THE FLIGHT OF THE HOLY FAMILY IN EGYPT

Already, Egypt had hosted lots of prophets like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the tribes of the Israelites, Moses the prophet and Jeremiah the prophet, but the greatest blessing, which Egypt received, was when the Lord Jesus came to Egypt with his mother the Holy Virgin Mary and stayed in it.

The Holy family passage: -

According to the documents of Pope Theophilus that recorded in the Coptic Senxarium tells:-

The Holy family proceeded from BETHLEHEM to GAZA, then, to RAFAH, EL ZARANIK [Floussiat ] , around 37 km WEST EL ARISH  , then they continue their way along northern Sinai reaching to the FARAMA  mid way between  EL ARISH and present day PORT SAID it was their last step in Sinai ,their next leg of their trip moved to TEL BASTA [or Basta ] is a short distance from ZAGAZIG the main town in SHARQIAH govern orate The townsfolk  , in consequence , turned about 100 km north-east of Cairo. 

There Jesus caused forth a spring of water to drink The city was full of idols, while the idols worshipers were spread all over the land of Egypt, they reached afterwards to MOSTOROD [Al-Mahamma] which means The bathing place because Virgin Mary bathed the Christ Child and washed his clothes It is important note that on the return journey of the holy family stopped once more at Mostorod and this time caused to gush from the earth

which still flows forth to the present day  from Mostorod the Holy family moved to the northeast wards to BELBEIS [ancient Philippos]

away from Cairo by 55 km they rested there in the shade of a tree which came to be called “The Virgin Mary’s Tree “ .The Holy Family left Belbeis northwards to the west towards a to~ Named MENIET SAINMMANAUD and was previously known as 'Meniet Genah". They crossed the River Nile to the city of SAMMANUD inside the Delta and its people received them in a pleasant way, and so Jesus Christ blessed the people. At Sammanud an old Church was built after the name of St. Mary the Virgin, later it was changed, and a new Church was built now on its ruins known as St. Abba Noub the martyr at Sammanud.There is a reliquary at the church of St. Mary at Sammanud which contains the relics of St. Abba Noub tie martyr, the relics of about eight thousands martyrs Thorn the same region. At that same church there is a huge round granite trough for making dough . It is said that the Virgin Mary while staying at Sanmanud and still that trough does exist at the church up till now.

There is also, a holy well, which the Holy Family might have drunk its Water and some of the miracles happen by that blessed water of the well. Again towards the northwest, the holy family now traveled until the city of SAKHA in the lake district of Burullus, in the present day governorate of Kafr El – Sheikh, the Coptic name of the SAKHA is [Pekha – Issous] means “ the foot of Jesus “; as the foot of the Jesus Christ was imprinted on a stone, that stone had been hidden for a long time through the ages for fear that it might be stolen , From Kasha city the Holy Family crossed the western branch of the river Nile (Rosetta branch) to the west of the Delta and they moved after that to the south to WADI AL-NATRUN  According to tradition the Virgin Mary and her son the child Jesus Christ, hid in that valley during their flight to Egypt, and Jesus Christ blessed the four directions of the valley It is customary that the patriarchies of Alexandria are keen to visit the monasteries of Wadi AI-Natrun "to cook" the holy Myron oil Wadi Al­ Natrun is considered one of the most famous valleys in Egypt   It is considered the home of asceticism and worship.

The Holy Family went towards AL MATARIYA which lies near Am Shams, far from Cairo about 10 Kilometers It can be reached by buses and the subway AIN SHAMS is the same ¹¹Heliopolis city'", which is mentioned in the Old Testament was know' during the Pharaohs by the name Am Shams was well know~ in ancient Egypt for its famous university Joseph married Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of ON (Genesis 41: 45,50, (46:20)At Ain Shams university on the priests of the ancient Egyptians, the sons of the kings, princes and nobles used to study the religious, spiritual and philosophical knowledge, and also the different mathematical, physical, natural, chemical sciences and astronomy addition to different languages."Plato", the philosopher stayed there during his youth and there he was inspired his philosophy. Moses, the head of the prophets was brought up there. During the journey of the Holy Family to Ain Shams, "ON" was inhabited by a large number of the Jews and they had a Synagogue, which was called, "Onias" or the house of "Onias". 


At AI-Matariya the Holy Family sheltered under a tree known nowadays by The tree of the Virgin Mary. There the Lord Jesus gushed forth a spring of water from which he drank, and blessed it. Virgin Mary washed the clothes of the child Jesus and poured the water on the ground On that spot a sweet - smelling plant grew and it is know~ with the narne of The Balsam tree, and it is added to all kinds of perfimes which is used in cooking the sacred Myron Oil, used in the church religious rites A church was consecrated at AI-Matariya after the name of Virgin Mary It is an ancient church and was renovated and it has a great fame The people visit that church and receive its blessing.  Al­ Matariya became one of the most imponant centers of tourism. The remains of the old tree still remain near the church of St. Mary the Virgin at AI-Matariya region. Another tree was planted of the same kind of the plant nearby. There is also a monastery, which has a tree of the same kind like that of the old one of the Virgin Mary.At that district, there is a street, which bears the name of the balsam street, and another one, which bears the name of St. Mary, well street. The Holy Family moved towards Old Cairo On their way, where AL -ZAYIUN district is sited there is a small church with the name of St. Mary the Virgin, at the street of Tomanbay, AI-Zaitun district in Cairo.  It is most probably this church was one of the important halts (through their journey) where they rested St. Mary the Virgin appeared over The domes of this church, starting from the second of April 1968 and that apparition continued for several (long) nights Thousands of people had visited the site of the church, and stayed awake waiting to see the apparition of the Virgin Their numbers exceeded hundreds of thousands, and her apparition was in different shapes accompanied by splendid miracles From the districts of Am Shams, AI-Matariya and AI-Zaitun the Holy Family moved towards Old Cairo.


On their way they passed by the middle Old Cairo to the district of Harat Zuwaila, which is near El­Ataba Square in Cairo The site of the ancient church of St. Mary the Virgin at Harat Zuwaila contains churches. At that same site there is the church of the great martyr St. George, together with the church built by El Moalem Ibrahirn El Gohary, after the name of St Mercurius of the two swords. Again, there are two nun convents, one bearing the name of St. Mary the Virgin and the other the name of St. George. In front of the altar of the ancient church of St Mary at HARAT ZUAILA there is a sacred well.  It is believed that its water cures the illness and the church is considered one of the most wonderful ancient churches. The site of the church is near the district of AI-Muski in Cairo. In OLD CAIRO  is considered the oldest of the churches of The Fortress of Babylon St. Mary halted by

• The church of St Mary the Virgin (AI-Muallaqah) .
• The Church of St. Sergius (Abu Sergah) ,
• The Church of St Barbara .
• The Church of St George (in the Palace of Waxworks) .
• The Church of the Virgin, identified by its alternative name of Qasriet Al-Rihan .
• The Convent of St George .
• The Coptic Museum and the ramparts of the Fortress of Babylon .
• The Greek Orthodox Church of St George .
• The Jewish Synagogue of Ben Ezra .

The FUSTAT SECTION of Old Cairo, which lies west of the Mosque of Amr Ibn'l Aas, includes:

• The Church of St Mercurios Abu Sefein (he of the two Swords).
• The Church of Abba Shenouda.
• The Church of the Virgin Mary of Al-Demshiria.
• The Convent of Abu Sefein.
• The Church of the Virgin of Babylon El Darag.
• The Church of Saints Abakir and Yohanna.
• The Church of Prince Tadros Al Mishriqi.
• The Church of the Archangel Mikhail (known also as Al-Malak Al-Qibili - or 'Southern Angel')
• The Church of St Mena in Zahraa - Misr El Kadima.

Afterwards the holy family moved to southerly to a very modern Cairo suburb of MAADI  they boarded a sailing boat that carried them up the Nile towards southern Egypt. The historic church built upon the spot from which they embarked, also dedicated to the Virgin, is also known as 'Al-Adaweya', the Virgin's Church 'of the Ferry'. (In fact, the name of the modern suburb, Maadi, derives from

the Arabic word meaning 'the Crossing Point'). The sailboat docked at the village of Deir Al-Garnous (the later site of the Monastery of Arganos) 10 kms west of Ashnein el Nassara (a small village near the town of MAGHAGHA ). Outside the western wall of the church of Virgin, a deep well is believed to have provided the Holy Family with the water they needed. They went from there to a spot later named Abai Issous, 'the home of Jesus', the site of present day Sandafa village, east of AL BAHNASSA which stands some 17kms west of the town of Beni  Mazar.

On towards the south they went from Bahnassa to SAMALOUT and crossed the Nile again from that town to the spot on the east bank of the River where the Monastery of the Virgin now stands upon Gabal El-Tair (‘Bird Mountain’) east of Samalout, 2 kms south of Meadeyat Beni Khaled. It is known by this name (Gabal El-Tair) because thousands of birds gather there. The Holy Family rested in the cave which is now located

inside the ancient church there. Gabal El-Tair is also called Gabal El-Kaf ('Palm Mountain’). Coptic tradition maintains that, as the Holy Family rested in the shade of the Mountain, Jesus stretched His little hand to hold back a rock which was about to detach itself from the mountain-side and fall upon them. The imprint of His palm is still visible.

When they resumed their travels, the Holy Family passed a laurel tree a stone’s throw south of Gabal El-Tair, along the pathway flanking the Nile and leading from the Mountain to Nazlet Ebeid and the New Minia Bridge of today. It is claimed that this tree bowed to worship the Lord Christ - glory be to Him - as He was passing. The configuration of the Tree is, indeed, unique: all its branches incline downwards, trailing on the ground, then turn upwards again, covered in a cloak of green leaves. They call the tree Al Abed- ‘The Worshipper’).

We have an entirely different story in the warm welcome with which the holy refugees were met at their next stop at Meir (or MEIRA) only 7 kms west of Qoussia. Here, they found only consideration and hospitality wherever they went, for which treatment the town and its people were signally blessed.

the place where there would be “an altar to the Lord in the midst f the land of Egypt”. Gabal (Mount) Qussqam, which takes its name from the town nearby that was laid waste, is 327 krns south of Cairo, and stands in the Governorate of Assiut. The Monastery of AL-MUHARRAQ nestles against the western foothills of the
Mountain. It was built around the area where the Holy Family remained just over six months. Their time was spent mainly in a cave which became, in the Coptic era, the altar of the Church of Virgin Mary, built at the western end of the Monastery compound. The altar stone was the resting place of the Child Jesus during the months He dwelt there.

The whole area - the Monastery and its surroundings -is redolent of the Coptic Christian ethos. So hallowed are its intimations, that the Copts of Egypt named it the Second Bethlehem. It was here, at. the very spot where Al-Muharraq Monastery stands, that the Angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, and said “Arise, and take the young Child and His mother, and go into the land of israel; for they are dead which sought the young Child’s life” (Matthew 2 : 20 & 21).

On their return, the Holy Family took THE EASTERN BANK OF THE NILE passing by certain villages like Deir EI-Barsha and Deir Abou Henas (younnis - John). 

So Egypt, received the greatest blessing when the Lord Jesus came to Egypt with His Mother, the Holy Virgin Mary. Thus, the prophecy has been fulfilled.