for the maidens who were the virgin daughters of the Fol. 75 a
kings, and were married to the sons of the kings from this city. Near
it there is a place where Joseph the Truthful worshipped.
There is here a church named after Saint Bartholomew 5 , who was
martyred in the oasis of Al-Bahnasa, and whose body is in the church
of Karbil there. There is also the church of Theodore,
In this district there are several churches : those of the martyr
1 This place again I cannot identify.
2 This village, formerly in the province of Al-Bahnasa, is now included in the
district of Kalusana, in the province of Munyah or Minyah, and had 435 inhabi-
tants in 1885. Its Coptic name was Tep&e. See Ame'lineau, Geogr. p. 492 f.
3 See Ibn Dukmak, v. p. a . The name Sakiyah means, of course, ' water-
wheel.'
4 I.e. apparently JULi.riCljeXeT, which only approximates to the sound of
Bahnasa.
5 The IMS. has Bartau. The Copts and Abyssinians, differing from the
Latins and Greeks, agree in holding that St. Bartholomew preached in the Oases.
They generally add, however, that he was martyred on the sea-coast, that is,
apparently, on the Egyptian or Nubian shores' See, e. g. The Conflicts of the
Apostles, translated from the Ethiopic by Mr. Malan, pp. 76-99.
The Synaxarium says at Tut i=Aug. 29:
^y> *$! J&> jjl Jjt) sill disjzA jjl ^loj -A^j *&J1 u^/Hs J* (J^ e^Uiyi Jl
*^ljfic Ja^I U u-oUjsrI'j Jyixi! iLaUl i^>U^)l
' On this day is commemorated the death of the holy disciple Bartholomew, one
of the Twelve. To this apostle it was allotted that he should go to the Oases.
So he and Peter travelled thither, and he preached the gospel to the inhabitants of
2i 6 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Stephen; Abatir 1 ; Bartholomew; the Disciples and Apostles; and
our Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary.
The last church is in. the city [of Al-Bahnasa], and is large and
spacious.
There are also churches of the glorious angel Michael and of the
angel Gabriel ; of Istafura 2 the martyr, who was also called Dog's Face,
the Oases, and called them to the knowledge of God, after wonderful signs and
astounding miracles had been shown to them.'
After converting the people in the Oases,
ji ^j ^ bu Alii U ji, 3 o y ^jjj jsJ\ lu, js. J& yj\ ji iji* wU
jj^Jj i$ nAxsl. ,jl .*lj Jic j;jls? dill I uH.j-^ ^ ^9 **-*l' J****!' , (jl^.^lj ^ *&/**
' Then he went to the country on the sea-coast, to those who knew not God ; and
he preached among them and turned them to the knowledge of God, and to faith
in the Lord Christ. But Agharbus, the king, heard of him and was wroth with
him, and commanded that they should put him in a sack of hair-cloth and fill it
with sand and cast him into the sea.'
1 See note above on fol. 74 b.
2 I. e. St. Christopher. The form of the name in the Synaxarium is Akhris-
tafarus (^.Ulk-p-l); and it is added
' Whose face was the face of a dog.'
In Zoega, Cat. p. 235, and in Conflicts of Holy Apostles, translated by
Mr. Malan from the Ethiopic, p. 76 ff., the name is said to be Christianos. The
story is that he was a ' Cynocephalus,' in Coptic OT^ofl^OOp, who was con-
verted by Saints Andrew and Bartholomew, and accompanied them in their
missions in Nubia. He had lived near the city of Barthos, which has
been supposed to mean Parthia. Barthos, however, was not far from Elwah,
which Mr. Malan says is unknown, but which might be Alwah in Nubia.
St. Christopher is commemorated by the Copts on Barmudah 2 = May 28.
Cf. Acta SS. at July 25, where a different history of St. Christopher is given.
The epithet ' dog-faced ' is, however, preserved in a troparion sung by the
Greek church, on the festival of St. Christopher (May 9); although the Meno-
logion of Basil (a. d. 984) repudiates the literal acceptance of this epithet, and
PLACES IN EGYPT VISITED BY OUR LORD. 217
and was one of those who were with the fathers and pure disciples.
This last church is on the canal, outside the city. [There are also
churches of] Mark ; of the martyr Mercurius, who has two churches
here ; of Saint George, who has two churches ; and of Saint John or
Abu Hanna, the martyr.
Ashrubah 1 . Here there are two churches of the Cross, and
one of the Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary, within the city ; and there
is also one dedicated to her without the city. There is also a
church of Michael, the glorious angel; a church of the glorious martyr Fol. 75b
Mercurius on the borders of the lake ; and a church of the glorious
Saint George ; and two churches of the glorious Saint Theodore ; and
[churches named after] Saint Paul 2 and Thomas.
At Saft Rashin 3 there is a church named after the glorious martyr
Theodore the Eastern, which was wrecked by the Ghuzz and Kurds,
who turned it into a mosque. There is here also a church of the angel
Gabriel, which fell into decay and was restored by a certain official.
Places in Egypt visited by our Lord.
The places which our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory !
visited with the Lady, the Pure Virgin, and with the righteous old
man, Joseph the carpenter, in Upper Egypt.
The church of Jabal al-Kaff 4 , named after the Lady, the Pure
explains it as being metaphorical, and significant of the character of the saint
before his conversion. (A. J. B.)
1 This place is named by Ibn Dukmak, v., p. r ; and it is now included
within the district of Bani Mazar, in the province of Minyah, but is a place of
no importance. In the fourteenth century it still belonged to the province of
Al-Bahnasa, and is named in the revenue-list of a.d. 1375. See De Sacy, Rel. de
Vtgypte par Abd-Allatif, p. 685 ; Rec. de V Egypie, ii. p. 22.
2 This would be St. Paul the first hermit ; or St. Paul of Tamwaih, a monk
famous for his austerities, and commemorated on Babah 7 = Oct. 4.
3 A considerable distance to the north of Al-Bahnasa, and to the south of
Bani Suwaif, in the province of which it is now included. Yakut includes it in
the province of Al-Bahnasa ; see Mushtarik, p. m .
4 I. e. ' Mount of the Palm of the Hand/ Our author, at the beginning of
f f [IT. 7.]
2i 8 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Virgin Mary. This church is hewn out of the mountain-side, and in
the rock is the mark of the palm of the hand of the Lord Christ, to
whom be glory ! which was made when he touched the mountain, when
it bowed in adoration before him, after he had gone down thither from
Syria. He grasped the mountain, when it worshipped before him,
and restored it to its place with his hand ; so that the mark of his
palm remains impressed upon that mountain to the present day. In
the impression of the hand there is a fine perforation, large enough to
admit a collyrium-needle, into which the needle is inserted, and, when
it is pulled out, brings up a black collyrium which makes an indelible
mark.
Above this church there is a church built of stone, and named after
Fol. 76 a the Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary. Festival is kept here on the 2ist of
Tubah 1 , which is the day of her death, when a large congregation
assembles. This mountain [of Jabal al-Kafif] is opposite to the district
called Al-Bihu 2 , [but is] on the eastern side of the river. It is also
said to be near the city of Al-Ushmunain 3 ; and it is also called the
Jabal at-Tair 4 . On this mountain there are two stone crosses, of a red
colour ; one of them is a large stone and the other a small stone.
fol. 76 a, identifies this mountain with the Jabal at-Tair, which rises opposite to
Samallut and Bihu, and to the north of Munyah Bani Khasib.
1 The Death of the Blessed Virgin is commemorated by the Copts on
Tubah 2i=Jan. 16, and her Assumption on Misri i6=Aug. 9.
2 This village still exists on the west bank, opposite to the Jabal at-Tair, and
is included in the district of Kalusana, in the province of Minyah. In 1885 it
had a population of 1,252. See Ibn Dukmak, v. p. f ; Rec. de I'Egypte, ii. p. 73.
3 Al-Ushmunain is in reality about thirty miles to the south of the Jabal at-Tair.
4 See Norden's Plate LXXI, where the ' Tshibel ell Deiir/ as he spells it,
is to be seen at the northernmost point of the Nile, on the eastern bank. On
Plate LXXV Norden gives a view of the monastery on the Jabal at-Tair, which
is called Dair al-'Adhrd, i.e. 'Monastery of the Virgin,' or, more popularly,
Dair al-Bakarah, or ' Monastery of the Pulley.' The latter name is common
to several monasteries, which use a pulley to hoist up both provisions and
visitors; and one so named is shown on Jabal Abu Faida in Norden's Plate
LXXX, a few miles to the north of Manfalut. The Dair al-'Adhrd on Jabal
PLACES IN EGYPT VISITED BY OUR LORD. 219
In the city of Al-Ushmunain there is a church of the Lady, the
Pure Virgin Mary, which is very large, and which Al-Hakim changed
into a mosque.
On this mountain [of Jabal al-Kaff] there is another church hewn
in the rock, and supported by eight columns 1 . Opposite to this church
there is a hole of a cubit's breadth in which is white sand, some of
which is extracted by all those who put their hands in and take some
of it, and yet it never diminishes in quantity. The hand of a sinner
cannot enter into it, even as far as the tip of the finger.
It is said that when the Franks invaded Upper Egypt with their
king 2 , to drive Shirkuh the Kurd and his men away from the land
of Egypt, they cut out the piece of rock upon which was the mark
of the palm of the hand, and took it back with them to Syria, in the
year 563 of the Arabs (a.d. i 168).
The monastery of Bisus 3 , which is near Ishnin 4 . It is said by some
at-Tair seems to be the one described by Curzon in his Monasteries of the Levant,
ch. ix (p. in). (A.J. B.)
1 Curzon gives a plan of this church, p. 114, in which he specially remarks on
the eight columns. (A. J. B.)
2 Amaury or Almeric, king of Jerusalem from a.d. 1162 to 1173, was induced
by bribes to lead his troops to Egypt in the first year of his reign, to assist
Shawar against Shirkuh; and again in n 63, when the Latin sovereign entered
Cairo, and Shirkuh retreated. Amaury continued to assist the Fatimide caliph
and his vizier, until in 11 68 he took a powerful army to Ai-Farama, which he
took and sacked. This unscrupulous piece of treachery against his Egyptian
allies forced Shawar to implore Nur ad-Din, his former enemy, to assist him
against the Franks, and Amaury was driven to retreat.
8 Al-Makrizi calls this the monastery of Isus (^^jI ..p), explaining this
word as equivalent to the Arabic Fasti' (cj-~j) or 'Jesus; ' and it is, of course,
simply a transcription of the Graeco-Coptic IHCOfC Al-Makrizi relates the
same story which is given here of the well by which men foretell the rise of
the Nile. Our author seems to take Bisits as the name of a place ; but this
error must have arisen from his seeing the monastery mentioned as ^j^.^ ^^> j
or y-j-jL) &*J jii, i.e. 'A monastery which is named after Jesus.' (A. J. B.)
4 On the west bank, a little to the north of Al-Bahnasa, but a long way from
ff 2
220 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
that this monastery belongs to the province of Al-Ushmunain. Christ
visited this place and stayed here.
Fol. 76 b I n the monastery there is a church, in the middle of which there is
a well of running water. Over this well prayers are said during the
rise of the Nile every year ; and then the water in the well rises. In
the well there are marks contrived, which show the number of cubits
reached by the rise of the Nile ; and when the water of the well rises
and stands still at a certain mark, it is known thereby what height
the rise of the Nile will reach.
Island of Al-Ushmunain 1 . Al-Ushmun was the name of one of
the sons of Kift, the son of Mizraim. The town was built by Pharaoh,
and after it had fallen into ruin it was re-built by Nebuchadnezzar 2 ,
king of Babylon. It is said that there was on the highest point of
this town a cock, and beneath it a row of dromedaries. When
a stranger approached the town the cock crowed, and the dromedaries
came out to destroy that stranger. But when our Lord Christ, to
whom be glory! came to this town, the cock crowed and the drome-
daries went out, according to their custom ; and when they saw the
Lord Christ and the Lady, and Joseph the carpenter, they worshipped
Al-Ushmunain. There must have been a confusion on the part of some writers
between Ishnin and Al-Ushmunain. Ishnin was formerly in the province of
Al-Bahnasa, but is now, under the name of Ashnin an-Nasara, or ' Ashnin of the
Christians,' included in the district of Bani Mazar, in the province of Minyah.
In 1885 it had a population of 1,260. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. tag ; Rcc.
de VEgypie, ii. p. 22.
1 Also called Ashmunain, Eshmunain, or Oshmunain. Al-Ushmunain is the
Coptic CjjJULOTIt- It still exists in the district of Raudah, in the province of
Usyut, and had 2,312 inhabitants in 1885. See Amelineau, Geogr. p. 167 fF. ;
Al-Idrisi [p. 47] (ed. Rome); Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. v*r. The term 'island'
is given to the district in which Al-Ushmunain stands, because it is surrounded
by water : by the Nile on the east, the Bahr Yusuf or Al-Manhi on the west and
south, and a connecting canal on the north.
2 On fol. 23 b and 80 a we are told that it was Belshazzar who restored
Al-Ushmunain, after it had been pillaged by Nebuchadnezzar.
PLACES IN EGYPT VISITED BY OUR LORD. 221
them ; and on the spot they were changed into stone ; and their
number was five.
On this island there are three hundred villages. Our Lord Christ
entered [the town] by the eastern gate. Here the dromedaries
worshipped him.
In the history of Anba Kha'il, the forty-sixth patriarch \ it is said
that this is the town which was built by Alexander the Macedonian,
who called it Cleopatra 2 , a name which means ' the Weeping Woman ;' Fol. 77 a
and it was to this place that Marvvan, the last of the Omeyyad caliphs,
came, and here he was killed on the rock ; as the old monk 3 had
prophesied, according to the narrative.
* * * one of the districts [of Al-Ushmunain]. Here is the body of
Saint Macarius, the martyr. There is here an ancient temple 4 , near
the southern gate. There are several churches contained in it ; namely,
a church called after the Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary, which contains
several altars, and marble pillars ; one of which has been celebrated
in all times, for upon it is the mark of the hand of the Lord. Outside
the church there is a Syrian tree bearing [the fruit called] sebestan 5 ,
which is of a red colour. The tree stands near the ancient temple ;
and when the Lord v/ith the Lady passed by it, it bowed its head
in adoration to him. The governor of the town [in later times] wished
to cut it down ; but the patriarch Agatho 6 was standing under the
1 See MS. Anc. Fonds Arabe 139, p. 179.
2 See AmeTneau, Gfogr. pp. 170, 226-227.
3 This was a monk who addressed Marvvan on his march through Syria, and
foretold to him his defeat and death ; for which the caliph had his pillar over-
thrown, for he was a Stylite, and had him burnt alive. See Anc. Fonds Arabe
i39 P- l6 7> 1- J 3 ff -
4 There are still ancient tombs in the neighbourhood of Al-Ushmunain, but
no temple at the present day.
6 The Mukhkhait is a kind of Cordia, and is sometimes called the Assyrian
plum. It is of a dark purple colour, and was formerly used in medicine in Europe,
as it still is in the east.
6 The thirty-ninth patriarch of Alexandria. He occupied the see from
a.d. 658 to 677 (?). See Renaudot, Hist. Patr. pp. 172-174.
222 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
tree, and when the woodcutter struck it with his axe, the axe flew
back into his face. Thereupon the governor was afraid, and never
again gave orders that the tree should be cut down ; but he brought
to the patriarch gold out of his treasury, and begged him to accept
it, and to spend it on any sort of good work that he might wish.
Funkus 1 . There was here a church named after one of the
martyrs, I know not whom.
Taha 2 . In this town there were in former times 15,000 Christians,
but not a single Hanif or Jew ; and there were 360 churches. In the
Fol. 77 b caliphate of Marwan al-Ja'di, the last of the Omeyyad caliphs, he sent
Miwadd to this town, but they drove him out and forbad him to live
among them ; so he returned to Marwan, and told him of what they
had done. Thereupon Marwan sent some of his soldiers, who killed
a large number of the people, and scattered them, and destroyed all
the churches ; so that only one church was left, namely, that named
after Saint Mennas, the martyr, for the sparing of which alone it was
decreed that 3,000 dinars should be paid. 2,000 dinars, therefore, were
collected from the rich men of the city, but 1.000 were wanting, and
so one-third of the church was turned into a mosque, which stood before
the kaisariyah.
Darwat as-Sarabam 3 . Here there is a church of the Lady,
1 The consonants and vowels of this name are alike uncertain.
2 This place has already been mentioned on fol. 74 a. I do not know
whether our author means to imply that all these towns and villages were visited
by our Lord.
3 Yakut calls it Darwat (eyj. !) Sarabam, and Al-Makrizi Darut Saraban.
The latter writer says that it is also called Darwat ash-Sharif. The place lies to
the south of Al-Ushmunain and Mallawi, and a little to the north of Ras al-
Manhi, the spot at which the Bahr Yusuf or Al-Manhi issues from the Nile. In
Coptic it is TGpCJOT C<Lp<Ln<LIT ', the latter word being an abbreviation of
C<Lp<Ln<LJUL(JOIl, and being sometimes pronounced Saraban in Arabic. The
town now gives its name to a district of the province of Asyut, and in 1885 had
5,588 inhabitants. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. ii. p. ov.; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i.
pp. vi and r.o; Amelincau, Geogr. p. 496.
PLACES IN EGYPT VISITED BY OUR LORD. 223
the Pure Virgin Mary ; and a church named after the angel Gabriel,
which is called Maghtr atk-Thilj 1 .
Near the last-named place is the district of Sanabu 2 , where there
is a church of the Lady, built of baked bricks.
Jabal Ashtar or Halaliyah 3 . Here there is a church named
after Bu Nadil 4 , the martyr, which has fallen into decay.
Munyah Bani Khasib 5 . This city was founded by a Christian
named Ibn Khasib, after whom it was called. He and a number of
members of his family lived here, with those who took refuge with
him ; and he built houses here, and set up water-wheels. It is said that
Munyah Bani Khasib acquired the name of the family after whom
it was called, because they were numerous, and possessed wealth, and
slaves to serve them. The town was formerly called Munyah Bu Kais. Fol. 78 a
It lies on the western bank ; and it contains several churches, namely,
two churches of the Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary ; a church of the
glorious Saint George, outside the city ; a church of the glorious angel
Michael, who has also another church ; one of these two is outside,
and the other within the town ; two churches, one of the martyr
1 I.e.' Place where snow has fallen.'
2 Al-Makrizi gives Sanabu {y^>) and Yakut Sanabu (^U). The place was
a little to the south of Bibla'u, and close to the Ras al-Manhi. It was famous for
the manufacture of excellent horse-cloths. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. hi. p. iov;
Al-Makrizi names a monastery, but not a church of the Virgin at Sanabu.
3 I cannot identify this place.
4 This name does not occur in the Synaxarhim.
5 Often called simply Munyah or Minyah. It is now the capital of the
province to which it gives its name, and had in 1885 a population of 15,900.
The Coptic form of its name is JULUOItK, or, with the article, TJULCORH. It
was also called Munyat Abi '1-Khusaib. In our author's time it was a flourishing
and populous town ; and it is one of the most ancient cities of Egypt. See
Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. ivo, and Mushtarik, p. F.v ; Al-Idrisi, trans. Jaubert, i.
p. 124; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. r.o; Amelineau, Geogr. p. 257 f. Al-Makrizi
mentions only six churches as existing in his time at Munyah Bani Khasib, viz.
the Virgin, Saints Peter and Paul, St. Michael, St. George, St. Paul of Tamwaih,
and the Three Holy Children.
224 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Mercurius, and the other of Abu Kais 1 these two; and also in the
ancient temple a church of the Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary ; a church
of the martyr Mercurius; a church of the angel Michael; and a church
outside the town on the road to Daljah 2 .
There is a monastery named after the martyr Theodore, outside
Nahur, on the eastern bank.
It is said that Munyah Bani Khasib is also called Munyah Bu Kais,
after the saint, son of Kift, son of Mizraim ; and it possesses the body
of Bu Halbas 3 , the martyr.
The church of the Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary, at Al-Muharrakah 4 ,
in the province of Al-Ushmunain. It was from this place that Christ
returned to Misr, and thence to Syria. It is the first church that was
founded and consecrated in the southern provinces.
This town is called Kiis Kam 5 in the desert ; and the meaning
1 See a few lines lower down.
2 This town is at some distance to the south-west of Munyah Bani Khasib;
and lies remote from the river at the foot of the hills. It is now in the district
of ar-Raudah, in the province of Asyut, and in 1885 it had 8,209 inhabitants.
It seems to be the same as the Coptic eT~Xj<e, mentioned in one of the papyri of
the Archduke Rainer ; and its Arabic name is said now to be written ' Dalja,
lio. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. ii. p. oai~; Ame"lineau, Ge'ogr. p. 1 75 f.
3 A martyr of Ahnas, named ^-LU, is commemorated in the Paris Synax-
arium, on Barmahat i5 = March 11.
4 The monastery of this place was and is the largest and one of the most
celebrated in Egypt. It stands close to Kusakam, and is in the district of
Manfalut, in the province of Asyut. The convent contained in 1885 a popula-
tion of 1,110 inhabitants, consisting of monks, peasants, and Bedouins. Yakut
has an article on Dair al-Miiharrdk, which he praises for the beauty of its
situation, mentioning the tradition of Christ's visit to it. Al-Makrizi also mentions
the monastery in a few words. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. ii. p. iiP; Amelineau,
Ge'ogr. p. 264. Our author makes a mistake in placing Al-Muharrakah in the
province of Al-Ushmunain.
5 The Coptic KOCK^JUl. Yakut writes it as one word, Jo^S, 'Kusakam;'
see his Geogr. Wort. iv. p. r.i . It is also found in the forms Jd>~3 and J3}3.
PLACES IN EGYPT VISITED BY OUR LORD, 225
of this name of Kus Kam is ' one who makes shrouds of reeds for
the poor 1 .' It was built by Kus, the son of Kift, the son of Mizraim.
Our Lord Jesus Christ stayed here with the Lady, the Pure Virgin Fol. 78 b
Mary, his mother in the flesh, and the righteous old man, Joseph the
carpenter, at the time when they fled from Herod, the unbelieving
king, who slew the infants. They stayed in a chamber in the upper
story of this church, which is reached by mounting a flight of steps.
In this chamber there is a window which was opened in the wall by
the breath of the Lord ; it was not opened by the hand, nor by any
tool. In the church there is one altar, which was consecrated by
the descent upon it of our Lord Christ 2 , with the great disciples, in the
clouds, according to the testimony of the homily 3 of Philotheus, the
M. Amdlineau omits the form given by our author. Some writers have made
it the same place as Al-Muharrakah, and our author seems to be of this
opinion. In fact, however, the monastery of Al-Muharrak was built at the foot
of the western mountain, which is not far from the town of Kusakam, and is
named after it Jabal Kusakam. Vansleb stayed at Kusakam for a month, in
a.u. 1664, and says that the town was then in ruins, and that nothing remained
but the monastery of Al-Muharrak. See Ame'lineau, Geogr. p. 398. Kusakam
is identified with Apollinopolis Parva. (A. J. B.)
1 The Coptic KCOC means to prepare for burial, by enshrouding, swathing,
or embalming ; and KJUL means ' reed.'
2 The Paris Synaxariam says, at Hatur 6 = Nov. 2 :
{J,*}* (jAj (M~&>. i^k^ Jk~oM> fu. ^>-~U cj . > Uo, UxL. La^\ l _ r oisr > pL^
' [On this day is commemorated] the meeting of the Saviour, our God and our
King, our Lord Jesus Christ, with his pure disciples at Kuskam, which is the
same as Al-Muharrak, and the first liturgy which took place there, according to
the testimony of St. Philotheus and St. Cyril.'
3 J+** is, as Professor Margoliouth points out, the Syriac );,:*> J^. M. Ame'lineau
says, ' Les moines du monastere de Moharraq m'ont raconte que la Sainte Vierge
avait conduit l'enfant Jdsus a l'emplacement ou s'e'leve maintenant leur monastere;
et il existe dans la litte'rature copte un discours attribud a Th^ophile, le patriarche
d'Alexandrie, sur la vi.site de la sainte famille a Moharraq. Ce discours n'existe
g g [II. 7]
226 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
twenty-third patriarch 1 . Hence came the form of consecration [of
churches which has since been employed] : the vessels filled with
water'; and the prayers recited over the water, to consecrate it; and
the odoriferous plants 3 and the leaves ; and the lamps upon their
stands ; and the sprinkling of the walls of the church ; and [Christ]
commanded Peter to cause all churches to be consecrated according
to this form : the form of the first consecration, which took place at
Al-Muharrakah, in the province of Al-Ushmunain.
The church of the Lady, the Pure Virgin 4 , is the first church
which was built in Egypt. Hence Christ went down to Misr, and
thence he returned to Syria. This church is called Kus Kam, and is
very small.
[Christ and his parents] were accompanied by Moses, son of the
brother of Joseph the carpenter. Our Lord Christ bid Moses place
a stone beneath his head ; this he did, and immediately he died ; and
he was buried in this place. Opposite the door of the church there
is a well of running water. In the church there is a tank full of water,
Fol. 79 a which at a later time was turned into wine. The form of consecration
employed for this church became the customary rule for all future
times ; and the consecration took place on the 6th of Hatur 5 .
After [his stay here], our Lord Christ blessed the water of the
aforesaid well, because he and his mother and their companions had
drunk of it ; so that every one who went to it in faith, and drank of
it or bathed in it, was healed of his pains ; and many were cured of their
plus qu'en arabe, et se trouve dans un MS. de la Vaticane, dans un autre de la
Bibliotheque Nationale, et dans la bibliotheque de Moharraq.' (Jl/em. pour servi'r
a Vhistoire de I'figypte Chret. p. 8o, note.)
1 Also called Theophilus ; he sat from a. d. 385 to 412 (?). See Renaudot,
Hist. Pair. pp. 103-108.
2 For an account of these ceremonies see Coptic Churches, ii. p. 338 ff.
3 The plant used for sprinkling the water was a kind of beetroot, in Arabic
silk (<j.L.); see Vansleb, Hist, de I'Eglise d'Alex. p. 215. (A. J. B.)
4 I. e. at Al-Muharrakah, near Kusakam ; see a few lines above.
5 So in Sy?iaxariu?n ; see note above.
PLACES IN EGYPT VISITED BY OUR LORD. 227
diseases ; and the water became, in the mouth of those that drank of
it, sweet like the water of the Jihon ; I mean the Nile of Egypt.
Pilgrimages have been made by many multitudes from all districts
to this church from ancient times, because it has been celebrated on
account of signs and wonders and the healing of various diseases ;
and the time of pilgrimage is at Easter, every year. The Lord Christ
commanded that the original size of this church should not be added
to ; but that it should remain as it was. The mark of the hand of the
Lord is on the eastern and on the western mountain.
Adjacent to this church there is a large and ancient keep, which
had fallen into decay, but was renewed and restored to its original
condition by the Shaikh Abu Zakari ibn Bu Nasr, the administrator
of Al-Ushmunain ; may God have mercy on him and grant rest to his
soul ! this was in the caliphate of Al-Hafiz.
In this district there lived in ancient times Kharbata, son of Malik,
the hard-hearted giant ; but a thunderbolt was hurled at him from
heaven, so that he was burnt up, and not a trace of him could be
found; on this account the place was called Al-Muharrakah 1 . Fol. 79b
This Khartaba, son of Malik, the giant, possessed much treasure
and wealth ; but he loved to do evil deeds, and did not fear God or
dread his chastisements ; and so God hurled a thunderbolt at him,
which burnt him up, so that not a trace of him remained. On this
account the place was called Al-Muharrakah, as it has already
been said.
To the west of this church there is a vaulted chamber, hewn out
in the mountain-side ; and here the Lady used to dwell ; and the
Christian people began to come to this chamber, and obtain blessings
from it. It is said that at Easter, in the year 891 of the Righteous
Martyrs (a.d. 1175), the water in the well was turned into wine,
according to the testimony of an assembly of priests, bishops, and
laity, who wrote down an account of the event.
1 I.e.' The burnt village,' i>J? being understood. When the form is masculine
(Al-Muharrak), jo is understood.
g? 2
228 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Monastery at Ansina.
The great monastery on the mountain, founded by Matthias the
monk, near Ansina 1 . Many monks entered upon the monastic life here.
This monk [Matthias'-] performed many wonders ; one of which was
1 Whether this should be Ansina, as our MS. has it, or Isna (Esneh) I cannot
say. See following note.
2 This Matthias, or Matthew, is mentioned in the Life of the Patriarch
Alexander (a. d. 704-737?;; and the following story is to be found there. See
Anc. Fonds Arabe 139, p. 136, 1. 10 ff., where the saint, however, is said to have
lived near Isna. A Coptic life of this saint, who is there called .TT<S.
JUl.ee<LIOC n^HKG) Saint Matthew the Poor,' is quoted in Zoega, Cat.
p. 534 ff., in which it is said that this saint founded a monastery named after
St. Pachomius, near Isna (Esneh), where he lived a most ascetic life, fighting with
devils, who appeared to him in the form of serpents. A girl was brought to him,
possessed by a devil, and he bade her parents anoint her with oil from the church
lamp, so that she was healed. The Mahometan governor of Isna used to consult
Matthew on matters of importance, and send him presents of grapes, figs, pome-
granates, myrtle, and jasmine.
The festival of St. Matthew the Poor is kept on Kihak 7 = Dec. 3; and the
Synaxariwn has the following notice on that day :
_j'wl ^a J-^ ys <^y*-t^) ill* (j*^^' 'J 1 * iv^^**^ 1 3 M Lr^^ *^ r*W lJ
W, \y\) \j^/ B J" u^ (JT^J ^~^ ** 3 " ti 5 ^^ (j^W^ P7*~J **^C Jol-9 J*J ,j^j
' On this day died St. Matthew the Poor. This saint was the superior of a
monastery on a mountain in the neighbourhood of Aswan. He used to perform
many wonderful works, and cast out devils; and he was counted worthy to
possess the gift of healing, so that he used to pray over every sick man who was
brought to him, and the Lord healed the sick man in answer to his prayers.'
The Synaxarium then relates the story of the girl who was swallowed up, in
somewhat different terms from those of our author, and concludes thus :
.}L_< ^JJ iuxoi JSl Ui sJuJ (_P=*J1 *xkj ^u wl i_j^1 \'& JJl-9 j* xLj
( j-^i AOjti,i ^j /*^*^ /** oy^ ilj*fiX' sj'UL> sJI i_j.ll jjo-i.
' Among the wonderful acts recorded of this Father was his habit of feeding
OTHER CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES. 229
the following. A certain maiden had two brothers, who were tempted
by Satan to commit sin with her, so that she became pregnant ; and
this fact became apparent, but none knew the cause. So her parents
brought her to this monk ; and he questioned her as to how the thing
had happened ; and she confessed all to him. Then he raised his
hands to heaven and prayed ; and the earth immediately opened and
swallowed her up, in the sight of her parents. This is attested by the
History of the Church in the Life of the Father Alexander, the priest Fol. 80 a
of the monastery of To Hcnaton 1 , who became forty-third patriarch.
Other Churches and Monasteries in Upper Egypt.
In the district called Mir there are three churches.
In the district called Sanabu 2 there are twenty-seven churches.
In the district called Mansara there are three churches.
Belteshazzar, the son of Nebuchadnezzar, restored the land of
Egypt after its desolation during forty years. The first district which
he restored was that of Al-Ushmunain 3 .
There is a monastery named after the glorious angel Michael, in
wild beasts with his own hand. So when he had finished his course, he went to his
rest in peace, and the Lord took him to himself. May his acceptable prayers be
with all those who are baptized ! Amen.'
Renaudot {Hist. Patr. p. 119) calls this saint ' Domitius,' following a corrupt
reading (^^io) in one passage of the patriarchal biography. If he had read
a little more carefully, he would have found the name written a few lines lower
^^1*, ' Matthew.'
1 The word is not easy to read in the MS., and I do not know whether
I have correctly reproduced the form intended by our copyist. But that Alexander
came from the monastery of Az-Zajdj, on the sea-shore, nine miles to the west
of Alexandria, and therefore called in Greek To Henaton (to harov), and in
Coptic ni^ert^/Tort, is testified by the patriarchal biography. Al-Makrizi
also informs us of the identity of the Dair az-Zajdj with the Hair al-Hanatiin.
See also Zoega, Cat. p. 337 ; Amelineau, Ge'ogr. p. 532.
2 See fol. 77 b.
3 This piece of information has already been given us above, fol. 23 b.
230 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
the city of Kus ; and a monastery of Saint Sinuthius likewise ; and
also a monastery of Saint Pachomius.
It was to a monastery at Akfahs that Anba Sanhut, bishop of Misr,
fled 1 , in fear of Anba Michael of Sanjar, the sixty-eighth patriarch,
against whom he was in schism ; and he lived in the monastery
three years.
A monastery in the desert, in Upper Egypt. It was here that
Benjamin 2 , the thirty-eighth patriarch, lived in concealment, in the
reign of Heraclius, emperor of the Romans, who was a Chalcedonian
[heretic], and while George, son of Mennas, the Mukaukis, was ruling
in Egypt, until the end of ten years, through fear of both of them,
according to the warning of the angel. This was the period during
1 See Renaudot, Hist. Patr. p. 476.
2 The patriarchal history compiled by Severus of Al-Ushmftnain states that
when the monothelite patriarch Cyrus came to Alexandria, an angel warned the
Jacobite patriarch Benjamin (who occupied the see from a.d. 622 to 660 ?) to flee
and lie hid for ten years, since the church would be much troubled during that
period, and to bid the other bishops of Egypt also flee and conceal themselves.
With regard to Benjamin, the biographer proceeds :
(jO i^jJl t_jyJ t^^wJJc si}) JJi 12JL4 ^LaJI ^Oj i^~a ^lj ,J1 i joj issJLft ^j ( A\
iS^y, eyl^jJl ij* j*. &jl J i*JLa \j\p^L p&jz^ ^ $ ,jOj d,kJl ^jLo A>\ 4
J*-* J^.- 5 <J* t^o j*j&>\) Jf/* W J& ii^
' He set out by the road to Maryut, walking on foot, by night, accompanied by
two of his disciples, until he arrived at Al-Muna, whence he travelled to Wadi
Habib. There the monks were few in number, for it was not long after the
ravaging of those monasteries, which took place under the patriarch Damian;
and the Berbers did not allow the monks to multiply in the Wad! Habib. Then
Benjamin quitted the monasteries of Wadi Habib, and went to Upper Egypt,
and lived in concealment there in a small monastery in the desert, until the com-
pletion of the ten years during which Heraclius and the Mukaukiz (sic) ruled the
land of Egypt.' (Brit. Mus. MS. Or. 26,100, p. 103, line 26-p. 104, line 4.)
BULYANA AND BAHJURAH. 231
which the emperor oppressed the orthodox people, and required them
to conform to his creed, which was contrary to the truth. From these
two men the Christians suffered great persecution, yet they would not Fol. 80 b
deny their faith. But in their time the Hanifite nation appeared, and
humbled the Romans, and slew many of them ; and took possession
of the whole of the land of Egypt. Thus the Jacobite Christians
were freed from the tyranny [of the Romans]. When the Muslims
had ruled for three years, and the patriarch Benjamin was still in
concealment, 'Amr ibn al-'Asi heard of that which had happened to
him ; so he wrote a decree of protection for the patriarch and all his
people; saying in the decree: 'Let the shaikh and patriarch come
forth in confidence, with regard both to himself and to all the Copts,
who are in the land of Egypt and elsewhere, for they shall be safe
from all violence and treachery;' and so on. So this decree of
protection reached the father Benjamin the patriarch, who, in con-
sequence, came forth from his concealment, confident in his own
immunity and in that of his people, and returned to Alexandria.
The first appearance of the Muslims was [in the time of] Andronicus
the Chaste, the scribe who became the thirty-seventh patriarch 1 ; it
was in the twelfth year of Heraclius, emperor of the Romans, which
was the year 933 of Alexander 2 .
There is a monastery in Upper Egypt to which the priest
Ya'kub 3 fled, that he might serve God there. He had formerly been
in the monastery of Saint Macarius, when it was sacked, with the other
monasteries of Wadi Habib, by the marauders. He afterwards became Fol. 81 a
patriarch.
Buly and and Bahjiirah.
City of Bulyana. 4 . This lies to the west of the Nile, in Upper
Egypt. Here is the monastery known as the monastery of Bani Musa,
1 Occupied the see from a. d. 616-622 (?); Renaudot, Hist. Patr. pp. 154-155.
Our author means, of course, the first preaching of the Mahometan religion at Mecca.
2 I. e. of the Seleucian era.
3 The fiftieth patriarch; sat a. d. 826-836 ?
4 To the south-east of Jirja (Girgeh), on the west bank. It is here that
232 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
which was restored at the expense of As-Safi, who was its abbot.
It lies to the west of the city, and its correct name with that of
its church is said to be Saint Moses 1 . The plan of construction to
be found in this monastery is unlike any that can be seen elsewhere.
It is enclosed within a wall. Its gate is plated with iron and
studded with nails. It contains a water-wheel, which irrigates a
plot of vegetables. The pure body [of the saint] is buried in the
monastery.
The biography of Anba Christodulus, the sixty-sixth patriarch,
relates that the pillars of this monastery all transpired, until the drops
ran down like water; and shortly after this the small-pox broke out
among the children of Egypt, so that 21,000 of the young people
died in less than a month ; and wheat was sold at Cairo at eighty
dinars the sack, and at Alexandria at seventy-two dinars 2 .
At Bahjurah 3 there is a church of the glorious Saint George, which
is beautifully constructed, well-lighted and spacious.
travellers land for Abydos. The Coptic name is no*}fp<LrtH. It is now in
the district of Bardis, in the province of Jirja, and in 1885 had 3,854 inhabitants.
There was formerly here a talisman, which served as a protection against
crocodiles. See Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome) [p. 48]; Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. vro;
Rec. de I'figypte, ii. p. 62 ; AmeTineau, Geogr. p. 93 f.
1 The festival of Abu Musa, or Misis the Black, is kept on Ba'unah 24 =
June 18. He is said to have been a converted robber, who became a monk, and
was the author of several works. See Palladius, Hist. Laus. p. 55 ; Paris Synax-
arium ad diem. St. Moses is represented in Venetian paintings.
2 This dearth was in the year 359 of the Hegira (a. d. 960-961), and in the
caliphate of Al-Mustansir.
3 Al-Makrfzi mentions a church of the apostles at this place, but not the
church of St. George. Bahjurah was formerly in the province of Kfis, but is now
in the district of Farshut, in the province of Kana ; and in 1885 it had a popu-
lation of 4,654. It is at some distance from the bank, and was the centre of
a sugar district. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. viv; Revenue-list in De Sacy,
Abd-Allatif, p. 702 ; Rec. de i'Egypte, ii. p. 60.
xvs.
233
21s.
The town of Kus 1 . The meaning of this word is ' to enshroud V
and some of the inhabitants used to enshroud the kings for burial.
The town is enclosed within a wall. It was built by Kus, son of Kift,
so that he might travel thence to the Oases in the west, and in the
east to the mines of gold and emeralds 3 , and to the Hedjaz.
The monastery known by the name of Saint Pisentius 4 , bishop Pol. 81 b
of Kift. Its church is named after the Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary.
This monastery stands to the west of Kus ; and it contains the tomb
of Saint Pisentius. Outside the monastery, and to the west of it, there
1 Also called KusWarwir {j>^ ^oy, KUOC &epiilp). Formerly the capital
of a province, but now in the province of Kana (Keneh), with 10,282 inhabitants
in 1885. At the time of our author it was a place of much commercial impor-
tance. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. r.i; Al-Idrtsi (ed. Rome) [p. 48]; Al-
Makrizt, Khitat, i. p. rn ; Ame'lineau, Geogr. p. 400 f. Al-Makrizi says that in
his time only one church remained at Kus.
2 The Coptic KCOC means ' to prepare for burial.'
3 See above, fol. 20 a.
4 A famous bishop of Kift in the seventh century. See Ame'lineau, Un fiveque
de Keft au Vlle?ne Steele. The Synaxariian says at Abib 13 = July 7 :
Xx*cl\ -O jt- Lj'ij'U J^'}^ W^*^ ivj* h^ ^r*"^ ^i>J
' On this day died the Father Pisentius, bishop of Kift. This saint became
a monk in his youth, and was exceedingly devout, and learnt by heart many
books, among which were the Psalms and the Twelve Minor Prophets.'
He had a power of performing miracles; and a woman was healed of her
sickness by swallowing dust from his footprints. When he celebrated the liturgy
he is said to have been conscious of the presence of the Lord and his angels in
the sanctuary, and even to have seen them with his bodily eyes. On one occasion
a priest, celebrating the liturgy in the presence of St. Pisentius, was guilty of the
irreverence of spitting, for which he was severely reproved by the saint, who told
him that he had actually denied the wing of a cherub, who was standing
beside the altar ; and on hearing this the priest was stricken with remorse, was
carried home sick and died.
h h [II. 7]
234 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
is a well of water which was visited by our Lady and the Lord Christ
with the righteous old man Joseph. At this place there is a church
named after the holy man, Saint Coluthus; and a church named after the
glorious Saint Mercurius ; and the church of Saint John ; and a church
named after Saint Theodore; and a church of the glorious martyr
Saint Mennas ; and a church named after the glorious martyr Saint
George, outside Al-'Abbasah ; and a church named after the glorious
martyr Stephen, chief of the deacons ; and a church of the fathers
and disciples, Peter and Paul ; and a church of the great martyrs and
champions, Cosmas and Damian, their brethren and their mother ; and
the church of the glorious angel Michael ; and the church of the two
great and glorious martyrs Peter and Paul, outside the city, restored
by the blessed Shaikh c Izz al-Kufat, son of the Shaikh Mustafa '1-Mulk
Abu Yusuf, under the rule of the Ghuzz and Kurds.
There is a church called Al-'Abbasah outside this city, named after
the saint and martyr George, which has already been mentioned. It
was visited by Shawar as-Sa'di, the vizier, while he was governor of
Kus, and he made a vow which he promised to fulfil when he should
Fol. 82a become vizier; and God allowed him to obtain his desire, for he was
made vizier to the caliph, Al-'Adid li-dini 'llah, at Misr, in the month
of Muharram of the year 558 (a. d. 1162); and he sent that which
he had vowed continually up to the time of his death on the iHth of
Rabf the Second, in the year 564 (a.d. 1169); when the Ghuzz and
the Kurds, led by Shirkuh the Kurd, conquered Egypt.
The meadow known as that of Bani Humaim, the Arab tribe,
lies to the east, in the district called Iknii. There was on the estate
of Mara, an Arab, a church named after the glorious saint and martyr
George, which he founded on the bank of the great river. Mara
built it with his own money ; for he loved this saint, who appeared
to him in a dream, and said to him : ' Build a church to my name.'
But the Muslims were indignant with Mara, on this account, and brought
charges against him, because of which he was seized by Al-Majid
Faris, son-in-law of Shawar, when the latter was wali of Kus, who
placed him in fetters, and intended to put him to death. But he offered
to the wali much money, and the Christians assisted him with a large
THE WHITE MONASTERY. 235
sum of money ; and so he was released out of the hands of the governor.
Afterwards Mara was killed by Arabs 1 in the desert; and he was
brought to the side of this church and buried there. It is said that
before he was killed, Saint George appeared to him during his imprison-
ment, and spoke with him, and loosened the fetters from his feet. In
this church, Mara replaced the roof of timber by a new roof; and p l. 82 b
he had pictures of the martyrs, of the saints, and of the angels
painted in the church. Other restorations were undertaken by Fakhr
ad-Daulah Abu '1-Makarim ibn al-Fath, the Alexandrian scribe, when
he was in this place in the year 892 of the Righteous Martyrs
(A.D. 1 175-6).
The White Monastery.
The monastery of the great saint Sinuthius 2 , near Ikhmim. In
this monastery there is a very large church, spacious enough to contain
1 The form J&c-, applied especially to the desert Arabs, is, of course, well
known in later Arabic.
2 See p. 194, note 2. This is the famous White Monastery (^o^l^jJl) near
Suhaj, and not far from Ikhmim, though on the opposite side of the Nile to that
town. See Norden's Plate LXXXIX, which shows Dair al-Abiad, or the White
Monastery, and Plate XC, which shows Ikhmim : also Curzon's Monasteries of the
Levant, ch. xi (p. 128), and the description and references given in Coptic Churches,
vol. i. p. 351 seq. I take this opportunity of remarking that neither the measure-
ments nor the description which I borrowed for the latter work from Denon and
from others have proved accurate. Pococke's plan and section face p. 246 of vol. i.
The site of the church is now so encumbered with houses which cover the greater
part of it a whole village in fact lies within the walls of the church that to make
an accurate plan will require a great expenditure of time and labour, and probably
of money. Ikhmim, the Xe'^is (Xe/x/^w) of Herodotus (lib. ii. 91) and Diodorus
(lib. i. 18), was famed for its linen according to Strabo (lib. xvii) a fame which
has been abundantly confirmed in the last few years by the discovery of the rich
textiles now in the South Kensington Museum.
The designation 'White Monastery ' was already given in the time of our author,
for Yakut speaks of the foundation of St. Sinuthius under that name {Geogr. Wort.
ii. p. ifi), mentioning also another ' White Monastery,' which overlooked Edessa.
h h 2
236 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
thousands of people, and within it are the bodies of the two pure
The following is M. Amelineau's account of the monastery of St. Sinuthius as
it is at present :
' L'ceuvre de ces braves gens [i.e. St. Sinuthius and his monks] reste
aujourd'hui. Pas une pierre n'a bouge. Quand de loin on la voit se detacher
en avant de la montagne, elle se pre'sente comme un bastion carre : de fait c'est
plutot une forteresse qu'un monastere. La construction est rectangulaire, faite
a la maniere des anciens Egyptiens, par assises froides. Les blocs de pierre
fournis par les temples de la ville ruinee ont du etre coupe's et faille's de nouveau :
cependant ils montrent encore leur emploi primitif. Les murs d'une grande
profondeur n'ont pas moins de 120 metres de longueur sur cent en largeur. La
hauteur en est tres-grande ; et tout autour regne une sorte de corniche peinte
qui rappelle les chapiteaux de certaines colonnes de la grande salle hypostyle de
Karnak. On distingue encore quelques restes des couleurs dont les pierres
e'taient revetues. On entrait au monastere par deux portes qui se faisaient face,
et dont l'une a 6t6 mure'e depuis. Celle par laquelle on entre aujourd'hui est
d'une profondeur de plus de 15 metres; quand on y passe l'obscurite fait la
frisson. Les moines qui la traversaient dtaient vraiment sortis du monde.
A droite de cette porte se trouve la " grande e'glise " ; a l'entre'e on voit encore
deux colonnes de marbre dont on n'a pu trouver l'emploi . . . L'e'glise elle-meme
a la forme de toutes les eglises coptes avec ses cinq coupoles. La coupole du
fond est orne'e de peintures encore bien conservees, avec des inscriptions coptes
en l'honneur du fondateur : elles sont sans doute poste'rieures a Schnoudi.
L'obscurite - de cette e'glise empeche de reconnaitre les peintures et de lire les
inscriptions ; il faut se trouver au monastere avant 2 heures du soir . . . Le
long des murs se trouvaient des cellules, et les grandes salles de reunion ; tout
a disparu aujourd'hui, car les huttes actuelles sont re'centes. Au-dessus de l'e'glise
dans l'^paisseur des murs, on avait pratique une rampe qui conduisait a la terrasse ;
a gauche de cette rampe en terre on avait construit des chambres . . . Les con-
structions du cote' gauche de l'e'glise sont seules demeurees debout : celles du
cote droit n'ofTrent plus que des ruines ou Ton ne peut se risquer.' {Vie de
Schnoudi, p. 88.)
It should be added that the first monastery on the site of the present ' White
Monastery ' was founded by Aba Bajul, the teacher of St. Sinuthius, who built the
much larger one which still exists. {Op. tit. p. 47.) (A. J. B.)
THE WHITE MONASTERY. 237
disciples, Bartholomew 1 and Simon the Canaanite, two of the twelve
Apostles. The body of the great saint Sinuthius, the archimandrite 2
a word which means ' superior of the superiors ' is in a monastery
at the top of the mountain called Atribah 3 ; it was contained in
a chest until the invasion of Egypt by Shirkuh and the Ghuzz
who accompanied him, and who broke open the chest ; and the body
was taken out of it, and concealed in the ground in an unconsecrated
chamber near the altar. In this monastery there is a keep ; and there
is around the keep and the monastery also a wall of enclosure, within
which there is a garden full of all sorts of trees.
That part of the history of the church, which describes the patriar-
chate of Anba Kha'il, the forty-sixth patriarch, relates 4 that Al-Kasim Fol. 83 a
ibn 'Ubaid Allah, wall of Egypt, was an unenlightened and wicked
man. He employed large boats 5 to carry his odalisques [up and down
the river] to all parts of the country as far as Uswan, together with
his body-guard and troops. In one of his journeys he came to this
monastery, accompanied by one of his odalisques, whom he greatly
loved ; and both of them were riding upon horses. Now there was
in this monastery an aged monk who was the superior of the monks.
1 This apparently contradicts the statement above that St. Bartholomew's body
was in the Oasis of Al-Bahnasa ; but perhaps relics said to be his existed at both
places. Quatremere quotes this passage, Mem. i. p. 14 f.
2 So the Coptic and Arabic panegyrics on this saint call him :
<lii<l ctjenonrf" ninpec&irrepoc oto, ni^.px i -*-*-^ tt2 ^P ir ^~Hc
3 There was a mountain and also a village of this name, called in Coptic
<LTpHIIG or <*,TpHe, and in Arabic lo/l, Z+},\, and below on fol. 87 a even
Lvxil. On the mountain the 'White Monastery' was situated, so that -it was
called 'The Sinai of St. Sinuthius' (Am&ineau, Mem. pour servir, p. 392; cf.
Ge'ogr. p. 70 f.)
4 This story is related in the biography of the patriarch Michael or Kha'il ;
see Anc. Fonds Arabe 139, p. 142, line 20 ff.
5 The expression used in the patriarchal history is djlU jy Jt ^S^-o,
' boats like royal palaces.'
23 8 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
So the monks went forth to meet Al-Kasim and brought him into
the monastery, together with the odalisque who was with him ; and
they passed through the first door, and through the second which
leads into the enclosure of the church ; and they went as far as the
door which forms the entrance into the church, still riding upon their
horses. But as they were about to enter into the church, this old
man, the superior of the monastery, cried out, saying : ' Alight [from
thy horse], O emir, and enter not with such pride into the house of
God, above all in the company of this woman ; for never from the
beginning has any woman entered into this church ! I fear for this
woman therefore, if she shall enter into this church ! ' But the emir
paid no heed to the words [of the old man], but entered on horseback,
together with his odalisque and the soldiers who were with him. So
when he came to the middle of the church, his horse plunged with
him, and he fell to the ground ; and through his fall the horse which
Fol. 83 b the woman was riding also plunged, so that she fell to the ground
and died on the spot ; and the horse that was under her died also.
And as for Al-Kasim, the aforesaid governor, there descended upon
him the spirit of an unclean devil, which buffeted him, so that he
foamed at the mouth, and his teeth gnashed like the tusks of a wild
boar. But when he had recovered a little, he understood the evil that
he had done, and repented of his rashness, and that he had not listened
to the bidding of the aged superior. Then he called the superior and
said to him : ' To-day I have sinned, because I did not listen to the
counsel which thou didst address to me. But now the mysteries of
this place have been manifested to me so that I do not doubt them.
I desire therefore, O shaikh, that thou shouldest accept this gift of
money, and pray for me that God may forgive me, and may not deal
with me as I deserve, because I ventured into the house of God, and
entered it riding on horseback together with my companions.' Then
the aged monk consoled him, and would not accept anything from
him ; but the emir adjured him and forced him, and showed humility
towards him, and at last induced him to take four hundred dinars,
saying : ' I ask God to pardon thee, O shaikh, that thou mayest ask
him to pardon me this sin which broke from me.'
THE WHITE MONASTERY. 239
Now there was in the church a wooden chest of sdsani-wood inlaid
with ivory 1 , and containing three shelves, which Saint Sinuthius had
made to contain books, and he used to inscribe there the amount of
votive offerings accruing to the monasteries. And a certain shaikh
accompanying the emir, named Ar-Rayan, who had been wall of Fol. 84 a
Egypt before Al-Kasim, and was his friend, begged that he might take
this chest away with him. But he was informed that the chest was
the property of the church, and that it was impossible that it should
be removed ; but he would not listen to that, although the great miracle
that had happened was told him. And he commanded a body of men
to carry it out of the church ; but they were not able to do so. So
when he saw this other wonder, he asked pardon of God most high,
and made a gift of three hundred dinars of his money. Then they
departed. And they were filled with doubts and dismay ; and the
unclean spirit did not cease to possess Al-Kasim, chastising him at
all times until the hour of his death.
Bahram 2 , the Armenian Christian, who had been vizier in the
caliphate of Al-Hafiz, became a monk in this monastery after he was
banished from his office. Then he desired to go to Cairo, although
he was exceedingly ill and weak ; so he was carried to Cairo and
arrived there still living.
Nestorius the heretic, who had been patriarch of Constantinople,
was buried in the city of Ikhmim, after he had been in banishment
there for seven years, in the year 543 3 . Now when rain falls, it does
1 The Copts were famous for their skill in ivory inlaying, for examples of
which see Coptic Churches, ii. p. 66, &c. (A. J. B.)
2 See above, fol. 6 a.
3 If this date is reckoned from the era of the martyrs, it is very inaccurate ; and
if, which is unlikely, it is reckoned from the birth of Christ, it is still wrong by nearly
a hundred years, since the date of the death of Nestorius is a.d. 450 or 451, and
that of his banishment a.d. 435. His death anticipated the Council of Chalcedon,
which, according to Zacharias the rhetorician, he had been invited to attend ; see
Land, Anecd. Syr. iii. p. 118; Evagrius, lib. ii. c. 2 ; Assemani, Bib. Or. ii. pp. 40 and
55. Eutychius states that the banishment lasted for seven years (Annales, ii. p. 12) ;
and relates, as Abu Salih does, that rain never falls on the tomb of Nestorius. (A.J.B.)
240 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
not descend upon his tomb, because he was the cause of the Council
of Chalcedon.
Story of Febronia.
At Al-Jtmud&t 1 , in the province of Upper Egypt, there is a con-
vent, to the east of that district, in which there were nuns, of virginal
life, to the number of thirty. Marwan al-Ja'di, the last of the Omeyyad
Fol. 84 b caliphs, summoned the Bashrud or Bashmurites 2 to assist him in his
war, when he fled from the Abbaside ; and he allowed them to plunder
and take prisoners and slay [as they would] ; so they set about doing
so. Among the places which they attacked was this convent, which
they afterwards plundered ; and among the nuns there was a young
maiden 3 , named Febronia, who had come from Syria to this convent,
when she was three years old, and had grown up within its walls ;
and she was of great beauty. So when the Bashmurites saw her, they
were astonished at her, on account of her beauty ; and they said one
to the other : ' Never was such beauty seen in the world ! ' So they
took her and brought her out from the convent, and separated her
from her sisters the virgins, and consulted with one another as to what
they should do with her ; and some of them said : ' Let us cast lots
for her ; ' but others said : ' Let us take her to the prince.' But while
they were consulting upon these and similar proposals, she said to
them : ' Where is your chief, that I may tell him of a great secret,
1 I cannot identify this place.
2 On the Bashmurites see Zoega, Cat. p. 139 ft".; Quatremere, Recherches,
p. 147 ff. (' Stir le Dialecte baschmourique '), &c. (A. J. B.)
3 This story is related in full by John the Deacon in his life of the patriarch
Kha'il, included among the patriarchal biographies collected by Severus of Al-
Ushmunain; see Anc. Fonds Arabe 139, p. 1 7off.; cf. Renaudot, Hist. Pair. p. 226 f.,
and Quatremere, Recherches, p. 155. The events are also stated in a few words by
Al-Makin, Hist. Sarac. (ed. Erpenius), p. 99, and by Al-Makrizi. The name
Febronia (Fibruniyah) is well known to the Copts through the commemoration
of the martyr of Nisibis of that name on Abib 1 June 25. (A. J. B.)
STORF OF FEB RON! A. 241
worth a great sum of money ? And then you will let me return to
my sisters in the convent in which I was brought up ; for I am
a virgin, and have lived in retirement in the convent, apart from
men, and serving God, to whom be praise ! ' Then the leader of the
band answered her and said : ' Here I am ! What is it that thou wilt tell
me, and what is the secret which thou saidst was worth much money ? '
So she said to 'him: 'My ancestors were wise, valiant, and warlike; Fol. 85 a
and they possessed a secret which they inherited from their ancestors,
and disclosed to no one else. They engaged in great wars, and they
returned in safety, without a wound to any one of them ; and the
cause of this was that they knew certain names which they repeated
over the oil with which they anointed themselves ; then they went
out to the wars, and neither the sword nor the arrow nor the spear
did any harm to them. Now this is what you stand in need of. If
therefore thou wilt let me go back to my convent, I will confer this
benefit upon thee, and show thee this great secret, and I will give thee
what I have of this oil ; and if thou dost not believe my word, then
anoint with it whomsoever thou pleasest, and behold the truth of my
words.' Then he said to her: 'Anoint thyself with this oil ; for no one
else will be easily persuaded to do so ; nor will I make the experiment
upon any of my comrades.' So she said to him : ' Wilt thou swear to
me, before I reveal this secret to thee, that thou wilt let me go, and
restore me to my convent and the place in which I was brought up ? '
Then he swore to her, saying : ' I will let thee go, and will not allow any
of my comrades to take thee captive.' Then she said to him : ' Let
me go back to my place with thee and no .other, that I may take the
oil and anoint myself with it in thy presence.' So he went with her
into the convent ; and she approached the picture of the Lady, and
prayed before it, and begged the Virgin to assist her to obtain deliver-
ance ; and then she anointed herself on the neck with oil of the lamp. Fol. 85 b
Then he said : ' I will not make the experiment except in the presence
of my comrades.' So he returned to them with her, and told them all
that had happened, and said to them : ' Know that I have sworn to
this maiden, that if her words prove true I will let her go, and will
allow none of my comrades to have power over her. Do you then
i i [II. 7.]
242 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
agree with me in this matter ? ' Then they said to him : ' We will not
oppose thee ; and if this secret be true we shall obtain much advantage
from it.' Then he said : ' This maiden said, " Try it on whomsoever thou
mayest wish," so I said to her, "It is fittest to try it on thee;" and she
consented ; and she anointed her neck with it ; but I did not think
fit to try it except in your presence.' Then he commanded one of
his comrades, who had a sharp-edged sword with him, and said to
him, ' Come, strike her upon the neck with this sword that thou hast
with thee ; and if we see the result to be successful, you will agree with
me to let her go.' So they consented to his bidding. Then that man
arose and drew his sword, and the maiden bent her knees and displayed
her neck ; but they did not know that which was in her heart. Then
she covered her face, and said : ' If there is any strong man among
you. let him strike with his sword upon my neck, and you will see the
power of God in this great secret.' So that man whom their chief had
appointed went forward to her, and struck with all his might ; and
her head immediately fell from her body ; for it was her purpose by
Fol. 80 a this means to preserve her maidenhood, that she might appear before
Christ a pure virgin, as she had been created, without earthly stain.
So when the ignorant Bashmurites saw what had befallen the maiden,
they knew at last what had been her intention ; and they repented
and were exceedingly sad, and did no injury henceforth to any of
those virgins, but let them go, and refrained from the undertakings
which they had planned, and restored to the nuns all that they had
pillaged from their convent.
Iklunim and tJic neighbourhood.
-.
In the city of Ikhmim there were seventy churches until the end
of the year 552 of the Arabs (a. D. i 157).
In the district of Dimnu 1 there is a church, on the western bank
of the river, named after the glorious saint Abu Bagham.
1 Yakut mentions a large and much frequented church at Dimnu, which is
on the west of the Nile, opposite to Ikhmim, and is now included in the district
IKHMhM AND THE NEIGHBOURHOOD. 243
There is also the monastery of Saint Pachomius 1 at Barjanus, in the
district of Taha.
There is the monastery of Abu Halbanah 2 , to the east of Ikhmim,
near which there is a spring of water which runs from the mountain
into a reservoir there.
The monastery of Saint Paul, the superior of the monastery in
Upper Egypt.
The monastery of Saint Pachomius, the superior of the monastery
of Ikhmim.
The Book of the Monasteries by Ash-Shabushti relates that there
is in the district of Ikhmim a large monastery to which visitors come
from all parts ; and it is near the mountain called Jabal al-KaJif*. At
a certain place on this mountain there is a fissure; and on the day
when that monastery keeps its festival, all the birds of the species Fol. 88 b
called Abu Kir* come to this place ; and it is a great wonder to see
the multitude of the birds, and to hear their cries and to behold their
assembling around that fissure. Then, one after the other, without
ceasing, they insert their heads into the fissure, and place their beaks
in the cavity of the mountain, and utter a cry and come away ; and this
they do until the head of one of them is caught in the fissure, and
of Suhaj, in the province of Jirja, with a population in 1885 of 369 inhabitants.
See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. ii. p. 1 . 1 ; Amelineau, Ge'ogr. p. 138 f.
1 This famous abbot of Tabennesi or Tabcnna is commemorated by the
Copts on Bashans 2= April 27, but by the Roman church on May 14. He
seems to have died in a.d. 348 or 349 at an advanced age, after establishing
a set of rules for the monastic life. See Acta SS. at May 14 ; Amdlineau, Hist,
de S. Pakhome el de ses commiinaute's.
2 It is apparently this convent which Pococke describes (vol. i. p. 78) as
lying 'to ihe east of Akhmim' and 'being one of the most dismal retirements he
ever saw.' Pococke mentions the spring and the well called ' Bir Elaham/ In
Pococke's name for this monastery 'Dermadoud' (Dair Madud?) there is no
correspondence with that given by Abu Salih, which is, of course, a name of
dedication, not of locality. (A. J. B.)
3 Al-Makrizi says that this is part of the Jabal at-Tair.
4 See above, fob 19 b.
i i 2
244 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
he hangs there, beating with his wings until he dies ; and after that
all the birds fly away until not one of them is left there.
That monastery is celebrated for its wonderful miracles.
Ansina and the neighbourhood.
At Ansina 1 was the house of Mary the Copt 2 , who was born and
grew up at this place. She it was whom the Mukaukis sent as a gift
to Mahomet, who married her ; and the purpose of the Mukaukis in
sending Mary the Copt, was that through her he might be connected
by affinity 3 with Mahomet. The house of Mary was afterwards turned
into a mosque.
The district known as Ansina. This was the name of one of the
sons of Kift, son of Mizraim, who built it for certain sorcerers. [There
is here] the monastery of a saint called Abu Tabih 4 , whose body is
contained within it.
There is a monastery named after the saint Coluthus, who was
a priest, and suffered martyrdom by burning while he was still alive ;
he was of a beautiful countenance ; and he obtained the crown of
martyrdom ; and his body is contained within the monastery.
I'ol. 87 a At Ansina there is also a church named after the saint and great
martyr George ; and a church of the valiant martyr Theodore the
Eastern ; and a monastery of the great saint Sinuthius, on Mount
Amdariba' 5 , in which many holy monks have lived, especially the holy
champion and ascetic, the blessed Anba Yasib.
1 We now return northwards to Ansina or Shaikh 'Abadah, the famous ' Red
Monastery ' opposite to Ikhmim being disregarded. The want of plan and
completeness in the work of Abu Salih is here again conspicuous. (A. J. B.)
2 Mary the Copt, the concubine of the prophet Mahomet, was a native of
Hafn, in the neighbourhood of Ansina. See Ibn Hisham, Sirah Muhammad
(ed. Wiistenfeld), i. pp. e and i r I ; cf. Yakut, Geogr. Wort. ii. p. rio .
3 Rather, that the Egyptians might be connected with Mahomet by affinity.
4 So Quatremere, who makes use of this passage of Abu Salih ; see Mem. i.
p. 41.
5 I take this to be another form of Atribah or Adribah (see above, fol. 82 b),
USFUT AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD. 245
At Ansina there is also the monastery of Al-Khadim, and the church
named after Manasseh, which was built over the tomb of that Yasib
on account of the number of miracles and the healing of diseases
which were manifested at it.
At Ansina also there is a church called the ' Church of the Water,'
in which festival is kept in memory of the great martyrs and champions
of the name of Christ, whose number is forty-one 1 .
There is also a church named after Saint Theodore Basradiladus
outside Ansina.
The monastery of Matthew on the mountain, which was restored
by the blessed priest, the fisherman 2 of Ansina. This blessed priest
used to make fishing-nets, while he was keeping the monastic rule ;
and many became monks in this monastery for his sake. Matthew
was a native of Askit 3 , and he used to pray over the oil, and whatever
sick person was anointed with it was healed of his disease through
the power of God which dwelt in him ; and he used to cast out devils
in the name of Christ, from those who were possessed by unclean spirits.
UsyiU and its neighbourhood.
District of Shutb 4 , in the province of Suyut 5 . This town was Fol. 87 b
and the allusion to be to the White Monastery, opposite to Ikhmim, which has
already been spoken of. The MS. has Lu.jjl, and Quatremere transcribes it by
' Andrina; ' see his Mem. i. p. 42, where this passage is quoted in substance.
1 The Forty Martyrs of Sebaste.
2 I.e. St. Matthew the Poor, who has already been named above, p. 228.
3 I.e. the desert of Scyathis or Scete, afterwards called Wadi Habib.
4 A little to the south-east of Suyut, Usyiit, or Asyut, on the same side of the
river. It is the Coptic CXJCDTn ; and in 1885 it had 4,008 inhabitants. See
Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iii. p. n. ; Amdlineau, Ge'ogr. p. 423 f.
s Suyut, Asyut, or Usyut is the largest town in Upper Egypt, and has been
a place of great importance from remote antiquity. The Coptic CKJOCifT, and
the Greek Lycopolis, it is now, as it was in the time of our author, the capital
of a province, and in 1885 it had 31,398 inhabitants. See Yakut, Gcogr. Wort.
i. p. rvr ; Al-Idrisi (trans, jaubert), i. p. 126; Ame'lintau, Ge'ogr. pp. 464-466.
246 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
built by Manfa'us, the king ; and its name means the ' Beloved.' The
Rati 1 is here equivalent to 1,000 dirhams. From this town there is
a road to the Oases. There were formerly in the town cooks belonging
to the king. There is no finer bed of river-slime on the face of the
earth than that found here, nor any that has a sweeter smell ; it is
enclosed by mountains and is deposited by the water of the Nile ; its
extent is 30,000 feddans, all in one plain ; and if a little of it were
rubbed in the fingers it would spread out evenly, and some of it would
extend beyond the sides ; in it they sow flax and wheat and clover and
other crops. It is said that there is nowhere in Egypt anything like this
level unbroken expanse of cultivated fields 2 , or any more delightful
place where the beauties of the country can be better enjoyed than this,
when its crops are in full luxuriance, and when the flowers appear ; they
say there is nothing more admirable to be seen. The whole of it on the
west is enclosed by a mountain, white in colour, and of the form of
a tailasdiv% which looks as if it were a cascade of silver ; and not a word
spoken can be heard there on account of the great noise of the birds.
At Usyut no Jews live ; nor does a single Jew travel that way,
unless he is taking a journey and passes it on the road.
The city is surrounded by a brick wall and has seven gates, namely,
Bab al-Jabal on the north ; Bab Wardis ; on the east Bab al-Arman ;
1 The Egyptian pound weight.
2 Referring to the mountains just mentioned, the writer in Murray's Egypt
says, in curious agreement with Abu Salih, ' The view from these hills over the
town of Asyoot (sic), and the green plain in the early part of the year, is the
prettiest perhaps to be seen in Egypt. The brightness of the green is perfectly
dazzling, and of a tint such as probably can be seen nowhere else in the world :
it stretches away too for miles on either side "unbroken," as Dean Stanley so
graphically says, " save by the mud villages which here and there lie in the midst
of the verdure like the marks of a soiled foot on a rich carpet." (Vol. ii. p. 424.)
(A.J.B.)
3 The tailasdn is an ecclesiastical vestment described in Coptic Churches, ii.
p. 120. It signifies also a sort of veil or scarf worn by lawyers, doctors, and
others. (A. J. B.)
USYUT AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD. 247
a gate called Al-Kantarah ; Bab Umm Hariz ; Bab as-Sudan ; Bab al- Fol. 88 a
Mikyas.
The monastery of Abu 's-Sirri. This monastery contains the body
of Saint Theodore, the military commander and martyr, and the body of
the bishop Hariifus ; these two bodies lie upon a wooden stand in the
altar-chamber.
The monastery called the monastery of Abu Sadir 1 , whose body
arrived at Shutb on the 5th of Hatur. Near the monastery is the
mountain of At-Talimun 2 , the length of which is twelve posts on the
eastern side.
At Al-Kharibah at Suyut there is a ruined bath 3 .
There is a church of the martyr Abu Bagham, whose body lies
within it ; and he has another church at Al-Kharibah.
There is a monastery at Samallut 4 , in the district of Al-Ushmiinain,
1 Al-Makrizi also speaks of the church of Abu Sadrah (i.x y\). Sadir and
Sadrah both seem to be forms of the name ' Theodore.' The Paris Sjwaxarium
does not commemorate the bringing of his body to Shutb ; but that translated
by Mr. Malan has at Hatur 5, ' Bringing of the body of St. Theodore to Shutab.'
2 Al-Idrisi names this mountain under the form Tailamiln (^JJa) ; see the
Roman edition [p. 48]. Cf. Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. n .
3 The mention of the ruined Roman bath at Usyut recalls the incident of the
suffocation of a number of men in a bath, during the reign of Theodosius I, by
the members of the rival faction, at the time of the games in the circus, and the
threatened punishment of the city by the emperor, whose wrath was averted
through the intercession of the saintly monk, kno.wn as ' John of Lycopolis ' or
Usyut. The reputation of John of Lycopolis was so great that Theodosius
consulted him, as if he were an oracle, before his war with Eugenius. See
Gibbon, ch. xxvii, who quotes D'Anville, Description de I'Egypte, p. 181, and Abu
'1-Fida. (ed. Michaelis), pp. 14, 25, 92, for an account of the town of Usyut, and,
for the life of John the monk, Rufinus and Palladius, in Rosweyde's Vitae Pat rum;
also Sozomen, lib. vii. 22, and Claudian, in Eutropium, lib. i. line 312 f., for the
embassy of Theodosius. (A. J. B.)
4 On the west of the Nile, opposite to the Jabal at-Tair. It is now in the
district of Kalusana (Kulusna), in the province of Minyah, and had 3,855 inhabi-
tants in 1885. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iii. p. it*. ; Rcc, de VEgypte, ii. p. 288.
24H CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
and here there is a church named after the martyr Abu Bagham 1 ,
enclosed within a surrounding wall, within which there is also a mill,
and an oven, and an oil-press 2 . Adjacent to the church is a keep, which
is large and high, towering above the wails ; and there is a garden
containing palms and other trees. This monastery owned property,
the gift of the caliphs, consisting of twenty feddans of black soil. The
monastery was seized by one of the Ghuzz or Kurds in the year 569
(a. D. 1 1 74), and he turned it into a mosque, and seized the garden
and the oven, and made the keep his dwelling-place ; but in the
same year he died, without carrying out his purposes.
Monastery of Al-Asal.
Monastery of Al-'Asal 3 . This is near Munyah Bani Khasib. It
Fol. 88 b contains the church of Saint George, and is enclosed by a surrounding
wall. It has two keeps and a garden ; one of the former being to
the south of the church and containing a mill and the cells of the
monks; and the other being to the north of the church. It also has
a press for olive-oil. It is said that there are here fourteen churches.
There is a church of the saint Sinuthius ; a church of the Lady and
Pure Virgin Mary ; a church of the glorious angel Michael ; a church
named after Saint Claudius the martyr ; a church named after the
saint Bu Hadr 4 of Al-Ushmunain ; and a church named after the
1 Mentioned by Al-Makrizi.
2 The mill and oven are used for preparing the eucharistic bread, the oil-press
for the secondary oils galilaeon and ' oil of the lamp.' A wine-press in addition
is a common possession of the monasteries, and is used for making the eucharistic
wine. (A. J. B.)
3 I.e. ' Monastery of Honey.' Yakut speaks of it as charmingly situated, and
containing a large number of monks; see his Geogr. Wort. ii. p. ia. .
4 This is apparently the same as Hadri (,<LTpH), the monk and friend
of Saint Or (.P^UOp), in the fourth century. Abu Hadri (u?,ja y\) is com-
memorated according to the Paris Synaxarium on Kihak i2 = Dec. 8, but he is
there said to be from Aswan. Cf. Zoega, Cat. p. 299.
THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF USYUT. 249
saint and martyr George, in which the liturgy is celebrated every day
of the year.
It is said that there was in the monastery of Al-'Asal a monk
named Simon the saint, who became bishop. At his cell there were
fruit-bearing palms, in which the ravens used to build their nests ; and,
through his gentleness and kindness, the shy raven grew so tame that
it ate from his hand. And the sinners among his people left off their
sins, and listened to his life-giving doctrines, and repented of their sins,
and began again to attend the church in order to hear his exhortations
and teachings, and to bring him, out of their earnings, tithes and money
in payment of vows.
The neighbourhood of Usyiit.
District of Al-Khusus 1 , in the province of Suyut, on the eastern
bank. Here the Copts have twenty-five churches, and the Armenians
have a monastery within the town, and two churches outside the town,
and two churches within the town. The restorers of these churches Fol. 89 a
will now be mentioned. There is a church of Abu Fanah 2 , restored
by Ar-Rashid Abu '1-Fadl ; the church of Abu Hakanda, named after
a relation of Safi ad-Daulah, and restored by Hakanda Abu Zakari
Mina ibn Kafri, known as Ibn Bulus, together with An-Najib, his
brother ; the church of the Lady and Pure Virgin Mary ; the church
of the glorious saint George ; the church of the glorious saint and
martyr Mercurius ; and the church of Bandalus. The convent of
Hanadah, which is inhabited by nuns, is at Rifah, in the province of
Suyut.
1 Al-Khusus, opposite to Asyut, seems to be no longer in existence. It is
named, however, in the Synaxarium and in the revenue-list of a.d. 1375.
M. Amelineau omits a reference he might have made to Abu Salih. See his
Ge'ogr. p. 222 f. Yakut says that the inhabitants of Al-Khusus were all Christians
(Geogr. Wort. ii. p. PPl).
2 The Coptic .&&<*>. finite, a. monk, and contemporary of the emperor
TheodosiusI; see Zoega, Cat. p. 356. The Bib. Nat. of Paris possesses an
Arabic life of Abu Fanah; see Cat. No. 153, Anc. Fonds Arabe 149. Al-Makrizi
mentions a monastery of Abu Fanah in the district of Munyah or Minyah.
k k [II. 7 .]
250 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
At Suyut, on the western bank, there are sixty churches; and on
the mountain there are churches hewn in the rock 1 with the pickaxe,
and all of them have a keep.
There is a monastery named after the Lady and Pure Virgin Mary,
which is known as Karfunah 2 .
There is a monastery named after Saint Severus 3 , outside the town.
It is hewn out of the top of the mountain and stands out from the moun-
tain. It possesses a keep, and a cistern which contains a thousand
pitchers of water, and is filled from the blessed Nile. On the upper part
of this mountain there is a place where there are [chambers in] three
stories, hewn in the rock. And there are in this monastery rope-
ladders, and there is a place whither, if there be great cause for fear,
the monks ascend by these ladders, and when they have arrived at
Pol. 89 b the top they draw up the ladders after them. The monastery contains
a mill and several ovens, and a press for olive oil. There are thirty
monks here. Beneath the monastery there is a garden, full of trees
and tall fruit-bearing palms and olives and pomegranates, and verdant
plots, and beds of vegetables ; and from these the monastery gains much
money, which pays for its needs year by year, besides that which
God sends them through alms and also through payment of vows.
This monastery is independent, and its inmates are leaders among the
monks, holy men, ascetics, champions of the faith, and learned. The
monastery was free of taxation ; but when the Ghuzz and Kurds con-
quered Egypt they seized upon this and the other gardens in the
possession of the monasteries, and also seized their endowments.
In the monastery of Saint Severus there lived an aged monk, an
ascetic, who fasted continually week after week ; at the end of the
1 See Norden's Plate LXXXIV. (A. J. B.)
2 See Al-Makrizi's mention of this monastery near Usyiit, which he calls
Karfioiah (S3yS), Arfiinah (ii^l), or Aghrafiind (li^cl), adding that the name
means 'writer,' i.e. ypafywv.
3 The Dair Abi Sawiris at Usyut is mentioned by Yakut {Geogr. Wort. ii.
p. ifi) and by Al-Makiizi.
THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF USYUT, 2 <U
D'
week he communicated on the Saturday, and then he fasted and com-
municated again on the Sunday, after which he broke his fast. This
was the manner in which this old man served God and fought against
sin, until he died ; may the Lord have mercy upon us through his
intercessions ! News of this old man, before he died, had reached
TalaT ibn Ruzzik 1 , through the wali of Upper Egypt ; so Tala'f
visited the old man, and witnessed his mode of life, and made enquiries
of him, and found that the report was true ; and the old man announced
to TalaT that he would rise in rank and would become vizier ; and
indeed the most high God did grant him the vizierate ; and so he
presented to the monastery, in addition to that which it already
possessed, a tract of fertile soil.
Now this holy old man used to fast even during the Fifty Days Fol. 90 a
[between Easter and Pentecost], every day until the ninth hour ; and
then he broke his fast with a few lupins only.
There is a monastery of Saint John, which is also called Ibsha'i.
There is a monastery named after the Lady and Pure Virgin Mary,
which is called the monastery of Azilun. Beneath it there is a garden,
full of palms and other trees.
There is another monastery named after the Lady and Pure Virgin
Mary, which is called the monastery of Abu '1-Harith.
There is a monastery called Dair at-Tinadah 2 , named after the
martyr Abu Bagham.
There is the monastery of the martyr Saint Victor, with a church
which contains his body and that of the martyr David.
The body of the martyr Coluthus is in his monastery at Suyut, with
the body of the martyr Bagham.
The monastery of Saint Victor is at Al-Khusus, to the east of Suyut,
on the mountain ; and it contains his pure body.
1 See above, fol. 7 a.
2 Yakut gives us the pronunciation of this name, and adds that the monas-
tery was a celebrated one near Usyut, attractive as a resort for pleasure, and
inhabited by many monks [Geogr. Wort. ii. p. if<\).
k k 2
252 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
A monastery called Ibsidiya 1 stands between Rifah 2 and another
place 3 .
There is a church named after Saint Sergius 4 , which is called Dair
Abu Makrufah, and lies to the east of Suyut.
Tunbudhd.
Tunbudha. Within and without this town there are [respectively]
a monastery and a church named after the saint and martyr Tarnimah ;
and his pure body lies in the monastery.
There is a church named after the martyr Basmantah, which contains
his pure body.
There is a church named after the Saviour, who is our Lord Jesus
Christ, to whom be glory !
Various Churches and Monasteries.
Fol. 90 b The monastery of Aba Nub the martyr, which contains the bodies
of sixty-three monks who were martyred. It stands to the north of
the town of Al-Ushmunain. The monks were put to death by a black,
named Haffaz, in the caliphate of Al-Mustansir bi'llah, at the time of
the disturbances in Upper Egypt, during the patriarchate of Christo-
dulus, the sixty-sixth in the succession, in the year 781 of the Righteous
Martyrs (a.d. 1065-6). This monastery contains a keep, which is
a lofty structure.
1 M. Ame'lineau, who notices this passage of Abu Salih, quotes a mention of
Ibsidiya in the Synaxarium, in the account of St. Victor there, and says the place
must have been to the south of Usyut ; see Ge'ogr. p. 202.
2 The churches and monasteries of Rifah, a little to the south of Usyut, are
mentioned by Al-Makrizi. The Coptic name of the place is epHE.6. It still
exists, and had in 1885 a population of 4,119. See Amelineau, Ge'ogr. p. 165.
3 The name is omitted in the MS.
4 This martyr, so celebrated in the Eastern churches, suffered in the perse-
cution of Diocletian about the same time as his friend St. Bacchus. The Copts
keep the festival of St. Sergius on Babah 10 = Oct. 7. See Synaxarium at that
day; Eutychius, Annates, i. p. 412.
VARIOUS CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES. 253
There is a church named after the Lady and Pure Virgin Mary.
There are two churches named after the angel Gabriel, one of which
was wrecked by the mob of Muslims in the year 580 (a. D. 11 84), under
the rule of the Ghuzz and Kurds. There are also two churches named
after the angel Michael ; two churches named after the martyr Aba
Lukum ; a church named after the Fathers and Disciples ; a church
of the martyr Saint Mennas ; two churches of the Lady and Pure
Virgin Mary ; a monastery named after the glorious martyr Theodore ;
a church of the Lady and Pure Virgin Mary ; a church named after
the angel Gabriel ; a church named after the martyr Aba Falukh ;
the church of the angel Raphael ; and a church named after the great
martyr George.
At-Sumusta \ in the nearer part of Upper Egypt, there is the
church of Abu Harudah, the martyr, whose body lies within it.
Butij 2 . The body of Saint Pachomius and the body of Sinuthius Fol. 91 a
lie in two chests in a church to the south of Butij.
Town of Al-Kais or Dafu. Here is a church which contains
the body of the martyr Saint Isaac.
Ishnin, both within and without. Here is a large church of the
glorious angel Michael. This church is beside the stream of the
blessed Nile, and contains four chapels, namely, a church of our Lady
the Pure Virgin Mary ; a church of the valiant martyr Theodore ;
a church of the martyr Ptolemy ; and a church of the glorious martyr
Saint John.
There are also six churches, namely, a church of the angel Raphael,
1 Sumusta or Samasta is on the west bank, and is now in the district of Biba,
in the province of Bani Suwaif, with a population in 1885 of 2,135. There are
three small hamlets of the same name in the same district beside this larger village,
which is distinguished by the name of Samesta al-Wakf. The MSS. of Al-Makrizi
write lk~,. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort, ad voc. ; Ibn Dukmak, v. p. <i ; Rec. de
VEgypte, ii. p. 288.
2 Butij or Abu Tij is the Graeco-Coptic T<LHOO**"KH . It is now the
capital of a district in the province of Asyut, and in 1885 had 10,770 inhabitants.
See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. voo ; Amelineau, Geogr. p. 11 f.
254 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
a church of the martyr Saint Mercurius ; a church of the martyr
Claudius ; a church of the valiant martyr Theodore ; a church of the
glorious prophet Daniel ; and a church of Aba Fu, besides a second
church of the angel Michael.
Akfahs 1 . Here there are six churches, of which the following
is a list : a church named after the Lady and Pure Virgin Mary ; the
church of the glorious angel Michael ; a church of the glorious angel
Gabriel ; a church of the martyr Theodore ; a church of the martyr
Aba Siyun ; the church of Julius 2 , the scribe and martyr of Akfahs.
[There is also] the monastery of Saint Philemon 3 , the martyr, which
contains several monks. Adjacent to it there is a keep and a garden.
This monastery lies to the south of the district.
Dalas 4 was founded by Dalas, for a man who separated himself
Fol. 91 b from intercourse with the world ; and it contained three hundred smiths,
who forged the bits of Dalas 5 . [Here is] the church of Saint Coluthus,
1 This town, the Coptic K&^^C or ^fie^C, is on the west bank,
a little to the north of Tunbudha and opposite to Fashn. It is included in the
district of the last-named town, and in the province of Minyah, and in 1885 had
1,614 inhabitants. Akfahs is well known in Coptic hagiology on account of
Julius of Akfahs, the biographer of the martyrs. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i.
p. ita; Ibn Dukmak, v. p. r; Ame'lineau, Geogr. pp. 56-58. Al-Makrizi, who
gives Akfas (^Uiil) as an alternative form, speaks of a ruined monastery there.
2 This is the famous author of so many of the Coptic lives of saints now
existing. He became himself a martyr, and his death is commemorated on
Tut 22 = Sept. 19. His body was taken to Alexandria, where the emperor
Constantine afterwards erected a church to his name. See Synaxarium ad diem ;
Amelineau, Actes des MM. p. 123 ff.
3 St. Philemon is said to have been a musician, and to have been martyred
in the persecution of Diocletian. His festival is on Barmahat 7 = March 3. See
Synaxarium at that day; Ame'lineau, Actes des MM. p. 63.
4 On the west bank, in the district of Az-Zawiyah in the province of Bam
Suwaif, and in 1885 containing 1,665 inhabitants. The Coptic name is "["XoX.
In the time of our author the place was in the province of Al-Bahnasa. See
Yakut, Geogr. Wort. ii. p. oaI ; Amelineau, Ge'ogr. pp. 136-138.
5 Al-Idrisi says (trans, by Jaubert) : ' Delass est une petite ville ou Ton
VARIOUS CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES. 255
the physician, who was also a priest, and was burnt alive in the
lire.
The district called Shinara 1 . This district was settled upon
a colony of Armenian Christians ; and it contains seven churches in
good order, with priests and congregations. These are the church of
the Lady and Pure Virgin Mary ; the church of the glorious angel
Michael ; two churches of Saint Maximus ; two churches named after
the angel Gabriel ; a church named after Bastidar ; and a church named
after the glorious martyr Saint George.
Tuwah 2 . This was the name of a horse of Pharaoh, which grew
up and became of great size, and was named ' Possessor of columns.'
City of Al-Kais. This town was built by Manfaus for a man
who fabricated brocades and embroideries. The Book of the Conquest
of Egypt relates that at Al-Kais lived Kais ibn al-Harith, when 'Amr
ibn al- c Asi was governor of Egypt ; and so the place was named
after him.
The district called Daljah. Here there is a monastery and a
church named after the saint and champion Onuphrius, which possessed
fabrique des mors de cheval et divers ouvrages en fer. Du temps des anciens
Egyptiens elle etait comptee au nombre des villes les plus florissantes ; mais les
Berbers, par leurs violences, et les Arabes par leur me'ehancete', l'ont re*duite,
ainsi que ses environs, a un e*tat miserable.'
1 On the west bank, opposite to Fashn, in the district of which it is included,
being also the province of Minyah. In 1885 Shinara contained 1,847 inhabitants,
besides 847 Bedouins. The Coptic name is OjkrtepU). The Arabic name
is sometimes written !jl; and Al-Makiizi mentions a iy^, which is probably
the same place. See Amelineau, Geogr. p. 429 f.
2 There are several places of this name in Egypt, but the one here mentioned
is doubtless that which stands a little to the south of Annas on the west bank, and
is now included within the province of Bani Suwaif. In the time of our author
it must have been a place of very little importance, since Yakut does not name it,
although he speaks of a Tuwah in the province of Manuf. The Coptic form of
the name is T<LY &.,, T^/T^gj, or TOtE.^.^,. See Amelineau, Geogr.
p. 521 f.
<X?J> CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
a hundred feddans of black fertile soil, scattered among several districts.
It is said that the district contains twenty-four churches ; and one of
Fol. 92 a them resembles the church of Saint Sergius 1 at Misr. It is also said
that there were 12,000 Christian inhabitants of this district, and that
they slew every year at the feast of the angel Michael 12,000 sheep;
but now, at the end of the year 569, which is equivalent to the year
890 of the Martyrs (a. D. 11 74), only 400 sheep [are slain] at the annual
festival.
District of Al-Kalandimun, near Ansina, in the province of Al-
Ushmunain. Here there are nine churches : [the church] of the Lady
and Pure Virgin Mary ; the church of Saint Claudius ; the church of
Saint Victor ; the church of Theodore ; the church * * * of the angel
Michael ; the church of the glorious martyr Saint George ; the church
of Saint John ; the church of Saint Mercurius ; the church of Abu
Bagham.
District of Athlidim 2 . Here is a church of the Lady and
Virgin ; a church of Saint George, the great martyr ; a church of
the angel Michael. At Sakiyah Musa there is a church of Saint
Victor.
District of Shinara 3 . It is said that in this district there are
twenty-four churches, one of which resembles that of Saint Sergius
at Misr.
At Annas 4 there is a church which contains the body of Abu
Halba, the martyr.
1 That is the well-known church of Abu Sirjah, which still exists at
Old Cairo, and is fully described with a plan in Coptic Churches, i. p. 181 ff.
(A. J. B.)
2 Athlidim was just to the south of Al-Ushmunain. It is to be found in the
revenue-list published by De Sacy, who transcribes it in the form Ithdim. See
Yakut, Gcogr. Wort, ad voc. ; Ibn Dukmak, v. p. m ; De Sacy, Abd-Allatif,
p. 693.
3 See above, fol. 91b.
4 The Coptic ,ITHC. It still exists, under the name of Ahnasfyat
al-Madinah, in the district and province of Bani Suwaif, with a population in
VARIOUS CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES.
r>/
The monastery of An-Nur is in the territory of Al-Ahnas, on the
bank of the Nile. Its church is named after the angel Gabriel. The
monastery possesses a keep in five stories, lofty, and of skilful construc-
tion. Around the monastery is an enclosing wall, within which there Pol. 92 b
are 400 palm-trees.
District of Al-Maraghat 1 . Here is a monastery named after the
angel Michael, without the town. At Kalusana there is a church of the
Copts and a church of the Armenians.
Busir Kuridus 2 . In this town lived a sorcerer, in the service of
Pharaoh, named Busir, who possessed magical powers. It was here
that Marwan ibn Muhammad al-Ja'di, the last of the Omeyyad caliphs,
was killed. 'Alyun the heretic was killed here also. In this district
there is a church of the Lady and Pure Virgin Mary, and a monastery
called the monastery of Abirun 3 , to which Marwan, the 'Ass of War,'
1885 of 2,484, besides 148 Bedouins. In the Roman period the town was named
Heracleopolis Magna. In the time of our author it was in the province of Al-
Bahnasa. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. f.<\ ; Al-Idrisi (trans. Jaubert), i. p. 128 ;
Ibn Dukmak, v. p. ; Amelineau, Geogr. pp. 196-198.
1 Or Al-Maraghah, in the singular. There is now a place of this name in
the district of Tahtah, in the province of Jirja, which in 1885 had 8,658 inhabitants.
Our author is probably in error in supposing that there was a place of this
name near Kalusana, although Al-Idrisi mentions a village called Al-Maraghah,
five miles from Ansina. The Al-Maraghat of the revenue-list was in the district
of Ikhmim, and so might be that now existing. See Al-Idrisi (trans. Jaubert),
i. p. 124 ; De Sacy, Abd-Allatif, p. 701 ; Rec. de I'tigypte, ii. p. 210. Al-Makrizi
mentions a Coptic church at Al-Maraghah, meaning the place of that name which
now exists, since he sets it near Tahta.
2 See fol. 1 7 b. This place is also called Busir al-Mal'ak, and stands at the
entrance to the Fayyum, being included in the district of Zawiyah in the province
of Bani Suwaif, with 1,886 inhabitants in 1885, besides 511 Bedouins. See
Yakut, Geogr. Wart. i. p. v-i . ; Ibn Dukmak, v. p. r ; Amelineau, Geogr \ p. 10.
3 An Arabic form of the Coptic Piroou (mpcOOT), the name of a martyr of
the time of Diocletian, who, with his brother Atum (<L0U5JUL), is commemorated
on Abib 8 = July 2. The name also appears in Arabic as Abiru (j^jJ) or
Abiruh (s^^ol). See their Coptic Acts in Hyvernat, Actes des Martyrs, p. 135 ff.
1 1 [II. 7.]
258 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
who has already been spoken of, came. He was the last of the
Omeyyad caliphs ; and he was pursued by the Khorassanians, the
followers of As-Saffah, the Abbaside ; and they caught him, and
crucified him, with his head downwards ; and they also killed his
vizier.
The town of Al-'Ukab 1 . This was built by c Aun 'Abd al-Walid ibn
Dauma, one of the descendants of Kift, the son of Mizraim, the son of
Baisur, the son of Ham, the son of Noah.
Account of the spring which is in the Wadi 'l-'Ain, to the east of
Ikhmim. When the aforesaid spring is touched by a person in a
state of uncleanness, the water ceases to flow into its cistern, until the
latter has been cleansed and the polluted water within it removed.
Story of the cistern which is named the Pure. It is said that
a man saw a cistern which was cut out of a great stone, into which
water was flowing from a spring at the foot of the mountain in this
Fol. 93 a district, near a church. The water flows in a continuous stream and
is sweet in taste and in smell ; but if a man or woman in a state
of uncleanness touches it, it ceases to flow at that moment, as soon
as it reaches the cistern ; and the people of the place know this,
and so they draw out the water which is already there and wash the
cistern with other water ; and then the water begins to flow again from
the spring according to its custom.
The Oasis of Al-BaJiuasa.
The Oases. In the Oasis of Al-Bahnasa 2 there is a church named
after Saint George ; and his pure body is said to be contained in it,
1 For Al-'Ukab see Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. rf..
2 Otherwise called the Little Oasis (Oasis Parva). The Coptic name OT<L^
TTeJULXe is translated by I : 4 J\ lj. Another Arabic name is i^sr-v' |j,
given because it lies to the north of the Oases of Al-Kharijah and Ad-Dakhilah.
The Oasis of Al-Bahnasa, to which there is a road from the town after which it is
named, is reckoned a part of the province of the Fayyum, and consists of four
districts: that of Al-Buwiti with 1,675 inhabitants; that of Al-Kasr, the chief
town, with 1,387 inhabitants; that of Mudishah with 1,506 inhabitants; and that
THE OASIS OF AL-BAHNASA. 259
but without the head 1 . On the festival of his martyrdom, the body
is brought out from the shrine, and a new veil is put over it ; and it
is carriecl in procession all round the town, with candles and crosses
and chanting ; and then it is carried back to the church. Formerly the
people feared lest the Romans might steal it, and take it to their
church ; and so it was removed to the mountain with great precau-
tions, and placed in a cave, which was blocked up with stones and
concealed. But a certain man who had a devotion to Saint George,
saw him in a vision, and he said : ' Why have you imprisoned 2 my
body ? Bring me out from this place.' Then the bishop and the
people did not cease to search until they found the body, and they
brought it out and restored it to the church. Ibn al-Khafir, the wall
of the Oases, came here in the caliphate of Al-Hafiz ; and he sent Fol. 93 b
some men who carried off the body of Saint George and brought it
to the wall's house ; and he said : ' I will not restore it to the Christians,
until they pay me a large sum of money.' So the bishop and the chief
men among the Christians brought him money from time to time, but
it did not satisfy him, and he would not restore the body to them.
Then God sent a cloud and a violent wind and rain and lightning and
heavy thunder, during many successive days, such as had never been
witnessed in that country ; and it was said to the wall : ' Perhaps this
misfortune has happened solely because thou hast detained this body.'
Then the wall sent for the bishop, and gave the body up to him ; and
immediately the calamity ceased altogether. It is said that this bishop
held his see for thirty-eight years, and yet he only placed the shroud
upon this body twice during the whole of that time, on account of that
which he had witnessed with regard to it ; and he said to the priests :
' Take charge of this ; for I cannot explain or speak of what I have seen.'
of Az-Zabu with 808 inhabitants ; the total being 5,436 inhabitants. See
Amelineau, Geogr. p. 290 f.
1 The principal relics of St. George were, as it is well known, in the famous
church named after him at Lydda ; see below.
2 The form l^i^y is worth noticing on account of the final vowel sound,
expressed by the I..
1 1 2
260 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
It is said that the limbs of this body were not separated from it, but
that it was found entire, and without any change. It is commonly
reported among men that the body of this martyr is at the town of
Lydda 1 in Syria. Some say, however, that the head is there, but that
Fol. 94 a the body was brought to this country [of Egypt], because the governor
of Egypt and the governor of Syria were two brothers, and, as Syria was
filled with troops and marauders, the governor of that country feared that
some outrage might be committed on the body ; and so the trunk,
without the head, was brought to the Oases, because they are free
from the incursions of troops and depredators ; and the proof of this
is that the pilgrims who went to Syria to visit Lydda, that they might
receive a blessing from the body of the martyr Saint George, said that
they saw the head without the body ; and this was during the Fast
of the year 890 of the Righteous Martyrs (a. D. 11 74).
The monastery of the Leper is in the Oasis.
Nubia.
At Bujaras, the capital of the province of Al-Maris 2 , which is a well-
populated city, there is the dwelling-place of Jausar, who wore the
turban and the two horns and the golden bracelet. A certain traveller
came to [the caliph] Al-'Aziz bi'llah and informed him that he had
1 The church of St. George at Lydda was restored by our own king Richard I.
For an account of the relics of the saint and all information with regard to him
see Acta SS. at April 23.
2 This passage with the following account of Nubia is to be found translated
in substance in Quatremere, Mem. ii. p. 3 iff. Maris (jUULpHC, 'the South') was
the most northern province of Nubia, bordering upon Egypt. The south wind
was likewise called Maris!. Yakut names Marisah ' an island in Nubia from which
slaves are exported.' See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. 1 ; Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
i. p. is a; 'Abd al-Latif, p. 12. Al-Mas'udi gives, as the chief divisions of Nubia;
Dunkulah (Dongola), Mukurrah, 'Alwah, and Maris ; see Murilj adh-Dhahab
(ed. Barbier), hi. p. 32. It is well known that the northern extremity of Nubia
between Syene (Aswan) and Pselcis (Dakkah), and later up to Hiera-Sycominos
(Muharrakah), was a dependency of Egypt under the Ptolemies and the Roman
Empire, and was called Dodecaschoenus.
NUBIA. 261
visited a certain . city, and had seen a great wonder, passing man's
understanding ; namely, that on the seventh day of Barmudah a city
appears, with a wall, and a water-wheel going round near the city gate,
and sycamore-trees, and cattle drinking from the cistern fed by the
water-wheel ; and that this lasts for two hours in the day, and the
horses go and drink from that cistern ; then after that the city disappears,
and nothing is seen where it stood ; and no one can reach it, although
it seems close to him while it is far off; and that city is called among Fol. 94 b
the people of that district the city of Alfi ; and it is not seen again
until the same day in the next year 1 .
The first place in the province of Mukurrah 2 is the monastery
called that of Safanuf, king of Nubia, which is in the country below the
second cataract 3 .
1 A mirage of the same sort is described by Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. m, in
his article on Aswan. (A. J. B.)
2 Yakut writes this name {jj.a^> (Geogr. Wort. iv. p. 1 .0), and says (iv. p. m .)
that the king of Nubia called himself
ijjjj Uy-'L* tLLo
' The king of Mukurra. and Nubia.' At the end of the seventh century of our
era, the Coptic patriarch Isaac is said to have received letters from the king of
Mukurrah (riOTpo irf~JUL<LKOYpI<L), who requested that a bishop might be
sent to him. See the Coptic life of this patriarch, edited by M. Amelineau.
Vansleb states that there were seven episcopal sees in the province of Mukurrah,
viz. ' Korti, Ibrim, Bucaras, Dongola, Sai', Termus, Suenkur,' and refers for them
to a letter published by the Pere Bonjour, entitled In Monumenta Aegyptiaca Biblio-
thecae Vaticanae brevis exercitatio. M. Amelineau says that Makorrah extended
from the modern Korosko to the ancient Napata (above Korti).
The patriarchal biography in the compilation of Severus of Al-Ushmunain
does not mention any letter from the king of Mukurrah, but states that the
patriarch Isaac himself wrote to the kings of Nubia and Abyssinia (dlLj ,ji*il elL
ibjJI), bidding them live at peace together, and abstain from conflict with one
another; and that the wall of Egypt, Abd al-Aziz, suspecting the object of the
letters, caused them to be intercepted (Brit. Mus. MS. Or. 26,100, p. 126, 1. 25
p. 127,1.5).
3 I. e. the Cataract atWadi Khalfah. Mukurrah, or Makorrah, extended about
sixty miles to the north of the Second Cataract. (A. J. B.)
262 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
The monastery of Michael and Cosmas is large and spacious, and
possesses a sycamore-tree, by which the rise and fall of the Nile are
ascertained every year.
There is a monastery called that of Daira, near which there is an
ancient temple, between two great mountains.
A city called the city of Bausaka. This is a large and handsome
city, full of people and of all commodities, and possessing many
churches. Here dwelt the Lord of the Mountain, whose eyes were
put out by George, son of Zacharias Israel. Here is the monastery
of Saint Sinuthius, in which Abu Rakwah al-Walid ibn Hisham 1 was
taken prisoner in the month of Rabf the First, in the year 397 of the
Arabs (a. d. 1006). Near the town there is a gold-mine.
Mountain of Zidan. Here is the monastery of Abu Jaras, in a
town on the west, which possesses a bishop. It is a beautiful town on
the mountain. At night a light as of fire is seen in this town from
a distance, but if the beholder comes near to it he cannot find it ; yet
it is continually seen as if there were many lamps in the town. In the
same way, at Bagdad, in the district of 'Ukbara 2 , many lamps are seen
on a certain night of the year, but they are not real.
Fol. 95 a In the land of Nubia, near the cataract, there is a town called the
Upper Maks. No one is allowed to pass by the inhabitants of this
place, without being searched, even if he be a king ; and if any one
1 The surname of Abu Rakwah was given to this man because in earlier life
he used to carry a pitcher on his shoulder in the prosecution of his trade. He
managed to collect a body of armed men, with whose help he took possession of
Barkah. The first troops sent against him by the caliph Al-Hakim were routed,
and having made himself rich by plunder, Abu Rakwah next occupied Upper
Egypt. Al-Hakim then sent against him a body of Syrian and Egyptian troops
under Al-Fadl ibn 'Abd Allah ; who engaged Abu Rakwah in a hard-fought battle,
which ended in the flight of the rebels. Abu Rakwah escaped, but was afterwards
taken prisoner in Nubia, as our author tells us, and conveyed to Cairo, where
Al-Hakim condemned him to be impaled. See Abu '1-Fida, Annales, ii. p. 616.
2 Yakut mentions a place of this name, which, he says, was eleven parasangs
from Baghdad; Geogr. Wort. iii. p. v.e.
NUBIA. 263
pushes on and refuses to be searched, he is put to death. The people
carry on their trade in kind ; and selling and buying among them is
done by exchange ; thus they exchange woven stuffs and slaves ; and
all that is bought and sold is exchanged.
At this place is found emery 1 , with which precious stones are
polished. The people dive for it ; and the touch of it is found to be
different from that of other stones, and so those who search for it
recognize it ; but if they are in doubt, they breathe upon it and then
it is covered with drops, and they know that it is emery. Emery is
found nowhere in the whole world except in Ceylon 2 and at this place.
There is near this town a hill on which there is a spring of warm
water like that at Tiberias. Here also is the mountain of thirst, where
no one can reach the water that is there, on account of the distance and
the height ; and even if a man ascends to the top of this mountain he
cannot reach the water, but can only look at it, although it seems to be
near to him ; and when he tries to arrive at it he cannot do so.
Town of 'Alwah 3 . Here there are troops and a large kingdom with
wide districts, in which there are four hundred churches. The town
lies to the east of the large island 4 between the two rivers, the White
1 Emery is a species of corundum found in gneiss, limestone, and other
crystalline rocks. Abu Salih is mistaken as to its rarity, for it occurs in many
places Sweden, Saxony, Spain, Greenland, &c. ; but the principal source of the
supply lies in the island of Naxos. (A. J. B.)
2 The name of Ceylon (Sarandib) was familiar to the Arabic-speaking world
at the time of our author, through the reports of Arab travellers and the commerce
of Arab traders. Precious stones and spices were exported from Ceylon to
Al-'Irak, Syria, and Egypt. See Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome) [p. 42] ; Yakut, Geogr. Wort.
iii. p. at ; Reinaud, Rel. des Voy. fails par les Arabes et les Persans dans I'Inde, &c.
The name Sarandib is said to be of Sanskrit derivation.
3 Yakut writes the name Lie, and says it is to the south of Mukurra.
Al-Idrisi writes ij& as our author does. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. ac ;
Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome) [pp. 19, 20].
4 I. e. the ' island ' enclosed on two sides by the two branches of the Nile, the
White Nile and Blue Nile (Bahr al-Azrak), for so it is now called. The town
of Khartum stands at the junction of these two branches. The existence of four
264 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Fol. 95 b Nile and the Green Nile. All its inhabitants are Jacobite Christians 1 .
Around it there are monasteries, some at a distance from the stream
and some upon its banks. In the town there is a very large and
spacious church, skilfully planned and constructed, and larger than
all the other churches in the country ; it is called the church of
Manbali. The crops of this country depend upon the rise of the Nile,
and upon the rain. When they are about to sow their seed, they
hundred churches in the province of 'Alwah seems surprising, but it is clear that
at this period Nubia was almost exclusively Christian.
Nearly four centuries later Francisco Alvarez, in his story of the Portuguese
mission to Abyssinia, expressly records the existence of ancient Christian churches
in this same part of Nubia. His words are worth quoting (Lord Stanley's Tr.
p. 352) : ' I heard from a man, a Syrian, a native of Tripoli in Syria, and his
name is John of Syria . . . , that he had been to this country, and that there are in
it a hundred and fifty churches, which still contain crucifixes and effigies of our
Lady and other effigies painted on the walls, and all old. These churches are all
in old ancient castles which are throughout the country; and as many castles,
there are so many churches. While we were in the country of the Prester John,
there came six men from that country to the Prester himself, begging of him
to send them priests and friars to teach them. He did not choose to send them :
and it was said that he said to them that he had his Abima [sic : but read Abilna,
i. e. Metropolitan] from the country of the Moors, that is to say from the
patriarch of Alexandria, who is under the rule of the Moors : how then could he
give priests and friars, since another gave them ? They say that in ancient times
these people had everything from Rome, and that it is a very long time ago that
a bishop died whom they got from Rome, and on account of the wars of the
Moors [Saracens in Egypt] they could not get another, and so they lost all their
Christianity. These Nubiis border upon Egypt, and they say they have much fine
gold in their country. This country lies in front of Suaquem [Suakin], which is
close to the Red Sea.' (A. J. B.)
1 All the Arab historians and geographers who mention Nubia state that the
natives of the country were Jacobite, i. e. monophysite Christians. See e. g.
Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. Ar.; Al-Mas'udi, Muriij adh-Dhahab, ii. p. 329;
Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome) [p. 19]; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. Ma ; Eutychius, Annates,
ii. p. 387.
NUBIA, 265
trace out furrows in the field and bring the seed and lay it at the
side of the field, and beside it they place a supply of the drink called
mizr*, and go away; and afterwards they find that the seed has been
sown in the ground, and the mizr has been drunk. So again at the time
of harvest they reap some of the corn, and leave beside the rest of it
a supply of mizr ; and in the morning they find the harvest com-
pleted ; and they say that this is done by beings of a different order
from ours.
City of Dongola 2 . Here is the throne of the king. It is a large
city on the banks of the blessed Nile, and contains many churches
and large houses and wide streets. The king's house is lofty, with
several domes built of red brick, and resembles the buildings in
Al-Trak ; and this novelty was introduced by Raphael, who was king
of Nubia in the year 392 of the Arabs (a. d. 1002). In that year ::
Abu Rakwah, who is also called Al-Walid ibn Hisham al-Khariji,
rebelled against Al-Imam al-Hakim bi-amri 'llah, and attempted to
ravage his country ; but Al-Hakim defeated the rebel ; and his troops Fol. 96 a
wintered at Takhum, in Nubia.
It is said that the Nubians formerly worshipped the stars, and that
the first of them who was converted 4 to the knowledge of the truth
1 Mizr is a kind of beer made by the fermentation of grain. (A. J. B.)
2 Yakut says :
J^Jl Jo-L. As- lUU Jj.U ^j dlilo I4*! hy}i\ dSiXo
1 The capital of Nubia is called Dongola (Dumkulah), and this is the residence of
the king. It stands upon the bank of the Nile.' (Geogr. Wort. iv. p. at . .)
Al-Idiisi says that Dongola was five days higher up the river than 'Alwah
(ed. Rome) [p. 29]. The town is now called Old Dongola to distinguish it from
New Dongola or Ordi.
3 The words iuJl dl* are inserted by mistake of the scribe.
4 It seems clear from Olympiodorus, Priscus, Procopius, and Barhebraeus that
Christianity was not exclusively accepted among the Nubians before the reign of
Justinian I ; but there were Christians there in the fifth century, as the statement
of Cosmas Indicopleustes would prove, and probably as early as the reign of
Constantine (Abu '1-Faraj, ed. Pococke, p. 135), and perhaps even from the time
m nt [II. 7.]
266 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
and the religion of the law of Christ was Bahriya, son of the king's
sister, who was learned in the science of the sphere, and was wise
and skilful. When he was converted to the religion of Christ, all the
blacks of Nubia followed him ; and he built for them many churches,
throughout the land of Nubia, and many monasteries, which are still
flourishing, and some of them are at a distance from the river and some
upon its banks.
In the land of Nubia is the city of Ibrim 1 , the residence of the
Lord of the Mountain, all the inhabitants of which are of the province
of Maris ; it is enclosed within a wall. Here there is a large and
beautiful church, finely planned, and named after our Lady, the Pure
Virgin Mary. Above it there is a high dome, upon which rises a large
cross 2 . When Shams ad-Daulah 3 , brother of Al-Malik an-Nasir Salah
ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub the Kurd, brother of Shirkuh, marched into
Upper Egypt, in the caliphate of Al-Mustadi, the Abbaside, after the
of the Apostles. See the discussion of this question by Letronne in his Materiaux
pour Vhistoire du Christianisme en Eijypfe, en Nubie et en Abyssinie, p. 42, &c. It
is said that the empress Theodora sent a mission to spread the monophysile
doctrine in Nubia ; see Gibbon, Decline and Ea//, ch. 47. (A. J. B.)
1 The Latin and Greek Primis. It stands a few miles above Derr and
Korosko, and must have been near the borders of the province of Mans. In the
sixth century it seems to have formed the southern limit of the country of the
Blemmyes, according to Olympiodorus and the Greek inscription of Silco at
Kalabshah (see Letronne's Memoir quoted above). There are still some Roman
remains there, although it was never part of a Roman province, and can only
have been an advanced post. (A. J. B.)
2 It is only in remote and desert places that the Copts venture even now
to erect a cross over the cupola of a sacred building. Macarius, bishop of
Jerusalem, is said to have been the first to set a cross upon a dome, according
to Al-Maknzi. (A. J. B.)
3 Al-Malik al-Mu'azzam Shams ad-Daulah Tiiran Shah, surnamed Fakhr
ad-Din, was an elder brother of Saladin. In a. h. 569 he was sent to subdue
a rebellion in Yaman. In a. h. 571 he was appointed Saladin's lieutenant at
Damascus; and in Safar a.h. 576=June a. d. 1180 he died. See Ibn Khallikan
(trans. De Slane), i. p. 284 ff. ; Ibn Shaddad (ed. Schultens), p. 39.
XUBfA. 267
extinction of the Fatimide dynasty, the last caliph of which was
Al-'Adid li-Dini 'hah, in the month of Jumada the First, of the year
568 (a. D, 1 1 73), under the government of the Ghuzz and Kurds, he
invaded this district 1 with his troops who accompanied him, and with Fol. 96 b
those who gathered together to him [as he proceeded], and he collected
the boats from the cataract. In this town [of Ibrim] there were many
provisions and ammunitions and arms, and the [troops of Shams ad-
Daulah] marched thither ; and when they had defeated the Nubians,
they left the town in ruins, after conquering it ; and they took the
Nubians who were there prisoners. It is said that the number of
Nubians was 700,000 men, women, and children ; and seven hundred
pigs were found here. Shams ad-Daulah commanded that the cross
on the dome of the church should be burnt, and that the call to
prayer should be chanted by the muezzin from its summit. His
troops plundered all that there was in this district, and pillaged the
church throughout ; and they killed the pigs. And a bishop was found
in the city ; so he was tortured ; but nothing could be found that
he could give to Shams ad-Daulah, who made him prisoner with the
rest, and he was cast with them into the fortress, which is on a
high hill and is exceedingly strong. Shams ad-Daulah left in the
town many horsemen, and placed with them the provisions and the
weapons and ammunition and tools. In the town a quantity of cotton
was found, which he carried off to Kus and sold for a large sum. Before
this time, Muhammad al-Khazin had captured Ibrim, in the days of
Kaffir al-Ikhshidi, under the dynasty of the Abbasides.
In the history of the holy church and in the biographies of the fathers
and patriarchs it is said concerning Anba Kha'il, the forty-sixth patriarch,
that when money was extorted from him, in the caliphate of Marwan
al-Ja'di, the last of the Omeyyad caliphs, by the emir of Egypt, Salah
ad-Din Yusuf the Kurd 2 , and the patriarch went up to Upper Egypt,
to beg for assistance from the people there, and when Cyriacus, king Fol. 97 a
1 Cf. Al-Makrizi, Khitat, ii. p. rrr .
2 This is an anachronism due to the carelessness of a copyist. The emir in
question was 'Abd al-Malik ibn Musa ibn Nasir.
m m 2
268 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
of Nubia, heard of this, he was angry and filled with indignation
because the patriarch was thus humiliated and pressed for money ;
so he assembled his troops and marched towards Egypt 1 , accompanied
by 100,000 horsemen and ico,oco camels; now Nubian horses are
small 2 , like the largest of the Egyptian asses, but have a great power of
enduring fatigue. When the Nubians entered Egypt, they plundered
and slew, and took many prisoners, and laid waste many inhabited
places in Upper Egypt, as they marched towards Misr. Now when
the ruler of Egypt heard what was the cause of their coming, and was
told as follows : 'When the patriarch of Egypt went up to ask assistance
of the Christians in Upper Egypt, news of this reached the king of
Nubia, and the king of Abyssinia, and [another] king subject to the
jurisdiction of the patriarch of Egypt ; and [the first-named] was
indignant at the news ; ' then [the governor of Egypt] released the
patriarch from his obligations and ceased to extort money from him,
and begged him to write to the king of Nubia and bid him return [to
his own country]. So the patriarch wrote to the king as he was
requested, and the king returned, and no longer acted as he had done,
but departed to his own country.
According to the history of the church and the biography of
1 This account is borrowed from the biography of the patriarch Kha'il in the
compilation of Severus of Al-Ushmunain ; see Anc. Fonds Arabe 139, p. 162 f.
Cf. Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. 1 1 a .
2 The patriarchal biographer says {loc. cii.) :
<-r>M ^j \4UJ_5 ^4^>A> JiU.5 cuiu *^ ; (_^JJ1 jJJ ij] l*.x> \jj*=*\ ^ Juili. XH\j
.*Ji Jlo j\^S J-p. lylSj 1^9 l^iL^ Jjlii US
' It was stated to me by one who witnessed it with his own eyes that the horses on
which the Nubians rode used to fight in battle both with their forefeet and with
their hindfeet, just as their riders were fighting upon their backs. They were
small horses, no higher than asses.'
Al-Mas'udi also testifies to the smallness of the horses; see Muruj adh-
Dhahab, ii. p. 382. Yakut says that the Nubian king had thoroughbred horses
(jibe J-), but that the commons (i*U)l) had slow, heavy horses, of no particular
b/eed (^ib); see Geogr. Wort. iv_ p. ac .
NUBIA. 269
Anba Joseph 1 , the fifty-second patriarch, Ibrahim, brother of Al- Fol. 97 b
Ma'mun, the Abbaside [caliph], sent a letter to Zacharias, king of
Nubia, asking him to send a tribute 2 of slaves equivalent to the amount
for fourteen years. But as the king could not do this, he sent his son
George 3 to Bagdad, to Ibrahim. So Ibrahim rejoiced when he saw him,
because, although the king had been prevented from carrying out the
request that had been made to him, yet he had sent his son, than whom
he possessed nothing dearer ; and Ibrahim also admired the submission
of the son, who exiled himself in obedience to his father ; and therefore
Ibrahim conferred upon the king all the favours that he asked for, and
sent his son back to Misr, where he was lodged at the house of the emir,
who was governor of Egypt. Now [George, the son of the king of
Nubia,] desired to visit the father and patriarch ; and therefore went to
see him, with great respect, and received his blessing, and asked him to
consecrate an altar for him, that he might carry it to the palace of the
emir where he was lodged. So the patriarch granted the request [of the
king's son] and sent him a consecrated altar 4 , and sent bishops and
priests and deacons to him, who celebrated the liturgy upon the altar,
and gave the communion to the king's son and to those who were
1 Or Yusab. He occupied the see from a. d. 831-850 (?) ; see Renaudot,
Hist. Patr. pp. 277-294.
2 From the time of the caliph 'Uthman, the Nubians were allowed to live at
peace with their Muslim neighbours, on condition of paying a yearly tribute (k-aj)
of 400 or 360 able-bodied slaves to the caliph. In the time of Al-Ma'mun this
custom fell into desuetude, and for that reason Ibrahim demanded the arrears of
fourteen years, which would have deprived Nubia of a considerable number of
men in the prime of life. See the article on the Bakt in Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
i. pp. ni-r.r; cf. Al-Masudi, Muritj adh-Dhahab (ed. Barbier), iii. p. 39 ; Yakut,
Geogr. Wo?t. iv. p. at. .
3 This narrative is taken from the biography of the patriarch Yusab in the
compilation of Severus of Al-Ushmunain ; see Paris MS., Anc. Fonds Arabe 139,
p. 250 ff.
4 This would probably be a portable slab, such as is fitted on the top of
Coptic altars by a sinking in the masonry. Such slabs are carried about for the
communion of the sick, and are taken by pilgrims to Jerusalem. (A. J. B.)
27 o CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
with him. The governor of Egypt also commanded that the wooden
gong should be struck on the roof of [George's] lodging, that his
friends might assemble at his house for prayers and the liturgy,
as in his own country. This went on until George, the king's son,
returned to his father in safety and with honour.
And when the king's son returned to his father, the latter founded
Fol. 98 a a large church, which he caused to be skilfully planned, in thanksgiving
to God for the safe arrival of his son. This church was [afterwards]
consecrated by Anba George, bishop of Natu 1 , who was sent by Anba
Christodulus, the sixty-sixth patriarch. This patriarch also asked for
assistance from the king, on account of the exactions from which he
suffered at the hands of the government and of the Lawatis, in the year
737 2 of the Righteous Martyrs (a. d. 1030-1). At the consecration of
the church, the Holy Ghost descended upon one of the vessels of water,
prepared for the ceremony, and the people saw a light shed upon
that water; so the king took that water in his hand, and carried it
to his house ; and he gave to the bishop money to take to the
patriarch, that he might be relieved from the extortion from which
he suffered.
Church of Al-Wadi. This is called after Saint Onuphrius. [The
place where it stands] is called the desert of * * * 3 , and is at a distance
of three days' journey from the extremity of Nubia, and at a distance
of ten days' journey from Uswan. Solomon, king of Nubia, spent his
time in worshipping God at this church 4 , after he had abdicated. He
said : ' Who is there among the kings that can be saved by God while
he still governs among men ; and that is not swayed by his passions,
1 Close to the modern Sahrajt, which is in the district of Mit Ghamr, in the
province of Ad-Dakahliyah in the Delta. It is the Coptic rt<LO(J0, and the
Greek Leontopolis. M. Amelineau has not noticed that, in the Copto-Arabic
lists which he himself publishes, Leonion corresponds to Natu, as well as to ^ ,
as he proposes to read the word. See his Ge'ogr. pp. 269-70, 409, and 571-5.
2 Incorrect date; see p. 121, note. 3 There is a word omitted in the MS.
4 This is related in the history of the patriarchs ; cf. Renaudot, Hist. Pair.
p. 451 f.
NUBIA. 271
and does not shed blood unjustly, and does not force men to do that
which is not right for them ? ' The condition of this king was reported Fol. 98 b
to the governor of the southern part of Upper Egypt, Sa'd ad-Daulah
al-Kawasi, in the caliphate of Al-Mustansir bi'llah, and the vizierate
of Amir al-Juyush Badr ; and so the last-named sent men to take the
king away from that place, and to bring him to Cairo. And when he
came to the gate, he was received with great honour and state, with
a band of music, and a fine horse which he should mount ; and [the
vizier] ordered the chief men of the state to attend upon him ; and
afterwards he lodged him in a fine house, abundantly decorated with
marble and wood-work and brocades of many colours interwoven with
gold. In this house the king lived for one year, and [the vizier]
visited him constantly, and conversed with him on many subjects, and
listened to his words; and found that he sought God, to whom be power
and glory, with all his heart and mind, renouncing all that men desire.
So when the king had lived here for the space of one year, he died
and was buried in the monastery of Saint George at Al-Khandak 1 , in
the patriarchate of Cyril, the sixty-seventh patriarch. This king's tomb
is within the wall that encloses the church, and is near the door, on the
right hand as you enter. It is said that among his letters there was
found a letter written in his own hand, and in Nubian characters 2 , which
proved his learning and his religion and his asceticism ; and he was
designated the ' holy king.'
The kingdom of Nubia is composed of Nubia with its provinces, Fol. 99 a
and the land of 'Alwah and Al-Mukurrah and the neighbouring tribes.
It is said to be the custom among the Nubians, when a king dies and
leaves a son, and also a nephew, the son of his sister, that the latter
1 The monastery of Al-Khandak, the suburb of Cairo, is mentioned by
Al-Makrizi, who says that it was built by Jauhar.
2 According to the Kitdb al-Fihrist, quoted by Quatremere, Mem. ii. p. 37,
the Nubians employed Syrian, Coptic, and Greek characters in writing, having
borrowed them from the nearest Christian nations, as being themselves Christiaus.
Eutychius, however, speaks of six kinds of writing among the ' Hamites,' and one
of these is the 'Nubian' {^.y), see his Annates, i. p. 55. At the present day,
of course, the Nubians employ the Arabic character. (A. J. B.)
272 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
reigns after his uncle, instead of the son ; but if there is no sister's
son, then the king's own son succeeds.
The land of Nubia is under the jurisdiction of the see of Saint
Mark the Evangelist, which consecrates [their bishops] for them ; and
their liturgy and prayers are in Greek 1 . The number of kings in Nubia
is thirteen 2 ; and all these rule the land, under the supremacy of
Cyriacus, the Great King ; and all of them are priests, and celebrate
the liturgy within the sanctuary, as long as they reign without killing
a man with their own hands ; but if a king kills a man, he may no
longer celebrate the liturgy. And this privilege of celebrating the
liturgy is never restored to such a king ; but when he enters within
the veil of the sanctuary, he takes off the royal crown, and stands
bareheaded until all the people have communicated, and not one of
them is left who has not communicated ; and then the king com-
municates after the people, if he wishes to communicate.
Pol. 99 b The town of Darmus 3 , in the land of Nubia. Here there is a church
of elegant proportions, beautifully planned, and looking on the river ;
and within it there is a picture of the Great King, and a picture of
the governor of Darmus. [The former picture represents] George, son
1 This would be a proof that Christianity was introduced among the Nubians
before the translation of the Egyptian liturgy into Coptic. That this liturgy was
originally in Greek is proved by the Greek sentences which are still preserved in
the midst of the Coptic versions, and by the existence of the Greek liturgy of
St. Mark, which is apparently the original of the Coptic St. Cyril. (A. J. B.)
2 This and the following passage are probably based upon a confusion of
Nubia with Abyssinia ; see below, fol. 1 05 b. In the same way our author on
fol. 105 a speaks of the king of Mukurrah as an Abyssinian prince. The number
of chieftains under the Negus or supreme king of Abyssinia, on the other hand,
was formerly considerable. In the sixteenth century there were seven kingdoms
under the supremacy of the Negus, besides ten provinces smaller than kingdoms ;
and in earlier times there are said to have been twenty-eight kings who owned
obedience to the Negus; see Tellez, Historia geral de Ethiopia a alia, &c, p. 9.
3 ' Termus,' in the province of Maracu (i. e. Mukurrah), is named by Vansleb
as the see of one of the bishops of Nubia in former times ; see his Hist, de V ' Eg/ise
d'Alex. p. 30.
NUBIA.
273
of Zacharias, king of Nubia, as an old man, sitting upon a throne of
ebony, inlaid with ivory, and overlaid with pure gold ; his age is eighty
years ; upon his head is the royal crown, set with precious stones, and
surmounted by a golden cross, which has four jewels in its four arms.
In the same town there is an ancient temple of great size, dedicated
to the star of the Sun 1 , within which there is an idol resembling * * * 2 ,
which has on its breast the figure of the moon, and is all of one piece.
In this temple there are most wonderful and astonishing pictures and
immense pillars, so that the beholder is filled with wonder and stupe-
faction because men have been able to construct such works of so great
difficulty. In this temple there is also a gigantic hall, which seems
to the spectator to be all of one piece ; it is roofed with slabs of hard,
black, polished stone, each of which is fifteen cubits in length, five in
breadth, and five in thickness ; and of these there are twenty-five, so
closely fitted together, that they seem to be one piece. In the same
temple there is a well of great width, which is descended by steps ; and
if a man descends to the lowest step, he finds vaulted passages, with
turnings in different directions, the end of which is unknown ; so that,
when he ventures into them, he loses himself, and will perhaps perish, if
he do not quickly return.
Near the fourth cataract 3 , on the eastern bank, there is a large Fol.lOOa
monastery, upon a high mountain which overlooks the blessed Nile.
Town of Tafah 4 . It is said that the prophet Moses, before he went
out from the face of Pharaoh, was sent by the latter upon an expedition
into the land of the Soudan, to make his way to the extremity of it.
Now in this land into which Pharaoh commanded Moses to make his
expedition, there were many adders and noisome beasts. But the
1 The Sun was regarded in ancient times as one of the seven planets.
2 Here there is a lacuna in the text.
3 The fourth cataract of the Nile is a little above Meroe.
4 Tafah still exists, on the west bank, seven miles to the south of Jartassi, in
northern Nubia. It must have been in the province of Maris. The ancient
temple here was turned into a church in the reign of Justinian I, like several others;
see Letronne, op. cit. p. 37.
11 u [IT. 7.]
274 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
prophet Moses was wise and was assisted by God in all his actions ; so
he marched into the Soudan with his army, accompanied by birds such
as cocks and owls, and entered into the uninhabited deserts where the
ancient and noisome beasts and reptiles dwelt ; and when they heard
the voice of the cocks and of the owls sounding by night and by
day, they fled away and remained no longer in their habitations, but
vanished from the path of Moses ; and so he marched onwards and
saw none of them. Then Moses came to the city of Tafah, and halted
before this city ; and the king's daughter saw him, and the birds with
him, and she loved him ; and so she sent messengers to him offering to
open the city to him, and pointing out to him the road which he should
take in order to conquer the city, and thus she made the capture of the
city easy to him. Other writers state that she was the daughter of
the king of Abyssinia. So Moses captured the city by offering general
quarter ; and he granted immunity to the inhabitants, and they brought
him money.
Fol.lOOb In this city of Tafah, there is a monastery called the monastery
of Ansun, which is ancient, but so skilfully constructed and beautifully
planned, that its appearance has not changed in spite of the lapse
of ages. Near it, in front of the mountain, there are fifteen hamlets.
There is a church of the glorious angel Michael, which overlooks the
river, and is situated between the land of Nubia and the land of the
Muslims ; but it belongs to Nubia. Near it there is a mosque which
has been restored ; and also a castle which was built as a fortress on the
frontier between the Muslims and the Nubians, and is at the extremity
of the Nubian territory.
Pliilae and Usivdn.
Island of Philae 1 . Between the land of Nubia and the land of the
1 The Arabic ,j% preserves the Coptic T\lX^.KP,. The island is mentioned
by Yakut, Geogr. Wert. i. p. v i . ; by Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome) [p. 37] ; by Al-Makrizi,
i. p. isi; cf. AmeTneau, Geogr. p. 347. We are now returning to Egypt with
our author.
PHILAE AND US WAN. 275
Muslims there are two stones upon a hill in the midst of the blessed
river Nile ; and the Muslims possess, opposite to them, a strong and
lofty fortress called Philae. This was built by Baruba and Saradib,
and contains fortified dwellings, and the ruins of well-built edifices,
the work of the ancients. Philae is five miles distant from Aswan.
Next to Philae comes Uswan \ the large frontier-town and the
great caravan-station, and the last post of the Muslims [before you
enter Nubia]. In its neighbourhood are the gold mines 2 . In the town
there is an ancient temple, containing the figure of a scorpion, which the
children are brought to touch every year on the 12th of Barmudah 3 ;
and no scorpion will approach a family which includes a child that has
touched that figure of a scorpion. The meaning of the name of
Uswan is 'Swallow,' for it was built by the king for a body of Abyssi- Fol.lOla
nians whom he made a guard for himself, and since they were voracious
in eating, he said to them 'Swallow!' From Uswan to Al-'Ula 4 it is
a distance of eighteen days ; and to 'Aidhab a distance of four days.
The monastery called Ibkah is on a high mountain overlooking the
river. Its church is named after the glorious angel Michael ; and it has
a single dome of great size. It stands between Uswan and Kus. If
any one steals whether little or much of the money which is brought
to this church in payment of vows, his boat, if he came in one, will not
put off from the shore until he has restored the stolen money ; and this
is well known among the natives of that district, so that no one now
makes any attempt to rob that church.
There is also a church named after the Lady and Pure Virgin
1 Uswan, Aswan, or Suwan is, as it is well known, the Greek 2vr)vrj, the Latin
Syene, and the Coptic COT<Lrt, and is mentioned by the prophet Ezekiel
(xxix. 10 ; xxx. 6) as HJID. It is now the chief town of a district in the province
of Isna (Esneh), and in 1885 had 6,421 inhabitants. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort.
i. p. hi ; Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome) [p. 21]; Al-Makrizi, i. p. iiv ; Amelineau, Geogr.
p. 467.
2 See above, fol. 20 a.
3 I. e. April 7.
4 On the confines of Arabia and Syria. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iii. p. n.
n n 2
276 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Mary, which was founded by the king. It was consecrated by Anba
George, bishop of Natu, when he was sent by the patriarch Christodulus
to Nubia, to ask the king for assistance on account of the extortion
from which he suffered at the hands of [Marwan] al-Ja'di, the last of
the Omeyyad caliphs.
It is said that the Mountains of the Moon 1 , where the Nile rises, are
of a red colour, and are in the land of Al-Karubis ; and the country
Fol.lOlb where these mountains are is burnt up with heat, and supports neither
plant nor beast.
In the land of the Soudan there is a river called the White River,
which, when it overflows for a certain length of time, runs into a river
called the Black River, which flows into the Nile from the east ; and when
the White River, which runs into the Nile, rises, then the health of the
people of Egypt improves; but when it falls, and the Black River flows
[into the Nile], then the people of Egypt fall sick. This Black River
rises in a black mountain, and flows over black stones, in an exceedingly
black stream. Near the Black River there is a Yellow River, which rises
in a mountain as yellow as saffron.
The district of Uswan is inhabited by Arabs of the tribe of
Rabi'ah and others. In this district there are springs of white naphtha
in the mountains, which were found by the son of \Ain as-Saif, the
governor, when he was at Aswan in the year 400 (a. D. 1010). In this
neighbourhood is found also the clay called ' clay of art 2 ; ' and there
is the gold-mine ; and there is red and yellow ochre.
[There is in this district] a church named after the saint Abu
Hadri 3 , whose body is preserved within it, but it is in ruins. It stands
on the island of Uswan 4 . Near this church there is also a monastery, in
which there were three hundred cells for monks, which are now ruined.
The church was large and beautiful. There was also the church of Saint
Mennas, which was solidly built of stone.
1 See above, fol. 26 b. 2 See above, fol. 20 a.
3 He was a native of Uswan; see Paris Synaxarium at Kihak 12 = Dec. 8.
4 I. e. Elephantine.
PH1LAE AND USWAN. 277
[There is also] a church of the Lady and Pure Virgin Mary, which
is exceedingly large ; but it was turned by Al-Hakim into a mosque.
[There is also] a ruined church of the glorious angel Michael outside Fol.l02a
Uswan, to the east, upon the mountain ; and the church of the saint and
glorious martyr George.
[There is also] a monastery of the saint Abu Hadri on the mountain
on the west ; and it is inhabited by monks. The monastery of Saint
Anthony is built of stone. It possessed several gardens, but the Arabs
seized them and wrecked the monastery.
There is here a church, named after Saint Ibsadah \ which stands in
the citadel of Uswan, upon the bank of the blessed river Nile ; and it is
said that this saint used to walk upon the water.
In this district there is a black mountain of granite, of which was
constructed a bridge 2 of great length, which was to be placed over the
river from one side to the other ; but it has never been completely
disengaged [from the quarry], from the time of the giants 3 until now ;
and it still remains in the form in which they left it.
1 The Coptic Psoti (HCliyf - ), who was bishop of Ptolemais at the lime of the
persecution of Diocletian, and suffered as a martyr for his faith. Ptolemais is the
Coptic Psoi (IICOI), named in Arabic Absai (^L^l), or, by its modern designa-
tion, Munshiyah, and still exists a little to the north of Jirja. The festival of
St. Psoti or Ibsadah is kept on Kihak 2 7 = Dec. 23. See Synaxarium at that day ;
Zoega, Cat. p. 237 ; Ame'lineau, Actes des MM. p. 30, and Geogr. pp. 381-383.
2 I. e. the well-known obelisk in the ancient granite quarry near Uswan, which
although partly hewn into shape has never been detached from the rock. Yakut
mentions the same object, and says it was called the Sakalah (illilJl), adding that
there is a narrow part of the Nile near the quarries, and that it was related that
the intention had been to bridge over the river by means of this obelisk, while
others said that it was the fellow to the obelisk of Alexandria. See Yakut, Geogr.
Wor/. i. p. ri> .
3 The admiration excited in the minds of the contemporaries of our author by
the works of the ancient Egyptians is well expressed by 'Abd al-Latif, who says :
e*io *a,Uc1 fjli JjIj^I ,Jic ^wUiftl ^j JjjJl ys.c .Uill jXa s-*-^-^ {j\j lilj
,jl e*JJij j^j>j! ,j-o ^r- jssM I45 \}^ lil lac ,4.! ,ju si! ^ i^c i6-'?-j *-^J
278 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
I sua.
District of Isna 1 . The meaning of this word is ' Tree 2 ,' and there
was here a tree from India. There is here a church named after
Matthew, the pious monk. It is said that when he was appointed
bishop of this town of Isna, and came to the district, a certain Muslim
provided a horse to carry him from the outskirts of the town, until he
brought him to the cell where he was to live. And at the weddings and
other rejoicings of the Muslims the Christians are present, and chant 3
Fol.l02b in the Sahidic dialect of Coptic, and walk before the bridegroom through
JUc^ll Syft^Jlj l^^^l ^* ,jXJlj J*ll S^.Lo^j AJ^tS!
1 When a man of sense beholds these ruins he finds himself able to excuse in the
vulgar their belief with regard to the ancients that their lives were longer than ours
and their bodies stronger, or that they possessed a magic rod with which when
they struck the stones they leapt towards them. For the modern mind feels itself
unable to estimate how much was required in these works of knowledge of
geometry, and concentration of thought, and ardour of study, and patience in
labour, and power over tools, and application to work,' &c. (ed. White, p. 130).
1 Generally written in English as ' Esneh.' It is now the capital of a province,
and in 1885 had 9,422 inhabitants. It was the Coptic CltH and the Greek
Latopolis. Yakut says that the only places of importance in Egypt to the south
of Isna were Udfu and Us wan, and that in his time Isna was a flourishing place
with much trade. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. no ; Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome)
[p. 49]; Amdlineau, Geogr. pp. 172-175.
2 Our author seems to derive the name from the Coptic OjRrt.
3 The Coptic church tones correspond to some extent to the Greek and Latin
tones, and are called respectively the tones of Adam, of Watus, Sanjaii, Kihak,
Atribi, the tone of the Great Fast, the tone for the Dead, the tone Istasimun.
The tones most commonly used are that of Adam (r^OC <L2^<*JUl, ^ {J L) on
the three first days of the week, and that of Watus (h^OC ^i.TOC, i.e.
&<LOOC, jj-Wj ^1.) on the other days. Cf. Vansleb. Hist, de I'Eglise d'Alex.
p. 58.
ARM ANT AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD. 279
the market-places and streets ; and this has become a recognized custom
with them, [and has continued] up to our own day. And on the night
of the Feast of the holy Nativity, every year, the Muslims, as well as the
Christians, burn candles, and lamps, and logs of wood in great numbers.
Armant and its neighbourhood.
Armant \ This place was called in ancient times Armanusah 2 ;
and the name means ' Blessed spot.' The town was founded by Busim
the king, son of Caphtorim, son of Mizraim, son of Baisur, son of Ham,
son of Noah. There is here a church of the Lady and Pure Virgin
Mary; and when an altar was consecrated here in the year 801 of the
Righteous Martyrs (a.D. 1084-5), some fragments of the vessels which
had contained the water of consecration were taken and thrown into the
well within the church ; and the water rose until it filled half of the
well ; and the priests marked the limit of the rise of the water, and
the mark of it remains until now.
Near this district there is a church, at Al-Khazarah, named after
Peter, the chief of the Fathers and Apostles ; and it is written of this
church that, when it was consecrated, the water overflowed from the
vessels, until it overspread the courtyard of the church.
Near Damamil 3 there is a church named after the saint Anba
Michael.
Dandarah 4 in Upper Egypt is a large town ; it was built by one
1 Now in the district of As-Salmiyah, in the province of Isna. It is the
Coptic epJULOrtX and the Greek Hermonthis, and was, in the early days of
Christianity, a place of importance and the capital of a nome. See Yakut, Geogr.
Wort. i. p. r 1 a ; Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome) [p. 49]; Amelineau, Geogr. pp. 165-167.
2 This is perhaps a corruption of the Greek Hermonthis.
3 Yakut and the revenue-list write this name 'Damamin,' but Al-Idrisi
employs the same form as our author, and this is the form used at the present
day. Damamil is now in the district of Kus, in the province of Kana, and had
568 inhabitants in 1885. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. ii. p. oao; Al-Idrisi (ed.
Rome) [p. 49] ; De Sacy, Abd-Allatif, p. 703 ; Rec. de Vltgypte, ii. p. 94.
4 Yakut gives ' Andara ' as an alternative form. The place is now in the
280 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
of the daughters of the Copts in the days of Manfa'us. There is here
a well, square in form, the opening of which measures one hundred
cubits on each side ; the entrance into it is by steps, which can be
Fol.l03a descended by camels, oxen, horses, sheep, and all other beasts which
drink the water of the well. In this district there is a most wonderful
ancient temple, such as has never been seen elsewhere ; and it is said
that the giants who built this temple also planned the construction of
the well.
Kift and Kandh.
The town of Kift 1 is the first town that was built in the land of
Egypt ; it was founded by Kift, the son of Mizraim, who lived 400
years, and was buried with his treasures in the Oases. From Kift there
is a road to ' Aidhab 2 , and a road to the mine of emeralds, and a road
to the Sea of Na'am 3 . There is here a church of the Lady and Pure
Virgin Mary, in which is preserved the body of the saint Abu Shaj.
There is also another church of the Lady and Pure Virgin Mary ; and
there is a church of Saint Severus.
There is here a monastery of the Virgin, and a monastery of Saint
Sinuthius, and a monastery named after Saint Anthony; and there is
a convent of nuns named after Saint George ; and a monastery named
after the martyr Saint Victor, and two monasteries named after the
glorious martyr Theodore.
There is a church named after the angel Gabriel at the top of the
mountain in this district. In the middle of [the town] there is a pillar
district and province of Kana, and in 1885 contained 4,492 inhabitants besides
1,383 Bedouins. It is the Coptic HITerTTtopi and the classical Tentyris or
Tentyra. The village of Denderah is well known to tourists, who here meet with
the first great Egyptian temple which is to be seen on the voyage up the Nile,
and which was as celebrated in the time of our author as it is now. See Yakut,
Geogr. Wort. ii. p. 11.; Al-Idrisi (trans. Jaubert), i. p. 125 ; Al-Makrizi, i. p. rrr,
cf. p. ri ; Amelineau, Geogr. pp. 140-142.
1 Quatremere quotes part of this passage in Mem. i. p. 150.
2 See above, fol. 21a and note.
s Apparently part of the Red Sea.
FA'U. 2 8i
standing by itself, exposed to the sun, and marked with a scale to
measure the rise of the Nile, a work of skill, and the result of divine
guidance. The 26th of Ba'unah 1 is the day on which the sun stood
still for Joshua the son of Nun, by God's permission, until he had Fol.l03b
vanquished the unbelieving Gentiles and giants in battle, through the
changing of the sun into various colours and the double halo which
appeared round it ; and on that day when the sun shines on this pillar,
it is known, from the measure indicated by its rays, to what height the
Nile will rise that year.
At the top of the hill is Kanah 2 . In this district there are two
monasteries which were restored by the Mu'allim Ishak, called Al-Azrak,
the merchant, who was a native of the town of Kift. One of these
monasteries is named after Coluthus, and the other after the glorious
angel Michael. They were then in ruins ; but the aforesaid merchant
spent a large sum upon them, and set them in excellent order, so that
the monks came and lived there, to the number of fifty ; and he
planted near them many trees and vines, and endowed them with
property in land, irrigated by water-wheels, and producing vegetables,
flax, wheat, and other crops ; and the extent of this property was
marked out by palm-trees, planted in various places. He also
presented forty yoke of oxen for working the water-wheels ; and
he distributed much money in alms before he died ; may God rest
his soul !
Fcffi.
The district called Fa'u 3 is in the southern part of Upper Egypt.
1 This day corresponds to June 20, and the Paris Synaxarium, as well as that
translated by Mr. Malan, commemorates the death of Joshua on this day.
2 Kanah is now the capital of a province, and in 1885 had 15,402 inhabitants.
Its Coptic name seems to have been KUOriH, and the Copto- Arabic lists give the
corresponding Arabic name as Iij.9. The more usual form, however, would
seem to be Ls, Kana; and in English it is generally written ' Keneh.' In the
time of our author the place was in the province of Kus. The Greeks appear to
have called the town Kaivt) noXis. See Ame'lineau, Gfogr. p. 393 f.
R Yakut names both this place and the monastery of Abu Bakhum which it
O [II. 7.]
282 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Here there is a monastery and a church named after Saint Pachomius.
This church is large and spacious, being one hundred and fifty cubits
Fol.l04a long and seventy-five cubits broad 1 ; but it has now fallen into ruin.
All the pictures in this church were composed of tessellae of glass,
gilded and coloured 2 ; and its pillars were of marble ; but it was
wrecked by Al-Hakim.
Ka mill ah.
Kamulah 3 . Here there is a church named after the glorious
martyr Theodore. The glorious martyr Mercurius also has a church
here ; and there are two churches of the two glorious angels Michael
and Gabriel. There are also two churches of the two glorious martyrs
Saint George and Saint Victor, son of Romanus. There are also two
churches of the glorious saints Sinuthius and John Abu Karkas. There
are also here two monasteries of the glorious martyrs Aba Nub and
Theodore.
possessed. Another Arabic name of the town is Bafu (\j>^.), which is nearer to
the Coptic cb&uJOir. The Coptic life of St. Pachomius describes the foundation of
the great convent here which bore his name. Fa'u is now in the district of Dashna,
in the province of Kana, and in 1885 had, if its northern and southern divisions
are added together, 4,743 inhabitants, besides 990 Bedouins. See Yakut, Geogr.
Wort. iii. p. a^i ; Amdlineau, Geogr. pp. 331-333; cf. his Hist, de S. Pakhdme,
p. 70 f.
1 These measurements are interesting if they can be relied upon. After so
frequent mention of ' large churches, spacious and nobly planned,' these figures
give at least Abu Salih's idea of a grand building. Taking his cubit at 1 ft. 6 in.,
the church of St. Pachomius would measure 225 ft. in length by 112 ft. 6 in. in
breadth, truly noble proportions, surpassing all ancient church buildings now
remaining in Egypt, except possibly the White Monastery. (A. J. B.)
2 Another instance of glass mosaic. See above, on the mosaics of Al-Kusair,
fol. 50 b. (A. J. B.)
3 The Coptic KA.JUL0X1. It was celebrated for its palms and vegetables.
It is now in the district of Kus, in the province of Kana, and in 1885 had 1,020
inhabitants. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. iw; Al-Idrisi (trans. Jaubert), i.
p. 127 ; Amelineau, Geogr. p. 391 f.
US WAN AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD. 283
Al-Ushmtinain.
City of Al-Ushmunain l . Here there are two churches [respectively]
of the holy fathers Peter and Mark ; and two churches [respectively] of
the glorious martyrs George and Mercurius ; and also three churches
of the pure and lofty angels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael.
Uswan and its neighbourhood.
\ The district called the frontier-district of Uswan, which is con-
tiguous to the former district. Here, near the fortress, and on the east
side of it, there is a church of the Four Living Creatures, beneath which
there is a pool of water ; and beside this, it is said that Diocletian, the
unbelieving emperor, shed the blood of many martyrs. Around this
pool there was a wall, the greater part of which is now ruined. Fol.l04b
The island of Bakik, to the west of [Uswan]. Here there is
a church of the Lady and Pure Virgin Mary, containing several chapels,
the greater part of which are ruined. There is also a church of the
saint and glorious martyr Theodore.
Island of Philae. Here there are many idols and temples. The
island contains two churches, one of which is named after the glorious
angel Michael, and the other after the patriarch Athanasius ; these
churches are beside the cataract.
The House of Sanis stands on the bank of the river, to the west
of [Philae] ; and near it there are several churches overlooking the
river, but now in ruins.
It is said that at Bashawah there is a garden, the property of
Ibn Kamil, which contains a wonderful palm-tree, such as has never
been heard of elsewhere ; and its peculiarity is that it casts off unripe
dates, of which the kernel is eaten, and makes the most delicious
food, while the outside is thrown away ; and this is well known, and is
related in the book of An-Nasr ibn Zulak.
Kamiilah.
At Kamulah - there is a monastery named after the glorious angel
1 We have already heard of this place on fol. 76 a and b, &c.
We return once more to Kamulah after the peculiar manner of our author.
O u 2
284 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Michael, and known as the monastery of the Well, because in its
neighbourhood there is a well of excellent water, from which travellers
drink when they pass through this district. The monastery contains
a keep, and is surrounded by an enclosing wall ; and it is said to possess
the body of Saint Pisentius, superior of the monastery in Upper Egypt.
Bu Harukah. Here there is a monastery named after the glorious
angel Michael, which contains a keep.
Luxor.
Luxor 1 . Before the gate of this town there are idols standing
like castles 2 . Some of them have the forms of lions or rams, and are
Fol.l05a standing upon their feet in two rows, on the right and on the left. They
are [carved] out of hard black stone which is polished. Within the
town there are also great idols of hard black stone without number.
Abyssinia.
Abyssinia. This country is under the jurisdiction of the see of
Mark the Evangelist 3 . Abyssinia is the same as the kingdom of
1 The Arabic form Al-ATcsurain, the dual of Al-Aksur ( \J&$\), was often used
as the name of the place, e. g. in the Synaxarium, and the Copto- Arabic lists
of places. The form Al-Aksur, however, is used by Yakut and Al-Makrizi,
and is now vulgarly pronounced 'l-Aksur (Luxor). The Coptic name of the
place is n<LH ', and the modern village, as it is well known, occupies part
of the site of the ancient Thebes. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. rr* ; Al-
Makrizi, i. p. r.r; Ibn Dukmak, v. p. r. ; Am^lineau, Geogr. p. 234 f.
2 The text has 'like that,' apparently referring to the signification of A l-Aksur,
which may be taken, as Yakut remarks (loc. cit.), as a ' plural of paucity ' of the
word kasr ( j*) ' a castle.' The following passage is obviously intended for
a description of the avenue of sphinxes which leads to the temple of Karnak.
3 As Tellez remarks :
' Depois que os Abexins tiveram noticia da Fe de Christo nunca tiveram mays
que hum so bispo em toda Ethiopia, ao qual elles chamam Abuna, que quer dizer
Padre nosso. O primeyro de todos foy Sam Frumencio, de quern acima falamos ;
& assim como este Santo foy mandado de Alexandria por S. Athanasio, assim
ABYSSINIA. 285
Sheba *, from which the queen of Al-Yaman came to Jerusalem, to hear
words of wisdom from Solomon ; and she offered him splendid gifts.
When the king of Abyssinia wishes to make the tour of this country,
he spends a whole year in going round it, travelling on all days except
Sundays and the festivals of the Lord, until he returns to his capital
city.
Abyssinia is contiguous to India 2 and the adjacent territory.
A metropolitan is sent from the see of Mark the Evangelist to
Abyssinia 3 , from the patriarch of Alexandria in Egypt ; and this
dali por diante todos os mays bispos ou Abunas foram mandados a Ethiopia da
mesma Cadeyra Patriarchal ate" os nossos tempos, em que Roma mandou alguns
Patriarchas como a diante veremos.'
' Since the Abyssinians have had knowledge of the Faith of Christ, they have
never had more than a single bishop in all Ethiopia, whom they call Ahhid, which
signifies " Our Father." The first of all was Saint Frumentius, of whom we have
spoken above ; and as that Saint was sent from Alexandria by Saint Athanasius,
so, from that time onward, all the other bishops or Abunas have been sent from
the same patriarchal see, down to our own times, in which Rome despatched
certain patriarchs, as we shall see further.' {Hist, geral de Ethiopia a alta . . .
composta na mesma Ethiopia pelo Padre M. d'Almeyda . . . abreviada pelo Padre
B. Tellez, Sec, Coimbra, 1660, p. 93.)
1 Our author here seems to look upon South-west Arabia as identical with or
forming part of Abyssinia or Ethiopia, an error akin to the confusion of Abyssinia
with India which appears lower down. It is true, of course, that the ruling race
of Abyssinia, the Geez, came from Arabia, and brought with them the Ethiopic
alphabet.
Josephus speaks of the queen of Sheba as ' queen of Egypt and Ethiopia '
{Ant. viii. 6); and Origen, St. Augustine, and St. Anselm, among others, believed
that she was an Ethiopian sovereign.
2 Compare below, fol. 108 b, where it is said that Abyssinia and India are
identical.
3 There are several references to this practice in the patriarchal biographies.
In a. h. 596 = a. d. 1200, and therefore in the lifetime of our author and not long
before the composition of the present work, an envoy came from Abyssinia to
286 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
metropolitan of the Abyssinians ordains priests and deacons for them.
The king of Al-Mukurrah \ who is an Abyssinian, and is an orthodox
king, is the Great King among the kings of his country, because he has
an extensive kingdom, including distant regions in the north of the
country, and has many troops ; and he is the fourth of the kings of the
earth, and no king on earth is strong enough to resist him ; and at
a certain place in his country he possesses the Ark of Noah 2 .
Pol. 105b All the kings of Abyssinia are priests, and celebrate the liturgy
within the sanctuary, as long as they reign without slaying any man
with their own hand ; but after slaying a man they can no longer
celebrate the liturgy ; and the conditions by which they are bound
after they have killed a man have already been spoken of in this
book 3 .
If any of the Abyssinians commits a sin, he takes a handful of
incense of the kind which is burnt within the sanctuary ; it is composed
of frankincense, of sandarach, of styrax, of ladanum, of mastic, of aloes,
and of cassia ; then he confesses his sin over [this mixture], and throws
it into the censer 4 , together with dried rose-leaves.
All the kings of Abyssinia are crowned with the royal crown r ' in
announce the death of the metropolitan, and to request that his successor might
be appointed. This is related by 'Abd al-Latif, who says :
' In the month of Shawwal an envoy arrived from the king of the Abyssinians,
bearing a letter which contained the announcement of the death of their metro-
politan, and requested the appointment of his successor ' (ed. White, p. 196).
1 See above, fol. 94 b.
2 The common legend in the East is that the Ark of Noah still exists on Mount
Juda in Mesopotamia; see below, fol. in b.
3 This proves the confusion in the mind of our author of Nubia with
Abyssinia; see above, fol. 99 a.
4 Cf. above, fol. 8 a and 9 b, with notes.
The caliphs and sultans of Islam were never crowned like Christian
sovereigns, but the tradition is that a gold crown was worn by the ancient kings
ABYSSINIA. 287
the church of the "angel Michael, or the church of Saint George, beneath
their pictures. After that the king does not wear the crown, but the
metropolitan blesses him, and lays his hand upon his head, and fastens
a band over his head and beneath his chin, and clothes him in a robe of
brocade.
The Abyssinians possess also the Ark of the Covenant \ in which
are the two tables of stone, inscribed by the finger of God with the
commandments which he ordained for the children of Israel. The Ark
of the Covenant is placed upon the altar, but is not so wide as the
altar ; it is as high as the knee of a man, and is overlaid with gold ; and Fol.lOGa
upon its lid there are crosses of gold ; and there are five precious stones
of South-west Arabia, from the time of Hamyar, the supposed ancestor of the
queen of Sheba; see Wright, Christianity in Arabia, p. 15. (A. J. B.)
1 The legend among the Copts and Abyssinians is as follows. On her
coming home from the court of king Solomon, the queen of Sheba gave birth
to a son, of wdiom he was the father. The son, named Menelek, was educated
at home until he reached his twentieth year, when the queen sent him to his
father to be taught the wisdom of Solomon, and besought the latter to anoint and
proclaim his son king of Ethiopia before the Ark of the Covenant, so that hence-
forth there might be a line of kings instead of queens in Sheba. Solomon readily
granted the queen's request, and after adding to the youth's name of Menelek
that of David, and training him in the study of la\v and other branches of learning,
resolved to send him home in state with a retinue of princes and noble pages.
Among the rest he ordered Azarias the priest, son of Zadok the high-priest,
to accompany Menelek David to Ethiopia, and Azarias before starting secretly
prepared a counterfeit Ark of the Covenant. This during sacrifice he contrived to
substitute for the original, which he and his companions carried off with them
to Ethiopia. Such is the story told with variations by Alvarez (Lord Stanley's
translation), pp. 78-79 ; by Tellez, Hist, geral de Ethiopia a alia, p. 63 ; by
Zagazabo in Danhauer's Ecchsia Aethiopica, cap. iv; and in the Arabic history
translated by M. Amedineau in Contes et romans de V Egypte chre't. i. pp. 144-164.
Zagazabo's account makes the young prince carry off not the Ark itself, but only
the Two Tables of Stone. With the Ark or the Tables, the rights of sovereignty
of the house of David were held to have passed to the royal family of Abyssinia.
(A. J. 13.)
288 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
upon it, one at each of the four corners, and one in the middle. The
liturgy is celebrated upon the Ark four times in the year, within the
palace of the king ; and a canopy is spread over it when it is taken out
from [its own] church to the church which is in the palace of the king :
namely on the feast of the great Nativity, on the feast of the glorious
Baptism, on the feast of the holy Resurrection, and on the feast of the
illuminating Cross. And the Ark is attended and carried by a large
number of Israelites descended from the family of the prophet David x ,
who are white and red in complexion, with red hair. In every town
of Abyssinia there is one church, as spacious as it can possibly be.
It is said that the Negus 2 was white and red of complexion, with
red hair, and so are all his family to the present day ; and it is said that
he was of the family of Moses and Aaron, on account of the coming
of Moses into Abyssinia. Moses married the king's daughter 3 .
The eucharistic loaves of the Abyssinians are disks of leavened bread,
without stamp 4 .
1 I. e. the royal family, who as descended from Menelek David, son of
Solomon, are descended from king David his father. On the subject of
Abyssinian Christianity, the reader is referred to Tellez, op. cit., and to La Croze,
Hist, du Christianisme d' Ethiopie (1739), and Geddes, Church History of Ethiopia,
London, 1696. (A. J. B.)
2 It is, of course, well known that the word Negus is the Ethiopie IT^P 1 '.
The form J,? 1 ^,: has been borrowed in Arabic as jc^LsJ-
3 This sentence is out of its place in the text.
4 The Coptic eucharistic loaf, which is also leavened, is on the contrary
stamped with a design of crosses, each enclosed within a square border. The part
in the middle is called the Isbodikon or Spoudikon (iC&O^IKOtt or CITO*tf2^IKOrc
a corruption of Sea-noriKov), and the former appears in the Arabic IsbiidiMn, e. g.
in the modern (1886) Cairo edition of the Coptic Liturgy in the rubric before
intinction. Round the central design of the wafer are the words Holy, Holy,
Holy Lord (<LVIOC <LYIOC <LVIOC KTpIOC) or the like. See Vansleb, Hist,
de tEglise d'AIex. p. 99 f . ; Butler, Coptic Churches, ii. p. 278 seq.
Tellez says of the Abyssinians :
' Detraz da Igreja para a banda do Oriente esta sempre hfxa cazinha, a qual
he a casa das hostias, & nella ha apparelho para se fazerem ; & vem a ser a
ABYSSINIA. 289
The Abyssinians use vinegar with water for their communions, or
water 1 alone; yet this is not from want of wine, but is a custom
inherited from their ancestors.
hostia hum bolo fermentado, o qual se nam guarda d' hum dia pera o outro,
& se espantam de nos nam fazermos as hostias pera cada dia.'
' Behind the church, at the east end, there is always a chamber which is the
bakehouse for the eucharistic loaves, and in it there is the apparatus for making
them ; and the eucharistic loaf when it is made is a leavened cake, but is not kept
from one day to another ; and they are scandalized at our not making fresh hosts
every day.' {Hist, geral de Ethiopia a alta, p. 97.)
The cazinha of which Tellez speaks corresponds to the bakehouse (^j^sP o^o)
attached to the Coptic churches, as we have seen above, fol. 30 b, &c. (A. J. B.)
1 Tellez says :
' O vinho que preparam pera a missa vem a ser d' esta maneyra ; trazem
quatro ou sinco passas como ja toquey, que tern guardadas, as quays desfazem,
quebrando as com os dedos em hum pucaro de agoa, mayor ou menor, conforme
a. quantidade da gente que ha de commungar ; porque todos commungam sub
utraque specie ; & o mays certo he que sub neutra, porque evidentissimo he que
a materia aqui nam he vinho, senam agoa, poys hum pucaro de agoa nam se
pode tornar em vinho so com sinco ou seys passas.'
' The wine which they prepare for the Mass is made in the following manner :
they bring four or five raisins, as I have already mentioned, which they keep
in store, and these they crush by squeezing them with the fingers in a cup of
water, larger or smaller according to the number of communicants ; for they all
communicate sub utraque specie, or more probably sub neutra, for it is abundantly
clear that the element here used is not wine but water, since a cup of water
cannot be changed into wine by the mere addition of five or six raisins.' {Hist,
geral de Ethiopia a alta, p. 97.)
Alvarez states the same fact; see Lord Stanley's translation, pp. 25, 28, and
412. The statement of Tellez is repeated by Ludolphus; see his History of
Ethiopia made English by J. P. Gent, Bk. III. ch. 6. Danhauer also states that the
Abyssinians used a chalice of raisin wine (vinum ex uvis, defectu vini ex recenti-
bus uvis expressi, passis mira arte expressum), quoting Zagazabo as his authority.
Our author agrees with Tellez that such a chalice is in reality one of water,
not wine. (A. J. B.)
P P [IT- 7 ]
290 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
In Abyssinia there are many Muslims, each of whom pays a tax of
three afikhalis x of iron, and these are like a broad spit, and have at the
end the impression of the king's seal.
Fol.l06b The king possesses, among his treasures, the throne of king David,
upon which he sat to give judgment ; and upon it, all round it, and upon
all its sides, there are crosses of gold.
The fathers and patriarchs used to write letters to the kings of
Abyssinia and Nubia, twice in the year ; and the last of them who did
so was Zacharias, the sixty-fourth patriarch ; for Al-Hakim forbad the
practice, which ceased from that time until now. Nevertheless when a
letter comes from any of these kings to the caliph at Misr or his vizier,
he bids the patriarch write a reply to the letter, with all the respect and
reverence due from Christians, and all the compliments which are cus-
tomary among them. The patriarch charges the king of Abyssinia to avoid
association with the Muslims, who are under his government. Formerly
it was customary with all the kings of Abyssinia as well as their subjects
to have several wives 2 . This continued until the patriarchate of Anba
Sinuthius, the sixty-seventh patriarch 3 ; who commanded the metro-
politan to bring them back from this mode of life to the mode of life
existing among the Christians of Egypt and Syria, and not to authorize
1 Apparently a word of Greek origin.
2 Danhauer's testimony on this point agrees with Abu Salih's : ' reges olim
sex aut septem habuerunt uxores, aulici communiter duas aut tres, ceteri pro lubitu
prout res domestica fert, alteram priori addunt aut superaddunt tertiam.' The
priests, however, were never allowed more than one wife (Eccl. Aethiop. cap. v.
3). Alvarez (Lord Stanley's trans, p. 45) seems to say that in places polygamy
was common, and was not forbidden by the ' king or magistrates,' but only by the
church. Yet ' every man who has more than one wife does not enter the church
nor receive the sacrament ; and they hold him to be excommunicated.' But the
ban is easily removed. (A. J. B.)
3 This is an error. The sixty-seventh patriarch was Cyril (see above, fol. 44 b,
&c), who ordained Severus metropolitan of Abyssinia ; and it was this Severus
who by exhortation and threats put down polygamy. See Renaudot, Hist. Pair.
P- 453- The date Teferred to is about a. d. 1086. Sinuthius (Sanutius), the
ABVSSINIA. 291
the king and his subjects to do as they were then doing ; and after this
the Abyssinians refrained from following their former custom, and began
to have each of them one wife only.
[This patriarch] also established that in the rite of consecration of
churches the same customs should be followed as in all the churches of
Egypt ; and he bade the metropolitan direct the Abyssinians to slay at
the completion of the building of a church twelve beasts 1 , namely four Fo].107a
oxen, four sheep, and four goats, three at each side of the church ; and
that they should distribute [the flesh] of all [of them] on the day when
they ceased from the building of the church, as a gift to God who had
helped them to complete a house in which offerings should be made
to him and in which his name should be commemorated, and supplica-
tions and prayers and praises should be offered.
sixty-fifth patriarch, occupied the see in the first half of the eleventh century.
(A. J. B.)
1 This custom of sacrificing animals at the consecration or completion of
a church is quite unexampled in Coptic church history and quite against the
Coptic canons. It can only mean, I think, that the patriarch sanctioned the
maintenance of a purely Abyssinian practice. From the earliest times there were
large Jewish settlements in Abyssinia, and it is probable that the custom of
religious sacrifice derived from the Jews remained after the conversion of the
people to Christianity, just as it remained and remains among the Arabs after
their conversion to Islam. It must be admitted, however, that the Copts also
retained the custom of slaying if not of sacrificing animals on certain solemn
occasions. Lane instances the killing of a sheep or lamb at the bridegroom's
house on the evening of a wedding, when the animal is slaughtered at the door
and the bride steps over its blood ; and he mentions that at Christmas, Epiphany,
and Easter, when the Copts pay regular visits to the tombs of their relatives,
a buffalo or sheep is commonly slain and given to the poor as an act rather
of charity than sacrifice. {Mod. Egyptians, ii. pp. 292, 296.) But the Muslim
sacrifices are far more numerous and more distinctly ritual in character [op.
cit. i. pp. 67, 116, 302; ii. 221, 259, 268). The present writer has seen
Muslim sacrifices with a propitiatory purpose both in Egypt and in Asia Minor.
(A. J. B.)
P P 2
292 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OE EGYPT.
Saint Thomas.
The church of Thomas the Disciple and his holy hand, with which
he touched the Lord's side, and which is still living, as a witness to
the resurrection of the living Christ from the dead, and of his ascension
into heaven. This hand is part of the body of Saint Thomas, which
lies in a church upon one of the Indian x islands in the salt sea, which
has been described by travellers among those things that are cele-
brated among men down to our own day.
North-western Africa.
Western Africa. The gospel was preached in this country by
Philip the Apostle 2 , whose name means Lover of Horses. [There is in
1 I. e. at Mailapur or Sao Thornd, the suburb of Madras. It is not strictly an
island, but there is water to the north and south of it and a great lake behind the
town, and at the time of the monsoons the place becomes almost an island ; see
Germann, Kirche der Thomaschristen, 1877, p. 272 ff. It has of course been much
disputed whether St. Thomas was buried in India or at Edessa. Assemani says
that all old Syriac and Arabic writers agree that St. Thomas was buried at
Calamina and translated to Edessa; see Bib. Or. ii. pp. 387-391. The question
is fully discussed in Germann, op. cit. This author suggests as an explanation of
the name Calamina, that it arose from the answer to the question, ' Where was
St. Thomas martyred ? ' to which the reply in the Malayalim language was :
' Mailapur Calurmina,' i. e. ' On a rock near Mailapur ' {pp. cit. p. 43).
2 The statement that St. Philip preached in north-western Africa, especially at
Carthage, is in agreement with some of the apocryphal Acts of that Apostle ; see
Acta SS. at May 1 ; Lipsius, Die apocr. Apostelgeschichie, iii. p. 32 ff . ; Wright,
Apocr. Acts of the App. ; Coptic Synaxarium at Hatur 18 = Nov. 14; Conflicts
of the Holy App., translated from the Ethiopic by Malan, pp. 66-76. The Greek
accounts make St. Philip die at Hierapolis in Syria, and the Syriac account
merely describes his mission to Carthage and says nothing of his death there.
The Coptic Synaxarium, however, is more explicit, and states that the Apostle
was put to death in Africa, and that an angel carried his body away to Jerusalem ;
but that subsequently the people all became Christians, and prayed to God that
he would restore the sacred relics to them, which was miraculously accomplished.
SPAIN. 293
this country] the church of Saint John, and a church named after the
Lady and Pure Virgin Mary, which was founded by a travelling
merchant in the year 931 of Alexander (a. D. 618-619). The country
still further west is inhabited by Romans ; and much snow and hail falls
there, and men and beasts die there.
Carthage. Here is buried the body of the aforesaid Philip.
Spain.
Spain is the seat of the dominion of the Muslim Berbers of the Fol.l07b
west ; and at its extremity is the seat of the kingdom of the Roman
Franks.
The book of Al-KJiitat bi-Misr 1 relates that when 'Amr ibn
al - c Asi 2 , the emir of Egypt, captured the fortress of Toledo in Spain, in
the month of Rajab of the year 93 of the Arab dominion (a. D. 712),
through the agency of Musa, he found there a crown 3 which was said
to be the crown of Solomon the son of David, and also his table which
was of gold encircled with gems, and was worth alone 200,000 dinars ;
and besides this he found money and valuable treasures and precious
jewels and vessels and arms beyond all price.
1 By Al-Kindi.
2 This is an error, probably of the copyist and abbreviator. Musa was not
despatched to Spain by 'Amr, who had in fact died more than fifty years earlier.
? The capture of these treasures of Solomon by 1,he Arabs on the conquest of
Toledo is related by several historians. See e. g. Al-Makkari ed. Dozy, &c. i.
p. 1 at; Al-Makin, Hist. Sarac. p. 85. Yakut says that Toledo (Tulaitulah or
Tulaitalah) had been visited by Solomon, Alexander, and Jesus Christ. The
treasures of Solomon were famous in Europe before the Arab conquest of Spain.
Procopius (De Bello Goth. Bk. 1) says that among the spoils carried away from
Rome by Alaric were the ornaments of Solomon, the king of the Hebrews, remark-
able for the brilliancy of the sapphires with which they were incrusted. They had,
he says, been captured at Jerusalem by the armies of Titus, and they were taken
by Alaric from Rome to Carcassonne. From this city they must have been carried
off by the Visigoths to Toledo. Cf. Gibbon (ed. 1838), iv. p. 129. (A. J. B.)
294 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
The Miraculous Olive-tree.
The place called Anzar wa-Afab l is near Marea 2 , there being
a distance of three days' journey between them. Here is the church
of the Pure Lady and Virgin Mary. The biographies [of the patriarchs]
relate that at the door of this church there stands an olive-tree which
has no green leaves upon it 3 ; but that on the day of the festival of
that church, at sunrise, this tree becomes green while all the people
are looking at it, and its branches spread, and its leaves unfold, and
fruit appears upon it ; and the fruit deepens in colour and grows and
multiplies until the middle of the day when the tree is covered with
Fol.l08a olives. Then the priest in charge of the church comes out, and takes
some of the olives, which he presses, and with the oil of which he lights
the lamps. And the people who are assembled pray, and receive the
communion, and disperse to their own homes. Afterwards the priest
in charge of the church collects that which is left of the olives, and
has them pressed ; and they supply the church with sufficient oil for
lighting the lamps during the whole year. This [story which has
been related] was written by the sheikh Abu '1-Barakat Mauhub ibn
Mansur ibn Mufarraj, the Alexandrian deacon, in the biography of
Anba Christodulus, the sixty-sixth patriarch.
North-western Africa.
The City of Darkness. Between this and the town of Al-Ikran
there is a river called the Jarjar, the width of which is 300 miles [or]
100 parasangs 4 .
1 I. e. ' Most remarkable and most wonderful.' The i_> has been omitted
before J& 1 .
2 Marea (Mapela) is well known from the Greek and Latin geographers as
a town near Lake Mareotis. It existed for some time after the Arab conquest,
but few traces now remain of it.
3 This story may be compared with the English legend of the ' holy thorn,'
which blossoms at Christmastide. (A. J. B.)
4 We seem here to be in the region of pure legend. The statement is taken
by our author from the Book of Clement (see below), which speaks of the river
Jarjar near the City of Darkness, and says that it was 100 parasangs in width ;
see MS. Bodl. Or. 294, p. 302.
NORTH-WESTERN AFRICA. 295
The town called Al-Luzariku l is in North-western Africa, near
Carthage ; and Paul 2 the Apostle preached and founded several churches
there. One of the latter is a church named after the Pure Lady ; it is
3.000 great cubits in length, and 1,153 cubits in breadth. The river
[Jarjar] was divided at this [town of Al-Luzariku], and thirteen different
paths were made through it. This [town] was seen by Peter, chief of
the apostles, when he visited it, according to the testimony of the Fol.l08b
Book of Clement. The people of this town used to keep the feast of the
idols on the 1 2th of lyar, every year ; and on this day they wove roses
into garlands and placed them on the heads of their idols, and offered
them fresh honey 3 and farik as-sabil from among their stores.
There was in the town of Al-Luzarikun a talisman 4 upon the walls,
which warned the people of the approach of a stranger, and then they
forbad him to enter. That river [Jarjar], at the prayer of Paul, was
1 This name is apparently so written in the MS., but the copy of the Book
of Clement at the Bodleian Library writes the name j^5ol , and says that this
city is upon the shores of the Sea of Darkness (Atlantic) and near the confines
of the world; see MS. Bodl. Or. 294, p. 302.
2 The Bodleian MS. just cited relates the mission of St. Paul to this city in
similar terms, only at greater length.
3 I suppose J-aJl to be written for JJl , as <yo is frequently written by our
scribe for .. The copy of the Book of Clement in the Bodleian puts the fol-
lowing words into the mouth of St. Paul, who is describing his mission to this city :
Jufc Jdi^l *jJ\ dllj i jjlSj j\A j$i ij* <^Jlj> aJlJ Jis. \jS$ l^JI ^i'Ulo* coo.
' I arrived there on the 1 2th of the month of lyar, and on that day the people
of that city were keeping a great festival, on which they made wreaths of roses
and placed them on the heads of the images and they offered to the idols young
leeks from their stores.' (MS. Bodl. Or. 294, p. 303.)
4 This is described in the Book of Clement, which states that it roared with
a voice like thunder, saying :
' Here is a stranger who is come to you ! ' {loc. ctt.)
296 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
divided by thirteen paths, and he baptized in it 18,000 men of the city,
and they built several large churches ; and Paul broke the talisman of
which we have spoken ; and at his prayer God planted the olive-tree
from which the oil is pressed which serves for lighting the lamps of
the churches in this city.
India.
India. In this country there is neither heat nor cold, because
it is on the equator. It is the land of Abyssinia x , which is also called
Al-Hindah. All its inhabitants worship the Buddhas 2 and the sun and
the fire. It is the land of India, and its shores are far from Egypt ; it is
very extensive, and contains a multitude of inhabitants ; it is surrounded
by the seas and the expanse of waters, over which ships pass from the
coasts of Egypt ; and, on land, India lies next to the frontiers of Persia.
Fol.l09a India lay in ancient times in the darkness of idolatry; and Thomas 3 ,
1 The confusion of Ethiopia with India is as old as the beginnings of Greek
literature and remained till its latest days. See Homer, Od. i. 23, 24 ; Herod, iii. 94
and vii. 70; Aeschylus, Prometheus, 1. 808 f. ; Tibullus, Eleg. Bk. ii. 3, 55 ; Virgil,
Georg. ii. 116 and iv. 293 ; Strabo, i. and xv ; Josephus, Bell.Jud. ii. 1 6. 4 ; Cosmas
Indicopleustes, ap. Migne, torn. 88, p. 115; Epiphanius, in Ancorat, ii. p. 60 E ;
Philostorgius, iii. 10; Procopius, Bell. Pers. i. 19, p. 58 C, D, and De Aedificiis,
v. 1, p. 109 B; Nonnus, Dionysiaca, xvii. 394 ff. Cf. Letronne, Mate'riaux pour
I' hist, du Christianisme en Egyple e7i Nubie et en Abyssinie, where these passages
are referred to. Mr. Thos. Wright in his Early Christianity in Arabia has a
learned note in which he shows plainly the extension of the term India to cover
Ethiopia and Arabia Felix as well as the great peninsula to which the word
is properly applied. (A. J. B.)
2 Cf. Al-Biruni (ed. Sachau), pp. ov, 01, vo, tap, for mention of Buddha (jS).
3 The question of the mission of St. Thomas to India is discussed at length in
Germann, Kirche der Thomaschristen. The Syriac Acts of St. Thomas containing
an account of this mission were published by the late Dr. Wright in his Apocr.
Acts of the App., London, 1871, and they are probably as early as the second or
third century in their present form. The name of the king Gondopherres or
Gundaphorus is confirmed through modern research as that of Undopherres, who
was reigning about half a century after Christ in the valley of the Indus. Cf.
INDIA. 297
the greatest of the twelve, who was sent thither, announced to the
people the message of salvation. This glorious apostle converted them
from the worship of idols to the knowledge of the truth and the way of
salvation ; and he baptized them in the name of the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Ghost ; and they received from him the orthodox faith and
built many churches. He ordained over them, as bishops, priests,
and deacons, those of whose constancy in the faith which they had
received from him he was assured ; and he taught them the rules of
religious worship, and the consecration of the holy mysteries, and the
rite of offering incense during their prayers and liturgies. So he led
them to the knowledge of God. He also performed startling signs and
extraordinary wonders before them, such as they had never seen or
heard of, and confirmed their faith, until they abandoned the worship
of idols and the offering of sacrifices to them, and learnt from the
Source of intelligence the extent of their errors and of the falsity of
their beliefs. Thus when the minds and hearts of these people were
enlightened, they set themselves to build a church to the great Thomas,
who had been their guide ; and in this church which they erected to the
great apostle Thomas, from whom they had received the orthodox faith,
God manifested a great sign to them ; for, when the building of the
church was completed, God sent the sea which covered the road leading
to the church. And when this apostle was martyred, and had finished Pol.l09b
his fight, and obtained the crown of martyrdom, his body was carried
to this church ; and they placed it in a chest of skilful workmanship, and
overlaid it with gold. And when they saw this other wonder after his
martyrdom, namely that his right hand was not changed from its former
appearance during life, they marvelled, and their faith was strengthened ;
so they made an opening in the chest through which his holy hand
came out, as a manifest sign to all who saw it. Now the sea which had
covered the road to the church went back from it every year ; for
God sent a wind which drove the sea back from the road, which was
Lipsius, Die Apocr. Apostelgeschichle, i. pp. 225-347. On the Coptic Acts of the
Apostles see Prof. Ignazio Guidi in Rendiconti della Reale Accademia dei Lincei,
vols. iii. and iv.
qq [II.7.J
298 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
thus laid open for the assembling of the congregation at the festival of
Thomas. For men came thither from all parts and walked along the
road to the church, as the children of Israel walked, when the Red
Sea was divided for them, under the guidance of the prophet Moses, who
prayed for them before the Lord. So God showed a similar sign in
our own time, through the prayers of this great apostle and his great
dignity in the sight of the Lord, who confirmed his teaching by so mighty
a miracle, which has never ceased. Thus the people who assemble at
this great festival, celebrate it and receive blessings ; and the priests
Fol.llOa celebrate the liturgy and take the holy mysteries, and dip the holy body
in the pure blood, and place it in that pure hand *. Then all the people
1 This story of the communion of St. Thomas is to be found related by an
oriental prelate who visited Pope Calixtus I at Rome in a.d. 1122, and who is
called in the accounts John, patriarch of India. Two independent narratives
of this visit exist; one in the Chronicon Alberici Monachi published in Leibnitz,
Accessiones Historicae, ad ann. 1122 ; and the other in Mahillonii Vetera Analecta
in a letter written by Abbot Oddo of St. Rmy to a Count Thomas. Oddo says
that he was present at the ' patriarch's ' interview with the Pope. He states,
according to the testimony of the Indian prelate, that the church of St. Thomas
was surrounded by a river, but that eight days before and eight days after the
festival of the apostle the water retreated so that the church could be reached on
foot over dry land ; the body of the saint was seated upon the bishop's chair, and
received in its open hand the offerings that were made, unless a heretic approached,
when the hand at once closed. Albericus, whose account varies somewhat from
Oddo's, adds that the host was handed to the apostle during the mass, and
that the people received the communion from his open hand, which, however,
closed on the approach of a misbeliever. See Germann, op. cit. p. 165 ff.
Another account of this communion-scene is to be found in the Itinerary of
John of Hesse, who appears to have travelled in the fifteenth century, but who
places the relics in the city of Hulna, four days from Edessa. Ulna is also the
name given by Albericus to the episcopal city of John of India. The ' Itinerary '
states that Prester John dwelt at Edessa. The body of St. Thomas was placed in
the episcopal throne, and the communion is thus described :
' Missa igitur finita Presbyter Joannes, archiepiscopi et ceteri praelati religiosi
cum aliis hominibus christianis devote areniculando. et humillime se inclinando
INDIA . 299
receive the holy mysteries out of the palm of that pure hand, and they
continue to communicate in this manner one after the other until the
hand grasps one of the congregation : then they all glorify God, and
the priests communicate the rest of the people. Afterwards the priests
carry that chest in their hands with chanting and with great rejoicing,
and set it again in its place, after the people have kissed it and been
blessed by it. When this religious service is over, and as the people
are about to disperse, they are blessed by that man, whom God has
chosen out of the people to remain for a year in the service of that
pure body, to keep the candles lighted before it night and day. The
people also leave with him all that he can need, and all depart to their
own homes. And when they reach the shore, and not one of them
is left behind, then the sea returns as it was before, and covers the road
to the church. This custom has continued without interruption for ages.
When the people return the following year, they find that that man, who
was left to serve the body of Saint Thomas, has died at that very hour
and is still warm l . Praise to God, who is great and glorious in his
saints, and works miracles for their sakes. To him be glory !
Town of Kulam 2 . All the Christians who live here are Nestorians. Fol.llOb
accipiunt sacramentum de manu apostoli. Patriarcha vero ministrat seu porrigit
apostolo sacramentum ad digitos qui dignis tribuit et retrahit indignis. Apostoli
autem manus stat aliqualiter elevata et semiclausa, et ob reverentiam duo archie-
piscopi apponunt manus suas ad brachium apostoli, non tamen regendo manus
ejus. Corpus autem apostoli est integrum et illesum cum crinibus et barba
vestimentisque suis quibus vivus utebatur. 'Est itaque pannis pretiosissimis
coopertum. Etiam ad praedictam ministrationem corporis domini serviunt duo
alii archiepiscopi tenentes patenas sub manu apostoli.' See Gustav Oppert, Der
Presbyter Johannes in Sage una 1 Geschichte (2nd ed. 1870), p. 189.
1 One of the first visitors to the church and relics of St. Thomas at Mailapur
in modern times, the Portuguese, Diogo Fernandes, who was there in a. d. 1517,
found an old man who attended to the lamps of the church, and stated that this
office was hereditary in his family. The church was then in ruins. See Barros,
Da Asia Decada i. (ed. 1777), t. iii. pt. ii. p. 223 ff. In a. d. 1547, the Portuguese
laid the foundations of a new church ; ibid. p. 226.
2 I.e. Quilon, on the coast of Travancore. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. 0.1,
q q 2
300 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
There is here a church of the Lady and Pure Virgin Mary ; and a church
of the glorious saint and great martyr Saint George.
Fahsiir 1 . Here there are several churches; and all the Christians
here are Nestorians ; and that is the condition of things here. It is
from this place that camphor comes ; and this commodity [is a gum
which] oozes from the trees. In this town there is one church named
after our Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary.
Arabia.
San'a 2 in Al-Yaman. Here is the church called Al-Kalis, which was
founded by Ibrahim 3 , who ruled Al-Yaman on behalf of the Negus,
king of Abyssinia, and is the same as Abraha al- Ashram 4 , whose nose
was mutilated in battle, so that he was named Al-Ashram. He built
this church, and decorated 5 it with gilding and beautiful paintings,
and in his article on China ( c j~a!l), i. pp. ffp-poa. The Portuguese discovered a
church at ' Coulam ' built by ' disciples of St. Thomas ; ' see Barros, op. cit. p. 235.
1 So the word is written in the MS. I can only conjecture that it may be
a clerical error for Mansur ( j%^) or Mansurah, a country in north-west India at
the mouth of the Indus. This country was particularly famous among the Arabs
for camphor. See Al-Mas'udi (ed. Barbier), i. pp. 207, 377-379, and iii. p. 49.
2 The capital of Yemen (Al-Yaman). See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iii. p. fv . .
Yemen was conquered before the birth of Mahomet by the Christians of Abyssinia ;
see the account given by Gibbon in chap, xlii and Johannsen's Historia Yemanae,
Praef. The story is clearly told in Thos. Wright's Early Christianity in Arabia,
p. 89. (A.J. B.)
3 Generally called Abrahah by the Arab historians ; see At-Taban, Tdrikh
ar-Rusul wdl-Mnluk (ed, De Goeje and others), prima series, pp. iri-ifr. He is
famous as the general who attacked Mecca in the year (a.d. 570) in which the
prophet Mahomet was born, the year called, from the elephant which accom-
panied the army of Yemen, the Year of the Elephant. Our author's description
of the church of Al-Kalis is much fuller than that given by At-Tabari, op. cit.
p. in* ff. (A. J. B.)
4 ' The scarred ' or ' mutilated.'
5 At-Taban says :
&~~J *Lj X>J> sJl *Jbt>^,a-9 11 i_^5j ius.- 3 ^' cL^lj i^ajjb silo J J Us?" L-> UL-i
r^v'b ^-"-s-s-*--a% cLvJb sil.cl.9 dL)i j^ic J AJj.jd.1 sJLuj Lapij l& Jl ( JLo la ^>
ARABIA.
301
and paved it with coloured marble and [set up] marble pillars ; and all
the time he was living and sleeping in the church. He adorned it with
the most beautiful ornaments of gold and silver and gilded and coloured
glass, and he overlaid the doors with plates of gold studded with silver
nails, and silver studded with massive gold nails; and on the doors Fol.llla
leading to the altars he put broad plates of gold, and he set them with
precious stones, and in the midst of each plate he set a golden cross,
in the centre of which was a red, transparent carbuncle ; and around
these jewels were flowers of open work in various colours, so that
spectators were astonished at it. And Abraha bid men make pil-
grimages 1 to that church, and so they flocked thither from all parts.
And he made for it a screen of skilful workmanship, composed of ebony
and sdsam-xvood, inlaid with pure white ivory, beautifully carved 2 . So
the fame of this church spread over that country, and those who had
not seen it heard of it, and multitudes made pilgrimages thither, and
brought votive offerings ; and many men lodged in the church and spent
day and night there ; and the king provided for those that lodged there,
and built chambers for them to dwell in, and erected houses which
he made the property of the church. This king was a wise man,
learned, loving God and doing good to men, just in his judgments,
good in his life, honoured by all kings, without enemies who feared him,
on account of the goodness of his life; according to the testimony of Fol.lllb
the history of At-Tabari.
' He built this church in marvellous fashion, such as had never before been
seen, with gold and wonderful paintings ; and he wrote to Caesar to tell him
that he intended to build a church at San'a, to be a monument of lasting fame ;
and he begged Caesar to help him in the work ; and so Caesar sent him work-
men and mosaics and marble' (p. iro). 'Caesar' was the emperor Justinian I.
Cf. Wright, op. cit. p. 95. (A. J. B.)
1 So At-Tabari, loc. cit. The announcement that Abraha expected the
people to go on pilgrimage to San'a. and to neglect the Ka'bah of Mecca, so
enraged the Arabs that more than one of them went to San'a for the express pur-
pose of defiling the church, and this led to the invasion of the Hedjaz. (A. J. B.)
2 Many such screens are now to be seen in Coptic religious buildings, though
perhaps of less magnificence. See Coptic Churches. (A. J. B.)
302 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Marur ad-Dair. This is a church inclosed within a strong wall ;
and it is now called Makbarat al-Hukama 1 . In this district lived Abu
Sharwan, the emir of Al-Yaman under Chosroes.
Thamdntn.
The village called Thamanin 2 . The mountain of Karda 3 is in
this neighbourhood, and here the ark rested in the time of Noah, and
went up from the mountain called Al-Juda. It is very high, so that
there is no higher mountain on earth than it ; and from it there is
a view of the four corners of the earth. The Pentateuch bears witness
that God, to whom be praise, sent a wind upon the earth ; and the waters
decreased, and the fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were
stopped, and the waters were abated after 150 days ; and the ship or ark
of Noah rested in the seventh month, on the twenty-seventh day of the
month, upon the mountain of Karda at a village called Thamanin,
according to that which has already been said.
Cities built by unknown Founders.
Among the buildings of which the founder is unknown, and which
I mention to preserve the memory of them, is Ghumdan 4 , now a heap
of ruins, such as are unknown elsewhere. 'Uthman overthrew it in the
days of Islam, but its ruins remain until now. Aryat 5 , the Abyssinian,
Fol.ll2a*who conquered Al-Yaman for the Negus, king of Abyssinia, laid
Ghumdan waste with other cities, before the appearance of the Muslims.
1 I. e. ' Burial-place of the Wise men.'
2 In Mesopotamia near Mount Ararat. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. 01 .
3 A part of Mount Ararat. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. 01 ; Eutychius,
Annates, i. p. 20.
4 A fortress in Yemen between San'a and Taiwan. Some said it was built by
demons at the command of Solomon. It was destroyed by the caliph 'Uthman.
See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iii. p. Air.
6 See Ibn Hisham, Sirah Sayyidind Muhammad, i. p. ta ; At-Tabari, op. at.,
prima series, p. in .
COP FISTS NOTE. 303
San'a in Al-Yaman and Istakhr 1 in Fars and Al-Ailah in Al-Trak
are in the desert.
The history of Al-Manbaji relates that king Solomon, son of the
prophet David, king of Israel, was valiant and a great conqueror and
was feared and magnified, and yet was gentle and humble, merciful,
chaste, quiet of spirit and free from anger or hatred ; and that he built
Tadmor 2 , and made wonderful things there, and named it City of the
Sun ; and that he built Durrah 3 , which is in the midst of the sea ; and
built a great altar near the city of Kirun.
The city of Aukir was built by Kirun of stones overlaid with gold ;
and among the stones of the mountains of that country there are some
that shine like gold, like golden and copper marcasite. When the
building of this city was finished, it presented a wonderful sight when
the sun shone upon it, unlike any other on the earth.
City of Khauliya. This was built by a king called Jiyul, and he
made its structures lofty. It became a great city, and was inhabited
by the women, to the time of Solomon, son of the prophet David, upon
whom be peace ! Pol. 112b
Copyist's Note.
Here ends the work of the author of this history. For he was
unable to make his work complete on account of the extent of the surface
1 The town which occupied the site of the ancient Persepolis. Many legends
were told of its foundation. Perhaps the most popular account among the
Muslims was that it was founded by Solomon, who spent the day there and the
night at Tiberias or Tadmor; see Al-Istakhrf, passim ; Al-Mas'udi, iv. p. 76;
Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. ni . The first mention of the remains of Persepolis
in modern European literature is to be found in the report of Giosafat Barbaro, the
Venetian envoy in 1471 ; see Ramusio, Viaggi (ed. 1606), vol. i. f. 107: and the
first full accounts were given by the Augustinian friar Antonio de Gouvea, see his
Relagao (161 1), fol. 30 ; and by Don Garcia de Silva y Figueroa, De rebus Persarum
Epistola (1620). pp. 6-12, translated in Purchas, Pilgrims (1625), ii. p. 1533 f.
2 Tadmor was said, like Istakhr and Ghumdan, to have been built by demons
for Solomon; see Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. ai-a. The passage of Al-Manbaji
may be found in the Bodleian MS. Hunt 4178, fol. 102 b.
3 There was a Darrah off the coast of Persia.
304 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
of the earth in the east and in the west ; yet he collected matter
which no other has collected, and he devoted extreme care to his work.
Nevertheless he was concise in his exposition, because he shunned in
his narrative all amplification that was not necessary.
That poor, wretched, feeble slave, the copyist, has copied what he
found in his copy, without addition or subtraction, according to the
direction of the Shaikh * Ar-Ra'is al-Akram Abu 'i-Faraj, son of the
Shaikh Raphael, son of the priest Abu '1-Farabi, surnamed Sanduk
al-'Ilm. This priest was the chief of the priests at the church of
Al-Mu'allakah in the Fort of Ash-Shama' in the city of Misr. This
book describes how the priest Abu '1-Ma'abi, son of the priest As-Sabi
Abu '1-Fadail, son of the priest Al-Muhdab, celebrated the liturgy on the
Feast of the Cross, in the church of Al-Mu'allakah, on the 17th of Tut,
and placed his finger in the chalice, and it was immediately dyed with
natural blood 2 . When the priest saw this great miracle, he was serving
Fol.ll3a as a scribe in the Divan of the frontier-district of Alexandria, but he
gave up his work and lived in his cell at the said church, with a covering
always over his finger, and thus he lived until he died. May the Lord
rest his soul, and have mercy upon us by his prayers !
The work of copying this book was finished on Wednesday, the
2nd of the month of Ba'unah in the year 1054 of the Blameless Martyrs,
which corresponds to the 8th of Dhu '1-Ka'dah of the year 738 (a. d.
1338). May God give us a good end to this year !
That poor slave the copyist has attempted to abbreviate the book,
as it has been said, without diminishing from the sense, but the task
has been too great for him. He prays all those who read the book
to accept the excuse from him who offers it. May God, who assists
the right, help us all towards the salvation of our souls, and support
us in temptation and in the trials of this life, and preserve us in the
orthodox faith, and bring us in safety to the harbour of salvation.
Amen. Praise to God for ever and ever !
1 I here omit the complimentary epithets as untranslatable.
2 Renaudot tells a story of a similar event in Hist. Pair. p. 70.
APPENDIX,
ACCOUNT OF THE MONASTERIES AND CHURCHES
OF THE CHRISTIANS OF EGYPT;
FORMING THE CONCLUDING SECTIONS OF THE KHITAT OF
AL-MAKRIZI (DIED A. H. 845 = A. D. 1441).
Ibn Sidah says: Ad-Dair (monastery) is an inn [khan) of the Christians,
in the plural Adydr 1 ; and the superior of it is called Dayydr or Dairdni.
I remark that Ad-Dair is among Christians the special dwelling-place of the
monks, and Al-Kanisah (church) is among them the place of assembly of the
people for prayer.
1. Al-Killdyah' 1 , the Cell at Misr 3 . This Killdyah stands beside the Mu'allakah
in the Kasr ash-Shama' in the city of Misr, and is the place of assembly of aged
monks and learned Christians, and its rules are followed by all the monasteries.
2. The Monastery of Turd is also known as the Monastery of Abft Jurj, and
stands on the bank of the Nile* This Abu Jurj is the same as Saint George, and
is one of those whom the emperor Diocletian persecuted that he might renounce
Christianity ; but as various tortures, such as scourging and burning with fire, did
not bring about his perversion^ his head was cut off on the 3rd of Tishri, which
is equivalent to the 7th of Babah.
3. Monastery of Shdrdn. This monastery stands at the boundary of the
district of Tura, and is built of stone and brick ; there are palm-trees here ; and
many monks are to be found here. It is also called the Monastery of Shahrdn,
1 Al-Makrizi, like Abu Salih, also uses the plurals ijil\ and i^IJIj^.
2 Wiistenfeld remarks that the commoner form is Killiyah, &.A2, which is
nearer to the original KeXXlov.
3 I.e. Fustat Misr or Al-Fustat, now called by Europeans ' Old Cairo.'
r r [II. 7-]
306 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
and Shahran is said to have been one of the learned Christians or else a king.
Formerly this monastery was known under the name of Mercurius, who is also
called Markurah or Abu Markurah ; but afterwards, when Barsuma ibn at-Tabban
lived here, it was called the Monastery of Barsuma. A festival is kept here
in the fifth week of the Great Fast, at which the patriarch and the principal
Christians assemble, and large sums are expended upon it. That Mercurius
[whom we have mentioned] is one of those whom Diocletian caused to be put
to death on the 19th of Tammuz, which is equivalent to the 25th of Abib; he
was a soldier.
4. The Monastery of the Apostles. This monastery stands at the extremity of
the district of As-Suff and Al-Wadi *, and is an old and small monastery.
5. Monastery of Peter and Paul. This monastery stands near Itfih towards
the south, and is a small monastery ; there is a festival here on the 5th of Abib.
It is also known by the name of Monastery of Al-Kasriyah. Peter is the greatest
of the apostles and disciples ; he was a tanner or a fisherman, and was condemned
to death by the emperor Nero on the 29th of Haziran, which is equivalent to
the 5th of Abib ; and Paul was a Jew, but accepted Christianity after the ascension
of Christ, and invited others to adopt his religion ; so the emperor Nero put him
to death a year after the death of Peter.
6. The Monastery of Al-fiimmaizah is also known as the Monastery of Al-Jud ;
and sailors call the place Jaza'ir ad-Dair (Islands of the Monastery), and it is
opposite to Al-Maimun 2 and west of the Monastery of Al-'Arabah ; it is built
in the name of Saint Anthony, who is also called Antunah ; he was a native of
Kaman, and when the persecution of Diocletian was over, and he had escaped
martyrdom, wished to substitute for it a discipline which should lead to a similar
reward. So Anthony consecrated himself to the service of God, and was the first
who introduced the monastic life among Christians instead of martyrdom : he
fasted forty days and nights without taking food or drink, and watched through
the night ; and this he did during the Great Fast every year.
7. Monastery of Al-'Arabah*. This is reached by a three days' journey on
camels, and is among the eastern mountains; between it and the Sea of Al-Kulzum
1 Two places in the province of Itfih (Wiistenfeld).
2 Al-Maimun and Kaman were two places in the district of Biisir in the
province of Al-Jizah.
3 This is the famous monastery of St. Anthony, near the Red Sea.
APPENDIX. 307
(Red Sea) there is a full day's ride ; almost all kinds of fruits are cultivated there,
and it has three -wells of running water. It was founded by the afore-mentioned
Saint Anthony. The monks of this monastery fast all their lives, but their fast
only lasts till the afternoon, when they take food, except at the Great Fast
and the Barmu/dt\ when their fast lasts till the stars come out. Al-Barmtddt
means in their language a fast of this kind.
8. The Monastery 0/ Saint Paul 2 , also called Monastery of the Sons of Paul,
or Monastery of An-Namdrah. This monastery lies in the country west of At-Tur
(Sinai), near a spring of water where travellers halt. They have a legend that
Miriam, the sister of Moses, when he encamped with the Israelites in the neigh-
bourhood of Al-Kulzum, purified herself at this spring. Saint Paul was a native
of Alexandria, and his father left to him and his brother a large fortune; but when
his brother quarrelled over it he left him in his anger. Then he saw a corpse
about to be buried ; and this made him ponder, and he went forward meditating
upon it through the country, until he settled beside this spring ; and here he
remained, and God supported him. Then Saint Anthony came, and remained
with him till he died, and this monastery was built over his grave. Between this
monastery and the sea there is a distance of three hours' journey ; it has a garden
in which are palms and vines and a stream of running water.
9. Monastery of Al-Kusair. Abu '1-Hasan 'Ali ibn Muhammad ash-Shabushti
says in his Book of the Monasteries : 'This monastery stands upon the mountain
on a level spot on the summit, and is a monastery of fine solid architecture, in
a pleasant solitude ; it is inhabited by monks, and has a well hewn in the rock
from which the water is fetched for it. In the sanctuary is the picture of Mary
on a panel, and the people visit the place to see this picture. In the upper story
there is a hall, built by Abu '1-Jaish Khamarawaih ibn Ahmad ibn Tulun, with four
windows on four sides ; he often visited this monastery, and admired the picture,
because he thought it so beautiful and thirsted to behold it. The way to this mon-
astery from Misr is very difficult, but the way from the south is very easy both in
ascent and descent ; on the side stands a hermitage, which is never quitted by the
1 Wustenfeld, on the authority of Prof. Fleischer and Prof. Seyffarth, compares
with this word the Coptic niepJULOTp (JULOvX) e^Olfrt. Is it not more
probably the Greek irapa^ovr], which was much used in Coptic in the sense of
'vigil'?
3 This is the famous Monastery of St. Paul, near that of St. Anthony.
r 1 2
308 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
hermit who lives there. The monastery rises above the village of Shahran, and
above the plain and the Nile ; the former is a large and populous village on the bank
of the river, and Moses is said to have been born there, and placed by his mother
in an ark in the water ; but there is another monastery which is called Monastery
of Shahran. This Monastery of Al-Kusair is one of the monasteries which are
much visited, and is one of the favourite pleasure-resorts on account of its fine
position, and because it overlooks Misr and its environs.' Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam
says in his Book of the Conquest of Egypt : 'There are different opinions about
Al-Kusair; according to Ibn Lahi'ah it is not the fortress of Musa (Moses) the
prophet, but of Musa the magician ; but on the other hand Al-Mufaddal Fadalah
gives a tradition from his father, who says : " We came to Ka'b al-Ahbar, who
asked us, Whence are you? We answered, From Egypt. He said, What do
you say about Al-Kusair ? We answered, It is the castle of Moses. He answered,
It is not the castle of Moses, but the castle of the 'Aziz 1 of Egypt, who, when
the Nile rose, betook himself to this elevated spot, and therefore the place from
the mountain to the river is holy," Others on the contrary say that a fire was
kindled here for Pharaoh, when he travelled from Memphis to 'Ain-Shams
(Heliopolis), and on the Mukattam hills there was another fire ; so when the
people saw the fire they knew that he was travelling, and kept in readiness
whatever he stood in need of ; and similarly when he made the return journey
from 'Ain-Shams, God knows best !' The learned Christian historians say that
Arcadius, emperor of the Romans, summoned Arsenius to teach his son ; but
Arsenius thought that the emperor wished to kill him, and therefore fled to
Egypt and entered the monastery ; the emperor then sent a man to say
that he had only required him to instruct his son ; but Arsenius begged
to be spared, wandered over the country as far as the Mukattam hills, east of
^ura, and remained three days in a cave until he died, Arcadius, when Arsenius
was dead, sent and caused a church to be built over his tomb, and this is the
place known by the name of the Monastery of Al-Kusair, and is now called
the Monastery of the Mule, because a mule supplies it with water. When the
mule leaves the monastery, jt goes its way to the water, and there a man
stands who fills the vessel with water, and when he has done that, lets the mule
loose and it returns to the monastery. In the month of Ramadan of the year
400, Al-Hakim bi-amri 'llah ordered that the Monastery of Al-Kusair should be
destroyed ; and the destruction and plundering of it lasted several days.
AJ- c Aziz is in the Koran a designation of Poliphar (Wiistenfeld).
APPENDIX.
39
10. Monastery of Saint John*. Ash-Shabushti says: 'The Monastery of Saint
John lies on the bank of the Lake of Al-Habash, near to the Nile, and beside it
are gardens, some of which were laid out by the Emir Tamim ibn al-Mu'izz,
and a pavilion built on pillars, of fine architecture, with paintings, also con-
structed by the Emir Tamim. Near the monastery is a fountain called the
Fountain of Mammati ; near this stands a great sycamore, under which the people
assemble and drink, and this place is a place of constant amusement, dancing,
and pleasure, and is equally pleasant in the days of the rise of the Nile when
the lake is filled, and during the time when the fields are full of crops and all is
green and flourishing ; it is much resorted to by the people, who amuse themselves
here. Poets have sung of the beauty and charm of this district ; and this
monastery is now called the Monastery of At-Tin.'
11. Monastery of AM 'n-Na'nd', This monastery stands near Ansina, and
is one of the old buildings of that city; its church is in a tower, not on the ground,
and the monastery bears the name of Saint John the Dwarf. A festival is kept
there on the 20th of Babah. This Saint John will be further mentioned in the
sequel.
12. The Monastery of the Cave of SJiakalkU* is a small monastery, hanging on
the mountain and hewn of stone, on a rock below which there is a steep precipice
so that it can neither be reached from above nor below. There are no steps,
but there are incisions cut in the mountain-side ; and if any one wishes to ascend
a long pole is let down to him, which he grasps with both hands, and by placing
his feet in the incisions so ascends. The monastery contains a mill driven by
an ass. The monastery, which rises above the Nile in view of Manfalut and
Umm al-Kusur, stands opposite to an island surrounded by water called Shakalkil,
on which are two villages, one called Shakalkil, the other Bani Shakir. The
monastery keeps a festival, at which Christians assemble, and bears the name
of Saint Mennas, one of the soldiers persecuted by Diocletian, in order that he
might abjure Christianity and worship idols ; but as he remained constant in his
faith, Diocletian caused him to be put to death on the 10th of Haziran or
1 6th of Babah.
13. Monastery of Saint Victor, on the dam of Abnub, east of Bani Murr 3 ,
below the mountain, at a distance of about 1,250 ells. It is a large monastery,
1 This is the monastery of St. John described by Abu Salih on fol. 40 a, ff.
2 In the district of Usyut (Wiistenfeld).
3 In the district of Usyut (Wiistenfeld).
310 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
at which a festival is kept, whereupon the Christians of the country from east and
west assemble, and the bishop is present. This Victor was son of Romanus.
His father was one of the generals of Diocletian, and he himself a distinguished
and brave man, respected by the emperor ; but when he adopted Christianity,
the emperor tried to turn him to idolatry by promises and threats, and on his
refusal had him put to death on the 22 nd of Nisan or 27th of Barmudah.
14. The Monastery of BuktursM 1 , north of Abnub, is a small monastery, but
deserted, and has long been visited by the Christians only once in the year.
Bukturshti was one of those who were tortured by order of Diocletian, that he
might fall away from Christianity; he refused, however, and was put to death on
the 20th of Hatiir. He was a soldier.
15. Monastery of AM 's-Sarf, built in the name of Saint George, near
Al-Ma'sarah, in the district east of Bam Murr. At times it is deserted by the
monks, and at times inhabited by them ; and at a certain season a feast is
celebrated.
16. Monastery of Saint George of Khamds. Khamas is the name of a town,
north of which the monastery stands ; two festivals are kept there yearly, in which
an innumerable multitude of people take part.
17. Monastery of At-Tair (the Birds). This monastery is ancient, stands far
above the Nile, and has a flight of steps to it cut out in the rock. It stands
opposite to Samallut. Ash-Shabushti says : ' In the district of Ikhmim there is
a large, populous monastery, which is visited from all parts, in the neighbourhood
of a mountain called Mountain of Al-Kahf (the Cave). At a place in the mountain
there is a cleft, and on the festival of the monastery no Abukir bird remains in
the neighbourhood without coming to this place ; and from their numbers, their
assemblage, and their cries, a great tumult arises beside the cleft. Without ceasing,
one after another puts his head into the cleft and cries and comes away, until one
of them sticks fast in the cleft, and he beats with his wings until he dies ; and then
the rest depart, so that no bird remains there.' The Cadi Abu Ja'far al-Kuda'i says :
'Among the noteworthy features of Egypt is the ravine of the Abukirs near Ushmiim
in Upper Egypt. This is a ravine on a mountain, in which there is a cleft at
which the Abukirs on a certain day of the year assemble, and betake themselves
1 I. e. St. Victor of Shu. Vansleb {Re/. d'Egyple, p. 366) speaks of ( une eglise
dedie*e a Mari Poctor Sciu, qui a pris ce nom de la ville de Sciu, laquelle est
aupres dAbnub, et aujourd'hui ruinee ' (Wiisienfeld).
APPENDIX. 311
to the cleft ; and as soon as one of the Abukirs has stuck his bill into the cleft
he goes away ; and this does not cease until the cleft has held one of them fast,
whereupon they all depart ; but the bird that is caught in the cleft remains
hanging until he falls to pieces/ The author, upon whom may God have mercy,
adds : ' This is one of the things that have long ceased to happen.'
18. The Monastery of Bit Harminah is north of Ka'u al-Kharab; and to the
north of it lies the ancient temple of Ka'u, full of wise inscriptions. Between the
Monastery of At-Tair and this monastery there is a journey of about two days
and a half. This Bu Harminah was one of the earlier monks, famous among
the Christians.
19. Monastery of the Seven Mountains, near Ikhmim. This monastery stands
at the entry of seven valleys, and stands high between high mountains ; and the
sun rises upon it two hours later than generally on account of the height of the
mountain, at the foot of which it stands ; and when there are yet two hours before
sunset the inhabitants think that the sun has already set and the night has begun,
and they kindle lights. Near this monastery there is a spring of water at the
exit overshadowed by a willow, and this spot where the Monastery of the Willow
stands is called Wadi '1-Muluk (Valley of the Kings), because there a plant grows
called Mnliikah, like the radish, by which water is coloured of a deep red, and
it is used by chemists. Above this monastery stands
20. The Monastery of Al-Karkas, on a mountain, and hewn in its side; and
there is no approach to it, but the ascent is by incisions cut in the rock, and by
them alone can it be reached. Between the Monastery of the Willow-Spring and
the Monastery of Al-Karkas there is a journey of three hours, and below the
Monastery of Al-Karkas is a well of fresh water surrounded by Ban-trees.
21. The Monastery of Sabrah, east of Ikhmim, is named after an Arab tribe
named the Sabrah, and dedicated to the angel Michael; but there is only one
monk there.
22. The Monastery of Abii Abshddah (Psoti), the bishop, near the district of
Atfah, stands on the dam and opposite to Munshat Ikhmim, in the west. This
Abu Abshadah was one of the learned Christians.
23. The Monastery of Saint Or, the monk, also called Monastery of Sawadah.
The Sawadah were a tribe of Arabs who settled here. The monastery stood
opposite to Munyah Bani Khasib, and was destroyed by Arabs.
All these monasteries stand to the east of the Nile, and belong to the Jacobites,
and besides them there are no others on the eastern side of the Nile ; but on the
western bank there are many monasteries, because it is very populous.
312 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
24. The Monastery of Damilh, in the province of Al-Jizah, also called Damuh
as-Saba', is built in the name of Saints Cosmas and Damian, and is a small
monastery. The Christians state that a wise man called Sab' lived at Damuh,
and that the church of Damuh, which is now in the hands of the Jews, was one
of the monasteries of the Christians, which, in a state of great need, they sold to
the Jews. The church of Damuh has already been mentioned. Cosmas and
Damian were among the learned Christians and pious monks, and many things
are related of both of them.
25. Monastery of Nahyd. Ash-Shabushti says: ' Nahya is in the province of
Al-Jizah. The monastery there is one of the finest, most charming, and best-
situated monasteries of Egypt, and one of the most beautiful spots inhabited by
monks; it commands a wonderful view of the Nile, which surrounds it on all
sides. When the water sinks, and the seed is sown, the earth brings forth rare
flowers and different sorts of blossom. Nahya is one of the favourite resorts for
pleasure, and has a canal at which all kinds of birds assemble, and many fish are
caught. Poets have described it, and sung of its beauty and charm.' I remark,
however, that this monastery has been destroyed.
26. Monastery of Tamwaih. Yakut gives this pronunciation, and adds:
' There are two places of this name in Egypt ; one is in the province of
Al-Murtahiyah, and the other in that of Al-Jizah.' Ash-Shabushti says : 'Tamwaih
is on the west bank, and stands opposite to Hulwan, and the monastery com-
mands a view of the river, and is surrounded by vineyards, gardens, palms and
trees, forming a populous pleasure-resort. It has a fine view of the Nile ; and
when the earth grows green, it lies between two carpets the water and the crops.
It is one of the best-known places of pleasure and resorts for refreshment in Egypt.'
Ibn Abi 'Asim al-Misri has the following verses in the metre of Al-Basit :
' O that I could drink at Tamwaih of the bright juice,
which brings into contempt the wines of Hit and 'Anat 1 ,
In flowery meadows
where the brooks flow between gardens !
The clusters of the red anemone which bloom there
seem to be cups of wine appearing in close succession ;
The flowers of the narcissus there, from their beauty,
seem to be eyes secretly communicating by signs ;
1 Two towns on the Euphrates. Hit is the Is of Herodotus ; and 'Anat is the
Anatho, Anathan, or Bethauna of classical writers.
APPENDIX. 313
The water of the Nile, over which the zephyr passes,
seems to clothe itself with ringed coats of mail.
Hospitable chambers in which I have been sorely tempted in heart,
when you were formerly my wineshops and my hostels;
Behold ! I shall not cease to beg for the morning draught,
when the clappers 1 strike, in my love for the monasteries.'
I remark : this monastery bears among the Christians the name of Saint George,
and the Christians of the neighbourhood assemble there.
27. The Monastery of Akfds, more correctly Akfahs, is now destroyed.
28. The Monastery at the extremity of the district of Manharah stands in bad
repute, because the monks give no one food from thence.
29. The Monastery of Al-Khddim (the Servant) is near the canal of Al-
Manhi, in the district of Al-Bahnasa, and is built in the name of the angel Gabriel.
It possesses gardens containing palms and olive-trees.
30. The Monastery of Ishnin, named after the district of Ishnin, stands to the
north of it, is a small monastery, and bears the name of the Virgin Mary; but
it only contains a single monk.
31. The Monastery offesus, or Yasii, is also called the Monastery of Arjanus.
There is a festival here on the 25th of Bashans. On the night of this day a spring
there, bearing the name of Jesus' Spring, is closed ; and at the sixth hour of the
day people collect and take away the stone from the well, and then they find that
the water within it has risen and now begins to sink again ; and from this they
reckon how high the Nile will be that year, counting from the point to which the
water of the well rose to the level to which it sinks.
32. The Monastery of Sadmant, at a short distance from Al-Manhi, on the
high ground between the Fayyum and the Rif, bearing the name of Saint George,
has lost much of its former estate, and is now partly deserted.
33. The Monastery of An-Nakliin, also called Monastery of Al-Khashabah,
and Monastery of the Angel Gabriel, stands under a hollow in the mountain, called
Tarif al-Fayyum ; and this hollow is among them known by the name of Jacob's
Shade. They state that Jacob, when he came to Egypt, sought shade within it.
This mountain rises high above two places : Itfih Shalla and Shalla. The water
for this monastery is drawn from the canal of Al-Manhi, and it lies below the
1 I. e. the wooden gongs of the church to call the monks to the morning
service.
S s [II. 7.]
314 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Monastery of Sadmant. At the festival celebrated in this monastery, the Christians
of the Fayyum and other places assemble ; and it lies on the road leading to the
Fayyum, which, however, is only followed by few travellers.
34. Monastery of Al-Kalamun. This stands in a plain under the mountain-
pass of Al-Kalamun, through which the traveller reaches the Fayyum, and which
is called the Pass of Al-Gharak. This monastery was built in the name of the
monk Samuel, who lived in the time between Jesus and Mahomet, and died on
the 8th of Kihak. In this monastery there are many palms, from the fruit of
which the 'Ujwah x is prepared. Here is also the Labakh-tree (Persea), which is
only found here ; its fruit is of the size of a lemon (malum citrinum), its taste is
sweet like the Ram)' (nux Indica), and its kernel is used for many purposes.
Abu Hanifah says in the Book of Plants : 'The Labakh only grows at Ans'na.
It is a tree from which ships' planks are sawn ; it sometimes excites nose-bleeding
in the man who saws it ; and if two planks of it are fastened closely together and
placed for a year in water, they join themselves together and become one plank.'
In this monastery there are two towers built of stone, both high, large, and
brilliantly white ; and within it there is also a well of running water, and outside
another well. In this valley there are a number of old praying-places, one
of which is the valley of Umailih, where there is a running spring and fruitful
palms, the fruit of which is gathered by the Arabs. Outside this monastery there
is a salt-marsh, the salt of which is sold by the monks of the monastery, so
that these districts are provided with salt therefrom.
35. The Monastery of the Virgin Mary outside Timbudhd contains only one
monk, and does not stand on a frequented road. In the district of Al-Bahnasa
there were many monasteries now destroyed.
36. Monastery of BH Fdnd, north of Bani Khalid, built of stone, and of fine
architecture. It belongs to the district of Al-Munyah, and formerly there were
a thousand monks here, but now only two ; it lies on the dam below the
mountain.
37. The Monastery of Bdlujah, at a short distance from Al-Manhi, belongs
to the inhabitants of Daljah, and was one of the largest monasteries, but is now
ruined, so that it only contains one or two monks. It stands opposite to Daljah,
at about two hours' distance.
38. Monastery of Saitit Mercurius or Abu MarMrah. This monastery stands
A juice with which children are fed (Wiistenfeld).
APPENDIX. 315
below Daljah, at the exit from this place towards the east. No one now
remains there.
39. The Monastery of Sanabil. at the exit from this place towards the north,
bears the name of the Virgin Mary ; it is now deserted.
40. The Monastery of Saint Theodore, to the south of Sanabu, has entirely
fallen into decay on account of the poverty of the Christians there.
41. The Monastery of Ar-Rairamiln, in the eastern part of the district of this
place, which lies to the east of Mallawi and to the west of Ansina ; and it bears
the name of the angel Gabriel.
42. The Monastery of Al-Muharrak. The Christians state that Christ stayed
at this place six months and some days. A great festival is kept here, called
the feast of Olives, besides the feast of Pentecost, at which a great multitude
assembles.
43. The Monastery named Dair Bani Kalb is so called because the tribe of
the Band Kalb settled around it. It bears the name of Gabriel, but no monk
remains therein ; for it is now only a church for the Christians of Manfalut, to the
west of which city it stands.
44. Monastery of Al-fdwaliyah. This monastery stands at the extremity of
the district of Al-Jawaliyah, towards the south, and bears the name of the martyr
Mercurius, also called Markurah. It has revenues from land, and votive
offerings and gifts are brought to it ; every year two festivals are kept there.
45. Monastery of the Seven Mountains. This stands on the summit of the
mountain which rises to the west of Usyut on the banks of the Nile ; it is also
called the Monastery of Saint John the Dwarf. Several festivals are kept here ;
but the monastery was destroyed in a. h. 821 by a mob which fell upon it by
night. Saint John the Dwarf was a monk and an abbot, of whom many stories
are told ; among others, that he at the bidding of his teacher planted a dry
stick in the ground, and watered it for a time, and then it became a fruit-tree, of
which the monks ate ; and it was called the Tree of Obedience. He is buried
in his monastery.
46. The Monastery of Al-Mutill. This bears the name of the Virgin Mary,
and stands beside the mountain, below the Monastery of the Seven Mountains,
opposite to Suyut. A festival is kept there, to which the inhabitants of the district
come ; but no monks remain there.
The Monasteries of Udrunkah. The neighbourhood of Udrunkah is one of
the Christian districts of Upper Egypt ; and the Christians living there are learned
in their religion and in expounding the Coptic language ; and they possess many
S s 2
316 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OE EGYPT.
monasteries outside the city towards the east, beside the mountains; but most
of these are destroyed. Among those still existing is
47. The Monastery of Saint George, a well-preserved building, but containing
few monks. At certain times a festival is celebrated there.
48. Monastery of Ard al-Hdjiz (the district of the Dam), [also called] that of
Michael or that of Karfunah, which bears the name of the Virgin, and is also
named Arfunah or Aghrafuna, which means Scribe (ypd<pcov) ; for the copyists of
learned books of the Christians had their seat here in ancient times ; it stands on
the side of the mountain, in which there are many caves, in one of which
a man may wander for two days.
49. Monastery of Bu Baghdm, below that of Karfunah on the Dam. Bu
Bagham was a soldier in the days of Diocletian, and adopted Christianity, and
was scourged that he might abjure his faith. He was put to death on the
28th of Kanun the First, which is equivalent to the 2nd of Kihak.
50. Monastery of Saint Severus on the Dam of Udrunkah, named after the
Virgin. Severus was a respected monk, who was made patriarch ; and at his
death a miracle took place. He had foretold to the monks, when he went to
Upper Egypt, that when he should die the mountain would split, and a great piece
of it fall upon the church, without injuring it ; and one day a piece of the mountain
fell, as he had said, and then the monks of the monastery knew that Severus was
dead ; and when they reckoned up they found that that event corresponded to
the time of his death; and they called the monastery from that time after his
name.
51. Monastery of Saint Theodore, below the Monastery of Saint Severus.
Severus and Theodore were two soldiers of Diocletian : one was called the slayer
of the dragon, the other was commander of the troops ; both were put to death as
others were put to death.
52. Monastery of Minshdk or Minsak or Bant Sdk or Isdk, which bore the
name of the Virgin Mariham, i. e. Mar Maryam (Saint Mary) ; and afterwards was
known by the name of Minsak, who was an old monk celebrated among them.
Below this monastery there is a well on the dam of which the monks drink ; and
when the Nile rises they drink the water out of it.
53. The Monastery of the Apostles below that of Minsak is also called the
Monastery of Tamarisks. It belongs to the district of Biitij ; while the Monastery
of Severus belongs to the inhabitants of Rifah, that of Karfunah to the inhabitants
of Suyut, and that of Saint George to the inhabitants of Udrunkah. The Tamarisk
monastery stood in a desert place, but a small village was built beside it, called
APPENDIX. 317
Munsha'at ash-Shaikh (new building of the Shaikh), because the Shaikh Abu
Bakr ash-Shadali laid the foundation of it; and he also laid out a large garden, on
the site of which he had found a well, containing a treasure. An eye-witness
told me that, among the gold, four-cornered dinars were found, having a cross
represented on one of their sides, and the weight of each dinar was \\ mithkal.
The above-mentioned Monasteries of Udrunkah stand near to one another, and
between them are numerous caves in which there are tablets painted with characters
in the old style, as in the ancient temples, adorned with different bright colours,
and containing manifold learning. The Monaster) - of the Seven Mountains, that of
Al-Mutill, and that of the Scribe stood outside Suyfit among the caves, and on
both the dams there are said to have been 360 monasteries, and the traveller
went from Al-Badrashain to Asfun, continually in the shade of the gardens.
Now this part is laid waste, and deserted by its inhabitants.
54. Monastery of Mushah. Mushah stands to the south of Suyut. The
monastery is dedicated to Thomas, the Apostle of India, and stands among the
gardens in the neighbourhood of Rifah. When the Nile rises, it can only be
reached by boat. It has several festivals. The Christians of these monasteries
generally understand the Sahidic dialect of Coptic, which is the chief branch
of the Coptic language ; after it follows the Buhairic (Memphitic) dialect. The
Christian women of Upper Egypt and their children can hardly speak anything
but the Sahidic dialect of Coptic ; they have, however, also a perfect knowledge
of the Greek language.
55. Monastery of Saint Macrobhis. Abu Makrufah is the name of the place
where this monastery stands. It is hewn out at the foot of the mountain, and
there are many caves in it ; it bears the name of the Virgin. Among the
Christians of Makrufah there are many shepherds and herdsmen, who however
are usually savages, and few among them can read or write. The monastery
lacks water.
56. Monastery of Bil Baghdm, before Tima, the inhabitants of which are
Christians, and were formerly learned men.
57. The Monastery of Saint Sinuthius, also called the White Monastery, stands
to the west of the district of Suhaj. It is built of stone, but is now in ruins, and
only the church remains. It is said to have possessed land to the extent of 4f
feddans, of which only one feddan is left. It is an ancient monastery.
58. The Red Monastery, also called that of Abu Bisha'i, stands to the north
of the White Monastery, at a distance of about three hours, and is a small
monastery built of red brick. This Abu Bisha'i was a monk and contemporary
31 8 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
of Sinuthius, who was his pupil, and under him were 3,000 monks; he had
another monastery also in the desert of Shihat.
59. The Monastery of Bu Mtsds or Bu Musis (llo^s), i. e. Moses. This
monastery stands below Al-Bulyana, and is a large monastery. This Saint Moses
was a monk, born at Al-Bulyana, and is revered there, and counted a saint;
they relate many histories of him which deserve no credit.
After this there remain only the scantily-inhabited monasteries on the Dam of
Isna and Nakadah. At Asfun there was a large monastery ; and Asfun itself was
one of the finest towns of Egypt ; and the most fruitful district of Upper Egypt ;
and the monks of the monastery there were famous for their learning and
intelligence. With Asfun, its monastery also was destroyed ; and this was the
most remote of the monasteries of Upper Egypt ; but they are all destroyed and
forgotten, though in former times they were so populous and their monks so
numerous, their estates so large, and the offerings made to them so valuable.
As for the northern provinces, there were many monasteries there which have
been destroyed; but some still remain. Near Al-Maks, outside Cairo, towards
the north, there were several churches which Al-Hakim bi-amri 'llah Abu 'Ah
al-Mansur caused to be destroyed on the 19th of Dhu '1-Hijjah, a.h. 393 ; and he
gave away all that was in them, and thus much was plundered from them, after
he had, in the month of Rabi' the First of the same year, already destroyed
the churches of Rashidah, east of the city of Misr, and instead of them had built
a mosque which is known as Rashidah. Then he destroyed in a.h. 394, two
churches in the same place, and forced the Christians to wear black garments and
a girdle, took away the possessions of the churches and monasteries and gave them
to the Divan of the government, burnt a number of crosses, forbad the Christians
to decorate the churches on Palm-Sunday, oppressed them and had many of them
scourged. In the island of Raudah there was a church near the Nilometer, which
was destroyed by As-Salih Nijm ad-Din Ayyub in a. h. 638. In the district of Abu
'n-Numrus there was a church, the destruction of which was suggested by a man
from Az-Ziyali'ah, because he had heard the sound of the wooden gongs with which
on the Friday night announcement was made in that church. During the reign
of Al-Malik al-Ashraf Sha'ban ibn Husain he had been able to do nothing against
this on account of the respect in which the Copts were held ; then he allied
himself with the great Emir Barkuk, who was administrator of the government,
until he destroyed the church with the help of the Cadi Jamal ad-Din Muhammad
al-'Ajami, superintendent of the market at Cairo, on the 8th of Ramadan in the
year 780. It was turned into a mosque.
APPENDIX. 319
60. The Monastery of Al-Khanddk (the Moat), beyond Cairo, towards the
north, was built by the commander Jauhar instead of a monastery which he had
destroyed in Cairo, in the neighbourhood of the mosque of Al-Akmar, where the
well is which is now called Bi'r al-'Azama and was formerly called Bi'r al-'Izam
(well of bones), because he had the bones contained in that monastery carried
away and brought to the Monastery of Al-Khandak. On the 24th of Shawwal,
a. h. 678, in the reign of Al-Malik al-Mansur Kala un, this monastery was
destroyed, but afterwards it was renewed ; and he also built two other churches
which shall, if God will, be described below among the churches.
61. The Monastery of Cyriacus. This monastery was also known by the
name of Saint Or, and a festival is kept there at which the people assemble. A
wonder took place there, related as follows by Ash-Shabushti. If a man had the
scrofula (khandzir) the superior of the monastery took him, made him lie on his
side, and brought a pig (khinzir) to him, which licked the sore place, and devoured
the tumours, but without touching the healthy part ; when the part was clear of the
disease, the superior, after strewing upon it some of the ashes of a pig which had
already been employed for a similar operation, anointed the man with the oil from
the church-lamp, and thus he was healed. Then the pig which had eaten the
tumours of the sick man was taken, slain, and burnt, and its ashes were prepared
for a similar treatment. The monastery therefore was much visited by those who
suffered from this complaint, and it contained a large number of Christians.
62. The Monastery of Atrib, also called by the name of the Lady Mary, keeps
a festival on the 21st of Ba'unah ; and Ash-Shabushti relates that on this festival
a white dove comes and flies into the sanctuary ; they do not know whence it
comes, and only see it on that day of the year. I remark that this monastery has
been destroyed so that only three monks are left, but the people still assemble on
that festival; the monastery lies on the bank of the Nile, near Banha al-'Asal.
63. Monastery of Al-Maghtas (the Tank) is beside the saline marshes, near
the lake of Al-Burlus, and hither Christians make pilgrimages from the north and
south of Egypt, as to the Church of the Resurrection. This takes place on
a festival kept in the month of Bashans, which they call the Festival of the
Appearance, because they state that upon this day the Virgin appeared, and they
relate many things which are to be accounted lies. Beyond this monastery there
are no buildings except a small building towards the south-east ; and in the
neighbourhood is the salt-marsh from which the Rashidic (i. e. of Rosetta) salt is
obtained. This monastery was destroyed in Ramadan, a. h. 841, during a rising
of some fakirs who joined together for the purpose.
320 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
64. The Monastery of Al-'Askar (the Troops) is in the salt district, at a day's
distance from the Monastery of Al-Maghtas, under the name of the Apostles ; in
its neighbourhood is the salt-marsh from which the Rashidic salt comes ; only
one monk remains.
65. The Monastery of famydnah, named after Saint George, is near the
Monastery of Al-'Askar, at three hours' distance ; the festival there falls closely
after that of the Monastery of Al-Maghtas ; no one now lives there.
66. The Monastery of Al-Maimah, near that of Al-'Askar, was formerly in
excellent circumstances, and in old times there was no monastery in the north which
had more monks than this ; but its prosperity died away and it was destroyed ;
then the soldiers settled there and it was rebuilt. Besides these four monasteries
there is no other in the salt district.
As for Wadi Habib, also called Wadi 'n-Natrun, or the desert of Shihat,
or the desert of Askit, or Mizan al-Kulub, there were formerly there ioo
monasteries ; but afterwards only seven remained, spread out towards the west of
the plain lying between the province of Al-Buhairah and the Fayyum, where
sandy flats alternate with salt-marshes, waterless deserts, and dangerous rocks.
The monks took their drinking-water from cisterns, and the Christians brought
them presents and alms. At the present day the monasteries are in ruins.
Christian historians relate that 70,000 monks from these monasteries met 'Arar
ibn al-Asi, each carrying a staff; when they had declared their submission to
him, he wrote to them a letter which still exists among them. One of them is
67. The Monastery of Saint Macarius, the elder, a famous monastery among
them, and near it lie four ruined monasteries. This was formerly the monastery
of the pious monks, and a patriarch was not recognized by them until they had
made him take his seat in this monastery, after he had sat upon the throne in
Alexandria. It is said that there were 1,500 monks here, but now there are few.
There are three saints named Macarius : the greatest, who was abbot of this
monastery, Saint Macarius of Alexandria, and Saint Macarius the bishop ; and
their bones are kept in three hollow pieces of wood, and are visited by
the Christians of the monastery. Here is also the letter, written by 'Amr ibn
al-'Asi to the monks of Wadi Habib, about the treasurership of the northern
districts, as it has been related to me by one who had heard it from a man who
had seen it there. Saint Macarius the elder received the monastic rule from
Anthony, the first among them who wore the monkish cap and the Askim, which
is a band of leather with which the monks alone gird themselves, and upon which
there is a cross. He met Anthony on the eastern mountain-range, where the
APPENDIX. 321
Monastery of Al-'Arabah is, and remained for some time with him ; and then
Anthony clothed him with the monastic habit and bid him go to Wadi 'n-Natrun
and there take up his abode. He did this, and a great number of monks assembled
around him. They relate of him many noble deeds, among others that he
fasted during the whole of the forty days, without tasting food or drink, and also
watched through the nights; moreover he prepared palm-leaves and fed upon
them, and never ate fresh bread, but he took old shoes, softened them in a mess
of palm-leaves, and ate of them, together with his monks, so long as his breath
remained, without anything more ; this was their food during their whole life
until they died. Saint Macarius the Alexandrian wandered from Alexandria
to the aforesaid Macarius, and became a monk through him. Next was Saint
Macarius the third, who became a bishop.
68. The Monastery of Saint John the Dwarf is said to have been built in
the time of Constantine, son of Helena. This Saint John possessed notable
qualities, and was one of the most famous monks. The circumstances of this
monastery were very favourable, and many monks lived there; but now only
three monks are left there.
69. Monastery of John Kama,
70. Monastery of Elias, which belonged to the Abyssinians; both of these
are destroyed, for the worms injured their wood-work, so that they fell to
pieces. Then the Abyssinians went to
71. The Monastery of the Virgin of Saint John the Dtvarf which is a small
monastery near that of Saint John the Dwarf.
72. Near these monasteries stands that of Saint Anub, now likewise destroyed.
This Saint Anub was a native of Samannud, and was put to death at the
beginning of Islam, and his body is placed in a house at Samannud.
73. The Monastery of the Armenians near these monasteries is destroyed.
74. In their neighbourhood stands also the Monastery of Bii Bisha'i, greatly
revered among them, because this Bisha'i was one of the monks who belong
to the class of Macarius and John the Dwarf. It is a very large monastery.
75. A monastery opposite to that of Bu Bisha'i formerly belonged to the
Jacobites, but for 300 years has been in the possession of the Syrian monks, and
is now in their hands. The place where these monasteries are is called
Birkat al-Adyirah (Lake of the Monasteries).
76. Monastery of the Virgin of Baramils, dedicated to the name of the Virgin
Mary ; there are some monks there.
77. Opposite to it stands the Monastery of Moses or Abu Miisd the Black,
t t [II. 7-1
322 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
also called Baramus; this monastery is dedicated to the Virgin of Baramus,
so that Baramus is the name of the monastery. A story is told of it as follows :
Maximus and Domitius were the sons of the emperor of the Romans, and
had a teacher, called Arsenius ; the teacher betook himself from the land of
the Romans to Egypt, crossed this desert of Shihat, there adopted the monastic
life, and remained there till he died. He was an excellent man, and both the
aforesaid sons of the emperor came to him during his life, and became monks
at his hands. When they died their father sent and had the church of Baramus
built in their name. Saint Moses the Black was a bold robber, who had
murdered ioo men ; then he adopted Christianity, became a monk, and wrote
many books. He is one of those who kept the Forty Days' Fast entirely
without food, and he was a Berber by race.
78. Monastery of Az-Zajdj (Glass). This stands outside Alexandria, and
is also called Al-Hdbatiln (sic), and bears the name of Saint George the Great.
Formerly it was the invariable custom for the patriarchs [at their election] to
betake themselves from the Mu'allakah at Misr to this monastery of Az-Zajaj,
but now this is not done. The above named are the monasteries of the
Jacobites.
79. The women have also special convents, as the Convent of Nuns in the
Harah Zawilah at Cairo, which is inhabited by virgins leading the religious life,
and other Christian women.
80. The Dair al-Bandt in the quarter of the Romans (Harat ar-Rum), at
Cairo, inhabited by nuns.
81. The Convent of Al- Mu'allakah in the city of Misr is the most famous
convent of women, and is inhabited by them.
82. The Convent of Saint Barbara in Misr is near the Church of Barbara,
and is inhabited by virgins who are becoming nuns. Barbara was a saint in
the time of Diocletian, who had her tortured that she might give up her religion
and worship idols; but she remained constant in her faith, and endured severe
torments. She was a virgin, and when he despaired of her, he had her head
struck off and a crowd of women beheaded with her.
83. The Melkite Christians have a cell belonging to their patriarch beside the
Church of Michael near the Bridge of Afram outside Misr ; it is the assembling-
place for monks coming from the land of the Romans.
84. Monastery of Saint fohn the Dwarf generally called Al-Kusair. The
correct pronunciation according to them is Al-Kasir, after the form shahid,
but it has been changed and is pronounced Al-Kusayyir. The Muslims call it
APPENDIX. 323
Dair al-Kusair (' Monastery of the Small Fort '), as if it were a diminutive of hasr,
' castle ; ' but originally, as we have said, it was Dair al-Kasir, ' Monastery of the
Dwarf,' the opposite of tawil, 'tall,' and it is also called the Monastery of
Heraclius, and that of the Mule. It has already been described above. It
was one of the largest monasteries of the Christians, but now there is only
one man in it to guard it, and it is in the hands of the Melkites.
85. Monastery of At-Tur. Ibn Sidah says: At-Tilr means 'the Mountain,'
and is especially used of Tur Sina (Sinai), the mountain in Syria. In Syriac it is
Jia^ tilrd, and in derivation we say Turi or Tilrd' i, 'a Turian.' Yakut says:
There are seven places named Tilr : (1) Tilr Zaitd, in pronunciation like Zait,
' oil,' with final a : the name of a mountain near Ras e Ain ; (2) Tilr Zaitd, likewise
a mountain of Jerusalem, east of Siloah ; (3) Tilr, name of a mountain rising above
the city of Tiberias by the Jordan ; (4) At-Tilr, name of a mountain in a district
containing many towns or villages, in Egypt, to the south, between Misr and
mount Faran ; (5) Tur Sina, which according to various statements is a mountain
near Ailah, or a mountain in Syria; and Sina is said to mean stones or trees
there ; (6) Tur 'Abdin, name of a mountain in the province of Nisibis, among the
mountains which rise above this city, and are connected with mount Juda ;
(7) Tilr Hdrfm (i. e. of Aaron), the brother of Moses Al-Wahidi says in his
commentary : Al-Kalbi and others say that ' the mountain,' in the word of God
'but behold the mountain/ is the largest mountain in Midian, called Zabir.
Al-Kalbi mentions that Tur has its name from Yatur the son of Ishmael; on
which As-Suhaili remarks that the Ya perhaps has been dropped, if his statement
is correct. 'Umar ibn Shaibah says : 'Abd al-'Aziz told me, [quoting] from Abu
Ma'shar, from Said ibn Abi Said, from his father, from Abu Hurairah, that the
Apostle of God said: There are four rivers in Paradise and four mountains and
four battles ; the rivers are Saihan, Jaihan, the> Nile, and the Euphrates ; and the
mountains are Sinai (At-Tur), Lebanon, Uhud, and Warikan; as to the battles,
he was silent. According to Ka'b al-Ahbar, the Muslims have three places of
defence ; their defence against the Romans is Damascus ; that against Ad-Dajjal
is the Jordan ; that against Yajuj and Majuj is Sinai. Shu'bah says, quoting from
Arta'ah ibn al-Mundhir : When Yajuj and Majuj marched forth, God declared to
Jesus, son of Mary : See, I have caused one of my creatures to march forth, over
whom none except me has any power ; therefore go now with thy companions
to the mountain of At-Tur. Then he went thither accompanied by 12,000 followers.
Talk ibn Habib heard Zur'ah say : I wished to march out to Sinai, so I came to
'Abdallah ibn 'Umar and told him this ; whereupon he repeated : To three
t t 2
324 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
mosques the journey is difficult, to the Mosque of the Apostle of God (Medina),
to the holy Mosque (Mecca), and to the most distant Mosque (Jerusalem);
therefore now give up Sinai, for thou canst not reach it. The Cadi Abu
'Abdallah Muhammad ibn Salamah al-Kuda'i says, after describing the districts
of Egypt : To the southern region belong the localities of the Hedjaz, namely,
the district of Sinai and Faran, the district of Raya and Al-Kulzum, the district
of Ailah and its neighbourhood, Midian and its neighbourhood, Al-TJwaid and
Al-Haura and their neighbourhoods, and next the district of Bada and Shaghb.
I remark : It is not disputed among Christian and Jewish writers that this
Mount Sinai is that upon which or near which God instructed his prophet
Moses. There is still there a monastery in the possession of the Melkites,
peopled by monks, and owning a large garden with palms, vines, and other
fruits. Ash-Shabushti says : Tut Sina is the mountain upon which the light
appeared to Moses so that he lost his consciousness. The monastery on the
summit of the mountain is built of black stone, the thickness of its walls is
seven cubits, and it has three iron doors, and on the west side there is a small
door, before which a stone is erected which they can raise at pleasure; and
when any visitor approaches they let it down, and the place is covered by it
so that the position of the door is not detected. Within the monastery there
is a spring, and without it another spring. The Christians state that there is
a fire in the monastery like that fire which was at Jerusalem, of which every
evening an equal quantity is consumed ; it is white, small, of no great heat so
that it burns nothing, but it grows stronger when a lamp is kindled at it.
The monastery is inhabited by monks, is visited by the people, and is one of
the monasteries which have been celebrated by poets. Ibn c Amir says of it
' O monk of the monastery ! whence the brightness and the light ?
it shines from that which is in thy monastery At-Tur.
Does perchance the sun dwell there, forgetting his zodiacal signs,
or has the moon removed and hidden herself therein ?
Then he said : Neither sun nor moon dwells there,
but wine-flasks have been brought thither to-day.'
I remark : Christian chroniclers relate that Justinian, emperor of the Romans at
Constantinople, commanded the building of this monastery ; a strong fortress was
built within it, in the upper story of which were many cells ; and a garrison, taken
from the Arab tribe of Band Salih, was placed there to defend the monks ; in the
time of this emperor the fifth council of the Christians assembled. Between this
APPENDIX. 325
place [Sinai] and Al-Kulzum, which was a town, there are two ways, one by land
and the other by sea, both leading to the town of Faran, one of the towns
of the Amalekites, from which to At-Tur there are two days' journeys : and from
the city of Misr to Al-Kulzum there are three days' journeys. The mountain
of At-Tur is reached by 6,666 steps ; in the midst of the mountain there was
a church of the prophet Elias, and on the top a church bearing the name of
Moses with pillars of marble and gates of brass; this is the place where God
spoke with Moses, and the latter broke the tables. There was here only one
monk for the service, and they state that none could pass the night here, but
a place was prepared for him outside, where he passed the night. Nothing
is now left of these two churches.
86. The Nuns' Convent in the Kasr ash-Shama', at Misr, bears the name
of Saint George ; here, before Islam, was the Nilometer, of which there are
traces to this day.
These are all the monasteries possessed by the Christians, Jacobites, and
Melkites, men and women, in Egypt; their number reaches the sum of eighty-
six, of which eighty-two belong to the Jacobites and four to the Melkites.
$26 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
ACCOUNT OF THE CHURCHES OF THE
CHRISTIANS.
Al-Azhari says : The word Kanisah (church), or ' synagogue ' of the Jews, in
the plural Kand'is, is an Arabicised form, and the original form is Kunisht '. Even
the more ancient Arabs mention churches in their poems ; thus Al-Abbas ibn
Mirdas al-Sulami says:
'They surround me in the shadow of every church;
as long as my people passed the night in the churches.'
And Ibn Kais ar-Rukayyat says :
'As if it were a picture painted in one of the churches.'
1. The Two Churches of Al-Khandah, without Cairo; one of which is named
after the angel Gabriel; the other after Mercurius and also after Ruwais, the
well-known monk who lived after a. h. 800. Near both of these churches the
Christians buried their dead, and the place is called the Burial-place of Al-
Khandak. Both of these churches were built in the time of Islam to take the
place of the churches of Al-Maks.
2. The Church in the Hdrah Zawilah in Cairo, a church revered by the
Jacobite Christians, bears the name of the Virgin ; it is stated that it was formerly
known by the name of the physician Zabilun, who lived about 270 years before
the appearance of the Islamitic religion, was learned in many sciences, and
possessed a great treasure reached through a well which exists here.
3. A Church known by the name of Al-Maghithah in the Hdrat ar-RUm in Cairo
bears the name of the Virgin. These two are the only churches that the Jacobites
possess in Cairo. In the Harat ar-Rum there was another church, called the
Church of Barbara, but this was destroyed in a. h. 718. The cause of this
event was the Christians offered a petition to Al- Malik an-Nasir Muhammad
ibn Kala'un, in which they begged for permission to restore that part of this
church which had been ruined; he gave them permission, and they built the
church so that it became more beautiful than it was before. This angered
1 As Wiistenfeld pointed out, Kunisht is the Persian word; but the true
original of the Arabic Kanisah, A.~. t J> ' , is the Aramaic N'fif ^3 = ' synagogue ' or
'meeting-house,' from tW3 'to assemble.' (Syr. jk**,cuo; late Hebrew HD33).
APPENDIX.
3*7
a number of Muslims, who represented to the Sultan that the Christians had
erected a new building beside this church, which had not been there before.
He therefore charged the Emir and Treasurer 'Ilm ad-Din Sanjar, Wall of Cairo,
to destroy the newly-erected building; and the latter rode thither and found
a crowd of Muslims assembled, who hastened to destroy the church altogether,
as speedily as possible ; they erected in its place a Mihrab, announced the
hours of prayer, and recited the Koran, all of their own accord, and they were
not hindered for fear of an insurrection. After this the Christians were heavily
oppressed; and they complained to the Cadi Karim ad-Din, Keeper of the
Sultan's Privy Purse, who stood up as the champion of the religion of his
forefathers, and brought the matter constantly to the Sultan's notice, until the
latter ordered the destruction of the Mihrab, which was thrown down, so that
the place became a rubbish-heap, and so it has remained.
4. Church of Saint Mennas. This stands near the dam between the
mounds of earth on the road from Misr ; it consists of three churches adjacent
to one another; one of the Jacobites, one of the Syrians, and the third of the
Armenians. A festival is kept there every year, at which the Christians assemble
in this church.
5. The Church of Al-Mu'allahah, in the city of Misr, in the quarter of Kasr
ash-Shama', named after the Virgin; it is highly revered among them, and is
distinct from the above-mentioned Cell.
6. The Church of Saint Sinuthius in Misr, named after the ancient monk
Sinuthius, of whom many things are related ; among others, that he was one
of those who entirely abstained from food during the Forty Days' Fast ; under
him there were 6,000 monks, who fed, as he did himself, on a mess of palm-
leaves ; he wrote many books.
7. Church of Mary, near the Church of Sinuthius. This was destroyed by
*Ali ibn Sulaiman ibn 'Ali ibn 'Abdallah ibn 'Abbas, Emir of Egypt, when he
received the government from the Prince of the Faithful, Al-Hadi Musa, in a.h. 169;
he also destroyed the churches of the Ward of Constantine, for the preservation
of which the Christians offered him 50,000 dinars as a bribe, but he refused it.
When he was removed, however, and Musa ibn Tsa ibn Musa ibn Muhammad
ibn 'Ali ibn 'Abdallah ibn 'Abbas took his place in the caliphate of Harun
ar-Rashid, the new governor allowed the Christians to rebuild the churches
which 'Alt ibn Sulaiman had destroyed ; then they were all rebuilt in consequence
of a decree of Al-Laith ibn Sa'd and 'Abdallah ibn Lahi'ah, who both declared
that it was for the advantage of the town, and bore witness that the churches
328 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
at Misr had first been built under Islam in the time of the companions of the
prophet and his first successors.
8. Church of Saint George of Ath-Thikat. This church stands in an alley
of the quarter of Kasr ash-Shama' at Misr, which is called Alley of Ath-Thikat ;
not far from it is the Church of the Virgin of Saint George.
9. The Church of Barbara in Misr is large, and is celebrated among them ;
it is named after Saint Barbara, a nun. In her time two other nuns were
living, Isa and Thakla; a great festival is kept in their honour at this church,
and the patriarch is present at it.
10. Church of Saint Sergius near Saint Barbara, not far from the Hospital of
Ibn an-Nu'man. There is a cave within it, in which Christ and his mother
Mary are said to have sat.
11. Church of Babylon, south of Kasr ash-Shama', on the road of the Afram
Bridge. This church is very old and small; below it the treasure of Babylon
is said to be; its surroundings are in ruins.
12. The Church of Theodore the Martyr, in the neighbourhood of Babylon,
is named after the martyr Theodore, the military commander.
13. The Church of Saint Mennas is also in the neighbourhood of Babylon.
Both these churches are closed, on account of the ruins which surround them.
14. Church of Saint Mennas in the Hamra; the Hamra is now called
the quarter of Kanatir as-Saba', between Cairo and Misr. This church was
restored in a. h. 177 by permission of the Emir of Egypt, Al-Walid ibn Rufa' ah ;
thereupon Wuhaib al-Yahsubi was angry, rebelled against the Sultan, and came
to Ibn Rufa ah to assassinate him, but was seized and put to death; Wuhaib
was a traveller from Yemen, and had come to Egypt. Then the Kara, in
order to avenge Wuhaib, rose against Al-Walid ibn Rufa'ah, and fought against
him. Ma'unah, the wife of Wuhaib, went round at night to the settlements
of the Kara to rouse them to avenge his blood ; she had shorn her head, and
was an eloquent woman. Then Ibn Rufa'ah seized Abu Tsa Marwan ibn e Abd
ar-Rahman al-Yahsubi from among the Kara; he asked for mercy, and Ibn
Rufa'ah set him free ; and subsequently the rebellion was put down after a great
number had been slain. The church in the Hamra remained standing until
the destruction of the churches took place in the days of Al-Malik an-Nasir
Muhammad ibn Kala un, as it will be related, if it be God's will.
15. History of the Church of Az-Zuhrz, and account of the destruction of
the churches in Egypt, and of the monasteries of the Christians all at one time.
The Church of Az-Zuhri stood at the place where now the Pool of An-Nasir
APPENDIX. 329
is, in the neighbourhood of Kanatir as-Saba, on the western bank of the canal,
west of Al-Lawak ; many events have taken place in connexion with this church.
For when Al-Malik an-Nasir Muhammad ibn Kalaun had in a. h. 720 built
the hippodrome of the Mahari Camels near Kanatir as-Saba', he wished also to
erect an embankment on the chief branch of the Nile not far from the Mosque
of Taibars ; he therefore commanded that a rubbish-heap which lay there should
be carried away, and that the earth beneath it should be dug out for the sake of
the embankment, and he caused the water to flow into the excavated place, which
is therefore called to this day the pool of An-Nasir. The excavation of this pool
was begun on the last day of the month of Rabf I, a.h. 721 ; and when they
brought it near to the Church of Az-Zuhrf at which many Christians had always
dwelt, and beside which several other churches stood, on the spot now called
Hakar Akbugha, between the Seven Wells and the Bridge of the Dam outside
the city of Misr, then the workmen began to dig round the Church of Az-Zuhn,
so that the latter remained standing in the middle of the spot which the Sultan
had appointed for excavation and which is now the Pool of An-Nasir, and they
continued to dig, until the church, as it were, hung in the air. The intention
was that the church should fall without a direct attempt to destroy it. The
general body of the slaves of the Emirs, who were working at the excavation,
and the other workmen demanded, with incessant cries, permission to destroy
the church, but the Emirs did not listen to them until Friday the 9th Rabi' II
of the same year, while the people were performing the Friday prayers, when
the work of excavation was interrupted, and a body of the common people,
without leave from the Sultan, crying out 'God is Great!' attacked the Church
of Az-Zuhri with axes and other tools, destroyed it and made a rubbish-heap
of it, plundered the Christians who were there, and carried off all that was
within it. Then they destroyed the Church of Saint Mennas in the Hamra,
which had from ancient times been much revered by the Christians ; a number
of Christians dwelt there, who had established themselves there, and to whom
the Christians of Misr brought all that was needed for the church ; they also
sent there costly offerings and many alms, so that there was there a large
treasure of coined money, golden vessels, and other valuables. The people
climbed the walls, opened the gates, and took money, vessels, and wine-jars out
of the church ; it was a terrible occurrence.
Thereupon they went from the church in the Hamra, after they had
destroyed it, to the two churches near the Seven Wells, one of which was
called the Church of the Maidens, and was inhabited by a number of Christian
U u [II. 7.]
33 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
girls and by monks ; they broke in the doors of the two churches, took captive
the girls, of whom there were more than sixty, took off their clothes, plundered
all that they could find, and burnt and entirely destroyed these churches.
All this took place while the people were making their Friday prayers; and
when they came out of the mosques, they beheld with horror the clouds of
dust, the smoke of the fire, the tumult of the mob, and the hurrying throngs
of those who were carrying off the plundered objects, so that this horror could
only be compared with that of the day of resurrection. The news of it spread,
and quickly came to the sandy ground under the Castle on the Mountain;
the Sultan heard a great tumult and noise which horrified him, and he sent
to enquire into the cause of it. When he was told what had happened, he
was much excited, and was angry that the people had undertaken to do the
deed without his command. He ordered the Emir Aidughmish Amir-Akhur to
ride to the spot with a detachment of pages, to put a stop to this disorder,
and to seize those who had done the deed. While Aidughmish was making
preparations to ride down, the news was brought from Cairo that the people
of Cairo had risen and had destroyed a church in the quarter of the Romans
and one in the quarter of Zawilah ; and at the same time it was announced
from Misr that the people of Misr had risen in great numbers and had marched
to the Church of Al-Mu'allakah in the Kasr ash-Shama', which had then been shut
up by the Christians who were besieged within it, but it was on the point of
being taken. Now the anger of the Sultan increased, and he wished to ride
down in person to attack the people, but he refrained when the Emir Aidughmish
dissuaded him from the attempt. The latter went from the Castle with four
Emirs to Misr; the two Chamberlains, the Emir Baibars and the Emir Alamas, rode
to the place which had been excavated ; and the Emir Tmal rode to Cairo, each
accompanied by a numerous troop. The Sultan had commanded that all whom
they should capture among the people were to be slain, and none was to be
pardoned ; so Cairo and Misr fell upon their knees, and the plunderers fled,
so that the Emirs only caught those who were unable to move because they
were overcome by the wine which they had drunk in the churches. The Emir
Aidughmish now entered into Misr. The Walt had already ridden to the
Mu'allakah to drive away those engaged in plunder from the street of the
Mu'allakah, but, being received by a shower of stones, he had fled from them,
and the gate of the church was on the point of being set fire to. Now the
Emir Aidughmish and his followers drew their swords that they might fall upon
the people, but when he found that there was an innumerable multitude and
APPENDIX. 331
a narrow way of escape, he refrained from slaughter, bid his followers disperse
the crowd Avithout shedding blood, and proclaimed that any one who stayed
behind should forfeit his life. Then the assembled crowd turned to flight and
dispersed, but Aidughmish, fearing lest the people should return, remained there
until the evening-prayer was proclaimed ; then he marched away, having ordered
the Wall of Misr with his soldiers, to whom he added fifty of the pages,
to pass the night on the spot. As for the Emir Alamas, he came to the
churches in the Hamra and the Church of Az-Zuhri to defend them, but
only rubbish-heaps were left of them, not a wall was standing; he returned
therefore, and the other Emirs also returned and informed the Sultan, whose
anger continued to increase ; but they did not leave him until he was pacified.
At the destruction of these churches a wonderful event occurred. For when
the people were assembled on that day in the Mosque of the Castle on the
Mountain for the Friday prayer, and had just finished the prayer, a madman
rose up and cried out in the midst of the mosque : ' Destroy the church in
the citadel, destroy it ! ' and when he had repeatedly cried out in this disturbing
fashion, he fell into convulsions. The Sultan and the Emirs wondered at his
words, and orders were given to the officer on guard and the chamberlain to
investigate the matter ; so they both left the mosque, and when they came to the
Ruins of the Tartars in the citadel, where a newly-built church stood, there
were people employed in destroying it, and they had not finished their work
when the news of the attack upon the churches in the Hamra and at Cairo
arrived. Then the Sultan wondered yet more at that fakir, and caused search
to be made for him, but no trace of him was found. In the Mosque of Al-Azhar
too it happened that when the people were assembled that day for the Friday
prayers, one of the fakirs fell into a sort of trembling, and when the hour of
prayer was announced, before the preacher appeared, he stepped forward and
said : ' Destroy the churches of the enemies and unbelievers ! God is great ! God
grant victory and help ! ' Then he began again to tremble, and cried out : ' Down
to the ground ! Down to the ground ! ' The people looked at him and did
not know what he meant; they were of various opinions regarding him, some
saying, ' He is mad ; ' and others, ' This means something.' When the preacher
came forward the fakir ceased shouting, and at the end of the prayers he was
sought for but could not be found; and when the people came out of the door
of the mosque they saw the plunderers with the woodwork of the churches,
the garments of the Christians, and other plunder, and when they asked about
these things they were answered that the Sultan had proclaimed that the churches
U u 2
332 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
should be destroyed ; and the people believed this until they heard soon afterwards
that all had happened without orders from the Sultan. The churches destroyed
that day at Cairo were that in the quarter of the Romans, that by the Archers,
and two churches in the street of Zawilah.
On Sunday, the 3rd day after the Friday on which the destruction of the
churches had taken place at Cairo and Misr, the news came from the Emir
Badr ad-Din Bilbag al-Muhsani, Wall of Alexandria, that on Friday the 9th
Rabi' II, after the Friday prayers, a tumult had arisen among the people, and
when they had quitted the mosque, the cry arose: 'The churches are destroyed!'
and that the Mameluke had at once ridden to the spot but had found the churches,
four in number, already reduced to heaps ; that he had also received by the
pigeon-post a letter from the Wali of Al-Buhairah, announcing that at the town
of Damanhur, while the people on that day were making their Friday prayers,
two churches had been destroyed. The astonishment increased over these matters
until on Friday, the 16th, news was brought from the town of Kus that while
the people on the 9th Rabi' II had finished their Friday prayers, one of the
fakirs had risen, and had said : ' O fakirs ! come out to the destruction of the
churches ! ' but when they went out, followed by a crowd of others, they had
found the churches already destroyed; and that at Kus and in its immediate
neighbourhood six churches had been wrecked. Gradually information arrived
from the southern and northern provinces, announcing the destruction of many
churches and monasteries in all the districts of Egypt between Kus, Alexandria,
and Damietta, which had taken place on the same day during and after the
Friday prayers. The anger of the Sultan against the people reached its highest
point, because he feared that even worse things would be done. The Emirs
tried to soothe his anger, saying that matters of this sort could not have
happened through human power, and that if the Sultan himself wished to under-
take anything of the sort he would not be in a position to do so ; but that
it was a decree and ordinance of God, who knew the great corruption of the
Christians and their increasing pride, so that that which had happened might
serve as a punishment for them.
While therefore the people of Cairo and Misr had become much afraid
of the Sultan, because they had heard that he had threatened them with death,
and many of the lowest people had taken to flight, the Cadi and Army-
Inspector Fakhr ad-Din tried to dissuade the Sultan from his intended attack
on the people, and to reconcile him with them again, while Karim ad-Din
al-Kabir, Keeper of the Privy Purse, incited the Sultan against the people,
APPENDIX. 333
until the Sultan ordered him to travel to Alexandria for the purpose of raising
money and of enquiring what churches were there destroyed.
Scarcely a month had passed by since the destruction of the churches when
in Cairo and Misr fire broke out in many places, at which horrors occurred
equal to those which followed the destruction of the churches. In a house
of the Roast-meat- Vendors' Street in Cairo fire broke out on Saturday the
ioth Jumada I, and spread among the surrounding dwellings and lasted until
the evening of Sunday; many buildings were destroyed. When this fire was
extinguished, another arose in the quarter of Ad-Dailam in the street of Al-'Arishah,
near the dwelling of Karim ad-Din, Keeper of the Privy Purse, on the 25th
Jumada I ; it was a windy night, and the fire spread on all sides, until it reached
the house of Karim ad-Din. When the Sultan heard of this, he was much
vexed, because a part of the Sultan's treasures was kept there, and he sent
several of the Emirs to put it out, and they took with them a crowd of people
which continually grew in numbers. From the night of Monday to that of
Tuesday the fire had continually increased, and the Emirs with their followers
could not extinguish it, because there was a strong wind by which lofty palms
were overthrown and boats were dashed to pieces, and so the fire spread on
all sides. The people were already convinced that the whole of Cairo would
be burnt, and they mounted the minarets in order to call to prayer. The
fakirs and pious men appeared and began to pray with the cry : ' God is great ! '
but it was in vain, and the screams and weeping of men grew louder on all
sides. The Sultan went up to the roof of the castle, but could not stay there
on account of the strong wind; the fire lasted, and the Sultan repeated his
command to the Emirs to extinguish it until Tuesday. Then the Sultan's
Deputy went down and took all the Emirs and water-carriers with him ; and
the Emir and Cupbearer Baktimur also went down ; it was a terrible day ;
none more terrible has ever been seen. At the gates of Cairo guards were
set to bring back the water-carriers if they tried to leave Cairo, in order to
extinguish the fire ; not one of the water-carriers of the Emirs and of the city
was spared, all had to work ; and they brought the water from the academies and
baths ; all the carpenters and attendants of the baths were taken to pull down the
houses, and in this time of necessity many lofty buildings and great houses were
pulled down. At this fire twenty-four of the principal Emirs were working, besides
an equal number of the Emirs of the band, the Decurions and the Mamelukes ;
and the Emirs themselves set their hands to the work. The water stood from
the Gate of Zawilah to the quarter of Ad-Dailam like a lake in the street on
334 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
account of the crowd of men and camels which brought water. The Emir
and Cupbearer Baktimur and the Emir and Deputy Arghun were employed in
carrying the Sultan's treasure from the house of Karim ad-Din to the house
of his son in the Lead-workers' Street ; sixteen houses which partly touched the
house or stood opposite to it had to be destroyed before they could rescue the
treasure.
The fire was not yet fully extinguished, the treasure was scarcely carried
away, when a fresh fire broke out at the dwelling of Az-Zahir before the Zawilah
Gate, which destroyed 1 20 houses ; among which was a hall known as the
Hall of the Fakirs. During the fire a strong wind blew ; then the Chamberlain
and the Wali rode down to extinguish the fire, and caused a number of the
surrounding houses to be pulled down until the fire was extinguished. Two
days later a fire broke out in the house of the Emir Salar in the street between
the two castles; it began in the air-passage which had been constructed 100
cubits above the ground ; but this was all destroyed before the fire was put out.
Then the Sultan commanded the Emir and Treasurer Tim ad-Din Sanjar,
Wali of Cairo, and the Emir and Chamberlain Baibars to keep guard and
to be watchful ; it was proclaimed that in every shop a barrel or jar of water
should stand, and a similar one in all streets, by-ways, and alleys. Through
this the price of a barrel rose from one dirham to five, and the price of a jar
to eight dirhams.
A fire also broke out in the quarter of the Romans and in many places, so
that no day passed without a fire in some place. The people now took heed
to that which was befalling them, and came to the conjecture that the Christians
were the cause of it, because the fire appeared in the pulpits of the mosques
and the walls of oratories and schools ; they were therefore prepared at a certain
fire, and they followed up the track of it until they found that it arose from
naphtha rolled up in cloths steeped in oil and pitch. One Friday night in the
middle of Jumada, two monks were captured coming out of the Academy of
Al-Hakkariyah, and fire had just been set to the academy, and the smell of sulphur
was still on their hands; they were brought to the Emir and Treasurer 'Urn
ad-Din, Wali of Cairo, who sent word to the Sultan, who ordered that they should
be tortured. He had not come down from the castle before people met him, who
had seized a Christian caught in the Mosque of Az-Zahir with rags in the
form of an annular biscuit full within of pitch and naphtha; he had already
thrown one of them down by the pulpit, and had stood by it until smoke rose
from it ; then he went to depart from the mosque ; some one, however, had noticed
APPENDIX. 335
him, and watched him from a place where the Christian could not see him ;
then he seized him, and the people came up in crowds and dragged him to
the Wall's house ; he had dressed himself like the Muslims. He was then
tortured before the Emir and Chamberlain Rukn ad-Din Baibars, and he confessed
that a multitude of Christians had bound themselves to prepare naphtha and
to spread it about by means of several of their followers, of whom he was one,
and that he had been told to place it beside the pulpit of the Mosque of
Az-Zahir. Thereupon it was ordered that the two monks should be tortured, and
they confessed that they were among the inhabitants of the Monastery of the
Mule, and had set fire to the places already described, out of hatred to the
Muslims and to take revenge upon them for the destruction of the churches ;
and that many Christians had joined together, and had collected a considerable
sum to prepare this naphtha.
Meanwhile Karim ad-Din, Keeper of the Privy Purse, had returned from
Alexandria ; and the Sultan informed him of the capture of the Christians, where-
upon he answered : ' The Christians have a patriarch with whom they consult, and
who knows their dispositions.' Then the Sultan commanded to bring the patriarch
to the dwelling of Karim ad-Din that he might speak with him of the fire, and the
share of the Christians in kindling it. The patriarch came therefore under the
guard of the Wall of Cairo by night through fear of the people, and when he
had entered the house of Karim ad-Din, in the quarter of Ad-Dailam, and the
three Christians had been brought from the dwelling of the Wali, they repeated
to Karim ad-Din in the presence of the patriarch and Wali all that they had
before confessed. When the patriarch heard the confession, he began to weep,
and said : ' These are fanatical Christians, who wished to avenge themselves
on the fanatical Muslims on account of the destruction of the churches.'
Thereupon he was released by Karim ad-Din with ceremony, and found that
Karim ad-Din had caused a mule to be kept in readiness for him at the door,
so that he might ride upon it; so he mounted and rode off; thereupon the
people were angry and fell upon him together, and if the Wali had not
accompanied him he would have been slain.
Next morning Karim ad-Din wished to ride, according to his custom, to the
Castle, and when he came out of doors as usual, the people cried to him in
the streets: 'It is not allowed, O Cadi, that thou shouldest take under thy
protection the Christians who have burnt down the houses of Muslims, and
shouldest let them ride upon mules.' These words angered him and increased
his desire to do injuries, and when he came before the Sultan he tried to
336" CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
represent the crime of the Christians who had been captured as slight, saying
that they were fanatics and fools; but the Sultan bade the Walt increase the
tortures. So the Wall went down and caused them to be severely tortured,
so that they confessed that fourteen monks had conspired together in the
Monastery of the Mule to burn down all the dwellings of the Muslims, and
that among them there was a monk who prepared the naphtha ; that they
had partitioned Cairo and Misr among themselves, so that eight came to
Cairo and six to Misr. Then the Wall had the Monastery of the Mule
surrounded and all its inmates seized; four of them were burnt at the cross-
ways by the Mosque of Ibn Tfilun on Friday, where a great crowd had
assembled to see them. From this time the common people were enraged
against the Christians, and began to insult them and tore their garments off
them, so that every form of outrage was allowed, and such as exceeded all
measure. Thereupon the Sultan grew angry, and formed the plan of making
an attack upon the people. It happened that when he was riding on a Saturday
from the citadel to go to the great hippodrome, he saw a great crowd of
people who were filling the streets and shouting : ' God protect Islam ! Protect
the religion of Muhammad ibn 'Abdallah ! ' He rode aside to avoid them, and
when he reached the hippodrome, the Treasurer brought two Christians to him
who had just been caught in the attempt to set fire to the houses; he com-
manded that they should be burnt, whereupon they were led away, a ditch was
dug, and they were burnt in the sight of the people. While they were yet
employed in burning the two Christians, the Chamberlain of the Divan of the
Emir and Cupbearer Baktimur, who was a Christian, came by, to reach the
house of the Emir Baktimur. When the people saw him, they threw him from
his beast, dragged off all his clothes, and carried him off to throw him into
the fire ; then he repeated in a loud voice the two formulas of belief, confessed
Islam, and was set at liberty. Meanwhile Karim ad-Din, clothed with a robe of
honour, passed by the hippodrome ; but they drove him away with stones, and
cried out : ' How long wilt thou protect and defend the Christians ? ' They mocked
at him, so that he saw no way of escape except to return to the Sultan, who
was still in the hippodrome ; the cries of the people were so loud in their
anger that the Sultan could hear them. When Karim ad-Din came to him
and informed him of what had passed, he was full of wrath, and asked the
advice of the Emirs who were with him, such as the Emir Jamal ad-Din,
deputy-governor of Al-Kark, the Emir Saif ad-Din al-Bubakri, the Cham-
berlain Baktimur, and several others ; Al-Bubakri thought that the people
APPENDIX. 337
* * * and that it was best for the Chamberlain to go and ask. them what
they wanted before any step was taken. This view, however, did not please the
Sultan, who turned away from him. Thereupon the Deputy-governor of Al-Kark
said : ' All this comes from the Christian secretaries, for the people hate them,
and my advice is that the Sultan should take no step against the people, but
should remove the Christians from the Divan.' This advice also displeased the
Sultan, who said to the Emir and Chamberlain Alamas : ' Go and take four of
the Emirs with thee, and cut the people down from the place where thou leavest
the hippodrome until thou comest to the Gate of Zawilah, and strike with the
sword among them from the Gate of Zawilah to the Gate of Victory, without
sparing any ; ' and to the Walt of Cairo he said : ' Ride to the Gate of
Al-Lawak and the neighbourhood of the river, and let none pass without seizing
him and bringing him to "the Castle, and if thou dost not bring those who have
stoned my deputy (he meant Karim ad-Din), by my head I will hang thee instead
of them ; ' and he sent with him a detachment of his body-Mamelukes. After
a hesitation on the part of the Emirs to carry out the command, so that the
matter became known, and they met no one, especially no slaves or attendants
of the Emirs, then at last they set out ; the news was spread in Cairo, all the
bazaars were shut, and an unheard-of sorrow fell upon the people. The Emirs
went forth, but found on their long march not a single person until they
reached the Gate of Victory; but the Wall at the Gate of Al-Lawak in the
neighbourhood of Bulak and at the Water-Gate seized a crowd of rabble, sailors,
and low people, by which action such fear was spread that a great number
removed to the province of Al-Jizah on 'the western bank. The Sultan returned
from the hippodrome and found on his way, until he reached the Castle, not one
of the people; as soon as he arrived at the Castle he sent to the Wall, and
told him to hasten to come to him ; and the sun was not yet set when he
appeared with about 200 people whom he had seized. Then the Sultan made
a division of them, and ordered that some should be hanged, others cut in two,
others deprived of their hands ; then they all cried : ' O Lord, that is not
lawful, it was not we who stoned him.' The Emir and Cupbearer Baktimur
and the other Emirs present wept out of sympathy with them, and did not
quit the Sultan until he said to the Wali: 'Divide off a part of them and
erect posts from the Gate of Zawilah to the Castle in the Horse-Market and
hang them up by their hands.' Next morning, being Sunday, they were all
hung up from the Gate of Zawilah to the Horse-Market, some of them being
distinguished and well-dressed persons ; the Emirs who passed by them expressed
X x [II. 7.]
338 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
sympathy with them, and wept over them. None of the shop-owners of Cairo
and Misr opened his shop that day. Karim ad-Din left his dwelling to go to
the Castle as usually, but he could not go past those who were hanged up, and
so he took another way, not that through the Gate of Zawilah. The Sultan
was already sitting behind a lattice, and caused a number of those whom the
Wali had captured to be brought and the hands and feet of three of them
to be cut off. The Emirs could not speak in their favour because his anger
was too hot ; then Karim ad-Din entered, bared his head, kissed the earth, and
begged for mercy; the Sultan at last yielded to his prayers, and ordered that
the prisoners should work at the excavation at Al-Jizah. Then they were led
away ; but two of the mutilated had already died ; and those who were hung
up were taken down from the posts.
While the Sultan still stood at the lattice, the cry of fire arose in the
neighbourhood of the Mosque of Ibn Tiilun, and in the Castle on the Mountain,
in the dwelling of the Emir Rukn ad-Din al-Ahmadi in the street of Baha ad-
Din, in the inn before the Water-Gate of Al-Maks and in the adjacent buildings.
On the morning of this day three Christians had been caught, with whom cords
steeped in naphtha were found, and when brought before the Sultan they con-
fessed that they had caused the fire. The fire lasted at those places until
Saturday, and when the Sultan, according to his custom, wished to ride to the
hippodrome, he met 20,000 people who had coloured pieces of stuff blue, and
had made a white cross upon them, and when they saw the Sultan they cried
with loud and united voices : ' There is no religion except that of Islam !
God protect the religion of Muhammad ibn 'Abdallah ! O Malik an-Nasir,
Sultan of Islam ! help us against the unbelievers, and do not protect the
Christians ! ' The earth trembled with their terrible voices, and God filled the
heart of the Sultan and the hearts of the Emirs with fear ; they continued
their way, while he was deeply sunk in thought, until he came to the hippodrome.
As meanwhile the shouts of the people did not cease, he held it best to act
cautiously, and he bid the Chamberlain go out and proclaim that he who should
find a Christian should demand money and blood from him. The Chamberlain
went out and made this proclamation, and the people cried : ' God protect thee ! '
and gave him their congratulations. The Christians then used to wear white
turbans, so it was proclaimed at Cairo and Misr that any one who should
find a Christian in a white turban should be allowed to kill him and to seize
his goods ; and a similar permission was granted to any one who should meet
a Christian on horseback. A decree was issued that the Christians should wear
APPENDIX.
339
blue turbans, and that none of them should ride a horse or a mule, but that
they might ride asses with their heads to the tail; that no Christian might
enter a bath without a bell round his neck ; and that none of them might
wear the dress of the Muslims. The Emirs were forbidden to take Christians
into their service ; the latter were removed from the Sultan's Divan, and it was
commanded in all the provinces that all Christians holding office should be
dismissed. The attacks of the Muslims upon the Christians increased so that
the latter no longer walked in the streets, and a large number of them accepted
Islam.
Nothing had been said at this time of the Jews, and so the Christians
began, when they wished to leave their dwellings, to borrow a yellow turban
from one of the Jews, and to wear it so as to be safe from the people. Then
it happened that one of the Christians in the Divans was owed 4,000 dirhams
by a Jew, so he came by night in disguise to the Jew's house to demand the
money ; then the Jew seized him and cried : ' Help from God and the Muslims 1 '
and shouted so that people ran together to seize the Christian ; but he fled
into the inner part of the Jew's house and hid himself with the wife of the
latter ; he was, however, obliged to write a receipt stating that the Jew had
paid him his debt, and then he was set free.
Several Christians of the Monastery of Al-Khandak were accused of having
prepared naphtha to set fire to the houses ; they were captured and nailed up.
A decree was issued that the people might safely be present when the Sultan
rode to the hippodrome according to their custom ; this took place because
they stood in fear of their lives on account of their having too frequently
attacked the Christians and overstepped all bounds. Now they became bold,
came as usually to the neighbourhood of the hippodrome, offered good wishes
to the Sultan, and began to cry : ' God protect thee, Ruler of the land ! we
are spared, we are spared ! ' The Sultan heard this favourably and smiled at
their words. At night a fire arose at the dwelling of the Emir and Chamber-
lain Alamas in the Castle ; the wind was strong, so that the fire took hold
and reached the house of the Emir Itmish, and the inhabitants of the Castle and
of Cairo were so much terrified that they believed that the whole Castle was burnt.
More terrible events than these have never been heard of, for the Christians
burnt the houses at Cairo in the Roast-meat -Vendors' market and the alley of
Al-'Arishah in the street of Ad-Dailam, sixteen houses near the dwelling of Karim
ad-Din, a number of houses in the quarter of the Romans, the house of Bahadur
near the Chapel of Husain, some dwellings at the stable of At-Tarimah and in
X x 2
340 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
the street of Honey, the palace of the Emir Silah, and the palace of the Emir
Salar in the street between the two castles, the palace of Bishari, the Khan
al-Hajar, Al-Jamalun, the hall of Al-Afram, the house of Baibars in the street of
As-Salihiyah, the house of Ibn Al-Maghrabi in the street of Zawilah, many
dwellings in the street of the Swallows' Well and at Al-Hakar, in the Castle
on the Mountain, by several mosques and oratories and other buildings, which
it would take too much space to mention.
Among the churches, destruction was wrought on the church at the Ruins
of the Tartars in the Castle of the Mountain, the Church of Az-Zuhri on the
spot where the Pool of An-Nasir now is, the Church of the Hamra, a church
near the Seven Wells, which is called that of the Daughters, the Church of
Saint Mennas, the Church of Al-Fahhadin (the Trainers) at Cairo, a church
in the quarter of the Romans, a church near the Archers, two churches in the
quarter of Zawilah, a church near the Flag-Store, a church at Al-Khandak ; four
churches in the frontier-city of Alexandria, two churches in the town of Damanhur
Al-Wahsh, a church in the province of Al-Gharbiyah, three churches in the
province of Ash-Sharkiyah, six churches in the province of Al-Bahnasa ; at Suyut,
Manfalut, and Munyat Ibn al-Khasib eight churches, at Kus and Aswan eleven
churches, in the province of Itfili one church; in the market-place of Wardan
in the city of Misr, in the quarters of Al-Musasah and Kasr ash-Shama' at Misr
eight churches. A great number of monasteries also were destroyed, and the
Monastery of the Mule and the Monastery of Shahran remained long deserted.
These important events, such as could with difficulty be found a second time
during a long series of years, took place in a short space of time ; so many persons
perished, so much property was destroyed, and so many buildings ruined that for
their multitude they cannot be described. The end of all things rests with God !
16. Church of Michael. This church was by the canal of the Bani Wa'il
before the city of Misr to the south of 'Akabah Yahsub, and is now near the
Bridge of Al-Afram ; it was newly built under Islam, and is of fine architecture.
1 7. Church of Mary, in the Gardens of the Vizier to the south of the Lake
of Al-H abash ; it is empty, and no one goes there.
18. The Church of Mary, in the district of Al-'Adawiyah towards the south, is
old, but already ruined.
19. The Church of Anthony, in the district of Bayad, north of Itfili, has
been renewed. In the district of Sharnub there were many churches now
destroyed ; one of them is in the district of Ihrit on the mountain, two days
to the south of Bavad, and still exists.
APPENDIX.
341
20. The Church of the Virgin, in the neighbourhood of Ashkar ; at its
gate stands a tower built of large bricks, which is said to be the place where
Musa ibn 'Imran (the prophet Moses) was born.
21. Church of Mary, in the district of Al-Khusus; it is a house of which
they have made a church, which, however, is neglected.
22. Church of Mary, Church of Al-Ka?ir, and Church of Gabriel ; these
three churches stand in the district of Abnub.
23. Church of Asutir, which means [o-a>T)7p = ] the Saviour; this stands
in the city of Ikhmim, and is much revered among the Christians ; it bears
the name of the Martyrs, and there is a well there, the water of which, if it be
put into a lamp, becomes of a deep-red colour like blood.
24. Church of Michael, also at Ikhmim. There is a custom among the
Christians at these two churches that when they are keeping the Feast of Palms,
also called the Feast of Hosanna, the priests and deacons go in procession
with censers, incense, crosses, the gospels, and lighted candles, and stand before
the door of the Cadi, and then before the doors of the most respectable Muslims,
where they burn incense, read a passage of the Gospel, and sing a hymn, that
is to say, praise him.
25. The Church of Saint Pachomius, in the district of Atfah, is the last
church on the eastern bank. Bakhum or Pachomius was a monk at the time
of Saint Sinuthius ; he is called the Father of the Community, because he
increased the number of the monks and gave a teacher to every two monks.
He did not allow wine or meat to be brought into his monastery, and he com-
manded that the fast should be kept until the end of the ninth hour of the
day; he gave his monks roasted chickpeas to eat, and they called them chick-
peas of scarcity. His monastery has long been destroyed, but this church of
his still exists at Atfa, to the south of Ikhmim.
26. The Church of the Evangelist Mark, at Al-Jizah, was ruined after
a. h. 800 and then rebuilt. This Mark was one of the Disciples of Christ, and
founder of the patriarchal see of Egypt and Abyssinia.
27. The Church of Saint George, in the district of Bu 'n-Numrus in [the
province of] Al-Jizah, was destroyed in a. h. 780, as it has been related above,
but afterwards restored.
28. The Church in the district of Bu Far a, on the farthest limit of the
province of Al-Jizah.
29. Church of Sinuthius, in the district of Harabshant.
30. Church of Saint George, in the district of Bana, is celebrated among
342 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
them ; they bring thither votive offerings, and swear by it, and relate many
remarkable stories of it.
31. Church of Saint Mdrilld, in the district of Shumusta. This Maruta is
highly honoured among them ; he was a revered monk, and his bones are
kept in a chest in the monastery of BG Bishai on the plain of Shihat, and
are visited even now.
32. Church of Mary at Al-Bahnasa. It is said that there were 360 churches
at Al-Bahnasa, which have all been destroyed, so that this church alone remains.
33. The Church of the Monk Samuel, in the district of Shinarah.
34. The Church of Mary, in the district of Tunbuda, is old.
35. The Church of Michael, in the district of Tunbuda, is large and old. There
were here many churches now destroyed ; the greater part of the inhabitants of
Tunbuda consist of Christian artisans.
36. The Church of the Apostles, in the district of Ishnin, is very large.
37. The Church of Mary, in the district of Ishnin, is old.
38. The Church of Michael, and 39. The Church of Gabriel also, in the district
of Ishnin. In this district there were 160 churches, which have all been destroyed
with the exception of the four above mentioned ; the greater part of the inhabi-
tants of Ishnin are Christians, and they maintain themselves by keeping watch
over the palm-trees. Further on there are still remains of churches in which they
keep their festivals, as the Church of Saint George, that of Maruta, that of
Barbara, and that of Gafril, i.e. fabril (Gabriel).
40. In Munyat ibn Khasib there are six churches, that of Al-Mu'allakah, i.e.
the Church of the Virgin, that of Peter and Paul, that of Michael, that of
Saint George, that of Saint Paul of Tamwaih, and that of the three youths,
namely, Ananias, Azarias, and Misael, who were warriors in the time of Bukht
Nasr (Nabuchadnezzar) and worshipped God in secret; when they were dis-
covered Bukht Nasr wished to bring them back to the worship of idols, and
when they refused this he had them thrown into prison for a long time that
they might be perverted ; but they would not, and so he had them brought out
and cast into the fire, which, however, did not burn them. The Christians hold
them in great honour, although they lived long before the time of Christ.
41. Church in the district of Taha in the name of the Disciples of Christ, who
are called by them Apostles.
42. Church of Mary, also in the district of Taha.
43. The Church of the Two Wise Men, in the district of Manhari, keeps a great
festival in the month of Bashans at which the bishop is present, and a great
APPENDIX.
343
fair is held at the festival. These two wise men are Cosmas and Damian,
the two monks.
44. The Church of the Virgin, in the district of Bu Karkas, is old and large.
45. In the district of Mallawi there is the Church of the Apostles, and two ruined
churches, one named after Saint George and the other after the angel Michael.
46. In the district of Daljah there were many churches of which only three
are left; the Church of the Virgin which is large, that of Sinuthius, and that of
Saint Mer cur ius ; they (the others) are entirely destroyed.
47. In the district of Sanabu is the Church of Saint Paul and that of
Saint George ; Sanabu numbers many Christians.
48. In the district of Bibla'u, to the north of Sanabu, there is an old church
on the western side of the city named after George ; there are many Christians
who practise agriculture.
49. In the district of Darut there is a church near the town, like a monastery,
and named after the Monk Serapion who lived in the time of Sinuthius and was
elected bishop ; many things are told of him.
50. In the district of Buk Bam Zaid there is a large church named after
the Apostles, in which a festival is kept.
51. In the province of Kus is the Church of Mary and that of Gabriel.
52. In the district of Damshir is the Church of the Martyr Mercurius; it is old
and there are many Christians there.
53. In the district of Umm al-Kusur is the Church of Saint fohn the Dwarf,
which is old.
54. In the district of Ballut, on the frontier of the district of Manfalut, is
the Church of Michael, which is small.
55. In the district of Al-Balagharah, on the borders of Manfalut, is a small
church, inhabited by the priest with his family. ,
56. In the district of Shakalkil are three large old churches, named respec-
tively after the Apostles, Michael and Saint Mennas.
57. In the district of Munsha'at an-Nasara is a church of Michael.
58. In the town of Suyut is the Church of Bu Sadrah (i. e. St. Theodore)
and that of the Apostles ; and before the town is the Church of Saint Mennas.
59. In the district of Udrunkah there is a very old church named after the three
youths Ananias, Azarias, and Misael ; it is a school for poor Christians. The
inhabitants of Durunkah are Christians, and understand the Coptic language,
which is the means of communication there both for children and adults, and
they are able to explain it in Arabic.
344 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
60. In the district of Rifah al-Gharbi is the Church of Saint Coluthus, who was
a physician and monk, and performed wonderful cures of inflammation of the eye ;
a festival is held in his honour at this church. There is also a Church of Michael here.
Worms have already gnawed away one side of [the church at] Rifah al-Gharbi.
61. In the district of Mushah there is a church built over a bath, in
the name of the martyr Victor; it was built in the time of Constantine, son
of Helena, and has a terrace ten cubits wide, and three domes, each of which
is about eighty cubits high; the whole is built of white stone; but the western
half is already fallen. It is said that this church stands over a treasure which
lies beneath it ; and it is said that there was a passage under the earth from
Suyut to this town of Mushah.
62. In the district of Bukur, at the border of Butij, there is an old Church
dedicated to the martyr Claudius, who stands among them on a par with
Mercurius, Georgius i. e. Bu Jurj, the commander Theodorus. and Mina'us.
The father of Claudius was one of the prefects of Diocletian, and he was himself
celebrated for his bravery. When he became a Christian, the emperor had him
seized and tortured that he might return to the worship of idols, but he remained
steadfast until he was killed. Many things are related of him.
63. In the district of Al-Kati'ah there is a Church named after the Virgin,
where there was a bishop named Alduwin, who had a quarrel with his own party,
so that they buried him alive ; they are among the worst Christians, and are
notorious for their wickedness. There was among them a Christian named
George, son of the Nun, who overstepped all bounds, so that the Emir and
Majordomo Jamal ad-Din cut off his head in the reign of Al-Malik an-Nasir
Faraj ibn Barkuk.
64. In the district of Butij there are several ruined churches ; and the Christians
are accustomed to say their prayers secretly in one of their houses, and when day
breaks, they go out to the ruins of a church, there erect an altar of palm-stems in
the form of a cage, and perform their devotions.
65. In the district of Bu Makrufah there is an old Church dedicated to Michael,
where two festivals are kept yearly. The inhabitants of that district are Christians,
chiefly shepherds, and are people of a low class.
66. In the district of Duwainah there is a Church named after Saint John
the Dwarf, who is much revered among them ; there lived there a man named
Jonas, who was elected bishop, and was celebrated for his knowledge, in several
sciences; they were irritated against him for envy of his knowledge, and they
buried him alive, but his body had already ascended to heaven.
APPENDIX. 345
67. In Al-Maraghah, between Tahta and Tima, there is a church, and in the
district of Kilfa'u a large church. The Christians of this place are celebrated
for their knowledge of magic and kindred sciences, and there was there, in
the reign of Al- Malik az-Zahir Barkuk, a deacon named Absaltis, who possessed
great skill in them, and stories are told of him which I prefer not to repeat
on account of their strangeness.
68. In the district of Farshiit there is a Church of Michael and a Church
of the Virgin Mary.
69. In the city of Huw there is a Church of the Virgin and a Church of
Saint Mennas.
70. In the district of Bahjiiiah there is a Church of the Apostles, and at
Isna a Church of Mary, a Church of Michael, and a Church of fohn the Baptist,
i.e. Yaliyd ibn Zakariyd.
71. At Nakadah there is a Church of the Virgin, a Church of fohn the Baptist,
a Church of Gabriel, and a Church of fohn the Compassionate. The last was a rich
man of Antioch, who became a monk, divided all his goods among the poor, and
travelled through the world ; and he confessed the Christian religion. His father
consoled himself on his son's account, and it was believed that he was dead.
Afterwards he came back to Antioch in such a condition that no one knew him ;
he lived in a cell on a dunghill, and fed upon that which was thrown upon the
dunghill until he died. At his funeral his father was present and recognized
the cover of his book of the gospels, and on further examination found that
it was his son; so he buried him, and built in his name the Church of Antioch
and that of the Virgin in the town of Kift.
72. At Asfun there were several churches which were destroyed with the town ;
in the town of Kus also there were many monasteries and churches which were
destroyed with the town, so that only one Church of the Virgin is now remaining.
Besides the churches hitherto mentioned by us there is none remaining in the
southern provinces. As for the northern provinces there is at Munyah Surad in
the district of Cairo a Church of the Virgin Mary, which is famous among them ;
in the district of Sanduwah a new church named after Saint George ; at Marsafa
a restored church also named after Saint George; at Samannud a church named
after the Apostles, built in a house ; at Sanbat a church celebrated among them
and named after the Apostles; at Sandafa a church revered among them and named
after Saint George ; at Ar-Raidaniyah a Church of the Virgin, highly revered
among them. At Damietta there are four Churches, of the Virgin, Michael,
fohn the Baptist, and St. George, which are celebrated among them. In the district
y y pi. 7 .]
346 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
of Subk al-'Abid there is a church in a hidden house, named after the Virgin;
at Al-Nahrai iyah there is a new church in a hidden house ; at Lukanah there is
a Church of Saint John the Dwarf; at Damanhur there is a new church in a hidden
house, named after Michael. At Alexandria is the Church of Al-Mu'allakah named
after the Virgin, the Church of Saint George, the Church of John the Baptist, and
that of the Apostles.
These are the churches of the Jacobites in Egypt ; and they have also at Gaza
a Church of Mary and at Jerusalem the Kumdmah (i. e. Church of the Holy
Sepulchre, or rather a chapel in it) dnd the Church of Zion.
As for the Melkites, they possess at Cairo the Church of Saint Nicholas near
the Archers, and at Misr the Church of the Angel Gabriel in the quarter of Kasr
ash-Shama', where the cell of their patriarch is, the Church of the Virgin also in the
Kasr ash-Shama', the Church of the Angel Michael near the Church of Barbara
at Misr, and the Church of Saint John in the quarter of the Monastery of At-Tin.
I.
INDEX OF CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES
IN EGYPT,
ACCORDING TO ABU SALIH,
enumerating not only the churches contained within the walls of monasteries,
but also the satellite churches or chapels. It is assumed that each monastery
must contain one church if more are not named. It must be remembered that
the churches and monasteries of the greater part of Lower Egypt, Cairo, and
the Wadi Habib are not described, although some of them are incidentally named,
in the existing portion of the work. The folios of the original MS., marked
at the side of the text and translation, are here given.
No. of
No. of
Place.
Churches.
Monasteries.
Folio of MS.
Abtujah ....
4
73 b
Abu 'n-Numrus, see Bunumrus
Al- e Adawiyah .
3
I
44 a, 46 b, 48 a
Aflah az-Zaitun
7
I
72 b
Ahnas ....
2
I
92 a
Akfahs ....
6
I
80 a, 91a
Alexandria
I
80 a
Andariba, Mount, see Atribah
Ansina ....
5
5
79 b, 86 b, 87 a, 92 a
Anthony, Monastery of Saint
i
i
54 a ff.
Al-'Arish ....
2
i
56 b
Armant ....
I
102 b
Ashrubah ....
8
75 a
Asiout, see Usyut
Assouan, see Uswan
Athlidim ....
5
92 a
Atribah, Mount .
i
82 b
Bahjurah ....
i
81 a
Al-Bahnasa
i5
. ..
73 b, 74 b, 75 a
Al-Bahnasa, Oasis of .
3
i
75 a, 93 a &b, 94 a
Bahumalis
5
, #
73 b
Bakik, Island of
2
104 a
yy 2
348
CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
No. of
No. of
Place.
Churches.
Monasteries.
Folio of MS.
Balujah ....
I
56 a
Band Busir
5
18 a, 69 a
Bardanuhah
8
74 a
Barjanus ....
i
1
86 a
Al-Barnil ....
2
...
56 a
Al-Basatin
2
1
1 b, 2 a, 3 a, 4 b.
5 a
Bilak, see Philae
Bisus ....
I
1
76 a
Brothers, Monastery of the
I
I
73^
Bu Haruk ....
I
1
104 b
Bftlak [Dakrur]
2
60 b
Bulyana ....
I
I
81a
Bunumrus or Kasr Khakan
I
. .
60 b
Busir Bana [or Wana]
2
17 b, 68 b
Busir Kuridus .
I
I
92 b
Al-Bustan, see Al-Basatin .
Butij ....
I
...
91a
Cairo ....
4
I
5 a, 23 b
Cairo, Old, see Fustat Misr
Dahshur ....
i
I
53 b
Dair at-Tinadah
i
I
90 a
Dalas ....
i
I
91 a
Daljah, District of
24
78 a, 91 b
Damamil ....
1
102 b
Damanhur
1
45 b
Damuh ....
1
66 b
Darwat as-Sarabam .
2
77 b
Devils, Mon. of the, see Torch
Dimnix ....
5
4
86 a
Dogs, Mon. of the, see Vine-
dresser
Ekhmeem, see Ikhmim
Elephantine, j^Uswan, Island
of
Esneh, see Isna.
Fanu and Nakalifah, District of
5
1
72 b, 73 a
Fau
1
...
103 b
INDEX I.
349
Place.
Fayyum, the
Fayyum, City of the, see Madi-
nat al- Fayyum
Funkus ....
Fustat Misr and suburbs .
Ghizeh, see Al-Jizah
Al-Hamra, Churches of, see
Fustat Misr
Al-Hanadah, Mon. of, see Rifah
Helouan, see Hulwan
Honey, Mon. of, see Munyah
Bani Khasib
Hulwan ....
Ibkah
Ibsha'i, Mon. of, see Usyut
Ibsidiya .
Idfak
Idrijah
Ikhinim (at or near) .
Iknu
Ishnin
Isna
Itfih
Jabal Ashtar or Halaliyah
Jalfah
Al-Jimudat
Al-Jizah .
Al-Jizah, Province of
Al-Jummaizah .
Al-Kaff, Mount of, see At-T
Al-Kais or Dafu
Kalamun .
Al-Kalandimun .
Kalusana .
Kamulah .
nr
No. of
Churches.
No. of
Monasteries.
Folio of MS.
...
35
(under Omeyyads)
18 b, 70a
I
37
5
77a
23 b ff., 29 b ff.
2
3
52b
I
1
101 a
I
I
I
70
(before a.h. 552)
I
1
3
90 a
74 b
18 a, 69 b
86 a
82 a
12
91 a
I
20
1 till endofi2th cent.)
::
102 a
56 a
I
4
1
6
5 .
1
1
2
5
1
77 b
73 b, 74 a
84 a
59 a ff.
65 a
55b
1
12
1
1
91 a & b
71 b
9
2
1
92 a
92 b
9
1
104 a
35
CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Place.
No. of
Churches.
No. of
Monasteries.
Folio
of MS.
Kanah ....
2
2
103b
Al-Kantarah, see Fustat Misr
Karfunah, Mon. of
I
I
89 a
Kasr Khakan, see Bunumrus
Al-Khaizaraniyah
I
60 a & b
Al-Khandak, see Fustat Misr
Khazarah ....
I
...
102 b
Al-Khusus
25
I
88 b
Kift '.
I I
8
103 a
Kufadah ....
5
t
73 b
Al-Kufur ....
1
74 a
Al-Kulzum
1
1
58a
Kus ....
12
1
80 a
Al-Kusair, Mon. of .
8
1
13 b, 44 a,
49 a ff.
Al-Kusair al-Hakkani
1
1
50 a
Kusakam, see Kus Kam
Kus Kam
1
1
78a & b
Lahun ....
2
1
73a & b
Leper, Mon. of the, see Al-
Bahnasa, Oasis of
Light, Mon. of, see Annas
Madinat al-Fayyum .
4
70 b, 71a
Mallawi ....
7
*
74 b
Manf, see Memphis
Mansarah
3
...
80 a
Maraghat
1
92 b
Mareotis, see Al-Mariyah
Al-Mariyah (Marea) .
1
107 b
Maryut, see Al-Mariyah
Memphis ....
1
68a & b
Mir ....
3
*
80 a
Misr, see Fustat Misr
Al-Muharrakah, Mon. of, see
Kus Kam
Al-Muharrakah [near Bu-
numrus]
1
61 a
Mukhnan ....
1
. . .
60 b
Mule, Mon. of the, see Al-Kusair
Muna '1-Amir .
1
*
60 b
INDEX I.
35i
Place.
No. of
Churches.
No. of
Monasteries.
Folio of MS.
Munyat Andunah
2
60 b
Munyah Bani Khasib
14
I
77b, 78a. 88a & b
Munyat al-Ka'id
2
...
17 b, 69 a
Munyat ash-Shammas
I
I
65 b
Munyat as-Sudan, see Hulwan
Nahya ....
2
I
61 a ff.
Najaj ....
r
...
74b
Nakalifah, see Fanu
Naklun ....
2
I
7 1 a & b
Oasis, see Al-Bahnasa
Paul, Monastery of St.
1
I
56 b
Philae, Island of
2
104 b
Pillar, Church of the, see Itfih
Potter, Mon. of the, see Turd
Ranah ....
1
1
58 a
Red Monastery, see Al-Jizah
Rifah and Udrunkah .
9
2
74 b, 89 a
Saft Abu Jirjah .
4
74 a
Saft Maidum
1
. .
64 b
Saft al-Muhallabi
3
74b
Saft Rashin
2
75 b
Sailah ....
2
2
73 a
Sakiyah Mahfuz
5
. .
74 b-
Samallut ....
1
I
88 a
Sanabu ....
27
I
77 b, 80 a
As-Saraf .
1
>
66 b
Saul ....
3
56 a
Servant, Mon. of the, see Ansina
Shinara ....
24
. . .
91b, 92 a
Shubra ....
1
71 b
Shutb ....
1
. .
88 a
Sumusta ....
1
. . .
90 b
Suyut, see Usyut
Taha al-Madinah
7
(once 360?)
...
74 a, 77 a
At-Tair, Mount of
I
76 a
35*
CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Place.
No. of
Churches.
No. of
Monasteries.
Folio of MS.
Tamha. ....
Tamwaih ....
Tansa, ....
Torch, Mon. of the, see Munyat
ash-Shammas
Tunbudha
Tura. ....
Turfah ....
I
6
4
2
o
I
I
I
1
60 b
67 a
1 8 a, 69 b
31a, 90 a
47 b
74b
Udrunkah, see Rifah
Upper Egypt (locality not
further defined)
Al-Ushmunain .
Uswan (near) .
Uswan, Island of
Usyut (at or near)
2
8
5
2
6o
2
1
6
80 a & b
104 a
10 ft>, 104 a
101 b
87 b, 89 a
Vinedresser, Mon. of the .
i
1
63 b, 64 b
Wadab al-Kum
Wadi Habib .
Wana Busir, see Bana.
Wasim ....
i
2
I
2
60 b
44a,47b,53b, 6 3 b
60 b
Sob
Water, Church of the, see
Ansina
Well, Mon. of the, see Kamulah
White Monastery, see Atribah
(once 366 ?)
Zaitim, see Aflah az-Zaitun
Zawilah, Quarter of, see Cairo
Az-Zuhri, see Cairo
Zuwailah, see Zawilah
Total .
707
181
INDEX II.
353
II.
SUPPLEMENTARY GEOGRAPHICAL INDEX.
'Abbasah, 21 a, 24 b, 31b.
Abu Jaras, see Bujaras.
Al-Abwaniyah, Province of,
7 b.
Abyssinia, 105 a ff.
king of, 97 a, 112 a.
kings of, in capacity of
priests, 105 b.
kings of, letters sent by,
to Cairo, 106 b.
Abyssinians, 23 b.
District of, see Habash.
Lake of, see Al-Habash.
Adku, 8 a.
Afram, City of, under See
of Kulzum, 58 b.
Africa, Western, converted
by St. Philip, 107 a.
'Aidhab, 21a, 101 a.
road to, from Kift,
103 a.
Ailah, 2 1 a.
in 'Irak, 112a.
Akhmeem, see Ikhmim.
Al-Aksurain, see Luxor.
Alexandria, 7 b, 20 b, 21a,
29 a, 36 b, 59 a.
Alfi, City of, 94 b.
Alley of Abu Farwah, 32 a.
Sahl ibn 'Akil, 32 a & b.
of the Lupins, 32 b.
'Alwah, Town of, 95 a.
Province of, 99 a.
Ansina (Antinoe), 70 b.
Antioch, Patriarch of, 1 2 b.
'Anzarwa-A'jab' (or 'Unzur
wa-'jab,' name of place
near Mareotis), 107 b.
Arabs, 57 a.
slaughter of, by Copts,
29 b.
Arab wives of Ishmael, 57 b.
Arabic spoken by Ishmael,
Ard Habash, see Habash.
Al-'Arish, 19 b, 21a, 23 b,
56 b, 58 a.
Armant, meaning of name
of, 102 b.
Armenia, 5 a.
Armenian bishop of Jeru-
salem, 3 b.
sent to Egypt, 5 a.
burying-places, 44 a.
church at Al-Basatin,
1 b, 2 a & b, 4 b, 5 a & b,
6a&b.
at Itfih, 55 b. >
at Az-Zuhri, 5 a & b.
colony in Egypt, 2 a, 4 b,
48 a.
at Shinara, 91b.
at Tura, 48 a.
monastery at Al-Basatin,
1 b, 2 a, 3 a.
atAl-Khusus, 88 b.
at Az-Zuhri, 3 b.
Patriarch, 2 b ff., 47 b.
priest at Cairo, acting as
deputy of Patriarch, 3 a.
Z z
Armenians, 2 am, 26a, 47b,
48 b, 91 b.
altar of, in church at Saft
Maidum, 64 b.
Church of, at Kalusana,
92 b.
quarter of, in Madinat
al-Fayyum, 71a.
driven out of Egypt, 2 a,
48 a.
recovery of their churches
by, 6 b.
Askar, birthplace of Moses,
19 b.
Askit, 87 a.
Assouan, see Uswan.
Aswan, see Uswan.
Al-'Atash, Mount of, 95 a.
Atlantic Ocean, see Sea of
Darkness.
Atrib, 37 b.
Aukir, City of, 112 a.
Babylon (on Euphrates),
19 a, 76 b.
(in Egypt), 21 a, 23a&b.
Baghdad, 94 b, 97 b.
Bahnasa, 45b, 73 b, 74 b,
75 a.
Al-Bahnasa'iyah, Province
of, 8 b.
Bahr al-Jizah, 34 b.
Bahr an-Na'am, 103 a.
Bahr Suf, 58 b.
[II. 7.]
354
CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Bahr Yilsuf, see Al-Manhi,
Canal of.
Bain al-Kumain, 32 b (be-
tween Fustat and Cairo).
as-Sakhratain, 23 b.
Bait Sanis, 104 b.
Baraghwatah (in W.Africa),
65 a {see Ibn Ghawatah).
Barkah, 2 r a, 65 a.
Al-Barmak, 17 b.
Barniyudah, 73b.
Bashawah, 104 b.
Bashmurites fought for Mar-
wan II, 84 b.
Bashrud, see Bashmurites.
Bastah, 5 a, 45 b.
Baths, ruined, at Al-Khari-
bah, near Usyiit, 88 a.
of Ibn Najah, 32 a.
of As-Salib, 33 a.
Bausaka, City of, 94 b.
Al-Bawasir (name of Al-
Hamra ad-Dunya), 34 b.
Berbers, 65 a, 107 b.
Bethlehem, Church of Nati-
vity at, 50 b.
Al-Bihu, District of, 76 a.
Bilak, see Philae.
Birds, Mount of the, also
called Mount of the Palm,
76 a.
Birkat al-Habash, see Al-
Habash.
Birkah Karun, see Karun.
Birkah Maryam, see Miriam.
Bisus, church and monas-
tery at, 76 a.
Black Nile, 101 b.
Brothers, Monastery of the,
near Sailah, 73 a.
Al-Buhairah,Provinceof,8 a.
Bujaras, 94 a & b.
' Burial-place of the Wise
Men ' in Yaman, 1 1 1 b.
Bush, 18 a, 69 b.
Al-Busirivah, Province of,
8 b.
Caesarea, 55 a.
Cairo, 6 b, 24 a, 28 a, 45 a,
84 a, 98 b.
Old, see Fustat Misr.
Canal of Cairo, or of Prince
of the Faithful, 24 a & b,
28 a, 53 a, 58 a & b.
of Nahya, 64 b.
Carthage, 107 a, 108 a.
Cataracts, the, 94 b, 95 a,
96 b.
Cataract, the First, 104 b.
the Fourth, 100 a.
Ceylon, 95 a.
Chalcedon, Council of,
caused by Nestorius, 84 a.
Chalcedonian, Emperor He-
raclius called a, 80 a.
Chaldaeans, books of, 22 b.
' Chamberlains, Church of
the,' see Romans, Church
of.
China, Sea of, 19 b, 26 b.
'Church, Fourth/ in Al-
Hamra, 27 a, 27 b.
' City, The' (name of cavern),
47 a.
'City of Stone,' 17 a.
Cleopatra, 76 b.
Coptic church given to
Armenians, 6 b, 47 b
(Sahidic) hymns sung,
102 a.
scribes, see Scribes.
translations from, into
Arabic, 14 b, 45 a.
Copts, 6 b.
altar of, in church at Saft
Maidum, 64 b.
employed by Muslim
government, i2b,24a&b,
27 b, 36 a.
Copts, number of, in Egypt,
26 b.
a 'protected people/2 8b,
29 a.
related by affinity to Abra-
ham and Joseph, 28 b.
take possession of Ar-
menian church, 4 b ; cf.
5 b, 6 a & b.
Cyprus, 57 a, 62 b.
translation of bodies of
SS. Mary, Martha, and
Lazarus from, 64 a.
Dabik, 19 b.
Dafu, 91a (\jji).
Dahrut, 55 b.
Daira, Monastery of, in
Nubia, 94 b.
Dakahlah, 57 b.
Ad-Dakahliyah, Province of,
7 b.'
Daljah, 78 a.
Damascus, 70 a.
revenue of, 1 8 b.
Damietta, 7 b, 14 a, 19 b,
57 b, 63 b.
' bishop ' of, 9 a, 14 a.
Damirah, 66 b.
Damsis, 14 a & b.
Dandarah, 102 b.
Dar Manuwil, name of
Mastayah, 65 a.
Daraj, Well of, at Misr, in the
Ard Habash, 41b, 43 b.
Darb al-Kantarah, 32 b.
al-Khadiji, 22 b.
az-Zajjajin, 32 a.
Darkness, City of, 108 a.
Darmus, City of, in Nubia,
99 b.
Darut, see Darwat as-
Sarabam.
Daurah Khalf, 21b.
Delta, 10 b, 12 a, 21a.
INDEX IT.
355
Desert of Upper Egypt, Mo-
nasteries in, 80 a & b.
Dongola, capital of Nubia,
95 b.
Ad-Dubb, Mosque of, at
Itfih, 54 a.
Dumyat, see Damietta.
Dunkulah, see Dongola.
Durrah (in the sea), 112 a.
Equator, 26 b, 108 b.
Euphrates, River, 22 b.
Fada 'd-Dunya, 32 b.
'1-Kaba'il, 33 a.
'r-Rayah, 32 b.
Fahsur (Mansur ?), nob.
Al-Fajj, District of, 22 b.
Al-Farama, 19 b, 56 b.
Al-Farr, 2 1 b.
Fayyum, the, 18 a ff., 26 a,
45 b, 69 b ff.
origin of name of, 70 b.
Al-Fayyumiyah, Province of,
8 b.
Franks, 19 a, 31a, 57 b,
76 a, 107 b.
Frontier-fortress in Nubia,
100 b.
Fustat Misr, 6 b, 10 a, nb,
21 a & b, 23 b, 24 a, 26 a,
27a&b, 29 b, 33 b, 36 b,
47 a, 97 b.
Jesus Christ at, 78 a.
Fuwah, Province of, 8 a.
Gates of Usyut, 87 b.
Al-Ghanam, Well of, at Misr,
41 b.
Al-Gharbiyah, Province of,
8 a.
Ibn Ghawatah, Land of, 49a
(see Baraghwatah).
Ghizeh, see Jizah.
Ghumdan, nib.
Ghuzz, tribe of, 2 a & b, 7 a,
25 a, 26 a, 27 a, 28a, 31a,
37 b , 47 a > 59 a > 62a , 6 7 b >
70b, 72a, 75b, 81b, 82a,
88 a, 89 b, 90 b, 96 a.
Gisr al-Ajuz, see 'Wall of
the Old Woman.'
Greek, Liturgy recited in,
in Nubia, 99 a.
Green Nile, 95 a.
Al-Habash, Lake of, 7 b,
39 b, 41 a.
Habash, District of, 41b,
43 b.
Hait al-'Ajuz, see 'Wall of
the Old Woman.'
Hait al-Hujuz, see Ha'it al-
'Ajuz.
Hajar Lahun, 18 a, 69 b,
70 a, 71 b.
Hamdan, tribe of, 59 a.
Al-Hammam, Fort of, 22 a.
Al-Hamra, 23 b, 24 a, 26 a,
29 a.
Church of, see George,
Saint.
Hamras, the three, 29 a & b.
how built, 32 a & b.
Al-Hamra ad-Dunya, 29 a
& b, 32 a & b.
al-Kuswa, 29 a & b, 32 a
&b.'
al-Wusta, 29a&b, 32 a
& b.
Harah Zawilah, see Zawilah.
HarahZuwailah,^*? Zawilah.
Harat al-Arman, see Arme-
nians, quarter of.
ar-Riim, see Romans,
quarter of.
Harran, 64 b.
Hauf Ramsis, 8 a.
Hawi, gardens of, 32 b.
Heliopolis, 23 b.
z z 2
Helouan, see Hulwan.
Henaton, To, Monastery of,
80 a.
Hulwan, 52 a ff., 67 a, 70 b.
Ibkah, Monasteryof,between
Us wan and Kus, 101a.
Ibrim, City of, 96 a & b.
Ikhmim, 70 b, 82 b.
spring near, 92 b.
Al-Ikran, 108 a.
India, 105 a, 107 a, 108 b ff.
conversion of, to Chris-
tianity, 109 a.
identical with Abyssinia,
108 b.
Indian tree, at Isna, 102 a.
Al-'Iiak, 112 a.
redbrickemployedin,95b.
Ishnin, 76 a.
Iskandariyah,j^ Alexandria.
Isna, meaning of name of,
102 a.
Israelites in Abyssinia, 1 06 a.
crossed Red Sea at Bahr
Suf, 58 b.
Istabl al-Fil, Street (Alley)
of, 6 b, 32 a.
Istakhr (Persepolis), 112a.
Isthmus (of Suez), 19 b, 58 a.
lt-fili, 2 b, 10 a, 47 a, 54 a.
Al-Itfihiyah, Province of, 8 b.
Jabal al-'Atash,.swAl-'Atash.
al-Kabsh, see Al-Kabsh.
al-Kaff, see Al-Kaff.
al-Kahf, see Al-Kahf.
at-Tair, see At-Tair.
Yashkur (ibn Adwan ibn
Lakhm), see Yashkur.
Al-Jadidiyah,Provinceof,8a.
janan ar-Rihan, 21 a.
Jarjar, the river, 108 a.
|aubah, name of the Fayyum,
18 b, 70 a.
356
CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Jazirah Bani Nasr, Province
of, 8 a.
Kusaniya, Province of,
8 a.
al-Ushmunain, 76 b.
Jerusalem, 2 b, 3 a, 58 a.
capture of, 'by Augustus,'
57 b.
Armenian church of St.
Sergius at, 3 a.
Armenian monastery of
St. James at, 3 b.
Jew, conversion of, to Chris-
tianity, 44 b, 45 a.
Jewish cemetery, 43 b, 44 a.
Jews, 9 b, 15 a.
none at Usyut, 87 b.
Jibt (A'tyvnTos), name of
capital of Egypt, 23 b.
Jisr al-'Ajuz, see 'Wall of the
Old Woman.'
Al-Jizah, 59 a & b, 60 a.
Al-Jiziyah, Province of, 8 b,
44b, 46b, 53b, 59 a, 63b,
64 a, 65 a.
Al-Juda, Mount, 1 1 1 b.
Al-Kabsh, Hill of, 32 b, 35 a.
Al-Kaff, Mount of, 75 b, 76 a.
Al-Kahf, Mount of, 86 a.
Al-Kahirah, see Cairo.
Al-Kais, 53 a, 54 a.
tribe of, 33 a.
Al-Kalis, church so called,
at San'a, nob.
Kalyub, 10 b, 12 b, 13 a.
Al-Kantarah, 23 b, 32 b,
52 a, 58 b.
also called Al-Hamra al-
Wusta, 29 b.
Al-Karafah at Misr, origin
of name of, 42 a.
tribe of, 22 b.
Karda, Mount, nib.
Al-Karubis, Land of, 101 a.
Karun, Pool of, 26 a, 32 b.
Kasr ash-Shama', 2 1 a, 44 a,
60 b, 112 b.
Al-Khaimat al-Kibliyah, 4 6b.
Al-Khalij, see Canal.
Khalij Amir al-Muminin,
see Canal of Prince of
the Faithful.
Al-Khaluk, Mosque of, 32 b.
Khams Mudun, 21a.
Al-Khandak, 45 b, 98 b.
Al-Kharibah, at Usyut, 88 a.
Kharij, 17 b.
Khaukhah, see Passage.
Khauliya, City of, 112 a.
Khorassanians fought a-
gainst Marwan II, 60 a,
92 b.
Kift, 7 b.
Kirun, City of, 112 a.
Kubbat al-Hawa, 52 a.
Kulam, nob.
Al-Kulzum, 19 b, 24 a.
canal from Cairo ends at,
58 a.
desert of, 54 a.
origin of name of, 24 a,
58 a.
Pharaoh drowned at, 58 a.
Kurds, 2 a & b, 7 a, 25 a,
26 a, 31a, 47a, 59a, 62 a,
67b, 70b, 72a, 75b, 81b,
82a, 88a, 89b, 90b, 96 a.
Al-Kurun, Mosque of, 34 a.
Kus, 81 a, 96 b.
derivation of name of,
81 a.
wali of, 81 b, 82 a.
Kus Kam, Jesus Christ at,
78 b.
Lahf al-Jabal, 65 a.
Lahun, see Hajar Lahun.
Lawatis, the, 33 a, 98 a.
Libya, 57 a.
Libyan Mountains, 65 a.
Al-Luniyah, name of Egyp-
tian Babylon, 21b.
Luxor, 104 b, 105 a.
Luzarikun, town of, near
Carthage, 108 a & b.
Lydda, relics of Saint George
at, 93 b.
Madinat al-Hajar, 17 a.
Madmat al-Kuhhan (i.e.
Manbaj or Hierapolis),
22 b.
Madinat ash - Shams, see
Heliopolis.
Maghir ath-Thilj, church so
called at Darwah, 77 b.
Al-Maghribj^West Africa.
Al-Maja'iz, 32 b.
Al-Majnunah, aqueduct of,
24 a.
Al-Maks, 95 a.
Manafah, original name of
Memphis, 68 a.
Manbaj (Mabug, Hierapo-
lis), 22 b,
Al-Manbaji, History by, see
Mahbub ibn Kustantin.
Manf, see Memphis.
Al-Manhi, Canal of, 18 a,
69 b, 70 a.
Al-Manufiyah, Province of,
8 a.
Al-Maris, Province of, 94 a,
96 a.
Al-Mariyah, 107 b.
Market-place of Barbar, 22 b.
Wardan, 32 a & b.
Marur ad-Dair in Yaman,
1 n b.
Maryut, 29 b.
Mecca, 24 b.
dearth at, 58 b.
Medina, 24 b.
dearth at, 58 b.
INDEX II.
357
Memphis, 64 b, 65 a, 66 b,
67 b, 68 a.
origin of name of, 68 a.
Miriam, Pool of, 56 b.
Misr, City of, see Fustat Misr.
Island of, 33 b, 64 a.
Moon, Mountains of, 26 b,
101 a.
Mountains to West of Nile,
49 a.
Al-Mu'allakah, Church of,
in Misr, 9b, lib, 31a,
39 a, 112 b.
Al-Muharrakah, origin of
name of, 79 a & b.
Al-Maksam, bank of, 24 a.
Mukattam Hills, 22 b, 35 a,
52 a & b.
origin of name of, 48 b.
Al-Mukurrah, 94 b, 99 a.
king of, 105 a.
Munyah Bani Khasib, 77 b.
Bu Kais, a name of M.
Bani Khasib, 77 b.
Munyatash-Shammas, 46 b,
65 b, 66 b.
as-Sudan, 44 a, 53 a.
al-Umara, 34 b.
Al-Murtahiyah, Province of,
7b. '
Al-Muzahamiyah, Province
of, 8 a.
Al - Bahr al - Muzallam, see
Sea of Darkness.
Nahur, 78 a.
Nakadah, 7 b.
Nakyus, 29 b.
An-Nastarawiyah, Province
of, 8 a.
Natu, 98 a, 101 a.
Nawasa, District of, 71a.
Nestorian burying-places,
44 a.
Nestorian monastery at
Misr, 42 b ff.; at Al-
'Adawiyah, 46 a.
Nicaea, Council of, 1 2 a, 55 b.
Nile, fish of, 19 b.
inundation of churches
by, 41 b, 59 b.
length of, 26 b.
rise and fall of, 1 8 b, 20 a,
26b, 41a, 64b, 76b, 95 b,
102 b.
rise of, hastened by pray-
ers of Christians, 60 a.
riseof,intheFayyum,69b.
sources of, 26 b, 101 a.
Black, 101 b.
White, 101 b.
Yellow, 10 1 b.
Nineveh, see Fast of Nineveh
(cancelled by Ibn al-
Kanbar, 1 5 b).
Nitre, Lake of, 20 a.
Nubia, 94 a ff.
conversion of, 96 a.
letters from, 106 b.
under jurisdiction of
Alexandrian see, 99 a.
provinces of, 99 a.
Nubian characters, 98 b.
Nubians invade Egypt, 97 a.
Oases, The, 8 1 a, 87 b, 93 a ff.
Kiffc buried in, ^03 a.
Passage of Al-Istabl, 32 a.
Pentapolis, 21a.
Persepolis (Istakhr), 112a.
Persia, 112a.
contiguous to India,
108 b.
Persians, 57 a, 60 a.
Philae, Island of, 100 b.
Rabi'ah, tribe of, 101 b.
Ramlah, 18 b, 70 a.
Ras al-Manhi, 70 a.
Rashid, see Rosetta.
Raudah, Island of, 58 b.
Rayan, Valley of, 72 b.
Red Sea, 58 a.
Rhoda, Island of, see Raudah.
Ar-Rif, see Delta.
Rifah, 74 b.
Romans, in North Africa,
107 a.
Church of the, at Al-
Kantarah, 52 a, cf. 53 a.
quarter of the, 5 a, 6 a, 2 3b.
sea of the, 19 b.
Rosetta, 8 a.
Rum, sea of, see Romans,
sea of the (19 b).
As-Sadir, 58 b.
Sailah, 73 a.
As-Sa'ir, bank of, 34 b.
Sakifat as-Sari, 32 b.
Sakiyah Musa, 92 a.
Salt-lakes, 20 a.
Samalus, Arab tribe of, 20 a.
Samannud, 57 b, 73 a.
As-Samannudiyah, Province
of, 8 a.
Samaritan cemetery, 43 b.
Samaritans, 9 a.
San'a, nob, 112a.
Sanbat, 13 a.
Sandal, pavilion of, 27 b.
Sanhur, 44 b.
Sarandib, see Ceylon.
Sardus, Canal of, 23 a.
Sea of Darkness, 49 a, 54 a,
65 a.
Hedjaz, 58 a.
Syrian, 58 a.
Sebaste, Martyrs of, 12 a,
51a, 87 a.
Shahran, 47 a, 49 b.
Shanah, first city built in
the Fayyum, 70 b.
Shinara, 91b, 92 a.
358
CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Ash-Sharkiyah, Province of,
7 b, 58 b.
Sheba, Queen of, 105 a.
where situated, 105 a.
Shubra, 71 b.
Murayyik, 45 a.
Shutb, 87 b," 88 a.
meaning of name of, 87 b.
Sinai, Mount, 56 b.
Sinjar, 38 a, 80 a.
Soudanese, 39 a.
Spain, 107 b.
Stone of Lahun, see Hajar
Lahiin.
Street of Glass-blowers, 32 a.
As-Sudan, Church of, at
Munyat as-Sudan, 46 b.
Suk Barbar, see Market-
place.
As-Sukkarah, Pavilion of.
24 a.
Suk Wardan, see Market-
place.
Sun, City of, i.e. Tadmor,
112 a.
As-Suyutiyah, Province of,
9 a.
Syrian Sea, 58 a.
Tadmor, 112 a.
Tafah, 100 a.
Taha al-Madinah, 74 a, 77 a,
86 a.
At-Tair, Mount of, 76 a.
Takhum, 96 a.
At-Talimun, Mount of, 88 a.
Tall-Bastah, see Bastah.
Tamwaih, 5 a, 46 b, 65 b, 66 b,
67 a & b.
Tanbadhah, see Tunbudha.
Thamanin, Village of, 1 1 1 b.
' Thirst, Mount of,' 95 a.
Tiberias, 18 b, 70 a, 95 a.
Tinnis, 7 b, 19 b, 57 a.
At-Tinnur, 52 a.
Toledo, capture of, 107 b.
Tuhurmus, 62 a.
Tulaitalah, see Toledo.
Tunbudha, 31a, 90 a.
Tura, 47 a, 48 b, 49 a.
Tus, 6 a.
Tuwah, 91b.
Udrunkah, 74 b.
Al-'Ukab, 92 b.
'Ukbara, Land of, 94 b.
Al-'Ula, 101 a.
Al-Ushmunain, 23 b, 74 a,
76 a & b, 90 b, 92 a.
restored by Belshazzar,
23 b, 80 a.
Province of, 8 b.
Uswan, i9b,83a,98a, 100b.
meaning of name of,
101 a.
Al-Wadi (Nubia), 98 a.
Wadi 'l-'Ain, 92 b.
Wadi VArabah, 56 b.
Wadi Habib, 22 b, 49 a,
53 b, 65 b, 66 a, 80 b.
Wadi '1-Mukaddas, 19 b.
Wadi Rayan, see Rayan.
' Wall oftheOld Woman,' 1 9 b.
built by
Cleopatra, 57 b.
West Africa, 44 a, 61 a, 107 a.
West Africans, 65 a.
White Nile, 95 a, 101 b.
Yakhtak (moving stones
between Yakhtak and
Kharij), 17 b.
Yaman, nob.
Queen of, i.e. ' Queen of
Sheba,' 105 a.
Yellow Nile, 10 1 b.
Zawilah, quarter of, 2 a & b,
3 3., 5 a.
Zidan, Mount of, 94 b.
Az-Zuhri, 3 b, 5 a & b, 24 b.
Zukak, see Alley.
Zuwailah. see Zawilah.
INDEX III.
359
III.
INDEX OF PERSONAL NAMES.
Aaron, 19 b, 20 b.
Al- A'azz Hasan ibn Salamah
al-Bakilani, 4 b.
Abamun, see Amnion, Saint.
Abatir, Church of, near Al-
Bahnasa, 75 a.
at Mallawi, 74 b.
'Abd al-Aziz, son of Caliph
Marwan I ibn al-Hakam,
called Abu '1-Usbu', 47 a,
52 a ff., 70 b.
'Abdallah ibn 'Amr ibn al-
*Asi, 21 b, 28 b.
'Abdallah ibn Sa'id ibn
Mufarraj, 21b.
'Abdallah ibnaz-Zubair, 2 2b.
'Abd al-Masih, 27 a.
'Abd ar-Rahman ibn Has-
san, 29 a.
'Abd ar-Rahman ibn Mu-
'awiyah ibn Khadij ibn
Hajar , emir of Egypt, 22 b.
Ibn 'Abdun, 13 b.
Abirun, Monastery of, at
Biisir Kuridus, 92 b.
Abraha. al- Ashram, see Abra-
ham, governor of Yaman.
Abraham, the Patriarch, 28b,
Isaac, and Jacob, Church
of, in Al-Hamra, 33 b.
bishop of the Fayyum,
18 b, 70 a.
governor ofYaman, nob,
in a.
Abrashit, magician, 71b.
'Ad, 68 b.
'Adi ibn Murrah, 22 a.
Al-'Adid li-dini 'llah, Caliph,
7 a, 25 a, 27 a, 30a, 31a,
33 b, 36 b, 37 a, 46 b,
82 a, 96 a.
Adim, father of Manfa'us,
68 a.
Al-Afdal Shahanshah, vizier,
9 a, 34 b, 44 b, 50 b, 57 b,
67 a.
Aftutfs, King, 22 b (cf.
fjtis).
Agatho, thirty-ninth Patri-
arch of Alexandria, 77 a.
Agathodaemon, 64 b.
Aghadimun, see Agathodae-
mon.
Agia Sophia, Church of, at
Misr, 38 b.
Ahmad ibn Tulun, 28 b.
Aimin, Church of, at Barda-
nuhah, 74 a.
'Ain as-Saif, wall of Uswan,
101 b.
Alexander the Great, era of,
see Seleucian era.
founded Ushmu-
nain, 76 b.
Alexander, forty-third Patri-
arch of Alexandria, 79 b,
80 a.
'Alyun, the heretic, death of,
92 b.
Amin ad-Daulah ibn al-
Musawwif, 39 a.
Ibn Amin al-Mulk ibn al-
Muhaddath Abu Sa'id ibn
Yuhanna the Alexandrian
scribe, 38 b.
Al-Amir bi-ahkami 'llah,
Caliph, 2 b, 9 a, 32 a, 34a,
42 b, 44 b, 57 b, 61 b,
62 a, 64 a, 67 a.
Amnion, Saint, 73 b.
'Amr ibn al-'Asi ibn 'Adi,
2ia&b, 22a&b, 23a,
24 a, 42 a, 91 b, 107 b.
builds wall of Al-
Jizah, 59 a.
digs Canal of Amir
al-Mu'minin, 24 a, 58 b.
grants safe-con-
duct to Patriarch Benja-
min and Christians, 80 b.
Mosque of, 52 b.
Anba Antunah, see Anthonv.
Andronicus, thirty-seventh
Patriarch, 80 b.
Anf adh-Dhahab, seeTa] ad-
Daulah.
Ansina, son of Kift, son of
Mizraim, 86 b.
Antaniyus, see Anthony.
Anthony, Saint, 54 b ff.
altar of, 66 a.
Church of, attached
to Church of St. Michael,
38 a.
3 6o
CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Anthony, Saint, Church of, in
Monastery of Nahya, 63 b.
Monastery of, near
Red Sea eastwards from
Itfih, 10 a, 54 ff.
Monastery of, at Kift,
103 a.
Monastery of, near
Uswan, 102 a.
Antunah, see Anthony.
Anub, Saint, 38 a, 90b, 104 a.
Church of, 38a; Mon-
asteries of, 90 b, 104 a.
Abu '1-Arah, Church of, at
Barnil, 56 a.
Arcadius, Emperor, 49 a.
Ardashir, 19 a.
Ardashir, see Artaxerxes.
Arghash, son of 'Ad, 68 b.
Armenius, Saint, 73 b.
Arsenius, Saint, 49 a, 50 a.
Church of, in Monastery
of Al-Kusair, 50 a.
Festival of, 49 a & b.
Artaxerxes, king of Persia,
Artaxerxes Ochus, 60 a.
Ar'u, 68 a.
Aryat the Abyssinian, 1 1 1 b.
Arzakusha, King, 68 b.
Al-As'ad Abu '1-Khair Jirjah
ibn Wahab, called Ibn
al-Mikat, 25 a and b.
Asad ad-Din Shirkuh the
Kurd, see Shirkuh.
Asghusa, King, 68 b.
Ashhab ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz,
28 b.
Athanasius, Saint, bishop of
Alexandria, 55 b.
Church of, at Al-Kulzum,
58 a.
Church of, in Philae, 104b.
Atrib, son of Mizraim, 68 a.
Augustus Caesar, 57 b.
'Aim 'Abd al-Walid ibn
Dauma', son of Kift, son
of Mizraim, 92 b.
Aura, 71b.
Al-'Aziz bi'llah, Caliph, 34 b,
35 a, 41a, 94 a.
Banu '1-Azrak, 29 a, 32 b.
Babnudah, see Paphnutius.
Badr al-Jamali, vizier of
Caliph Al-Mustansir, 47 b,
51 a, 98 b.
Abu Bagham, Saint, body of,
60 b, 88 a, 90 a.
Church of, at Dimnu,
86 a.
Church of,at Al-Kalan-
dimun, 92 a.
Churches of, at Al-
Kharibah, 88 a.
Church of, at Munyat
Andunah, 60 b.
Church of, in Monas-
tery at Samallut, 88 a.
Monastery of, near
Usyut, called Dair at-
Tinadah, 90 a.
Bah, 68 a (son of Baisur, son
of Ham).
Al-Baha 'Alt of Damascus,
2 a, 5 b, 6 a.
Bahram, Armenian vizier of
Al-Hafiz, 6 a; becomes
monk, 84 a.
Bahriya, first Christian in
Nubia, 96 a.
Al-Baisani, see Al-Kadi
'1-Fadil.
Baisur, son of Ham, 67 b,
92 b, 102 b.
Bakhum, see Pachomius.
Al-Bakilani, see Al-A'azz
Hasan ibn Salamah.
Baldwin, king of Jerusalem,
57 b.
Balutus, monk and heretic,
55 b, 56 a.
Bamin, see Poemen.
Bandalus, Church of, at Al-
Khusus, 89 a.
Banu Bahr ibn Suwadah
ibn Afsa, 32 a.
Banu Hajas, 22 b, 42 a.
Banu Humaim, 82 a.
Banu '1-Maghafir ibn Ya'far,
22 a.
Banu Musa, Monastery of,
81 a.
Banu Nabih, 29 a.
Banu Surus, 66 b.
Banu Wail, 22a.
Banu Yusuf ibn Wa'il, 42 a.
Abu '1-Barakat ibn Abi '1-
Fakhr ibn Sibuwaih, 31b.
Abu '1-Baraka.t ibn Kita-
miyah, scribe, 42 b.
Abu '1-Barakat ibn al-Laith,
see Abu '1-Barakat ibn Abi
'1-Laith.
Aba '1-Barakat ibn Abi
'1-Laith, metwalli of Di-
wan at-Tahkik, 2 b, 40 b,
41b, 50 b, 51 a.
Abu '1-Barakat Mauhub ibn
Mansur ibn Mufarraj, the
deacon, biographer of
Patriarch Christodulus,
108 a.
Abu '1-Barakat ibn Abi Sa'id
Hablan, 37 a.
Abu '1-Barakat ibn Shadid
al-Mulk, 25 a.
Baramus, Virgin of, see Mary,
B. V. of Baramus.
Barbar ibn Abi Habib, 22 b.
Barbara, Saint, Church of, in
Monastery of Al-Kusair,
51a.
Abu Barta'u, see Bartholo-
mew, Saint.
INDEX 111.
361
Bartholomew, Saint, body
of, 82 b.
Church of, near Bah-
nasa, 75 a.
Church of, in Oasis of
Al-Bahnasa, 75 a.
Church of, at Turfah,
74 b.
Baruba, builder of fortress
of Philae, 100 b.
Abu Basandah, see Pisentius,
Saint.
Bashir ibn an-Nashr, Hegu-
men, 34 a.
Abu Bashunah, see Pacho-
mius.
Basil, Saint, 55 a & b.
Basmantah, martyr, body of,
90 a.
Church of, at Tunbudha,
90 a.
Basradiladus, see Theodore,
Saint.
Bastidar, Church of, at Shi-
nara, 91b.
Belshazzar, King, 23 b,
80 a.
Benjamin, thirty-eighth Pa-
triarch of Alexandria,
63 b.
flight of, 80 a & b.
Bili ibn 'Umar ibn al-Haf
ibn Kuda'ah, 32 a.
Aba Bimah, see Epime, Saint.
Buddhas, 108 b.
Bukht Nasr, see Nebuchad-
nezzar.
Abu Buktur, see Victor,
Saint.
Bula, see Paul.
Bulus, see Paul.
Buri(Taj al-Muluk), brother
of Saladin, 42 b, 70 b.
Busim, son of Caphtorim,
102 b.
Busir, sorcerer, 17 b, 68 b,
92 b.
Butrus, see Peter.
Canaan, son of Ham, 23 b.
Chosroes, nib.
Christodulus, sixty-sixth Pa-
triarch, 37 b, 81 a, 90 b,
98 a, 101 a.
Christopher, Saint, 75 a.
Claudius, Saint, Church of,
at Ishnin, 91a.
at Al-Kalandimun,
92 a.
at Munyah Bani
Khasib, 88 b.
Clement, Saint, book of,
108 b.
Cleopatra, Queen, 57 b.
name of Ushmunain,
76 b.
Coluthus, Saint, martyrdom
of, 86 b.
Monastery of, near
Ansina, 86 b.
Coluthus, Saint, body of,
90 a (Kulutus) ; Church
of, at Dalas, 91b.
in Al-Hamra al-
Wusta, 32 a, 34 a, 39 a.
attached to Church
of Abu Nafar in Hamra,
33 b.
in Monastery of
Abu Basandah, 81 b.
(Kulutus), Mo-
nastery of, at Usyut, 90 a.
(Kullfitus)j Mo-
nastery of, near Kift,
103 b.
Constantine, Emperor, 54 b.
Cosmas, Saint, altar of, 41b.
Church of, at Itfih,
56 a.
and Damian, Church
3 a
of, in Monastery of Abu
Basandah, 81 b.
Cosmas and Damian, Saints,
Church of, at Damuh,
66 b.
in Monastery of
Al-Kusair, 51a.
Cyriacus, king of Nubia,
97 a.
name of great king of
Nubia, 99 a.
Cyril, sixty-seventh Patri-
arch, 44 b, 47 b, 98 b.
Cyrus, Patriarch, 21a.
Dalas, founder of town of
his name, 91a.
Daluk,the ' 01d\Voman,'7ob.
Dalukah, see Daluk.
Daniel, the Prophet, 21a.
Church of,at Ishnin,
91a.
resting-place of
66 b.
bishop of Tamwaih, 44 b.
Dauma c , Pharaoh, 18 b, 70 a.
David, King, family of, in
Abyssinia, 106 a.
throne of, in Abyssi-
nia, 106 a & b.
martyr, body of, 90 a.
Demetrius, twelfth Bishop
of Alexandria, 23 b.
Diocletian, Emperor, 12 a,
61 a, 104 a.
Dionysius, fourteenth Bishop
of Alexandria, 55 a.
Dioscorus, Patriarch of Alex-
andria, 12 a.
Church of, at Abtujah,
73 b.
at Jalfah, 74 a.
Ibn Dukhan, 31b.
Duldul, mule of Mahomet,
29 a.
[II. 7.]
362
CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Ephraim, sixty-second Pa-
triarch of Alexandria,
34 b.
Epime, Saint, Church of, at
Munyat Andunah, 60 b.
in Monastery of
Tamwaih, 67 b.
Eustathius, Melkite Pa-
triarch of Alexandria,
49 b.
Eutychius, Melkite Patri-
arch of Alexandria, 55 a,
58 b.
Ezekiel, the Prophet, 21a.
Abu '1-Fada'il ibn Abi
'1-Laith, the scribe, 40 a
& b.
brother of Al-Afdal
Shahanshah, 51a.
calledIbnSittumi'ah(?),
scribe of Amir'Ali Ahmad
in caliphate of Al-Mustadi.
38a.
the Neslorian, called
Physician of the 'Azami-
yah, 42 b.
ibn ash-Shubramu-
rayyiki, 45 a.
Ibn A bu '1-Fada'il ibn Far ruj ,
37 b.
ibn Abu Sa'id, 30 a.
Fadl ibn Salih, 17 b, 69 a
(Mufaddal). '
Abu '1-Fadl ibn al-Baghdadi,
40 a.
Yuhanna ibn Ki'il
al-Uskuf, scribe of Shah-
anshah, 30 b, 34 b, 37 b,
61 b.
Ja'far ibn *Abd al-
Mun'im, called Ibn Ab'i
Kirat, 42 b.
Banu Fahm, 32 a.
Al-Fa'iz, Caliph, 41 b, 44 b.
Fakhr ibn al-Kanbar, see
Mark.
Fakhr ad-Daulah Abu '1-Ma-
karim ibn al-Fath, scribe,
82 b.
ad-Din, wali of Misr,
called Ghulam al-Bani-
yasi, 59 b.
Abu '1-Fakhr ibn Azhar
as-Sani', 44 b.
ibn Furaij ibn Khu-
wair, 33 b.
called Sa'idan, scribe
of salaries, 33b.
Sa'id ibn Busaiwah,
25 b.
Abu 'n-Najib Abu 1-
Barakat, called Ibn Sa'id.
scribe for religious matters
under Al-Hafiz, 24 b, 25 a.
Aba Falukh, Church of (near
Usyut ?), 90 b.
Abu Fanah, Church of, at
Al-Khusus, 89 a.
Abu '1-Faraj [Ya'kub ibn
Yiisuf] ibn Killis, vizier,
17 b, 23 a, 69 a.
al-Maghrabi, vizier,
41b, 42 a, 46 b.
ibn Zanbur, scribe,
33 b, 45 a.
ibn Zar'ah, afterwards
called Mark, forty-third
Patriarch, see Mark.
Farik (son of Baisur, son of
Ham), 68 a.
Farmashat, brother of 'Ad,
68 b.
Abu '1-Fath ibn al-Akmas,
called Ibn al-Haufi,
painter, 5 a.
as-Sa'idi, priest, 39 a.
Al-Fayyum, son of Kift, son
of Mizraim, 69 b.
Febronia, captured and be-
headed by Bashmurites,
84 b-86 a.
Fibruniyah, see Febronia.
Aba Fiiimun, see Phile-
mon.
Aba Fu, Church of, at Ishnin,
91 a.
Gabriel the Archangel,
Church of, at Aflah az-
Zaitun, 72 b.
-in Monastery of
Al-Ahnas, 92 a.
at Bahnasa, 75 a.
at Bahumalis, 73 b.
at Bardanuhah,
74 a.
at Darwah, 77 b.
in Al-Hamra, 27 a.
at Kufadah, 73 b.
atKamulah, 104a.
near Kift, 103 a.
at Mallawi, 74 b.
at Misr, 39 a.
at Naklun, 71a.
at Saft Abu Jirja,
74 a.
at Saft al-Muhal-
labi, 74 b.
at Saft Rashin,
75 b.
Churches of, at Shi-
nara, 91b.
Church of, at Taha
al-Madinah, 74 a.
at Tansa, 69 b.
at Ushmunain,
104 a.
near Usyut ? 90 b.
bishop of Misr, 26 a, 37 b,
39 a, 45 a & b.
seventieth Patriarch of
Alexandria, 37 b, 38 a,
39 b, 66 a.
Gabriel, scribe, 27 a.
INDEX III.
3 6 3
Gabriel, son of Caliph Al-
Hafiz, see Jabril.
George, Saint, altars of. 45a,
64 b.
appearance of, 82 a,
93 a.
body of, 93 a & b.
Church of, in Abyssi-
nia, 105 b.
at Ansina, 87 a.
at Ashrubah, 75 b.
at Bahjiirah, 81 a.
atAl-Bahnasa,73b.
in Oasis of Al-
Bahnasa, 93 a.
at Bardanuhah,
74 a.
at Bulak, 60 b.
at Bunumrus, 60b.
near Bush- Bana,
69 a.
at Fanu, 73 a.
called Al-Hamra,
24 a, 25 b, 28 a.
in ' Monastery of
Honev,' 88 a.
at Hulwan, called
' Chamberlains,' 53 a.
at Idiijah, 69 b.
at Athlidim, 92 a.
at Iknu, 82 a.
Armenian Church of,
at Itfih, 55 b.
Church of, at Kalan-
dimun, 92 a.
atKamulah, 104 a.
at Kulam, nob.
atAl-Khusus, 89 a.
at Kus, 81 b.
in Monastery of
Al-Kusair, 50 b, 51 a.
at Mallawi, 74 b.
above Church of
St. Mennas in Al-Hamra,
30 a.
George, Saint, Church of,
adjoining Church of St.
Mennas, 30 b.
attached to Church
of St. Mercurius in Al-
Hamra, 37 b.
at Munyah Bani
Khasib, 78 a.
at Shinara, 91b.
at Taha al-Ma-
dinah, 74 a.
at Tura, 47 b.
at Tamwaib, 67 b.
atUshmunain,io4a.
at Uswan, 102 a.
near Usyut ? 90 b.
attached to Church
of St. Victor, 41 b.
at Wana Busir, 69 a.
ruined, 41 a.
Festival of, 93 a.
Monastery of, at Hul-
wan, 53 a.
at Al-Khandak,
98 b.
at Tura, 48 a.
Nestorian Monastery
of, at Misr, 42 b.
Nunnery of, at Kift,
103 a.
bishop of Natu, 98 a,
101 a.
son of Mennas, the Mu-
kaukis, 23 a, 29 a, 80 a,
86 b.
son of Zacharias Israel,
king of Nubia, 94 b, 97 b.
as-Sa'idi (of Upper
Egypt), priest and scribe,
60 b.
Abu Ghalib ibn Abi '1-Ma-
karim al-Bilbaisi, 30 a.
Gregory, bishop of Al-Kais,
53 a, 54 a; Monastery of,
at Hulwan, 53 a.
Gregory, Armenian Patri-
arch, 47 b.
Saint, Church of, above
that of St. George at Tura,
48 b.
Habib ibn Mughaffal, 22 a.
Hadhil ibn Madrakah, 32 b.
Abu Hadr of Ushmunain,
Church of, at Munyah
Bani Khasib, 88 b.
Abu Hadri, Saint, body of,
101 b.
Church of, in Island
of Elephantine, 101 b;
Monastery of, 102 a.
Haffaz, a black, 90 b.
Al-Hafiz, Caliph, 2 b, 6 a,
9 a, 25 a, 30 b, 39 a, 40 a
& b, 46 b, 51 a, 66 a, 79 a,
84 a, 93 a.
Hagar, 57 a.
Hajas ibn Yusuf ibn Wa'il,
22 b.
Abu '1-Hakam, relative of
Abu '1-Barakat ibn Abu
'1-Laiih, 51 a.
Hakanda. Abu Zakari Mina
ibn Kafri, called Ibn
Bulus, 89 a.
Abu Hakanda, Church of,
at Al-Khusus, 89 a.
Al-Hakim, Caliph, 17 b,
32a, 40a, 41a, 46a, 47a,
49 b, 50 b, 52 b, 61 a & b,
69 a, 76 a, 95 b, 101 b,
104 a, 106 b.
Abu Halba, martyr, body of,
92 a.
Abu Halbanah, Monastery
of, near Ikhmim, 86 a.
Abu Halbas, martyr, body
of, 78 a.
Ham, son of Noah, 23 b,
48 b.
a 2
3 6 4
CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Haman, officer of Pharaoh,
23 a.
Harminah, see Armenius,
Saint.
Abu Harudah, martyr, body
of, 90 b.
Church of, at Su-
musta, 90 b.
Harufus, Bishop, body of, in
monastery at Usyut, 88 a.
Harun ar-Rashid, Caliph,
52 a.
Abu'l-Hasan ibn al-Amahh,
scribe, 25 a.
Sa'id ibn Mansur,
scribe, 43 b.
Hassan, poet, 29 a.
Hatalba al-Ghuzzi, 26 a.
Hatib ibn Abi Balta'ah, 29 a.
Heraclius,Emperor, 80 a & b.
Hermes Trismegistus, 52 a,
64 b.
Hisham, Caliph, 23 a, 26 b,
29 b.
Hosea, the Prophet, 20 b.
Hul\van,sonof'Abdal-'Aziz,
son of Caliph Marwan I,
52 a.
Aba Hur, see Or, Saint.
Husain, the Kurd, 7 a.
ibn al-Hafiz, 54 a, 66 a.
Ibrahim, brother of Caliph
Al-Ma'mun, 97 b.
king of Vaman, see Abra-
ham.
son of Mahomet, 29 a.
Ibsadah, Saint, miracles per-
formed by, 102 a.
Church of,near Us wan,
102 a.
Idns identical with Hermes,
64 b.
Al-Ikhshidi, see Kafur al-
Ustadh.
Iklfidah, see Claudius.
Ikludiyas, see Claudius.
'11m as-Sarf Abu '1-Ma-
karim, 60 b.
'Ilmas-Su'ada.Abu'1-Yaman
ibn Sani'at al-Mulk Abu
'1-Faraj ibn al-Wazir, 34 a.
Isaac, bishop of the Fayyum,
71b.
the Patriarch, 22 b.
forty- first Patriarch of
Alexandria, 53 a.
Saint, body of, at Al-Kais,
91a; Monastery and
Church of, at Hajar La-
hun, 73 a.
Isaiah, the Prophet, 20 a.
Abu Ishak, see Isaac, Saint.
Ibrahim ibn Abi Sahl,
ibn'Abdal-Masih,38b.
Ishak al-Mu'allim, called
'the Blue,' 103b.
Ishmael, the Patriarch, 57 a
& b.
Isma'il ibn 'Abbas, 28 b.
Istafura, see Christopher,
Saint.
Istat, see Eustathius.
Itfih, son of Malik, son of
Tadras, son of Mizraim,
54 a.
Itfih, son of Mizraim, 47 a.
'Izz al-Kifat ibn Mustafa
'1-Mulk Abu Yusuf, 81 b.
'Izz al-Kufat Abu '1-Fakhr
ibn Sulaiman, scribe, 59a.
Jabril, son of Caliph Al-
Hafiz, 46 b.
Jacob, the Patriarch, 20 b,
57 a.
at Naklun, 7 1 b.
fiftieth Patriarch of Alex-
andria, 80 b.
James,Saint,sonofZebedee,
the Apostle, Armenian
Church of, at Al-Bustan,
1 b, 2 a.
Armenian Mon-
astery of, at Jerusalem,
Jauhar al-Mu'izzi, 24 a.
Jausar, 94 a.
Jeremiah, the Prophet, 2 1 a.
Jesus Christ, 75 b.
Monastery of, 76 a.
sojourn of, in Egypt,
20 b, 44 a, 75b, 76a, 78a
& b.
sojourn of, at Al-Mu-
harrakah, 78 b.
mark of the hand of,
on pillar at Ushmunain,
77 a.
and his Apostles, ap-
pearance of, at Naklun,
71a.
Jirj, see George.
Abu Jirj, see George, Saint.
Jirjah, see George.
Jirj is, see George.
Jirjiyus, see George.
Jiyul, King, 112a.
John, Saint, Evangelist,
Church of, in West Africa,
107 a.
altar of, 43 b.
Abu Karkas, Church of,
at Kamulah, 104 a.
Baptist, Saint, Church of,
over tomb of Sarur, ad-
joining Church of St.
George Al-Hamia, 24 b,
25 a & b.
attached to
that of St. Mercurius in
Hamia (once on river-
bank), 37 a.
Armenian, in
INDEX III.
tf5
quarter of Zuwailah, 2 a,
3 a, 5 a.
John Baptist, Saint, Church
of, rock-hewn at the Mon-
astery of Al-Kusair, 49 a,
51 a.
at Misr over
tank, overlooking Pool of
the Abyssinians, 39 a.
above Church of
St. George, at Tura, 48 b.
Melkite Monastery
of, near Lake of the Abys-
sinians, 39 b, 40 a.
bishop of Atrib, 37 b.
Tamwaih, 5 a, 44 b.
martyr of Uswan, 41b.
body of, removed from
Damanhur to Al-Adawi-
yah, 45 b.
Church of, at Aflah
az-Zaitun, 72 b.
at Al-Bahnasa,
73 b, 75 a.
at Kus, 81 b.
at Ishnin, 91 a.
at Al-Kalandimun,
92 a.
at Najaj, 74 b.
at Saul, 56 a.
at Udrunkah, 74 b.
Monastery of, near
Usyut, also called Ibsha'i,
90 a.
monk and architect, 51a.
of Samannud, Priest, af-
terwards Patriarch, 73 a.
fortieth Patriarch of
Alexandria, 53 a.
forty-eighth Patriarch of
Alexandria, 23 b.
seventy-second Patriarch
of Alexandria, 9 a, 1 2 b,
14 b, 30 b, 31a, 36 b,
37 b, 45 a > 48 b.
John, seventy- fourth Patri-
arch of Alexandria, 28 a,
38 a, 45 b, 59 b, 66 b.
Jonas, bishop of Damsis,
14 a (cf. 9 a).
bishop of Damietta, 63 b.
monk, 47 b.
seventy-second Patriarch,
see John.
Joseph, the Patriarch, 18a &
b, 19 b, 28 b, 68 a.
prison of, 17 b, 20 b.
set the Fayyum in
order, 18 a, 69b, 70a, 71 b.
Joseph, Saint, in Egypt, 20b,
44 a, 75 b, 78 b, 81 b.
death of, 78 b.
fifty-second Patriarch of
Alexandria, 97 a & b.
Melkite bishop of Misr,
40 b.
Nestorian priest, 43 a.
Joshua, son of Nun, 21a,
103 b.
Judas Iscariot, 12 a.
Judham, 22 a.
Aba Jul, Church of, at Itfili,
56 a.
Julian, Emperor, 54 b, 55 a.
Julius of Akfahs, Saint, 91a.
Juraij ibn Mina, see George,
son of Mennas.
Justinian, Emperor, 58 a.
Al-Kadi'1-Fadilibn'Alial-
Baisani, 1 1 a.
Kafur al-Ustadh, called al-
Ikhshidi, 18 b, 23 a, 69 b,
96 b.
Al-Kahhal, Kadi, 9 a.
Abu Kais, Church of, at
Munyah, 78 a.
Al-Kais, son of Al-Harith,
91b.
Ibn Kamil, 104 b.
Ibn al-Kanbar, see Mark ibn
Mauhub.
Karbil, Church of, at Al-
Bahnasa, 75 a.
Karim ad-Daulah ibn'Ubaid
ibn Kurrus, 31a.
Abu Karkar, Monastery of,
see Gregory, Monastery of,
at Hulwan.
Ivarun (Korah), officer of
Pharaoh, 23 a.
Al-Kasim ibn *Ubaid Allah,
wali of Egypt, disastrous
visit of, to White Monas-
tery, 83 a &b, 84 a.
Abu '1-Kasim Khalil, physi-
cian and philosopher of
Ascalon, 3 b, 4 b.
Kasra, see Chosroes.
Ibn Katib al-Farghani,
33 b.
Ibn al-Khafir, wali of Oases,
93 a.
Kha'il, see Michael.
Abu '1-Khair, called Ibn al-
Amadi, 38 a.
as-Sairafi, 59 a.
Abu '1-Khair ibn Sharahil,
22 b.
Khamarawaih, son of Ah-
mad ibn Tulun, 49 a,
5b, 51 b.
Kharaba, see Kharbata.
Kharbata, 52 a, 79 a & b.
Ibn Khasib, founder of
Munyah, 77 b.
Abu '1-Khasib, 51a.
Khassat ad-Daulah Abu '1-
Fada'il, 31b.
Khush, king of Persians, see
Artaxerxes Ochus.
Kift, son of Mizraim, 18 a,
68 a, 69 b, 76 b, 78 a,
81 a, 86 b, 92 b, 103 a.
Kilkili, son of Kharaba, son
3 66
CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
of Malik, son of Baisur,
son of Ham, 52 a.
Banu Kinanah ibn c Umar
ibn al-Kibr ibn Fahm,
32 b.
Al-Kindi, historian, 29 a,
32 a.
Kirun, built Aukir, 112a.
Korah, see Karun.
Kuhtan, son of Falik, 19 a.
Kullutus, see Coluthus.
Abu Kultah, see Coluthus.
Kuraish, tribe of, 22 a, 29 a.
Kurrah, see Cyrus.
Kus, son of Kift, son of
Mizraim, 78 a, 81 a.
Ibn al-Kustal, see Abu Yasir.
Aba Kustdl, Church of, at
Bardanuhah, 74 a.
Lady, The, see Mary, B.V.
Lakhm, 22 a, 29 a.
Lazarus, Saint, bishop of
Cyprus, 62 b.
resurrection of, 62 b.
Lot, the Patriarch, 20 b.
Aba Lukum, Churches of,
(near Usyiit?), 90 b.
Macarius, sixty-ninth Patri-
arch of Alexandria, 57 b.
Saint, 65 b, 66 a.
Church of, attached
to Agia Sophia, 38 b.
Desert of, see Wadi
Habib.
Monastery of, in
Wadi Habib, 44 a, 47 b,
Sob.
monks from, took
refuge at Nahya, 63 b.
the martyr, 77 a.
Macrobius, see Abu Makru-
fah.
Al-Maghafir ibnYa'far, 22 a.
Mah, son of Baisur, son of
Ham, 68 a.
Abu '1-Mahajir, 32 b.
Mahbub ibn Kustantin al-
Manbaji, historian, 22 b,
55 a, 112 a.
Al-Mahdi ibn al-Mansur,
Caliph, 23 b.
Mahomet, 29 a. 86 b.
words of, in reference to
Copts, 28 b, 29 a.
Mahrabil, martyr, Church
of, in Monastery of Tam-
waih, 67 b.
Al-Majid Faris, son-in-law
of Shawar and wait of
Kus, 82 a.
Makar, see Macarius.
Abu Makar, see Macarius,
Saint.
Makarim ibn Abu '1-Minna,
31a.
Abu '1-Makarim ibn Hanna,
33 b, 34 a.
Mahbub ibn Abu '1-Faraj
al-'Abudi, 40 b.
Al-Makin Abu '1-Barakat,
called IbnKitamah, scribe,
39 a, 41b, 63 a.
Abu Makrufah (Macrobius),
90 a.
Abu Maksin, see Maximus.
Malik, son of c Ad, 68 b.
Al-Malik al-'Adil Abu
Bakr (brother of Sala-
din), 5 b.
Al-Malik Abu '1-Khair ibn
Sharahil, 22 b.
Al-Ma'mun, Caliph, 52 a,
97 b.
Manasseh, Church of, at An-
sina, 87 a.
Al-Manbaji, see Mahbub ibn
Kustantin.
Manbali, Church of, at 'AI-
wah, 95 b.
Manfa'us, son of 'Adim, and
king of Egypt, 68 a, 87 b,
102 b.
built Kais, 91b.
Mansiir ibn Salim, 31a.
Abu Mansur, metwalli (built
walls of Cairo), 48 b.
ibn Bulus, 43 b.
ibn Abu '1-Yaman Wazir,
44 b, 67 a.
Mara the Arab, 82 a.
Maratmaryam, see Mary,B.Y
Mari Jirjis, j^George, Saint.
Mari Saba, see Sabas.
Mark ibn Mauhub, called
Ibn al-Kanbar, 9 aff., 5 1 b.
bishop of Misr, 30 b, 32 a.
forty-ninth Patriarch of
Alexandria, 23 b.
seventy-third Patriarch of
Alexandria, 5 a, 9 b, 12 b,
13 b, 37 a?, 43 a, 45 b,
48 a, 64 a.
Mark, Saint, 20 b; altar of,
66 b.
Church of, at Al-Bah-
nasa, 73 b, 75 a.
at Jizah, ruined
by Ghuzz, 59 b, 60 a.
at Sakiyah Mahfuz,
74 b.
at TaM al-Madi-
nah, 74 a.
atUshmunain,io4a.
See of, 99 a, 105 a.
Martha, Saint, see Mary and
Martha.
Martiiti (Mother of God),
Church of, 44 a & b.
Marwan I, Caliph, 22 b.
Marwan II, Caliph, 1 9 a,
60 a, 77 a & b, 84 a & b,
96 b, 1 01 a.
INDEX III.
3 6 7
Marwan II, Caliph, death of,
92 b.
prophecy of death of, 7 7 a.
Mary, B.V., birth of, 64 a.
in Egypt, 44 a, 75 b,
78b, 79b; (atKus), 81 b.
altar of, in church at
Saft Maidum, 64 b.
Church of, at Abtujah,
73 b.
near 'Adawiyah
(Al-Martuti), 44 a, 46 a,
48 a.
near Afiah az-Zai-
tun, 72 b.
at Akfahs, 91a.
at Anzar wa-A c jab,
107 b.
at Armant, 102 b.
Churches of, at Ash-
rubah, 75 a; at Athlidim,
92 a.
Church of, at Al-Bah-
nasa, 75 a.
in Island of Bakik,
104 b.
at Al-Barnil, 56 a.
in Monastery of
Abu Basandah, near Kus,
81 b.
ruined, at Busir
Bana, 17 b, 69 a.
at Busir Kuridus,
92 b.
atDamanhur,45b.
at Darwah, 77 b.
at Fahsur, nob.
near Fanu and
Nakalifah, 73 a.
near Church of St.
George Al-Hamra, 25 b,
26 a & b.
near Huhvan (ruin-
ed), 54 a.
at Ibrim, 96 a.
Mary, B.V., Church of, in
Monastery of Abu Ishak,
73^.
at Ishnin, 91a.
at Itfih, 56 a.
at Jalfah, 74 a.
in Monastery of
Kalamun, 7 1 b.
atAl-Kantarah,52a.
at Kfifadah, 73 b.
at Kulam, nob.
at Al-Khusus, 89 a.
Churches of, at Kift,
103 a.
Church of, in Monas-
tery of Al-Kusair, 50 b.
Church of, at Luzari-
kun?, 108 a.
at Madinat al-
Fayyum, 71a.
at Mallawi, 74 b.
on Mount of the
Palm, 75 b.
at Al-Muharrakah
(first church in Upper
Egypt, consecrated by
Jesus Christ with his
Apostles), 78 a & b.
at Munyah Bani
Khasib, 78 a, 88 b.
at Munyat al-
Ka id, 69 a.
in Monastery of
Nahya, 64 a.
in Nubia, 101 a.
in quarter of Ro-
mans, in Cairo, 6 a.
at Saft Abu Jirja,
74 a.
at Sanabu, 77 b.
at Saul, 56 a.
at Shinara, 91b.
at Shubra, 30 a.
Churches of, at Taha
al-Madinah, 74 a.
Mary, B. V., Church of, near
Tamwaih, 67 b.
at Tansa, 69 b.
at Udrunkah, 74 b.
at Ushmunain,
76 a, 77 a.
near Uswan, 101 b.
Churches of, near
Usyut ?, 90 b.
- Church of, at Wana
Busir, 18 a, 69 a.
at Wasim, 60 b.
in West Africa,
108 a.
in quarter of Zu-
vailah, in Cairo, 2 a, 3 a,
45 a.
Festival of Nativity of,
64 a.
of Death of, 76 a.
Monastery of, 32 b.
at Huhvan (Mon.
of Abu Karkar), 53 a.
at Sailah, 73 a.
near Usyut (Monas-
tery of Abii'l-Harith), 90a.
near Usyut (Mo-
nastery of Azilun), 90 a.
near Usyut (Mo-
nastery of Farkiinah), 89 a.
in Wadi Habib
(Monastery of Mary of
Baramus), 53 b.
mosaic of, 50 b.
paintings of, 67 b,
85 a.
painting of, in
Church of St. Victor at
Jizah, 59 a.
painting of, in
Church of St. Anthony in
Mon. of Nahya, 63 b.
sanctuary named after,
in Church of St. Poemen,
39 a.
3 68
CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Mary and Martha, Saints,
Church of, in Monastery
of Nahya, 62 b, 64 a.
Festival of, 63 b,
64 a.
tomb of, in Mo-
nastery of Nahya, 63 a.
Mary the Egyptian, ' wife of
Mahomet,' 29 a.
house of, 86 b.
Ibn Mashkur, 48 b.
Maslamah ben Mukhallad
al-Ansaii, 23 b.
Matthew of Askit, 87 a.
Saint, bishop of Isna,
102 a.
the Monk, miracle
performed by, 79 b.
Church of, at Isna,
102 a.
Monastery of, at
Ansina, 79 b, 87 a.
Matthias, see Matthew.
Maximus, Churches of, at
Shinara, 91b.
and Domitius, Saints, 5 3b.
Mennas, sixty-first Patriarch
of Alexandria, 66 b.
Saint, 29 b.
Church of, at Kus, 8 1 b.
in Monastery of
the Brothers, 73 a.
in Island of Ele-
phantine, 101 b.
in Al-Hamra,
29bff., 32 b, 34 a.
attached to Church
of St. Onuphrius in Al-
Hamra, 33 b.
at Itfih (Church
of the Pillar), 56 a.
at Itfih, 56 b.
at Taha, 77 b.
above Church of
St. George at Tura, 48 b.
Mennas, Saint, Church of,
near Usyut? 90b.
attached to
Church of St. Victor,
41 b.
Abu Mina, see Mennas.
Anba Mina, see Mennas,
sixty-first Patriarch.
Mercurius, Saint, 55 a.
Church of, at Al-
'Adawiyah, 45 b.
near Aflah az-Zai-
tun, 72 b.
at Ashrubah, 75a.
Churches of, at Al-
Bahnasa, 73 b, 75 a.
at Bardanuhah,
74 a.
in Al-Hamra, 30 a.
in Al-Hamra, once
on bank of Nile (Abu
's-Saifain), 34 b, 35 a.
at Idfak, 74 b.
at Ishnin, 91a.
at Itfih, 56 a.
at Kalandimun,
92 a.
at Kamulah, 104a.
atAl-Khusus, 89 a.
at Kufadah, 73 b.
near Kus, 81 b.
at Madinat al-Fay-
yum, 71a.
at Mallawi, 74 b.
Churches of, at Mun-
yah, 78 a.
Church of, at Sakiyah
Mahfuz, 74 b.
at Taha al-Madi-
nah, 74 a.
in monastery of
Tamwaih, 67 a.
at Tansa, 69 b.
at Ushmunain,
104 a.
Mercurius, Saint, Church of,
at Wana Busir, 18 a, 69 a.
Monastery of, at
Jizah, 60 a.
near Tura (Dair
al-Fakhkhar), 47 b.
Michael, bishop of Bastah
and Al-Khandak, 5 a,
45 b.
Metropolitan of Damietta,
14 a.
nephew of Patriarch
Zacharias, 47 b.
forty-sixth Patriarch of
Alexandria, 19 a, 60 a,
76 b, 82 b, 83 a, 96 b.
fifty-sixth Patriarch of
Alexandria, 44 a.
sixty-eighth Patriarch of
Alexandria, 38 a, 80 a.
Patriarch of Antioch, 12 b.
the Archangel, altar of,
45 a.
Church of, the Patri-
archal ' Cell,' 37 b, 38 a.
at Abtujah, 73 b.
in Abyssinia, 105 b.
at Akfahs, 91a.
at Ashrubah, 75 a.
at Athlidim, 92 a.
at Al-Bahnasa, 75 a.
atBardanuhah, 74 a.
near Fanu and
Nakalifah, 73 a.
in Monastery of
Ibkah, 1 01 a.
at Ishnin, 91a.
at Jizah, 60 a & b.
at Al-Kalandimun,
92 a.
at Kamulah, 104 a.
at Kufadah, 73 b.
at Kus, 8 1 b.
at Madinat al-
Fayyum, 71a.
IXDEX III.
6 9
Michael, the Archangel,
Churches of, at Mallawi,
74 b; at Al-Maraghat,
92 b.
Church of, at Munyah
Ban! Khasib, 78 a, 88 b.
in Monastery of
Naklun, 71a.
near frontier of
Nubia, 100 b.
in Island of Philae,
104 b.
at Saft Abu Jirja,
74 a.
at Saft al-Muhall-
abi, 74 b.
at Shinara, 91b.
nearTamwaih, 67 b.
at Al-Ushmunain,
104 a.
at Uswan, 102 a.
Churches of, near Al-
Ushmunain, 90 b.
Church of, at Wana
Busir, 69 a.
Festival of, 92 a.
Monastery of, at Bft
Harukah, 104 b.
near Kanah, 103 b.
at Kus, 80 a.
sanctuary dedicated
to, in Church of the Four
Living Creatures, 39 a.
and Cosmas, Monastery
of, in province of Al-Mu-
kurrah, 94 b.
Anba Michael, Saint, Church
of, at Damamil, 102 b.
Miriam, sister of Moses, 19 b,
20 b.
Abu Misis, see Moses, Saint.
Misr, son of Ham, 48 b. .
Miwadd, 77 b.
Mizraim, 18 a, (son of Ca-
naan) 23 b, (son of Misr,
son of Ham) 48 b, 54 a,
68 a, 69 b, 76 b, 78 a,
86 b, 92 b, 102 b, 103 a.
Moses, the Prophet, 19 b,
20 b, 67 a.
born at Askar, 19 b.
at Shahran, 47 a.
in Nubia, 100 a.
Church of, near Hul-
wan, 53 a.
church where he slew
Egyptian at Memphis,
68 b.
family of, in Abys-
sinia, 106 a.
Monastery of, near
Hulwan, 53 b.
Mosque of, formerly
Church, 53 b.
water-wheel of, 92 a.
nephew of St. Joseph,
78 b.
Moses, Saint, body of, in
Church of Dair Bani
Musa, 81 a.
Church of, in Dair
Bam Musa, 81 a.
'Mother of God,' Church
named after, see Martuti.
Ibn al-Mudabbar, 57 a.
Mufaddal ibn as-Salih, 69 a,
cf. i7b(Fadl).'
Muhammad ibn Fatik, vizier,
61 b.
al-Khazin, 96 b.
Muharrah ibn Haidan ibn
'Amr ibn al-Haf ibn Ku-
da'ah, 22 a.
Muhibb Ummihi, i.e. Pto-
lemy Philometor, 68 a.
Muhna, monk of Kalamun,
72 a.
Al-Mu'izz li-dmi 'llah,
Caliph, 34 b, 44 a, 61 a,
66 b.
Mukattam, son of Mizraim,
48 b.
Mukaukis, see George, son
of Mennas.
Mukhallad al-Ansari, 41 a.
Musa, 107 b.
Al-Musharif, called Az-Zak-
ruk, 73 a.
Al-Mustadi bi-amri 'llah,
Caliph, 7 a, 38 a, 96 a.
Mustafa '1-Mulk Abu Saff
Ya'kub ibn Jirjis, 66 b.
Al-Mustansir, Caliph, 9 a,
24a&b, 33 a, 41 b, 42 a,
51 a, 65 b, 90 b.
Al-Mu'tamid, Caliph, 28 b.
Al-Mu'tasim, History of,
reference to, 17 b.
Al-Mutawakkil, Caliph, 52 a.
Nabish, son of Ishmael, 57 b.
Abu Nadil, martyr, Church
of, at Jabal Ashtar, 77 b.
Abu Nafar, see Onuphiius.
Nahadah, Saint, Church of,
at Tansa, 18 a, 69 b.
Abu Naitur, son of Noah,
19 a.
Najah, son of Sarur al-Jullal,
24 b.
An-Najib, brother of Ha-
kanda ibn Kafri, 89 a.
Narun, wall of Egypt under
Marwan or his successor,
60 a.
Nasir, the grave-digger, 43 b.
ad-Daulah ibn Hamdan,
33 a.
Abu Nasr, brother of Abu
VUla' ibn Tank (i.e.
Gabriel, seventieth Patri-
arch), 38 a.
ibn 'Alxliin, called
Ibn al- 'Addas, metwalli
and nazir, 40 a.
[If- 7-]
37
CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
An-Nasr ibn Zulak, Book
of, 104 b.
Nebuchadnezzar, King, 23b,
76 b, 80 a.
Nestorius, 84 a.
Nimrod, 19 a.
Noah, 23 b, 48 b.
ark of, in Abyssinia, 105 a.
rested on Mount Kar-
da, in b.
Aba Nub, see Anub, Saint.
Omar, see 'Umar.
Onuphrius, Saint, 33a, 65b,
91b, 98 a.
Or, Saint,Church of, attached
to Church of Saint Onu-
phrius, 33 b.
Pachomius, Saint, 55b, 80a,
86 a, 103 b.
Paphnutius, Saint, 6sb,66a,
67 b.
Paul, Saint, Apostle at Lu-
zarikun ? near Carthage,
108 a.
hermit, 55 a, 56 b,
75 b, 86 a.
Pestratelates, see Basradila-
dus.
Peter, Saint, Apostle, 50 b,
59 b, 60 a, 81 b, 104 a.
bishop of the Fayyurn,
26 a, 39 a, 43 a, 45 b.
ibn Muhna, scribe, 38 a.
Pharaoh, 18 b, 91b.
built Al-Farama, 57 b.
drowned at Al-Kulzum,
58 a.
Pharaoh's daughter lived at
Shanah, 70 b.
Pharaohs, The, 59 a.
Philemon, martyr, 91 a.
Philip, Saint, Apostle, in
Africa, 107 a.
Philip, Saint, Apostle, body
of, at Carthage, 107 a.
Philotheus, Saint, 43 a.
twenty-third Patriarch of
Alexandria, 78 b.
bishop of Misr, 37 b.
Pisentius, Saint, bishop of
Kift, 81 b (Abu Basan-
dah).
body of, 104 b.
Poemen, Saint, 39 a, 60 b.
the monk, 47 a.
Ptolemy, Church of, at Ish-
nin, 91a.
Ptolemy Philometor, 68 a.
Abu Rakwah, see Al-Walid
ibn Hisham-al-Khariji.
Rameses II, statue of, 68 a.
Raphael, the Archangel, 7 3b,
74 a& b, 90b, 91a, 104a.
Raphael, king of Nubia, 95 b.
Ar-Rashid Abu '1-Fadl, 89 a.
Rashidah ibn Jazilah ibn
Lakhm, 22 a.
Ar-Rayan, Shaikh, wall of
Misr, 84 a.
Ar-Rayyan ibn al-Walid
ibn Dauma' (Joseph's
Pharaoh), 18 b, 70 a.
Romanus, father of Saint
Victor, 59 a, 74 a, 104 a.
Banu Riibil, 29 a, 32 b.
Rudwan ibn Walakhshi, vi-
zier, 9 a.
Sabas, Saint, Church of,
50 b, 51 b.
Abu Sa'd Mansur, vizier,
33 a- A
Abu Sadir, Monastery of,
near Usyut, 88^a.
Saduk, name of Utis, 57 b.
Safanuf, king of Nubia, 94 b.
As-Saffah, Caliph, 19a, 92 b.
As -Safi, abbot of Saint
Moses, 8 1 a.
Safi ad-Daulah, 89 a (same
as following ?).
Safi ad-Daulah ibn Abu '1-
Ma'ali, called Ibn Sharafi,
scribe of Saladin, 4 b, 5 b.
Safi ad-Daulah ibn Abfi Ya-
sir ibn 'Alwan, the scribe,
A 38b.
Sahib al-Jabal, see Lord of
the Mountain.
Sahib ar-Risalah, 68 b.
'Sahibath-ThalathatAkalil,'
title of Abu Mina, 29 b.
As-Sahri ibn Al-Hakam,
34 a.
Sa'id ibn Batrik, see Euty-
chius.
ibn Najah, the deacon,
61 a.
ibn Tank, see Gabriel,
seventieth Patriarch.
ad-Daulah Bahram, stew-
ard of the Armenians, 4 b.
al-Kawasi, wall of
Upper Egypt, 98 b.
ibn Munja ibn Abu
Zakari ibn as-Sarid,33b.
Abu Sa'id, scribe of Diwan
al-Mukatabat, 66 b.
ibn Andunah, financial
secretary of Diwan, 27 b,
28 a.
ibn Abi '1-Fadl ibn Fahd,
5 b.
ibn az-Zayyat, 5 a.
Gabriel ibn Buktur, call-
ed Ibn al-A'raj, 33 b.
Saif ad -Din Abu Bakr,
brother of Saladin, 5 a.
Saif al- Islam Tughtikin,
brother of Saladin, 46 b.
Abu 's-Saifain, see Merc urius,
Saint.
INDEX III.
371
Saladin, Sultan, 4 b, 5 a & b,
6 a, 7 a, 11 a, 25 a, 31 a,
37 a, 38a, 39a, 42b, 46b,
67 b, 70 b, 96 a & b.
Salah ad-Din, see Saladin.
Salah ibn Ruzzik, see Tala'i'.
Salib ibn Mikha'il, son of
the Hegumen, 30 b, 31 a
& b.
Abu Salimah (incorrectly for
Umm Salimah), 28 b.
Samuel, Superior of Monas-
tery of Kalamun, 71b,
72 b.
Sandal al-Muzaffari, 60 b.
Anba Sanhut, bishop of
Misr, 80 a.
Sanfat al-Mulk Abu '1-Faraj
ibn 'Ilm as-Su'ada Abu
'1-Yaman, 34 a.
Sapor, king of Persia,
55 a.
Saradib, built fortress of Phi-
lae, 100 b.
Sa.ru', 68 a.
Sarur al-Jullal, 24 a & b,
25 b.
Abu Sawaris, see Severus.
Sayyid al-Ahl ibn Tumas,
45 b.
Sergius, Saint, 3 a, 90 a,
91b, 92 a.
Severus of Antioch, 12 a.
- Church of, at Kift,
103 a.
atUdrunkah, 74b.
Monastery of, near
Usyut, 89 a.
Severus, Emperor, 68 b.
Ash-Shabushti, 41a, 47 a,
49 b, 64 a, 67 a, 86 a.
Shaddad, son of 'Ad, 68 b.
Shadid al-Mulk ibn al-Fakhr
ibn Busaiwah, 25 a.
Shahanshah, see Al-Afdal.
Abu Shaj, body of, at Kift,
i3a.
Shaja'ah ibn Mandaghan ibn
Malik ibn Ka'b ibn al-
Harith ibn Ka'b, 22 b.
Abu Shakir, scribe, 39 b.
Shams ad-Daulah, brother
of Saladin, 96 a & b.
Abu Shanudah, see Sinu-
thius.
Sharkis, see Sergius.
Shawar as-Sa'di (Sa'idi), vi-
zier, 2 5 a & b, 30 a, 31a,
33 b, 34 a, 36 b.
when wali of Kus
made vow to Church,
81 b.
Shirkuh, 37b, 76a, 82a&b.
Ash-Shubramurayyiki, 45 a.
Simon, Saint, Apostle, body
of, 82 b.
forty-second Patriarch of
Alexandria, 53 a.
bishop of Al-Bahnasa,
45 b.
monk and bishop, 88 b.
Sinuthius, Saint, altar of, 66 a.
body of, 82 b.
chest made by, 83 b.
body of, in Church
of, at Abutij, 91a.
Church of, at Bahu-
malis, 73 b.
atKamulah, 104 a.
at Munyah Bani
Khasib, 88 b.
in Monastery of
Ash-Shama', 66 a.
Monastery of, on Mt.
Andariba, near Ansina,
87 a.
nearlkhmim (White
Monastery), 82 b.
at Kift; 103 a.
at Kus, 80 a.
3 b 2
Sinuthius, Saint, Monastery
of, in Nubia, 94 b.
at Udrunkah,
74 b.
sixty-fifth Patriarch of
Alexandria, 41b, 106 b.
Sirbaduwil, see Baldwin.
Sinn, sister of Mary the
Egyptian, 29 a.
Abu Sirjah, see Sergius.
Abu 's-Sirri ?, Monastery of,
near Usyut, 88 a.
Abu Siyun, Church of, at
Akfahs, 91a.
Solomon, king of Israel,
105 a, 112 b.
crown of, 107 b.
table of, 107 b.
king of Nubia, 98 a.
Sophia, Saint, see Agia
Sophia.
Stephen, Saint, 20 b.
Church of, near Al-
Bahnasa, 75 a.
at Kus, 81 b.
at Al-Kusair, 50 b.
at Sakiyah Mah-
fuz, 74 b.
at TaM al-Madi-
nah, 74 a.
Stratelates, see Basradiladus.
As-Subasi, the Turk, wall
of Cairo, 45 a.
Su'luk al-Jullal, 27 a.
Sunussah, see Sinuthius.
Suwarr ibn Rufa'ah, wall of
Misr, 32 a.
At-Tabari, History of, 1 1 1 b.
Abu' Tabih, Saint, Monas-
tery of, near Ansina,
86 b.
Tadrah, see Theodore.
Tadrus, see Theodore.
Taghut, 19 a.
372
CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Taj ad-Daulah Bahram, 6 a,
84 a.
ibn Sabil, called Anf
adh-Dhahab, 41b.
Taj al-Muluk Buri, the Kurd,
brother of Saladin. 42 a,
70 b.
Tajib Umm 'Adi, 22 a.
Taki ad-Din 'Umar ibn
Shahanshah, al-Malik al-
Muzaffar, nephew of Sa-
ladin, 5 a, 6 b, 70 b.
Tala'i* ibn Ruzzik, al-Malik
as-Salih, vizier, 7 a, 42 a,
45 a.
prophecy uttered
to him by monk of Abu
Sawaris, 89 b.
Bu Talihah, Church of, at
Jalfah, 74 a.
Talma'us, see Ptolemy.
Tamim, Amir, brother of
Caliph Al-'Aziz, 41a.
Tarik, father of Patriarch
Gabriel, 37 b.
Ibn Tarkhan, 18 b, 69 b.
Tarnimah, martyr, body of,
90 a.
Church of, at Tun-
budha, 90 a.
Monastery of, at Tun-
budha, 90 a.
Theodore, Saint, 30 a, 39 a.
body of, in Monas-
tery at Usyut, 88 a.
Church of, at Akfahs,
91a.
at Ansina, 87 a.
at Ashrubah, 75 b.
at Bahnasa, 75 a.
at Island of Bakik,
104 b.
atBardanuhah,74a.
at Bulak, 60 b.
at Damanhur, 30 a.
Theodore, Saint, Church of,
at Ishnin, 91a.
at Itfih, 56 a.
at Al-Kalandimun,
92 a.
at Kamulah, 104 a.
at Al-Kufur, 74 a.
at Kus, 81 b.
near Abu Mina
(mosque), 32 a.
atSaftMaidum,64b.
at Saft Rashin, 75 b.
at Sakiyah Mahfuz,
74 b.
at Saul, 56 a.
at Tamha, 60 b.
near Monastery
of the Torch, 66 b.
atUdrunkah,74b.
martyrdom of, 72 b.
Monastery of, at Aflah
az-Zaitun, 72 b.
at Kamulah, 1 04 a.
at Kift, 103 a.
near Ushmunain ?,
90 b.
altar of, at Saft Mai-
dum, 64 b.
forty-fifth Patriarch, 70a.
Thomas, Saint, Apostle,
altar of, 43 b.
annual miracle
performed by his relics,
109 b, no a.
body of, 107 a,
109 b ff.
Church of, at Ash-
rubah, 75 b.
in India, 107 a,
109 a ff.
in Monastery
of Al-Kusair, 51 a.
at Saft Abu
Jirja, 74 a.
atUdrunkah,74b.
Thomas, Saint, Apostle, Fes-
tival of, 109 b.
hand of, preserved
alive, 109 b.
the archdeacon, 45 b.
Timothy, the monk, Church
of, in the Monastery of
the Vinedresser, 65 a.
Turfah, 33 a.
Tuwah, horse of Pharaoh,
91b.
'Umar ibn al-Khattab, Ca-
liph, 21 b, 22 a, 24 a,
58 b.
Ushmun, son of Kift, son of
Mizraim, 68 a, 76 b.
Utis, son of Khartaba and
king of Egypt, 57 a & b
(cf. Aftfitfs).
Valentinian, Emperor, 53 b.
Victor, Saint (son of Roma-
nus), body of, 90 a.
Church of, oppo-
site church of same name,
42 a.
in Ard Habash,
41b.
at Jalfah, 74 a.
at Jizah, 59 a.
at Al-Kalan-
dimun, 92 a.
at Kamulah,
104 a.
at Al-Khusus,
90 a.
at Sakiyah
Musa, 92 a.
at Udrunkah,
74 b.
Monastery of, at
Kift, 103 a.
Virgin, The Blessed, see
Mary.
INDEX III.
373
Abu '1-WafS ibn Abi '1-Ba-
shar, priest, 5 a.
Wa'il, 42 a.
Al-Walid ibn Hisham al-
Khariji, 94 b, 95 b.
ibn Mus'ab, Pharaoh in
time of Moses, 23 a, 53 a,
70 a.
ibn Rufa'ah,\valiofMisr,
29 b.
ibn Zuwa'ah, 26 b.
Wardan ar-Rumi, 22 b.
Ya'fur, ass of Mahomet,
29 a.
Yahya ibn al-'Ubaidi, scribe,
39t>.
Ya'kub ibn Yusuf (ibn Killis),
23 a.
Abu '1-Yaman Wazir, met-
walli of Diwan Asfal al-
Ard, 44 b, 45 b, 67 a
&b.
ibn Abu '1-Faraj ibn
Abi '1-Yaman ibn Zanbur,
5 b.
Abu '1-Yaman Kuzman ibn
Mina, scribe, 35 b.
Siirus ibn Makrawah
ibn Zanbur, 33 a.
al-Bazzaz, 60 b.
Al-Yasal, brother of Taj
ad-Daulah Bahram, 4 a,
50 a.
Banu Yashkur, 32 b.
Yashkur ibn Jazilah ibn
Lakhm (street of), 32 b.
Yashkur ibn 'Udwan ibn
Lakhm, 32 b.
Yasib, Saint, Church of,
near Ansina, 87 a.
tomb of, 87 a.
Abu Yasir ibn Abu Sa'd ibn
al-Kustal, priest and here-
tic, 44 b, 45 a, 46 a, 48 a
&b.
Yuhanna, see John.
Yuhannus, see John.
Yflnus, seventy-second Pa-
triarch, see John.
Yustiyanus, see Justinian.
Yusuf, see Joseph.
ibn Ayyub al-Malik an-
Nasir, see Saladin.
Zacharias, king of Nubia,
94 b, 97 b.
sixty-fourth Patriarch of
Alexandria, 43 b, 47 b,
106 b.
Az-Zafir, son of Caliph Al-
Hafiz, 46 b.
Abu Zakari, Shaikh, 71a.
ibn Bu Nasr, adminis-
trator of Ushmunain, 79 a.
as-Sairafi, 30 b.
Ibn Zanbur, 34 a.
Zawin the Mu'allim, 39 a.
Az-Zubair ibn al-'Awvvam,
21 b.
Ibn Zulak, see An-Nasr ibn
Zulak.
374
CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
IV.
INDEX OF GENERAL NAMES.
Abramis (fish), 20 a.
AbiMr (birds), 19 b, 86 b.
Afikhalis, (wedge) of iron
used as money in Abys-
sinia, 106 a.
Alchemy, invented by Her-
mes, 52 a, 64 b.
Alms, 34 b, 36 a, 59 a, 89 b.
Aloes, 105 b.
Altar, 30 b, 36 a, 37 a & b,
38 b, 39 a, 41b, 43 b,
45 a & b, 49 a, 50 a & b,
51a, 6 1 b.
private, 97 b.
built by Solomon, 112a.
consecrated by Jesus
Christ at Al-Muharra-
kah, 78 b.
wooden, 45 b.
Altar-board, see Tablet.
Altar-chamber, 88 a.
Altar- vessels, see Vessels.
Ambon, 30 a.
Anbal, see Ambon.
Antiquities atMemphis,68a.
in Nubia, 99 b.
at Luxor, 104 b, 105 a.
at Philae, 100 b, 104 b.
Apostles, Church of, near
Aflah az-Zaitun, 72 b.
Melkite, in Monastery
of Al-Kusair, 49 b, 50 b.
paintings of, 27 a, 63 b.
Apparitions of Saints, 78 b,
82 a, 93 a.
Apple-trees, 54 b.
Apse, 5 a, 24 b, 31 a, 41b,
46 a, 59 a.
Aqueduct, 52 b.
Archdeacon, 45 b.
Arches, 2 a, 31 a, 33 b, 37 a.
Archimandrite, 82 b.
Architects, 33 b, 37 b, 51a,
59 b.
Architecture, 38 b, 42 b,
43^.
Arithmetic, invention of,
22 b.
Ark of Covenant, preserved
in Abyssinia, 105 b.
arkhan, 10 a, 36 a, 37 a, 45 b,
61 a, 75 b.
Asceticism, 65 b, 72 a & b,
89 b.
A skim, 56 a.
Askind, 2 a, 27b, 30 b, 31a,
33 a, 37 a, 61 b.
'Ass of War,' surname of
Caliph Marwan II, 19 a,
60 a, 92 b.
Asses, Egyptian, 20 a, 97 a.
Astronomy, invention of,
19 a, 22 b.
Bait 'ajin, see Bakehouse.
Bail al-Mdl, see Treasury.
Bakehouse of church, 30 b,
39 b > 43 a.
Bakl, see Tribute of slaves.
Baldakyn, 30 b, 37 a, 51a.
Balsam, 20 a.
Baptism, Festival of the, see
Epiphany.
Baring of the head during
liturgy, 46 a.
Bell, see Gong.
Biographies of Patriarchs,
19 a, 21 a, 22 a, 23 b,
36 b, 60 a, 79 b, 81 a,
82 b, 96 b, 97 a, 107 b,
108 a.
Birbd, see Temples, ancient
Egyptian.
Birds, multitude of, near
Usyut, 87 b.
Bishop of Atrib, 37 b.
Bahnasa, 45 b.
Bastah and Al-Khandak,
5 a, 45 b.
Bujaras (Nubia), 94 b.
Damietta, 9 a, 1 4 a, 63 b.
Damsis, 14 a.
the Fayyum, 18 b, 26 a,
39 a, 43 a, 45 b, 7 a.
Ibrim (Nubia), 96 b.
Isna, 102 a.
Jizah, 63 b, 64 a.
al-Kais, 53 a, 54 a.
al-Khandak, see Bishop
of Bastah.
Kift, 81 b.
Memphis, 66 b.
Misr, 26 a, 37 b, 39 a,
45 a & b.
Misr (Melkite), 40 b.
INDEX IV.
375
Bishop of Natu, 98 a, 10 1 a.
Oases, 93 a & b.
Tamwaih, 5 a, 44 b, 66 b.
Tunbudha, 31 a.
Bishops, burying-place of,
43 b, 63 b.
first appointed in Egypt,
23 b.
ordained by St. Thomas
in India, 109 a.
Bits, manufactured at Dalas,
91b.
Black garments worn by
Christians, 47 b, 52 a.
'Book of Monasteries/ by
Ash-Shabushtf, 41a, 47 a,
49 b, 64 a, 67 a, 86 a.
Books, ecclesiastical, of Ar-
menians, 2 b.
written by Mark ibn
al-Kanbar, 17 a.
Boundaries of Egypt, 21a.
Bran, instrument for peeling,
63 a.
Breaking of dam of canal,
24 a.
Bricks, church built of,
77 b.
of Al-'Irak, 95 b.
Bridegroom allowed by Ibn
Kustal to see bride before
marriage, 46 a.
Bridge (iskalah) made in
ancient times for Nile,
102 a.
Bridges, 24 a, 41 a, 53 a.
Brocades, 19 b, 24 b, 91 b.
Bultt, fish, 72 a.
Burning of Fustat Misr (by
order of Shawar), 25 a,
27 a, 33 b, 34 a, 36 b,
38 a.
monastery by Melkites,
63 b.
Burtulah, see Cap.
Burying-places, 2 b, 25 b,
43 b, 44 a, 49 b , 63 b.
Bustuldt, see Apostles, paint-
ings of.
Camphor, nob.
Candles burnt at Christmas,
102 b.
'Canon of the Festivals,'
64 a.
Canopy, 24 b, 106 a.
Cap of Melkite priest, 13 b.
Carbuncles, in a.
Cassia, 105 b.
Cathedra, see Chair.
Cave of Saint Arsenius at
Monastery of Al-Kusair,
51b.
Cavern forming church sup-
ported by pillars, opposite
Shahran in Monastery of
Al-Kusair, 47 a, 51 a.
Caves, 51b, 52 a.
Celebrated men who have
visited Egypt, 19 b, 20 b,
21 a.
Cell of Armenian Patriarch,
3 b.
Coptic Patriarch at
Church of Al-Mu'allakah,
9 b, 1 1 b, 1 3 b ; at Church
of Michael, 37 b.
Censers, 3 b, 4 4 b, 6 7 b, 105 b.
Chair, episcopal, 30 a.
Chest inlaid with ivory in
Church of White Monas-
tery, 83 b.
Chests containing relics of
martyrs, 82 b, 91a, 93 a,
109 b.
Chrism, consecration of, 6 6 b.
Christians, 12,000 in district
of Daljah, 92 a.
sole inhabitants of Taha,
77 a.
Christmas, Festival of, 102 b,
106 a.
Church held in common by
three sects at Saft Mai-
dum, 64 b.
built in thanksgiving for
return of son of king of
Nubia, 98 a.
washed away at Munyat
al-Ka'id, 69 a.
Melkite, near Pottery at
Misr, 2 b.
sold to Jews, 44 a.
in street of Istabl al-Fil
(turned into mosque), 6 b.
'of the Water' at Ansina,
87 a.
Churches of Abyssinia,
105 b._
one in every town of
Abyssinia, 106 a.
6 at Akfahs, 91 a.
400 in 'Alwah, 95 a.
ruined at Al-Arish, 56 b.
24 at Daljah, 91b.
at Darmus in Nubia, 99 a.
at Fahsur, nob.
70 in Ikhmim, 86 a.
12 at Ishnin, 91 a.
1 2 in Monastery of Ka-
lamun, 71b.
9 atAl-Kalandimun,92a.
25 at Al-Khusus, 88 b.
10 (Melkite) in Dair
al-Kusair, 50 a.
8 ' (Melkite) in Dair
al-Kusair, 49 b.
hewn in rock at Dair
al-Kusair, 49 a.
at Luzanku, 1 08 a.
3 in district of Mir, 80 a.
1 4 at Munyah Bani Kha-
sib, 78 a.
24 at Shinara, 92 b.
7 at Shinara, 91 b.
37$
CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Churches, 360 atTaha, 77a.
60 at Usyut, 89 a.
366 at Wasim, 60 b.
turned into mosques, 2 b,
6 b, 32 a, 41a, 46 a, 53 b,
75b, 76a, 77b.
Circumcision condemned
by Ibn al-Kanbar, 9 b,
15 a.
Ibn Kustal, 46 a.
Cistern, 51 b, 61 a, 89 a;
called ' the Pure,' 92 b.
Clay called Tin al-Hikmah,
20 a, 101 b.
of Uswan, 20 a.
yellow, 41b; quarries of,
46 b.
Coinage of Saladin, 25 a.
Collyrium, miraculous, 75 b.
Commentaries on ecclesias-
tical books, composed by
Ibn al-Kanbar, 9 a, 14 b.
Common land in the Fay-
yum, 18 b, 69 b.
Communion,annual,miracu-
louslygiven bySt.Thomas,
1 10 a.
of chalice, 12 a.
early, in Lent, allowed by
Ibn al-Kanbar, 12 a.
Confession over incense,
9 a.
in Abyssinia, 105 b.
to priest enjoined by Ibn
al-Kanbar, 9 a & b, 15 a.
Concessionary, 50 a, 61 b.
Conquest of Egypt by Ma-
hometans, 80 b.
Book of, 18 b, 29 a,
70 a, 91 b.
Consecration of churches,
5 a, 25b, 28 b, 30b, 31a
&t>, 36a, 37b, 38a, 39a,
43 a > 45 b, 48 a, 71 a.
in Abyssinia, 106 b.
Consecration of churches,
form of, given by Jesus
Christ and the Apostles,
78 b, 79 a.
water used at, 78 b,
98 a, 102 b.
Consecration-crosses on pil-
lars, 59 b.
Conversion of India to Chris-
tianity, 109 a.
of a Jew to Christianity,
44 b.
of Christians to Islam,
39 b, 40 b, 47 a & b.
Cooks, royal, at Shutb,
87 b.
Corn sent from Egypt to
Mecca by 'Arar ibn al-
'Asi, 58 b.
Coronation of king of Abys-
sinia, 105 b.
Cotton, 96 b.
Courtyard of church, 28 a,
30 a, 38 a.
Cross, Church of the, at
Ashrubah, 75 a.
Festival of the, 53 b, 73 a,
106 a.
Monastery of the, in
Fanu, 73 a.
in cemetery, 43 b.
on dome, 96 a.
Crosses on pillars, 59 b.
on Jabal at-Tair, 76 a.
processional, 3 b, 67 b.
Crown, Abyssinian, 105 b.
of king of Nubia, 99 b.
worn by Nimrod, 19 a.
'Crowns, Possessor of the
Three,' 29 b.
Crypt, 2 b, 24 b, 63 a & b.
Cultivated land in Egypt,
extent of, 23 a.
Dabiki, 19 b, 24 b.
Dalldl al-A'ydd, see Guide
to the Festivals.
Ddmin of Kalyub, 12 b.
Misr, 39 a.
Death of the Blessed Virgin,
Festival of the, 76 a.
Decorations of the church at
Sana, nob, in a.
of house, 98 b.
Dedication Festival, 38 b.
Destruction of churches, 2 3b,
27a&b, 31a, 36 b, 57 a,
59 a, 61 a, 69 a, 104 a.
Devils, appearance of, 65 b,
72 a.
possession by, 83 b, 87 a.
Disciples, Churches of, 56 a,
74 b, 75 a, 90 b.
Dhvdn Asfal al-Ard, 44 b,
67 a.
al-Khdss, 42 b.
al-Majlis, 33 b.
al-Mukdtabdt, 66 b.
as- Said, 40 a.
ash-Shdmi, 40 a.
as-Sultdn.il 34 a.
at-Tahkik, 51a.
'Dome of the Air/ 52 a.
Domes, 2 a, 27 b, 30 b,
37 a & b, 42 a, 44 a, 45 a,
48 a, 50 a & b, 5 1 a, 60 b,
65 b, 96 a & b, 101 a.
Domes in houses, 95 b.
Dromedaries turned into
stone, 76 b.
Duwairah, 27 b, 48 a.
Easter, 53 b, 106 a.
Ebony inlaid with ivory, 99 b,
in a.
Elephantiasis, 52 b.
Embroideries, 91b.
Emerald-mines, 20 a, 81 a.
road to, from Kift, 103 a.
Emery, where found, 95 a.
INDEX IV.
377
Endowments of church, 2 a,
7 a, 18 b, 29 b, 31 b, 50a,
54 b, 62 a, 66 a, 67 b,
70 a, 71 b, 91 b.
Epiphany, 41 a, 53 b, 106 a.
Episcopal Church of Misr,
37 b.
Exchange in kind among
Nubians, 95 a.
Excommunication of Ibn
Kanbar, 9 a, 1 1 a.
Ibn Kustal, 46 a.
Expenses of churches, 35 b.
43 b , 44 b, 53 a -
Extreme Unction, 12 a.
Fadd'il Misr, Book of, 26 b,
28 b.
Famine in Egypt, 8 1 a.
Al-Farrdshatn, see Cham-
berlains.
Fast curtailed by Ibn al-
Kanbar, 15 b.
Fast of Nineveh, 15 b.
Feminine quality of the Holy
Spirit, 16 a.
Fire-worship in India, 108 b.
Fish caught in the Nile,
17 a.
'Fisherman of Ansina,' the,
87a.
Fishing, 62 a.
Fishing-pool, 64 b.
Flight (of Christ) into Egypt,
20 b, 44 a, 75 b.
Forty Days, Fast of the, see
Lent,
Forty Martyrs of Sebaste,
12 a, 51 a, 87 a.
Four Living Creatures,
Church of, near Uswan,
104 a.
at Misr, 38 b.
Frankincense,9 b, 1 5 a, 105 b.
alone to be burnt in
church, according to Ibn
al-Kanbar, 9 b, 15 a.
Fukkd', 20 a.
Futiih Misr, see Conquest of
Egypt, Book of.
Gardens, 2 a, 26 a, 30 a, 34 a,
39 b, 4oa&b, 41a, 42 b,
43a, 44b, 46b, 47b, 48b,
54b, 56a, 59b, 60b, 61 a,
66a, 67a, 71b, 88 a, 89b,
90 a, 102 a, 103 b, 104 b.
Garlands placed on idols,
108 b.
Giants, 19 a, 79 a & b, 102 a,
103 a & b.
Gifts from the Mukaukis to
Mahomet, 29 a.
Glass, nob.
invented by Hermes, 5 2 a.
pavilion at Hulwan, see
Pavilion.
Glass mosaic, 50 b, 104 b,
nob.
Gold-mines, 20a, 81 a, 94 b,
100 b, 101 b.
Gold-plated doors, nob.
Gong (nakus), 72 a, 97 b.
Gospel of John, oath taken
upon, 10 a.
Gospels quoted, 20 a & b.
Granite, 43 b.
columns, 63 b.
statue [of Rameses II]
at Memphis, 68 a.
'Guide totheFestivals,'com-
posed by John, bishop of
Damietta, 33b, 63b, 64a.
Haikal, 37 b, 38 b, 48 b.
Melkite in Coptic Church
ofSt.Mennas atltfih, 56b.
Al-Hail, see Sphinx.
Hair, growth of, allowed by
Ibn al-Kanbar, 9 b, 15 a.
3 c
Hair, growth of, allowed by
Ibn Kustal, 46 a.
Hand of our Lord, mark of,
76 a, 79 a.
Hanif, see Hunafa.
Hegumen, 30 b, 34 a.
Heresy, 9 a ff., 46 a, 55 b,
56 a.
Hermitage, 49 b.
Hermitages at Al-Karafah,
42 a.
Hieroglyphics, 33 a.
' History of the Church,' 23 b.
'History of the Councils,'
65 a.
History by Mahbub ibnKus-
tantin al-Manbaji, 22 b,
55 a, 112 a.
Homily of Patriarch Philo-
theus, 78 b.
Honey-wine, 20 a.
Horses, 20 a, 52 a.
Nubian, 97 a.
House of Solomon, king of
Nubia, at Cairo, 98 b.
Abil Hid, see Granite statue
and Sphinx.
Hunafa, 9 b, 15 a, 77 a, 80 b.
Idol, ancient Egyptian, 99 b.
Idolatry, 19 a.
in India, 108 b, 109 a.
Idols, ancient Egyptian, at
Luxor, 104 b, 105 a.
in island of Philae,
104 b.
in North Africa, 108 b.
Illuminated MS. of Gospels,
2 b.
Incense, ingredients of, in
Abyssinia, 105 b.
use of, enjoined by Saint
Thomas theApostle, 1 09 a.
confession over, 9 a,
105 b.
[II. 7.]
378
CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Inspiration of Old Testament
said to be denied by Ibn
al-Kanbar, 1 6 a.
Iron-plated door, 61 b, 72 b,
81 a.
Iron used as money in
Abyssinia, 106 a.
Ishdlah, see Bridge.
see Staircase.
Ivory inlay, 83b, 99 b, 11 1 a.
Jacobites, 47 b, 48 a, 54 b,
95 b.
Jausak, see Tower.
Jurisdiction of Coptic Patri-
arch over Nubia, 99 a ;
Abyssinia, 105 a.
Juyiishiyah, 26 a, 54 a.
Kaisdriyah, 77 b.
Kaisdriyat al-Jamdl, 34 b.
Kanbaiites, 52 a.
Kdnun al-A'ydd, see Canon
of the Festivals.
Karaites, 67 a.
Katdtrd, see Chair.
Kdtib ar-Rawdlib, 33 b.
Keep, see Tower.
Khazaf, pots so called, 41b,
46 b.
Al-Khitat bi-Misr, Book of,
by Al-Kindi, 32 a & b,
34 b, 107 b.
Kiblah, 39 b, 46 a.
Kings of Nubia, 94 b, 95 b,
97 a & b, 98 a & b.
thirteen inferior, 99 a.
are priests, 99 a.
Abu Kir, birds, 86 b.
Kisas al-Majdmi '', see His-
tory of the Councils.
Kitdb ad-Diydrdt, see Book
of Monasteries.
Kitdb Fadail Misr, 57 a.
Futuh Misr, 18 b, 70 a,
91 b; see Conquest of
Egypt.
Koran quoted, 64 b.
Ktik, birds, 100 a.
Ktwimus, see Hegumen.
Kyrie eleison, 35 a.
Ladanum, 105 b.
Ladders, rope, 89 a.
Lamp, oil of, 85 b, 87 a,
108 a & b.
Lamps, phantom, 94 b.
Land given to church by
Caliphs, 7 a, 62 a, 88 a.
common, in the Fayyum,
18 b, 69 b.
price of, at Memphis,
68 b.
Lands, church, 7 a, 50 a,
54 b, 62 a, 67 b, 71 b,
88 a, 91 b, 103 b.
Landscape, beauties of, 2 a,
26a, 31a, 39b, 41a, 46b,
47a, 49b, 64 b, 67 a, 87b.
Lectionary, Coptic, 1 4 b.
Lent, 1 2 a, 29 b, 40 b, 5 1 b,
66 a.
Lenten charge, 40 b.
Letters from Abyssinia or
Nubia to Cairo, 106 b.
Liturgies introduced into
India by St. Thomas,
109 a.
Liturgy performed by kings
of Nubia and Abyssinia,
99 a, 105 b.
on Ark of Covenant,
106 a.
privately performed, 97 b.
Lives of Coptic Patriarchs,
see Biographies.
Loggia, see Manzarah.
'Lord of the Mountain,' 94 b,
96 a.
Lotus-tree, 27 a, 60 b.
Madhbah sanctuary, 37 b,
61 b. '
Magic, 17b, 19a, 22 b, 69 a,
71 b, 92 b.
Mahometans in Abyssinia,
106 a & b.
allowed to attend Chris-
tian services, 39 b.
conquest of Egypt, 80 b.
favour of, towards Copts,
35 a, 35 b.
friendliness of, towards
Christians at Esneh, 132a.
Majlis, 41a.
i Al-Majmu fi ma ilaihi
'l-marju',' composed by
Ibn al-Kanbar, 17 a.
Manzarah, 24 a, 31 b, 37 b,
40a, 42b, 46b, 48a, 49b,
51b, 61 b, 64 a, 66 a.
called As-Saliikiyah, 44 b.
called As-Sukkarah, 24 a.
Marble, 56 b, 57 a.
pillars, 30 a, 37 a, 61 b,
77a, nob.
quarries, 57 a.
Marcasite, 20 a, 112a.
Martyrdom of 63 monks,
90 b.
Martyrs slain near Uswan,
104 a.
Forty, of Sebaste, 51a.
[of Sebaste], 87 a.
Mastic, 105 b.
Melkite altar in church at
Saft Maidum, 64 b.
bishop of Misr, 40 b.
burying-places, 44 a, 49 b.
churches, 28 a.
in Monastery of Al-
Kusair, 49 b.
church in Madinat al-
Fayyum, 7 1 a.
Monastery of Al-Kusair,
49 b.
INDEX IV.
379
Melkite nuns, 40 a.
Patriarch, 1 3 a & b, 2 1 a,
49 b.
sanctuary in a Coptic
church, 56 b.
Melkites, 2 b, 9 b, 12 a & b,
13 a, 15 b, 28 a, 40 a&b,
49 b.
weakness of, 28 a, 40 b.
Metropolitan of Abyssinia,
105 a& b, 106 b.
of Damietta, 14 a.
(Melkite) of Sanbat,
13 a & b.
Metropolitans of Melkites,
13 a.
Metwalli, 67 a.
of Diwan ash-Shami, 40 a.
of Diwan at-Tahkik,
51a.
Mill, 4 8b,5ib,63a,88a&b,
89 b.
Persian, 63 a.
Minarets, 32 a, 41 a, 42 a.
Miracles, 35 a, 59 a, 65 a,
71b, 72 b, 75 b, 76 a,
77 a, 78 b, 79 a & b,
86b, 87a, 98a, 102 a & b,
109 a ft, 112 b.
by "intercession of Saint
at Church of Al-Martuti,
45 b.
Miraculous proof of Chris-
tian religion in time of
Caliph Al-'Aziz, 35 a.
punishment of Al-Kasim,
83 a & b, 84 a.
Mirage in province of Al-
Maris, 94 a.
Mizr, drink called, 95 b.
Monasteries at 'Alwah, 95 b.
Book of, by Ash-Sha-
bushti, see Book.
35 in the Fayyum, 70 a.
50 in Lahf al-Jabal,
destroyed by Berbers,
65 a.
Monastery on fourth cata-
ract, 1 00 a.
ofAl-Kusair, 13 b.
of Nestorians, 42 b.
Monastic girdle, 56 a.
habit, 55 a, 56 a.
Monks martyred, 90 b.
burying-place of, 63 b.
famous for ascetic life,
65 b, 72 a&b, 89 b.
Monument in cemetery,
43 b.
Mosaics, 50b, 104a, nob.
Mosque, formerly church,
6 b.
of Al-Kurun, 32 b, 34 a.
of 'Amr, rebuilt by 'Abd
al-'Aziz, son of Caliph
Marwan I, 52 b.
of Ad-Dubb at Itfih,
54 a.
of Al-Khaluk, 32 b.
of Moses, 53 b.
Mosques, 3 2 a, 4 r a, 4 2 a & b,
46a, 52b, 75b, 76a, 77b,
86 b, 100 b.
' Mother of God,' 44 b.
Mu'allim, i.e. Confessor, 9b.
Mubdh, see Common land.
Mules, 20 a.
Music, 98 b.
Myrtles, 40 b.
Nakus, see Gong.
Naphtha springs, 101 b.
Nasdfi (stuff), 24 b.
Nativiiy, Church of the, in
Al-Hamra, 27 a, 30 a.
Feast of the, 102 b.
Negus of Abyssinia, 106 a,
nob, nib.
Nestorian burying- places.
44 a.
U2
Nestorian monastery, 42 b,
46 a.
Nestorians, 42 b, 43 a, 44 a,
46 a, 1 10 b.
Nilometer at Ansina, 70 b.
at Hulwan, 52 b, 70 b.
at Ikhmim, 70 b.
at Kift, 103 a.
at Memphis, 18 a, 68 a,
69 b, 70 b.
Nilometers, 18 a, 33 b.
first made by Joseph, 70 b.
Nunnery, 30 b, 84 a ff.
at Kift, 103 a.
Nuns, Melkite, 40 a.
Oath at communion, lib.
Ochre, 20 a.
Odalisque ofAl-Kasim, mira-
culous death of, 83 a & b.
Offerings to church, 56 b.
Oil of church lamps, 85 b,
87 a, 108 a & b.
for the consecration of
churches (chrism), 63 b.
presses, 67b, 88 a&b, 89b.
Olive-tree, miraculous, 107b.
Opium, 20 a.
Orange-trees, 48 a.
Painters, Coptic, 5 a.
Painting of George, king of
Nubia, 99 a & b.
of governor of Darmus,
99 a.
Paintings, Coptic, 5 a, 38 b,
41 a&b, 44a, 45b, 49a,
51a, 59a, 63b, 67b, 82b,
85 a, 105 b.
Palace of Emerald, 2 b.
Palm-tree, miraculous, at
Bashawah, 104 b.
Palm Sunday, see Sunday
of Olives.
Paper, 20 a.
3 8o
CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Paten, 67 b.
Patriarch of Alexandria.Cop-
tic, jurisdiction of, over
Abyssinia, 97 a, 105 a.
Coptic, jurisdiction of,
over Nubia, 97 a, 99 a.
Coptic, letters of, to
kings of Abyssinia and
Nubia, 106 b.
Coptic, sends metro-
politans to Abyssinia, 105a.
Melkite, 13a (time of
Ibn al-Kanbar), 21b.
Patriarch, Armenian, 2 a&b,
3 a&b, 5a, 47b.
Patriarchal cell, 37 b.
church, 33 b, 37 b.
residence at Monastery
of the Torch, 66 b.
Patriarchs, Coptic, biogra-
phies of, see Biographies.
Pavilion, 41a.
Pavilion, see Manzarah.
Pavilion of glass at Hulwan,
52 b.
Pear-trees, 54 b.
Penance, 4 a, 9 b, 15 a, 16 b.
Pentateuch, account of Flood
in, in b.
Pentecost, 61 a.
Persecution, 43 b.
by Al-Hakim, 47 b.
Pigs kept in Nubia, 96 b.
Pilgrimages, 53 b, 79 a, 94 a,
111a.
Pillage of churches, 27 a,
28a, 36b, 49b, 50a, 59b,
102 a.
monasteries, 84 b, 102 a.
Pillar, moving, 17 a.
Pillars, 30 a, 37 a, 41a,
42 a, 56 b, 59 b, 61 b,
63 b, 71a, nob.
'transpiring,' 71a, 77a,
81 a.
Plans of Cairo and its gates
made by John the monk,
51a.
Polygamy in Abyssinia,
106 b.
forbidden by Patriarch
Sinuthius, 106 b.
Pomegranates, 40 b, 54 b,
89 b.
Population of Egypt, 22 a,
26 b.
Pound-weight, value of, at
Shutb, 87 b.
Prayers for dead, 34 b, 62 b.
Presses for sugar-canes, 20 a.
Procession with tapers and
incense, 3 b.
of Palm Sunday, 28 a.
in honour of St. George,
93 a.
with Ark of Covenant,
106 a.
Property of churches and
monasteries, see Endow-
ments and Gardens.
Prophets quoted, 20 a & b.
Purple first worn by Nimrod,
19 b.
Rabbanites, 67 a.
Radish-oil, 20 a.
Raihdniyah, 54 a.
Rain caused by moving
stones at Al-Barmak, 17 b.
Ravens fed by Simon the
monk, 88 b.
Reception held by Melkite
Patriarch, 13 a.
Relics, 60 b, 63 a & b, 65 b,
66 a, 69 a, 72 b, 75 b,
82 b, 86b, 87a, 90 a&b,
91 a, 92a, 93a& b, 101b,
104b, 107 a, 109 b, 1 10 a.
Relics, oath taken upon,
1 o a & b.
Relics, stand for, 30 a, 88 a.
Remains, ancient, at Mem-
phis, 68 a.
Rent paid by monasteries
into the public treasury,
67 b, 70 a.
Repudiation of wife by Ibn
al-Kanbar, 14 a.
Reservation of Eucharist by
Ibn al-Kanbar, 15 a.
Reservoir, 86 a.
Restoration of churches,
ib, 2 a, 4 b, 25 a & b,
27 b, 29 b, 31 a & b,
33 b > 34 b, 35 a, 36 b,
37 a&b, 38a, 39a, 40a,
59a, 60b, 62a, 66a, 73a,
75 b, 82 b, 87 a, 89 a.
Revenue of Egypt, 7 b, 8 a
& b, 9 a, 19 a.
under Joseph the
Patriarch, 23 a.
in time of Moses,
23 a.
under Romans, 23 a.
under Emperor Hera-
clius, 23 a.
under 'Amr ibn al-
'Asi, 21 b, 22 a, 23 a.
under Abbasides, 23a.
under Caliph Al-
Mahdi ibn al-Mansur,
23 b.
under Ahmad ibn
Tulun, 23 a.
under Ya'kub ibn
Yusuf ibn Killis, 23 a.
under Kaffir al-Us-
tadh, 23 a.
Revenue of Al-Fayyum, 69 b,
70 b.
of monasteries in the
Fayyum, 18 b, 70 a.
of church in Egypt, 7 a,
53 b, 64 a.
INDEX IV.
3i
Revenue of Ramlah, Tibe-
rias, and Damascus, 70 a.
Rock-hewn churches at
Kalamun, 72 b.
near Usyut, 89 a.
Roof of wood, 27 b, 37 a,
39 a, 59 K 63 b.
Rose-leaves, dried, used in
incense, 105 b.
Roses offered to idols, 1 08 b.
Rutl, see Pound-weight.
Sacrifice of animals at con-
secration of churches in
Abyssinia, 106 b, 107 a.
on Festival of Saint
Michael, 92 a.
Safe-conduct granted by
'Amr to Christians, 80 b.
Sanctuary, 2 a, 27 a & b,
30b, 31a, 33a, 37a&b
(haikal), 39 a (haikal),
61 b, 99 a (haikal), 105 b
(haikal).
Sand, miraculous, at Jabal
al-Kaff, 76 a.
Sandarach burnt as incense,
9 b, 105 b.
Sdsdm-wood, 83 b, ma.
Sassanian dynasty, 55 a.
Saviour, the, churches of,
72 b, 74 b, 90 a.
Scorpion, figure of, 100 b.
Screen of ebony and ivory,
nia.
Scribes, Coptic, 38 a & b,
39b, 41b, 42b, 43b, 45a,
59 a, 60 b, 62 a, 82 b.
Sebestan, 77 a.
Seleucian era, 80 b, 107 a.
Sequestration of church pro-
perty, 34a, 42b, 44b.
Sharb (stuff), 19 b.
Shartuniyah. = x fL P 0T0Via t
3 1 a , 37a.
Shaw, see Apse.
Sheep sacrificed on Festival
of St. Michael, 92 a.
at consecration of
church, 107 a.
Shrine of St. Thomas the
Apostle, 109 b.
Siege of Egyptian Babylon
by Muslims, 2 1 a & b, 2 2 a.
Sign of cross made with two
fingers by followers of
Ibn al-Kanbar, 15 a.
Sikilli (stuff), 19 b, 24 b.
Silver-plated doors, nob,
nia.
Simony, 31 a, 37 a & b.
condemned by Patriarch
Mark, 37 a.
Siniyah, see Paten.
Sinlessness of B. V. Mary,
16 b.
Siyar al-Biah, see Biogra-
phies.
Slaves sent from Nubia to
Caliph, 97 b.
Small-pox in Egypt, 81 a.
Snow in North Africa, 107a.
Soil, excellence of, in pro-
vince of Usyut, 87 b.
Sphinx, The, 68 b.
Sphinxes, avenue of, at
Luxor, 105 a.
Spoon for communion, 67 b.
Spring, miraculous, in Wadt
'l-'Ain, 92 b.
Staircase, 63 a.
Stars, worship of the, 19 a.
in India, 108 b.
in Nubia, 96 a.
Stone masonry, 42 b, 43 a,
50 a, 57 a, 69 a, 101b,
102 a.
Stones which cause rain
when struck, 17 b.
Styrax, 105 b.
Succession from uncle to
nephew in Nubia, 99 a.
Sugar-boiling, 20 a.
Summer residence of Patri-
archs, 38 a.
Sun, miracle connected with,
in time of Joshua, 103 b.
worship of the, in India,
108 b.
Sunday of Olives, 5 b, 28 a.
Sycamore, 41 a & b, 43 b,
61 a, 66 b, 94 a& b.
Synagogue, 67 a.
Tables of stone, the, pre-
served in Abyssinia, 105 b.
Tablet over altar, 30b, 37 a.
carved, 60 b.
' Tafsirat- Ta/sir,' composed
by Ibn al-Kanbar, 14 b.
Tdfus, see Crypt.
Tailasdn, 87 b.
Talisman at Al-Luzankun ?,
108 b.
Tank, Festival of the, see
Epiphany.
Tanks, church, 25 b, 33 a,
39 a.
Taxes, 46 b, 89 b.
Temples, ancient Egyptian,
56 b, 99 b, 100 b.
at Denderah, 103 a.
at Philae, 104 b.
atUshmunain, 77 a.
' The Tanner,' 35 a.
Three Hundred and Eigh-
teen,Council of, see Nicaea.
Threshold inscribed with
hieroglyphics, 33 a, 34 a.
Throne of king of Nubia,
99 b.
Tomb of king of Nubia, 98 b.
of John the Monk, 51a.
Tombs of Pharaohs, 59 a.
Torpedo-fish, 19 b.
3 8 2
CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Tower (Jausak), 39 b, 48 b,
54 b, 55 b, 63 a & b, 66 a,
67 a, 71 a & b, 73 a, 79 a,
82 b, 88 a & b, 89 a, 90 b,
92 a, 104 b.
Towns, names of, taken from
sons of Mizraim, 54 a.
Treasures, buried, 65 a.
Treasury, public, 19 a, 53 a.
Tree bearing fruit when
approached by man with
an axe, 17 a.
Tribes, Arab, which took
part in conquest of Egypt,
22 a.
Tribute of slaves paid by
Nubians to Caliph, 97 b.
Trinity, doctrine of, held by
Ibn al-Kanbar, 15 b.
Turnip-oil, 20 a.
Two Natures of Christ,
doctrine of, 12 a.
Two Wills of Christ, doc-
trine of, 12 a.
Vaulted chamber in moun-
tain-side near Al-Muhar-
rakah where Jesus Christ
and the B. V. Mary dwelt,
79 b.
Vaulted roof, 45 a, 50 a & b,
63 b.
Vaults, 2 b.
Veil, 67 b, 99 a.
Vessels of church, 3 a, 29 b,
31 a, 36 b, 44 b, 67 b.
Villagers, burying-place of,
63b.
Vinegar used in liturgy by
Abyssinians, 106 a.
Vineyards, 54 b, 67 a.
Votive offerings, 56 b, 81 b,
83 b, 84 a, 88 b, 89 b,
1 00 a, ma.
Vow made by Shawar, 81 b.
Wall, 81 a & b, 82 a, 91b.
of Cairo, 45 a.
of Kus, 81 b, 82 a.
of Misr, 26 a, 29 b, 32 a,
53 a, 59 b, 83 a, 89 b,
97 b.
of Oases, 93 a.
of Uswan, 101 b.
Wall, triple, 73 b.
Water used in liturgy, in-
stead of wine, by Abys-
sinians, 106 a.
of consecration (holy
water), 78 b, 98 a, 102 b.
turned into wine, 78 b.
Water-pipe, 63 a.
Water-wheel of Moses,
Church of, 92 a.
Water-wheels, 67 a, 103 b.
Weddings of Muslims at
Esneh, 102 a & b.
Wells, 31b, 33 a, 34 a, 41
a&b, 43 b, 49 a, 51 b,
54 b, 56 a, 61 a, 62 a,
67 a, 79 a, 81 b, 102 b.
White Week, The, 51b.
Whitewashing, 37 b, 45 b.
Wine, use of, in liturgy of
Abyssinians, 106 a.
Wine-press, 55 b.
Works composed by Ibn al-
Kanbar, 1 6 b.
Worms (termes arda), 61 b,
63 b.
Woven stuffs, 19 b.
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Pol. 70b *1mM ^l\ c>d>Ui UJi Ceo. (^,JUuJ ^ 5****=^ ^<3} JUaIoc .s=J
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trjjfc wN.xiuJlJi* 2S.iU^) oa**mJ 5A4>L JtV* (^ OJV^b^ i*i jLlvo Fol. 68 a
l^^o/o o^U ^La r*^ c*^ ^-6^ (^]^ Vt >^U uVb^ 5.^*^1
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Jl cJ/^k l/\?4 jJ&*Jl +sa)\ ^*23* Uu^-iH <*CU oiy=w Ua ^jjj Fol. 60 b
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