Deep in the desert of Egypt

With my husband we were here for two years ago ... We spent two weeks in Egypt and saw everything what could be seen, apart from Aswan, I really did not have time to go there ... But, interesting story how we came to these two monasteries below.


Namely, the day before our departure, walking the old part of Hurghada, we entered a store, so that I bought this beautiful dress and the shirt, however. View this embroidery ...


A little more we haggled, he wants $ 30, I offer $ 10, he requested $ 20, I give 18 dollars ... and in the end we took the dress and just to go out, when my husband saw an icon on the vendor table and realized that the seller is Copt. First, what is asked, who is the saint, and immediately after that: how can we go to wilderness?

The seller was in wonder and said it wasn't possible. The patrol will not let us, they will arrest us. If we want to go we need a protective circuit - he said ... And, what is it?

I have, he said. A little more we haggled and agreed - he will come for us the next day, he took us from the hotel and taken to the desert, all for $ 100.

He came in the morning and we realized that the protective circuit are actually beautiful, comfortable and big car. We patrol passed so we pretended to be asleep, and I wore a big scarf and faked that I'm not a tourist.

And then we turned. We drove three hours or more, to come in both two monasteries which are located at 150 km in front of Cairo and 350 km after Hurghada.

We finally arrived ...


This is the view from Sv.Antonio. Monastery, and the whole complex is built on the place where the original monastic community founded Sv.Antonije - the first monk in christian religion. Today, this community is like a small town, composed of many cells in which for all the time lived various saints and monks.



This is the dining room, which dates from the reign of Justinian, everything is preserved in its original splendor.

This is a tower with no windows and doors, where the monks are hiding in case of siege ... Entered via the stairs from the neighboring tower, but the methods for their release, and raising aware that only some and it was difficult to find. The tower was equipped with water and bury the long term.


This is the monk Thomas / s, the monk who hosted us in monastery of Sv.Paul and he was very happy when he realized that we are from the Balkans. We were blessed a thousand times, with a source that has existed since the time when St.PAul lived there, with lions and snakes with who talked like a man. Legend says that bird brink him a little piece of bread every morning. Monastery and the whole complex is built on this place, and his body was preserved in the crypt which is located in the church, decorated with beautiful frescoes from 6 up to the 18Th century.




The frescoes date from the 18Th century and we can enjoy the naive and the slow movement of the brush, which is interesting because such a movement in painting was born much later in Europe.


Here's another look at the new church to be built in the desert.




We're back in the late afternoon and we had no time to rest. The aircraft proceeded to eleven at night. :)