newsletter of egypt tourism september 2012

September . 2012 1

The Monastery of Saint Anthony

Egyptian Tourism Promotion AuthorityEGYPT THIS MONTH

Issue 39September 2012 www.egypt.travel

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Egyptian Tourism Promotion Authority News letter Egyptian Tourism Promotion Authority News letter

Saint Anthony

The Monastery of Saint Anthony is a perfect example of a Coptic monastery, and is considered to be the earliest and most dynamic of the monasteries in the world. From the grounds of this holy place monasticism emerged, and made its way to all of Europe. The monastery was founded in 356 AD after the Saint’s death. It is an independent community with its own gardens, a mill, a bakery and churches, the best of which is Saint Anthony’s Church.

The Monastery encompasses a library with a remaining collection of handwritten Coptic manuscripts, which were originally part of a larger library at one day. It also has a defensive fortress that dates back to the reign of the Roman Emperor Justinian, around the 4th century. A well providing over 100 cubic meters of water and a water wheel are other elements within the precincts. The cave where Saint Anthony lived in solitude as a hermit is a 2 km hike from the monastery, and is around 680 meters above the Red Sea level, offering a dazzling view of the mountains and the sea. Annually it attracts approximately one million Egyptian and foreign visitors.

Saint Anthony is the father of monks, founder of monasticism and the first Christian to live in solitude as a hermit in the desert. He was born in 251 AD to a rich family in Coma (Kemn-el-Arouse) in Egypt. “If you would be perfect, go sell all you have, give to the poor and come follow me.” (Matthew 19:21). After hearing the Lord’s words one day in church, Saint Anthony sold his land, donated his money to the poor, while keeping some for his sister, whom he placed in a community for virgins. Then he devoted himself to asceticism and moved out to the desert, accompanied by many who wished to follow his same spiritual path.

He died in 356 AD at the age of one hundred and five, and was buried in the monastery, but his burial ground was never identified.

Rejuvenation Project

An extensive rejuvenation project was inaugurated in 2010, which included the restoration of the church, the unique collection of wall paintings, the oldest of which dates to the seventh and eighth centuries, the dining hall with its limestone dining table, and the area for religious rituals and recitals. Moreover, the restoration scheme underneath the church’s floor revealed the oldest 4th century Coptic cell and another church dating back to the 6th century. A Plexiglas floor was placed over this cell, enabling visitors to view it.

Saint Anthony Monastery is located at about 250 km east of Cairo, at the foot of Al-Qalzam Mountain near El Zaafarana. Heading from Cairo, take the Hurghada highway for approximately three hours, then the Zaafarana/Koraymat road for around 34 km southwest of Zaafarana; then turn left for another 16 km, until you reach the monastery.

The Monastery of St. Catherine

St. Catherine is the name of both the monastery and city located at an elevation of 158m, and it is 120 km away from the closest city, Dahab.

St. Catherine’s has a long history, though not in its current form. The area was under the rule of the pharaohs, and was a center for the mining of turquoise, gold, and copper, with old mines and temples having been found not far from the site of the monastery itself.

During Roman times, a monastery was built at the foot of Mount Sinai, the place where it is believed that Moses received the 10 Commandments from God. It encloses the chapel of the Burning Bush, which was ordered to be built by Helena, Constantine the Great’s mother, to mark the site where Moses was supposed to have seen the burning bush. It is said that the bush that is located there is the original bush from the story.

Though more commonly known as St. Catherine’s Monastery, its real name is The Sacred and Imperial Monastery of the God Trodden Mount of Sinai.

The monastery is associated with St. Catherine of Alexandria, who was a Christian martyr. Originally sentenced to die on the wheel, she didn’t die and was beheaded instead. According to legend, her body was

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Luxor Film Festival to featureEgyptian and European films

Under the auspice of the Egyptian Tourist Authority and starting on 17 September and until 22 September, the first Luxor Egyptian and European Film Festival will screen 10 films throughout five days.

Heading the jury of the festival is Egyptian filmmaker Samir Seif, which also includes members from France, Germany, Portugal and Croatia. Egyptian writer Bahaa Taher will be an honorary president of the festival.

Organized by the Noon Foundation for Culture and Arts (NOONCA) and the Ministry of Culture, the festival is headed by film critic and historian Magda Wasef.

The British film “Salmon Fishing in The Yemen” by Lasse Hallström, starring the Egyptian actor, Amr Waked, will open the five-day festival and will be honoring British cinema.

Church of St. Anthony

Gates to the Monastery

Saint Macarius Monastery



carried to the site of the monastery by angels. It’s said that monks found her remains in 800 AD. Her relics are stored in a marble reliquary in the Basilica.

There are many works of art, including Islamic mosaic, Russian icons, oil paintings and relics donated by Tsar Alexander II of Russia and Catherine the Great of Russia. There is even one of the largest and most important collections of illuminated manuscripts in the world (the Vatican has the largest). The collection consists of some 4,500 volumes in Greek, Coptic, Arabic, Armenian, Hebrew, Slavic, Syriac, Georgian, and other languages.

Just east of the monastery lies Wadi El Sybaiya, the oldest settlement in the area. This area used to be where Roman soldiers stayed, and now the Jebeliya tribe is descended from them. In the 1980s, the tarmac road was completed, allowing for easier access to tourists, thus making the city grow.

St. Catherine’s has a rich history indeed. So rich that it is a sparkling example of an undiscovered jewel of travel. It has been called the oldest working Christian monastery and the smallest diocese in the world. Prior to probably the twentieth century, the only entrance to St. Catherine’s was a small door 30 feet high, where provisions and people were lifted with a system of pulleys, and where food was often lowered to nomads. It has withstood numerous attacks over

its 1,400 years of existence, thus protecting a rich store of art. Today, while it is one of the oldest monasteries in the world, its original, preserved state is unmatched.

The Monastery of St. Paul

This is an incredibly important historic site and it’s the second ancient Coptic Christian monastery, tucked away in the Eastern Desert of Egypt.

St. Paul the Anchorite lived to be one hundred and thirteen years old and had actually inspired Saint Anthony to seek his monastic and solitary lifestyle. In fact, the story of Saint Paul’s death describes Saint Anthony’s presence at the scene and how he was assisted in the burial by two lions.

Little has changed at the Monastery of Saint Paul over the course of many centuries, and today it still contains three churches and is a good example of the fortress-like structures that were required of the Christian monasteries of Egypt. Continually being raided and plundered by groups of Bedouins and Berbers, many of the monks constructed walls and towers as defensive measures, and Saint Paul’s Monastery was not spared that need.

In fact, the Monastery suffered its most catastrophic attack in 1484, when the monks were murdered and the

ancient library burnt. Less than one hundred years later, it was rebuilt, but again viciously attacked several times, and the monks fled. Sadly, they would not return and the monastery would experience a one hundred and twenty year abandonment before Pope John XVI of Alexandria dedicated the funds and resources to its complete reconstruction in the early 1700s.

In 2006, the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Egypt completed their own lengthy renovations of the monastery and re-opened it for public visitation. Travelers should tour all three churches, that of Saint Paul the Anchorite, which was dug underground into the cave where Saint Paul lived his hermetic life, the churches of Saint Mercurius and of the Archangel Michael.

Visitors may also view some of the manuscripts in the possession of the monastery, which includes a Coptic language version of the “Divine Liturgy”. A tour of the site may include a trip up the tower, and a glimpse at the “Pool of Mary” where Mary, the sister of Moses, washed her feet during the Exodus.

The Monastery of St. Macarius the Great (Wadi El Natrun)

The Monastery of St. Macarius lies in Wadi Natrun, 92 kilometers from Cairo on the western side of the desert road to Alexandria. It was founded in 360 A.D. by St. Macarius

the Egyptian, who was the spiritual father to more than four thousand monks of different nationalities among which are Egyptians, Greeks, Ethiopians, Armenians, Nubians, Asians, Palestinians, Italians, Gauls and Spaniards.

From the fourth century up to the present day the monastery is continuously inhabited by monks.

In 1969, the monastery entered an era of restoration, both spiritually and architecturally, with the arrival of twelve monks with their spiritual director, Fr. Matta El Meskeen. These monks had spent the previous ten years living together entirely isolated from the world, in caves in the desert area

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The Monastery of St. CatherineThe Monastery of St. Paul



known as Wadi El Rayyan, about 50 kilo-metres south of Fayoum. It was the late Patriarch Cyril who, in 1969 ordered this group of monks to leave Wadi El Rayyan and go to the Monastery of St. Macarius to restore it. The patriarch received them, blessed them, assured them of his prayers and asked God to grant their spiritual father grace that the desert might bloom again and become the home of thousands of hermits. At that time only six aged monks were living in the monastery and its historic buildings were on the point of collapse. The new monks were warmly received by the abbot, Bishop Michael, Metropolitan of Assiut, who through his wisdom and humility was able to create an atmosphere favorable to the renewal they hoped for.

At the present time, the monastic community numbers about one hundred monks. Most of them are university graduates in such diverse fields as agriculture, medicine, veterinary medicine, education, pharmacology and engineering, and have had job experience before entering the monastery.

The reconstruction of the monastery

The new monastery buildings include more than 150 cells, a large refectory, a new library with space for several thousand volumes, and a spacious guest house comprising several reception rooms and a number of single rooms for

retreats and other guests. Buildings to house various utilities have also been constructed, including a kitchen, bakery, barns, garages and a repair-shop. The new buildings occupy an area of ten acres. In addition, the historic buildings in the monastery have been carefully restored.

The discovery of the relics of St. John the Baptist and Elisha the Prophet during the restoration of the big Church of St. Macarius, the crypt of St. John the Baptist and Elisha the Prophet were discovered below the northern wall of the church, in accordance with the site mentioned in manuscripts from the 11th & 16th centuries found in the library of the monastery. The relics were then gathered in a special reliquary and placed before the sanctuary of St. John the Baptist in the church of St. Macarius.

The monks have been reclaiming and cultivating the desert land around the monastery since 1975. First they planted fig and olive trees, varieties of fodder crops and other crops, especially watermelons. Large farm buildings have been constructed to house cows, buffaloes, sheep and poultry. The Egyptian government has recognized the importance of the work of the monks in these areas, for the monastery is thus participating in solving the country’s food supply problems.

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The Monastery of St. Paul

Art

1st - 16th “The Collective Exhibition 2012”Sixty artists exhibiting their most recent paintings using different media, styles and techniques. Guest of honor is late artist Nerman Sadek, who is famous for her beautiful flowers and landscapes.

Duroub Art Gallery, 4 Latin America Street, Garden

City.

All September“Summer Exhibition 2012”Works by: Hisham El Zeiny, Dina Fadel, Reem Hassan, Hany Rashed, Amr Fekry, Amr Khedr. The works will be on display on two floors and can be seen by appointment.

4 D, El Gezira Street, 11211 Zamalek, Cairo

Tel.: +202 273 99 503/ 0122 6539 396

5th - 19th

“Generations “A bouquet selection of pioneer artists and group of young artistsPicasso Art Gallery, 30 Hassan Assem St. off Brazil St.

Tel: (02) 27367544

Time: the exhibition will run until September 19th,

2012. Opening at 7pm

20thBedrooms A photography exhibition by Anne-Marie Filaire. After exploring for more than ten years the landscape and borders in the Middle East, photographer Anne-Marie presents her work on Arab teenagers with pictures of students bedrooms in Alexandria and Cairo in 2012, follow-ing her works in Iraq and Morocco. Her pictures invite us to discover those young girls intimacy, in a changing society

French Institute in Egypt, Alexandria

30, El Nabi Danial St., Mahatet Misr - Alexandria

Tel: (03) 3913435

Time: 7 pm

23rd “A Book and a Painting”Presentation of the project that aims to introduce visual art to children of primary schools through the history of Egyptian artists such as Adly Rizkallah, George Bahgory, Helmi El Touni, Tahia Halim and others. In the exhibition the original drawings will be shown specially conceived by Sahar Abdallah for her book “Fenoun Stories” . Book launch and opening of the exhibi-tion on the same day.

Mashrabia Gallery of Contemporary Art

8, Champollion St. - Downtown – Cairo Egypt

Tel: (02) 25780494

29thAquarelle by Artist Mohamed El NasserCordoba Art Gallery - 11 Hassan Sabry Street -

Zamalek

Tel: (02) 27362693

Time: Exhibition runs until October 25th

1st October - 1st NovemberThe Virus is Spreading - Graffiti Artist GanzeerOutside of the typical art sphere, Ganzeer is best known for his “artivism” throughout 2011 via the use of murals,

stickers, graffiti, posters, and other actions across Cairo’s public spaces.”His art is characterized by the use of bold lines and uniquely created images and creatures of his own delivering a strong message to the world.Safarkhan Gallery is a solid art institution that is continually discovering/ promot-ing young talents, preserving the history modern art in Egypt and creating a forum where art, artists and the public can come together.As such the pairing of Safarkhan and Ganzeer is bound to bring you a fresh look onto this wonderful world of art and its strong connection and interpretation to the events shaping our future.

Safarkhan Gallery, 6 Brazil St., Zamalek.

Tel: (02) 2735 3314

Special Exhibitions

1st - 10thRamses Wissa Wassef ExhibitionA special exhibition of architectural drawings by Ramses Wissa Wassef titled “Ramses Wissa Wassef: The Architect and the Artist.” The exhibition will showcase his archi-tectural drawings collection, which documents his career between 1935 and 1972. Wassef was one of Egypt’s most prominent 20th-century architects.

AUC Library, New Cairo Campus

Time: The exhibition is open to the public from 10

am to 3 pm on Sundays and Tuesdays only.

Visitors should contact the AUC Library in advance

via-email or at: +202 2615.2923

1st -13thYarns and Scripts: Masterpieces of the Azerbaijani CarpetsThe Exhibition displays a wide selection of Azerbaijani Carpets rich with scripts and colored decorations, as well as crafts such as jewelry, engraved metals, wood and stone.

Bibliotheca Alexandrina, El Shatby Street,

Alexandria.

Tel: (03) 483 9999

CALENDARSeptember 2012

Ramses Wissa Wassef Exhibition


Film Festival

17th - 22ndLuxor and European Film FestivalThe first film festival will screen 10 films throughout five days. Heading the jury is Egyptian filmmaker Samir Seif, and members from France, Germany, Portugal and Croatia. Egyptian writer Bahaa Taher will be an honorary president and the festival will be headed by film critic and historian Magda Wasef. The British film Salmon Fishing in The Yemen by Lasse Hallström, starring the Egyptian actor, Amr Waked, will open the five-day festival and will be honoring British cinema. The French Institute in Egypt is partner of this first edition.

Congress Palace - Luxor House of Cultures - Luxor

Temple Esplanade

Music

1st Basheer Band New genre of Upper Egyptian folkloric music.

Cairo Jazz Club

197, 26th July Street – Sphinx Sq.

Tel: (02) 3345 9939

Time: 10 pm

Cairo Celebration Orchestra Conductor: Tarek Mahran

Open Air Theater – Cairo Opera House

Tel: (02) 27390132

Time: 8 pm

2ndEftekasat BandSufi Jazz concert by Eftekasat band

Cairo jazz Club


Tel: (02) 3345 9939

Time: 9 pm

Sehr El Shark Band El-Sheikh’s band Sehr al-Sharq (Magic of the Orient) conducted by Belal El Sheikh who gradu-ated from the Musical Education College in 2008 and is a keen follower of Sayyed Darwish.

Open Air – Cairo Opera House

Tel: (02) 27390132

Time: 8 pm

3rdEgyptian songs and musicContemporary Egyptian musician Ma’moun El Meligy is a fresh talent in his forties. He started singing regularly after a long stint as an architect. The style and content of his songs has been compared to the likes of Marcel Khalifé and El Sheikh Imam.

Open Air Theater– Cairo Opera Grounds

Tel: (02) 27390132

Time: 8 pm

4thAn evening with QanunSaber Abdel Sattar is the winner of the international Qanun prize that was set by the league of Arab states in cooperation with the Egyptian academy in Algeria in 2001

Open Air Theater – Cairo Opera Grounds

Tel: (02) 27390132

Time: 8 pm

Singer JannatJannat Mahid, is a Moroccan singer born in Mohammedia. She won a musical competition (Noujoum Al Ghad, 2M TV) at age eight before winning several others competitions in Morocco, Egypt, and Dubai.

El-Mahka 2 Theatre Saladin Citadel

Time: 10 pm

5thNogoum El Tarab band Mostafa Ahmed

Open Air Theater – Cairo Opera Grounds

Tel: (02) 27390132

Time: 8 pm

Arabic Jazz Band Ahmed Rabie


Time: 8 pm

Artist Ali El HaggarAli El Haggar is an Egyptian artist with an extraordinary talent and an exceptional voice. His birth within a family of artists is one of the most important factors that explain his devotion to music.


Time: 10 pm

8thDina El WadidiSinger and Arghoul PlayerDina’s band is a contemporary Egyptian music group seeking an active role in the Egyptian cultural scene and abroad. The group of young musicians is looking for a new musical identity, utilizing their experience and mixed cultural upbring-ing, following a globalized context that is open to different cultures and musical backgrounds.

Cairo Jazz Club


Tel: (02) 3345 9939

9thModern, fusion, jazzSinger, composer and songwriter, Adam Miller has entertained audiences for over


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Eftekasat Band

two decades, whether as a solo artist or front man with various musicians and bands. With a repertoire that encom-passes the entire span of jazz history, you’re guaranteed to hear all your jazz favorites.

Cairo Jazz Club


Tel: (02) 3345 9939

Time: 9 pm

15thSenet - Ashara GharbyA contemporary band known for fusing oriental sounds with blues and Afro beats. Add to that their social commen-tary lyrics

Cairo Jazz Club


Tel: (02) 3345 9939

Time: 9 pm

16thLos Compadres Genre: Cuban JazzThe duet was founded in 1942 and is one of the most representative groups in Cuban music Genre

Cairo Jazz Club


Tel: (02) 3345 9939

Time: 9 pm

20thChâabi Music A special night to discover Châabi electro music with the screening of a documen-tary movie followed by a live concert by Ha’Ha band French Institute.

French Institute,

Madrasset El Huqquq El Ferenseya St., Mounira

Tel: (02) 27915800

Time: 7 pm

21stPunk music by US“ Black lips” and Lebanon “Lazzy Lung”With two Egyptian bands ( Faking it and 050 band ). The Middle East tour will be documented and parts of the tour video will be aired through Vice TV and Noisey TV, which are two of the top web TV channels with 4 million viewers and 1.4 million respectively.

El Sawy Culture Wheel - 26th of July St. Zamalek

Tel: (02) 27368881

22ndSoot Fel Zahma BandMariam SalemThe musical crowd with the typical rhythm of the daily life’s vortex have created a demand of having a new sound to attract people away from the commercial music that they listen to nowadays. This music must be unique, powerful ,effective, and recognized and actually this is the respon-sibility which the members have taken over when they decided to go with ‘Soot Fel Zaحma’ as a name of the band

Cairo Jazz Club


Tel: (02) 3345 9939

Time: 9 pm

23rdMichelle RoundsGenre: Funk JazzSinger and Songwriter Michelle first performed live in Sydney in 1989. She is described as the jazz diva from the far-flung exotic Pacific Islands. She performs jazz, originals & more. A beauti-ful voice that’s not to be missed.

Cairo Jazz Club


Tel: (02) 3345 9939

Time: 9 pm

29thTransistor – SalalemGenre: Contemporary Egyptian music.Salalem’s whole idea started when the band members decided to express their music in the streets. Together they spread a new Musical Culture.

Cairo Jazz Club


Tel: (02) 3345 9939

Time: 9 pm

30thAshraf Habashi & The Jazz CaterersGenre: World Jazz The Jazz Caterers serve up a hearty tribute to the legendary voices of jazz rearranged in a funky upbeat style.

Cairo jazz Club 197, 26th July Street – Sphinx Sq

Tel: (02) 3345 9939

Time: 9 pm

THEATER26thTraversées NomadeFrom one bank to the other - intimate writings 2nd Step : Whispers A play set between Marseille and Alexandria. A world composed of women writings and letters exchanged between the two cities. This second part of a three year project will be presented in French, Arabic and English by Fatma Mosleh and Maud Buinou.

French Institute in Egypt, Alexandria

30, El Nabi Danial St., Mahatet Misr - Alexandria

Tel: (03) 3913435

Time: 7 pm

Special Event17thIntroductory Session on Japanese Tea CeremonyFor the first time in Egypt and the whole Middle East – an introductory session about the Japanese tea ceremony, in order to introduce the basic information about the ceremony in Japan, and how it originated.

The Japan Foundation Cairo Office 5F Cairo Center

Bldg., 106 Kasr al-Aini St., Garden City

Free admission – prior registration is needed

Tel: (02) 279 49 431

Time: 4 pm till 6 pm

Los Compadres