30th March 2012
Monastery - Deir Al-Malak Ghobrial (Deir Al-Naqlun)
Monastery - Deir Al-Malak Ghobrial (Deir Al-Naqlun)
The monastery is 28 kilometres from the West bank Ferry station and going North from Tod police check point towards Gina. From Danfiq village its about 7 kilometres. You pass the village about one kilometre and then turn left and out into the desert. The road was good and quiet but then it was a Friday. All in all it was a safe journey.
There are several other places of interest in the nearby area.
This is the road that leads to the monastery Entrance to monastery
This building was erected within the last fifteen A church to the left and to the right of the entrance.
years when extensive work started on the site.
The general appearance of the monastery and its grounds is rather new looking and only the old churches give you any sense of its history. The site is huge and is walled to keep the desert aside.
years when extensive work started on the site.
The general appearance of the monastery and its grounds is rather new looking and only the old churches give you any sense of its history. The site is huge and is walled to keep the desert aside.
Church of The Virgin Mary Church of Saint Gabriel
The Deir al-Malak Ghobrial (Monastery) located at Gebel Naqlun, is one of the oldest Coptic monasteries in the Fayoum. According to the Christian historian Abu Salih, it is where Jacob builder of the Bahr Yusif lived and worshiped.
The monastery was likely founded in the fourth century by Bishop Aur and remained a functional monastery until the sixth century. Bishop Aur was the son of the daughter of a Middle Eastern Queen and her lover Abrashit the Magician. He was guided by the Archangel Gabriel to this spot and erected the church in the archangel’s honor. Gabriel is reported to have said to Aur, “Send none away. Many marvelous things shall be performed. The mountain shall prosper and shall become as crowded as a dovecote. People shall come to visit it from all countries of the earth and their prayers shall mount up to God.”
From the fourth to the sixth century the monastery was the leading Christian centre in the Fayoum. Saint Samuel lived here until he established the Monastery of Saint Samuel in Wadi Mawalih. By the fifteenth century it was in ruins, with only the churches still standing, and up to 1968 the monastery was only used once a year on the celebration of the mulid, or saint’s day of Gabriel. Today the monastery is thriving.
I was told by the man showing me around that most of all the new work and improvements and buildings started about fifteen years ago (1997) I could see a great deal of work going on in and around the monastery and in its grounds. They were building a sacred building/room for the monks and only they can go into it for secret preying. There were parks and resting places with trees and shrubs, a restaurant with outside seating area for the monks, a children’s play area as they arrange special events for them, a monks cafeteria, tennis courts and so on. It certainly is an oasis out in the desert. My guide told me that no monks live in this monastery, only the head person. They apparently live in the area around the monastery and come in daily.
The Church of Saint Gabriel
The monastery contains the Church of Saint Gabriel, which is decorated with six columns with Corinthian capitals and has a wooden ceiling with geometric designs. It contains three sanctuaries. The relics of Abba Kaw, a martyr of the Diocletian persecution were known to have been kept in this church as late as the fifteenth century. In the eleventh century paintings of Saint Gabriel, Virgin Mary and Jesus were discovered. Archaeologists also discovered two rooms in the east of the monastery containing eighty nine rock hewn hermitages, they also found thousands of manuscripts, some written in Greek, Coptic and Arabic.
Seating area in front of the monks restaurant Resting areas
Parks
Monastery Entrance Ostriches
Children’s Play area Tennis Courts
Walled perimeter of monastery to the right
Countryside towards the Monastery, just desert beyond
Peoples of Danfiq Village
On our way back from the monastery to Moustafa’s house (my guide) we stopped off at the roadside café just in front of Danfiq village. There I met up with many of the local people that I have got to know on my past visits. We then went back to Moustafa’s house for yet another tea. As before, I was lead around to meet neighbours and relatives.
When I come here to Danfiq I am always overwhelmed by the locals kindness, hospitality and friendship. It is by far one of the nicest villages I know.