Ancient Christianity – and “Lucy” the movie star

Ron and I took a tour of “Ancient Christianity” in Cairo two weekends ago. It was sponsored by the CSA, cost $29 (plus lunch), lasted seven hours, and took us through at least nine churches, some dating all the way back to the 1400s. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to get a proper listing of exactly what we saw (still waiting for a response to my email request), so I’ll have to make do from the photos I took, our memories and some scant online info.

The first six churches were located together just north of downtown Cairo in Fum al-Khalig, north of the Roman aqueduct, all in one compound: Church of Saint Minas, Saint Benham Church, Saint Mercurios Chapel, Saint George Church, Nativity Altar and Church of Martyr Saint John of Senhout. Some were extremely small (like the Nativity Altar), but others were large and exceptionally beautiful (Church of St. Minas). The guide gave us a rather extensive (read: long) lecture on the history of Christianity in Egypt. At one point he joked that he didn’t want to be like the father in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” and claim everything derived from Egyptian, but then he went right on and basically stated that, well, everything (including Christmas, I might add), is derived from Egyptian. Ron was mildly annoyed at his posturings, especially his claims that he knew all the answers to any of our questions. Like a red flag to a bull, Ron couldn’t resist asking a question that the vast majority of us didn’t even understand. The tour guide made some generic response and said it wasn’t really topical to our tour today. (Right.)

Many of the churches we saw were built semi-underground. It’s said that some of these have been built in caves that are believed to be locations where the Holy family rested on their journey through Egypt.

I was able to find the following information online:
Church of Saint Minas/Menas… one of the oldest Churches in Cairo dating back to the fifth century… in the year 725 (or 724) AD, the church was destroyed during the reign of caliph Hisham Ibn Abdel Malik Ibn Marwan, but was rebuilt in that same year at the expense of the Christians who lived in that quarter… The church was again reconstructed in 1164, when cupolas were added and its marble columns were replaced by pillars, and in recent times was restored… Today, only sections of the central sanctuary and the outer wall remain from the 8th century building… there was once a monastery associated with the church… A passage from the baptistery leads into the Church of Bahnam. (The photo is of a shrine to the Virgin Mary.)

Church of Saint Bahnam only consists of two sanctuaries… The screen before the northern sanctuary, which is relatively modern dating to 1813, is inlaid with ivory. The screen on the other, southern sanctuary is somewhat older, dating to 1775… From this church, a stairway leads up to the Church of Saint George.

Church of Saint George also has two sanctuaries. It is dedicated to Saint George, and has a screen that dates to 1747.

We then took a break and went to lunch on the Nile. This was our third “on the Nile” restaurant and while the view was of course nice, and there was a lovely breeze blowing, the food was just so-so. But we were privy to witness a movie being filmed at the other end of the restaurant. All we know is that the “movie star, Lucy” was sitting at a table talking to another woman. So our first Egyptian movie star sighting and I cannot guarantee you we could pick her out of a line-up. But we can at least make the claim that we’ve seen her.

Following lunch, we went to an area called Foustat. This is also an area known for its pottery. There are stacks of clay and mosaic pots all along the main road. Here we saw The Church of Saints Abakir and Yohanna, The Church of Saint Mercurios Abu Sefein (“he of the two swords”) and Virgin Mary Church of Al-Damsheria.

Again, beautiful churches with marble, ivory inlay, and elaborate shrines. At the Church of Saint Mercurios/Marcorious there’s a cave off one wall in which the story of Saint Barsoum and the serpent is alleged to have taken place. The story goes:

“Saint Barsoum was born in the year 1257 A.D. of devout Christian parents who were charitable to the poor. His father held a very prominent position in the royal palace and he was brought up according to the disciplines of the Holy Gospel.

“When Barsoum became a youth, his parents passed away. At this stage he felt that his uncle was after his inheritance, so he willingly renounced it to him, left the city life for dwelling in a cave for five years during which he endured the scorching heat of summer and the freezing cold of winter.

“He then went to the Church of St. Marcorious Abu Seffen (holder of the two swords) in old Cairo where a cave was within the vicinity. When he tried to enter the cave some of the monks prevented him as there was a large snake inside. The saint prayed to the God who gave us the power to trample on serpents and scorpions, he said few verses of Psalms, blessed himself with the sign of the cross and entered without fear. God removed the vicious nature of the snake and made it tame, it dwelt with the Saint for the period of his stay in the cave – 20 years.” (Note the photo of the shrine to Saint Barsoum next to the doorway leading down to the cave where he lived with the snake. We were able to enter the cave, after removing our shoes, and in addition to it being rather tiny and cramped, it was also a bit stinky.)

The Church of Saint Mercurios/Marcorious (he of two swords)– According to online sources: “The church is named after St. Philopater Mercurius who is known as Abu Saifain (double sworded)… The Church of Saint Mercurius served as the Seat of the Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria between 1300 and 1500 AD and is perhaps the only one in Cairo with its original foundation intact… Many Coptic patriarchs resided in the church during the 11th through the 15th centuries, and later during the 16 and 18th centuries… [The church] itself was demolished and turned into a sugarcane warehouse, but was rebuilt by Patriarch Abraham (974-979). Afterwards, in 1080, 47 bishops met in the church by order of the Fatimid vizier Badr Al-Gamal to establish the Coptic canons.”

Saint Marcorious was born in Romania to Christian parents. He became a soldier in the army when he was only 17. Emperor Desius sent his army to go fight the enemy (nebulous “enemy” as I can’t find who they were). During the war the angel of the Lord appeared to St. Marcorious. The angel had a sword of light with him and said that God has sent him to help St. Marcorious and lead him to victory. Then the angel gave him the sword of light. St. Marcorious used the sword and led the army to victory. (Hence the “he of two swords” title.)

The only information I could find on Saints Abakir and Yohanna (John) was: “St. Abakir was a monk since his young age, and St. John was a soldier in the private guards of the Emperor. They left Alexandria, their own home town, and lived in Antioch. When Diocletian incited the persecution against the Christians, they confessed their faith in the Lord Christ along with the virgins and their mother. When the Emperor knew that they were from Alexandria, he returned them to the governor of Alexandria. When they came to Alexandria, and were brought before the Governor, they confessed their faith in the Lord Christ. He ordered them beheaded. St. Athanasia was comforting and confirming her daughters and telling them that if they were martyred, they would become the brides of Christ. The virgins were beheaded first, then their mother, then St. Abakir and St. John. Their bodies were cast to the wild beasts and to the birds of the sky. However, some believers came and took their bodies by night and they placed them in a coffin and hid them until the end of the time of persecution.”

Virgin Mary Church of Al-Damsheria – Again, very little information found. The church was originally built in the 7th century, destroyed around 785 A.D., rebuilt over the next 30 years and was restored in the 18th century by a man from Damshir in Upper Egypt.

As you can guess, it was a very full trip, but we were quite lucky to see so many sites that were well off the beaten track. I’d actually be willing to take it again, but this time I’d need a notebook and a lot of pens.

Childhood revisited

This past week I willingly reenacted two childhood outings that I used to dread. Bookstores, libraries and fabric stores used to induce whining and pleading in me as a child – the waiting, the boredom, the dramatic sighs. But now I find delight and great comfort being surrounded by books and fabric swaths stacked to the ceiling. Still unsure as to whether it’s a nature or nurture thing, but with maturity has apparently come acceptance and embracing.

So my research uncovered that the Greater Cairo Library is located in Zamalek – our future home! I wandered down to Tahrir Square, after meeting Ron for lunch at the embassy, and attempted to get a cab over to Zamalek. Oddly enough, when you want one none will stop, so I started to walk over the bridge only to have one come right to me (see, it’s all about acting as if you don’t want their attention). Following my previous taxi-Arabic success, I attempted it again. I was doing fine, until I asked a question, and he responded in a lengthy collection of words I just didn’t grasp. I sat there and realized that I didn’t know how to say, “I don’t understand.” All I could think of was, “Please repeat.” But that wouldn’t help since I didn’t know any of the words he said the first time. So I opted for the sit quietly and just smile route. He dropped me off at the end of the street and my plans were to just wander until I saw the building. I came to one that looked an awful lot like the pictures I’d seen. I wandered around the wall and started to go through the guard gate when I was stopped. He asked me what I was looking for, and in our few exchanges I realized he didn’t know much English (and my limited Arabic vocab wasn’t aiding things – somehow the words for sheet, closet and banana weren’t terribly applicable). But he walked me to the corner, asked if I spoke Arabic, and I answered “A little,” and he proceeded to give me directions. I managed to catch the word “yellow” and “three” and combining that with his energetic hand motions I deduced that the library was about three blocks down, past the yellow table umbrella. (In some digging, I believe I had tried to mistakenly enter the embassy of Myanmar, or possibly Sweden or Iraq – ooops.)

He was right! The library is located in a beautiful old former palace overlooking the Nile, belonging to Princess Samiha, the daughter of Sultan Hussein Kamel who ruled Egypt between 1914 and 1917. I had to give ID and sign in to enter, but then I could wander throughout the whole house. They had collections in Arabic, English, some Spanish and French. The non-Arabic collections were limited, but there was a lot of Shakespeare, James Joyce, and Thomas Hardy. I went to the front desk to find out the check-out procedures but was referred back to the main gate. I retrieved my ID and learned that this is a new type of library, the type where the books don’t actually leave the premises – no check-outs allowed. I guess it’s a reading library. Well, at least the building was beautiful.

BOULAQ PLANET

On Tuesday I attended a CSA tour to the “Boulaq Fabric Market.” I didn’t go with any purchasing intentions, just to see what was there. I could never have imagined the sights to be seen!

It was like the Khan, but all fabric, in all stores, one after the other, street after street, twisting and turning become a complete maze of colors and textures. It was like wandering through Crayola-land, times 1,000 – and I mean the 96-box with the sharpener in back, not the measly 48-box. The tour leader had pre-arranged for us to meet with one proprietor, who kindly met us at the entrance and led us through the maze upon maze back to his three-level store (I’m not convinced I could ever find it again). I’ve been in a lot of fabric stores (see childhood memory comments above), but never have I seen the variety presented here – there was cotton, corduroy, fake fur, spandex, satin, silk, denim, linen, burlap, upholstery. Now add polka-dots, stripes, patterns, designs, embellishes, embroidered accents, and pretty much anything you could imagine. It really was a lot of fun. I bought a few little samples to play with, and collected thousands of ideas for our new place (we’ll have ten curtains per window under my current plan). The other great thing here in Cairo, is that there are lots of people you can hire to create things from the fabric mounds you’ve purchased – upholstery covers, curtains, and all types of clothing. I’m seeing lots of new pretty things in my future (plus my mother will now have to add a week to her visit just to explore Boulaq).

NOTE: Ron and I attended an amazing tour of "Ancient Christianity" in Cairo last weekend, but I'm having some trouble gathering facts about the sites we saw as some of them are so far off the tourist route that not much info is out there. I have an email in to the tour guide and will post as soon as I can write up something.

It must be Tuesday!

I just had to share my big joy – someone at Radio Shack leapt out of the box and ordered four cans of compressed air! We stopped in last night before dinner and Ron saw them sitting in a cluster, grabbed one and I happily bought it and carried it to the restaurant. Now maybe I won’t have to spend so much time electronically removing all the dust and schmutz clumps from my photos.

Pics of afore-mentioned sightings

I’ve been able to get some pictures of some of the fun things about (and will continue to acquire them and post as needed).

Typical Cairo taxi cab (circa 1972) – I haven’t been able to get a photo of the fur-covered dashboards yet, or the neon or strings of lights, but I’ll work on it.

American University in Cairo – although the entire campus will be moving outside of downtown soon, which is disappointing as we love their bookstore.

Tahrir Square – doesn’t really convey the crazed-traffic-feel as I would have liked, sorry.

Outdoor water stations (these were at one of the ancient churches we visited, but I’ve seen them around the city too) – note the chained metal cups – no, we have opted to NOT try these unless it becomes a matter of dire need, and it will NEVER become a matter of dire need.

Baby-carrying method (shoulder-perching).

Road-side tea-seller (these are similar containers to the ones “worn” by the guys around Tahrir).

Watermelon cart – note the full obaya and niqab clothing, too.

Corn sellers -- or men sitting around with a bunch of corn, not entirely sure.

Examples of mashrabiya window shutters (they come in furniture styles too, tables and chairs, and room screens with mother-of-pearl inlay are very popular).

What’s with all the missing arms?

So my outing yesterday was intended to do a book-swap at the embassy library, then wander to Omar Effendi, a large department store, then to an Egyptian crafts shop that I saw advertised in a local magazine, then possibly to a mashrabiyya gallery and then back home on the embassy shuttle. Things did not go exactly as planned.

The shuttle downtown was fine and I made the book-swap at the library without incident. I called Ron to tell him I was there and was going to go a’splorin’. He told me to be careful and not make any new friends. I had figured out my path beforehand, and had taken notes. I walked around past AUC, into Tahrir Square (which is really an enormous traffic circle) and was supposed to take the second road to the right. I knew fairly early on that I had taken the wrong road (one too early), but I mistakenly thought that I could find my way over to the correct road. To make a long, hot, dirty, and unsuccessful story short, after almost two hours, I made it back to Tahrir Square – never so delighted to see all the chaotic traffic.

Despite never finding Omar Effendi’s nor the gallery, I did see some rather interesting sites:

• An ice truck making deliveries of huge ice blocks
• Parked cars so close I had to walk down 4-5 cars to find a space wide enough to walk through to the sidewalk
• A herd of 10 completely adorable long-haired goats being walked through the streets
• Two men, at different times and places, with missing right arms (how odd?!)
• Women carrying children (~1-2 years old) on one shoulder while the child rested his arm on her head as if he was at a table
• Various things dripping on me from awnings and who-knows what else (eww)
• A guy selling bread from a pallet he carried on his head
• Guys wearing a keg-like device on their chest (like a marching band drum) with small glasses on top – I believe they’re selling tea, but I haven’t been gutsy enough to try it
• Men in ties walking down the street with a silver tray and glasses of tea (maybe they visited the keg-guys – I wonder if you can bring your own glass?)
• My very own personal guide to something, but I refused to engage his attempts at a conversation and just kept walking. He was quite determined and kept saying, “No backshish, no backshish.” Ron told me that a lot of the souvenir shops employ these guys to get customers into their shops, but I just wasn’t in the mood.

By the end of my travels at Tahrir, my goal was just to get back to the embassy and catch the shuttle home. I decided to use the subway station to avoid having to Frogger around the circle, so I walked over to the nearest entry and just happened to see across the street the Egyptian craft store I’d been looking for. It wasn’t where it was supposed to be. I was a little frazzled by this point so I actually stood on the curb staring at it trying to decide whether to go in or not. I figured since I’d been so unsuccessful so far, I might as well check it out. I crept up a narrow staircase, not even sure I was heading in the right direction, and luckily found it on the second floor. I’m so glad I did! I was a wonderful store full of pottery, linens, lamps, wood-working, candles, cards, jewelry, books, CDs. Some of the nicest stuff I’ve seen to date. I “treated” myself to a nice necklace and some hand-made cards and then headed back to the embassy.

Other than mis-reading the time for the shuttle, and attempting to get a taxi home, but then having the shuttle driver see me and come offer me a ride, the ride home was uneventful – thank goodness.