The Mosque of Amr Ibn Al As
The Mosque of Amr Ibn Al As is the first mosque established in Egypt and Africa. It is located close to the old Cairo in Fustat city.
Amr Ibn Al As: Amr Ibn Al As was one of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). He was commanded by Caliph Umar Ibn Al-Khattab to enter Egypt in 641 AD / 20 AH. After he conquered Egypt and abolished Roman rule, Egypt became an Islamic district belonging to the caliphate in Medina.
Then Amr Ibn Al As established the first Islamic capital in Egypt and Africa, Fustat. In addition, a mosque holding his name (Amr Ibn Al As Mosque).
The history of Fustat city: The researchers said that after the Arabs conquest to Egypt, Amr Ibn Al As ordered the Islamic army to set their tents on the north of Babylon fort, but when Amr Ibn Al As came to remove his tent to go ahead to Alexandria for pursuing the Romans, he found that there was a dove built its nest upon it. He refused to remove it and left his tent in that place.
After he won in Alexandria, Caliph Umar Ibn Al-Khattab refused Alexandria as the capital of Egypt and ordered Amr Ibn Al As to establish a new capital to be the first Islamic capital in Egypt and Africa. So he went back to his tent, where the Nile River and Babylon fort, because it is a unique strategic location already fortified and called this new capital Fustat, meaning leader’s tent in the Arabic language.
Today, Fustat is a part of the Old Cairo District, housing many archaeological sites as Ben Ezra Synagogue, the hanging church, and the Cave church just to name a few.
Amr Ibn Al As Mosque: Amr Ibn Al As Mosque or also known as the Old Mosque called in the Arabic language (al-‘Ateeq).
There were some of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) who assisted in the foundation of this mosque as Al-Zubayr Ibn Al-‘Awam and Ubada Ibn Al-Samit. This mosque was built after a year of Arab conquest to Egypt, meaning in 21 AH.
In the beginning, the mosque was built with mud bricks, and its roof was supported by palm tree trunks. Addings continued in the mosque throughout history until it became as it is today.
The Red Pyramid of Dahshur
The Red Pyramid of Dahshur was the third one constructed by King Snefru, after the Bent Pyramid and Meidum pyramid. It is the highest pyramid in Dahshur.
King Snefru King Snefru is the founder of the 4th dynasty, the old kingdom. Also, he is the father of King Khufu, who owns the Great Pyramid of Giza Plateau. His main wife was queen Hetepheres I, who also is the mother of King Khufu.
The construction of the Red Pyramid The establishment of this pyramid might begin in the 13th year of King Sneferu’s reign and took 10 years to be completed. The Red Pyramid is called red due to using a red stone in its construction.
The Red Pyramid is the first true or complete pyramid in ancient Egyptian history, as after the failure in the construction of the Bent pyramid and Meidum pyramid to be complete pyramids, the ancient Egyptian engineers corrected their mistakes and be aware of the correct angle to reach the true pyramid, what is 43 degrees.
It is thought that 43 degrees were the angle that was used by the ancient Egyptian engineers in building the top part of the Bent pyramid; also it was approved by those engineers for building the later pyramids in the ancient Egyptian civilization.
The Red Pyramid is 341 feet tall, so it is considered the third-largest ancient Egyptian pyramid after the pyramids of Kings Khufu and Khafre at Giza Plateau.
The plan of this Red Pyramid The entrance of the pyramid is located on the northern side. This entrance leads to a passageway. Then there is a gallery, leading into a chamber with a corbelled roof, Then there is another passage leading to a second chamber, This chamber houses another passageway leading to the third chamber, which is believed that it is the burial chamber.
Saint Catherine’s Monastery in the Sinai Peninsula
Saint Catherine’s Monastery is located on the slopes of Mount Sinai. It is considered one of the oldest monasteries in the whole world. This monastery was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2002.
The names of Saint Catherine’s Monastery It is famous with Saint Catherine’s Monastery, but its original name is Sacred Monastery of the God Trodden, this monastery gets its name from the Saint Catherine of Alexandria, who martyred in the early 4th century AD. They found her corpse on nearby Mount Saint Catherine, as it is said the angels transferred her body to this place.
The history of Saint Catherine’s Monastery
The Byzantine Emperor Justinian I commanded to construct this monastery in 527 AD for housing the monks of the Sinai Peninsula.
- The buildings of the MonasteryThe monastery includes many buildings as:
- The Church of the Transfiguration of Christ the Savior, This church houses other nine smaller churches. One of these nine churches is the Burning BushChurch,where the god spoke to the prophet Moses.
The Scripture mentioned that the god ordered the prophet Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt by speaking to him from this bush. The fire was set into this bush, although that it was unaffected by the fire.
Empress Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great, the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, established a church on the site of the Burning Bush in the 4th century AD. Emperor Justinian I rebuilt this small church and included it within the Church of the Transfiguration of Christ the Savior, the larger church.
- The monks’ rooms.
- The refectory.
- The olive press.
- Ossuaries.
- The Fatimid Mosque dating back to the 12th century AD in 500 AH / 1106 AD during the reign of the Fatimid Caliph al-Amir bi-Ahkam Allah. This mosque was the fruit of the harmonious relationship between Muslims and Christians. This mosque became a stop for pilgrims on their way to Mecca.
- The library of Saint Catherine’s Monastery houses rare books and 6,000 manuscripts, so it is considered one of the most important libraries attached to the monastery. The project of restoring the library in 2017 detected many manuscripts, among them a Greek medical manuscript dating back to the fifth century.
The Coptic Museum in Coptic Cairo
The Coptic Museum contains the largest collection of Coptic collections in the whole world. It is located in the Coptic Cairo inside the Babylon Fortress and beside the hanging church, the Cave Church, and Ben Ezra Synagogue.
The history of The Museum This museum was opened to the public in 1910 by the efforts of Marcus Simaika Pasha, as he was interested in the preservation of Coptic heritage. He collected these collections by himself by buying the Coptic artifacts and architectural elements from older churches.
In 1939, the Service of Antiquities decided to transfer the Christian collection exhibited in the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square to be displayed in the Coptic Museum. Automatically, all discovered Christian artifacts are transferred to the Coptic Museum.
This museum consists of two buildings linked by a bridge. The first building was established by Marcus Simaika Pasha in 1910, while the second was added later in 1947.
It can be noticed that the facade of the Coptic Museum is identical to the facade of Al Aqmar Mosque in Moez St.
The museum collection: The building of the museum contains two floors housing various Coptic collections. These collections display the Coptic history in Egypt, as Christianity began in Egypt by Saint Mark when he visited Alexandria in the 1st Century AD. As well, these collections show how the Christian community lived in Egypt.
The museum objects reflects the merger that happened between Coptic art and the art in other civilizations as the ancient Egyptian art (as the collection of Kom Abou Billou site), Greco-Roman art, Byzantine art, and Ottoman art.
The museum display is divided into:
- Stones and frescoes section:this section houses religious scenes and stone drawings from monasteries and churches. These scenes were drawn by tempra style.
- The development of Coptic writing and manuscripts section: This section exhibits bibles written on deerskin in the Coptic and Arabic languages from the 11th to the 13th Century.
- Fabrics and textiles section: it contains the clothes of monks decorated with crosses and drawings of the Virgin and the Christ.
- Icons section:this section has a wide collection of Coptic icons from different periods with different themes and decorations. Icon is a Greek word meaning a picture that may be a drawing of saints or other religious scenes.
- Wooden works section: this section contains several wooden works as doors and chairs brought from churches.
- Metal section: it displays a large amount of silver and gold Coptic coins.
- Pottery and glass section: it displays a lot of pottery and glass objects reflecting the Coptic community and history in Egypt.
For a quick visit to the Coptic Museum, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities launched a virtual tour for the Coptic Museum, You will be able to check it via this link. The Coptic Museum virtual tour
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