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The shrine of Abu El Hassan el shazli
At the southwestern border of Wadi El
Gemal National Park lays the shrine of Abu El Hassan el
Shazli , the most famous Islamic Shrine in the Estern
Desert . El Sazli is one of the figures of sufism , he
was born in Moraco where he grow up
and becam a religious thinker . ElShazli travelled
widely in his religious quest . He travelled to Bagdad
and then Tunisia where he lived in a towen called Shazla
( hence his nam ) . Then he moved to Tunis , where he
became a popular figure .
He evevtually traveled to
Egypt and stayed in Alexandria where he preached in Al
Attarin Mosque . Then he moved to Cairo and after that
to Upper Egypt . In 1258 , on his way to
perform pilgrimag to Mecca Abu el Hassan el Shazli
died in Wadi Homaythara where he is burried . Ashrine
was built for him and became a popular site for the
followers of his school from Egypt and North Africa .
the Ministery of Islamic Enddowments built the new
Shazli Mossque in 1969 . |
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Saint
Anthony
The church of St . Anthony named after the father of Christian monasticism,
it was built two kilometers south of the cave where St Anthony (c. 251-356 AD)
retreated to pursue an isolated ascetic life.
Today it is a self-contained village with gardens, a mill, a
bakery and five churches,
the best of which is St. Anthony's Church. Egypt monasteries are experiencing a
revival, and the monk population of St. Anthony's has grown considerably in
recent years. The Monastery has exceptional
wall paintings of holy knights in
bright colors and the hermit founders of the monastery in subdued colors and
icons. These wall paintings, widely know to monks and art historians, were
obscured by soot, candle grease, oil and dust, but recently, in a collaborated
effort between the Supreme Council of Antiquities and the American Research
Center in Egypt, these unique painting were restored. One set of the paintings
is attributed to a team lead by a Coptic master named Theodore, while the other
appears to be done by team with Byzantine
influence. The oldest paintings date
to the seventh and eighth centuries, while the newest are from the thirteenth
century. In addition to the paintings, woodwork inside At. Anthony's Church was
also restored. There is also a library with over 1,700 handwritten manuscripts,
but the Bedouin servants who plundered the monastery used many manuscripts for
cooking fuel. At
one time, there must have been a much more extensive
library. St. Anthony's Cave
(magharah), where he lived
as a hermit, is a 2 km
hike from the monastery and 680 m. above the Red Sea. It offers stunning views
of the mountains and the sea, and the chance to see a wide range of bird life.
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antsid view
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inside view
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the monstory fence
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entrance
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