Monuments of Egypt 8

The Citadel of Saladin

- The citadel was built on an artificially separated part of the Muqattam range with limestone quarried from it and large blocks supplied by the small pyramids at Giza.

- The main function of the citadel was of course to connect and fortify the city's walls which Saladin had ordered to be built to encompass all parts of the capital to protect Cairo against the crusaders. Also Saladin contemplated the construction of this fortification for the object of making it as a stronghold for himself to combat the heresy of the Fatimids and their partisans.

- It consisted of two enclosures: the northern and the southern. The Northern half was the military area (or the fortress proper), which is irregular rectangle in shape with a long thread of curtain wall and half round towers which are largely Ayyubid and Turkish. It was completed by Saladin between 1176 and 1182. His brother and successor Al-Adil was responsible for strengthen of several of the towers in 1207. Two of them, built around Saladin original corner towers, are the Burg Al-Ramla and Burg Al-Haddad. They stand above Salah Salim Street as it curves behind the citadel and passes between it and the Muqattam range. This enclosure contains now the Military Museum, the mosque Suliman Pasha, and many other places.

- The Southern half was developed by Saladin nephew Al-Kamil (1218-38) as a royal residence. He built a mosque, an audience hall, private palaces, a library, and a mansion for the vizier. All these buildings were removed by Sultan Al-Nasir Qallawoon to build his own buildings, which in turn were pillaged and allowed to fall to ruin by the Ottomans and the French and finally demolished by Mohamed Ali, which caused that this enclosure with its 19^th century wall and the lower part (marching down the face of the hill on the west) are almost exclusively from Mohamed Ali's period. Their walls are 19^th century except for Bab Al-Azab (the great lower gate opening on to the Maydan) which was built by Abd Al-Rahman Katkhuda in 1168/1754.

- So, we can say that the walls of the Northeastern Enclosure are different from those of the southwestern Enclosure, as the first one is characterized by the coordination in construction. These walls rely on several towers: circular and semi-circular in shape which gives the military impression that reflects the architecture of The Ayyubid era, other examples can be seen in the citadel of Saladin in Syria (Saone Citadel). While the second section almost extends as if it was curtain with no towers in its way which reflects the Ottoman architectural features.

- There have thus been three major building periods in the citadel's history: Ayyubid, 14^th century Mamluk, and 19^th century Mohamed Ali. The two enclosures are connected by Bab Al-Qulla which stands just to the northeast of Al-Nasir Mosque. Below the citadel mound were the royal stables, a ceremonial maydan, polo ground, a park, and a camels and horses market. Beyond, laid the palaces and endowments of principal princes and pashas.

- For many recent years, the citadel was used as a military installation and much of it wasn't open to the visitors until 1983 when the Egyptian Antiquities Organization engaged in a widespread restoration and refurbishing program, so that the area is now a major touristic place.

- The citadel had two major entrances: the western and the eastern approaches. The western Approach is closed and is no longer used as an entrance to the citadel. It can be visited by walking on the road from the Maydan Saladin in front of the mosque and madrassa of Sultan Hassan and the road curves around almost 180 degrees, circumnavigating the old Dafterkahna or the Archives building. The wall on the left before the first gate is 16^th century in its lower courses and Mohamed Ali's in the upper. The first gate dates back to Mohamed Ali and it is called Bab Al-Gedid or the new gate. The wall from here to the next gate (which is Bab Al-Wastani or the middle gate) dates back to Saladin's reign with some courses added on the top by Mohamed Ali. Passing through Bab Al-Wastani you will find yourself in the sloping courtyard before Bab Al-Qulla.

- The Eastern Approach is the one from which we enter now. From Salah Salim Street, you will find yourself close to the Saladin Ayyubid walls which are characterized by its smooth masonry with narrow headers and by small, half round towers with arrow slits. Al-Adil's addition is the great square tower which is midway down the stretch from the southwest corner to the inner gate (Bab Al-Gabal). On entering that gate, the walls you see on your right hand side are from the 16^th or the 17^th century.    

- When focusing on the walls and the towers of the citadel, we can see that they weren't made by one man, as they are different in architecture, because they weren't made by a single king in one period, but every king who build a wall or repair one may put his personal touch, used now by the scholars as a mark to his period. So, the walls and the towers are considered one of the most important components which characterize the outside of the citadel walls.

- There is a passage way spread through the walls which leads to square chambers, this passageway has apertures (openings) towering above the interior of natural lighting, while the chambers apertures overlooking the external wall are conical slits for arrows.

- There is a big number of towers in the citadel, and many of them can't be visited or seen from inside, however, there are 18 towers can be seen with several shapes like circular, semicircular in shape and square with different dates. And these important towers are:

1- Burg Al-Muqqatam: it is a circular tower, 25m.high and has a diameter of 24m., built of small dressed stone. It dates back to the Ottoman period.

2- Burg Al-Suffa: rectangular in shape and is 15m.high, belongs to the reign of Al-Kamil.

3- Burg Al-Alwa: semi-circular tower, which belongs to the reign of Saladin.

4- Burg Kirkyilian: square tower, 21m.wide and 20m.high, belongs to the reign of Al-Kamil.

5- Nameless Tower: Semicircular tower, reign of Saladin.

6- Burg Al-Turfa: square tower, 30m.wide, reign of Al-Kamil. It is considered the largest tower.

7- Burg Al-Mattar: it consists of a couple of semicircular tower, it is 15m.high, and it was one of the original gates of the citadel, but it has been closed in The Mamluk period, it was named Mattar tower because it was specialized for carrier pigeons, which carried the messages, and belongs to the reign of Al-Malik Al-Kamil.

8- Burg Al-Mobalit: semicircular in shape, reign of Saladin. It is considered the corner tower.

9- Nameless Tower: Small semicircular tower, reign of Saladin.

10- Burg Al-Mokawsar: semicircular in shape, reign of Saladin.

11- Nameless Tower: Semicircular tower, reign of Saladin.

12- Burg Al-Qarafa (Bab Al-Imam): it was one of the original gates of the citadel. The twin towered Burg of Al-Imam was first built by Saladin. Then Al-Malik Al-Kamil took it over as a defensive tower, that he covered its façade by a huge stone towers and called it Imam tower as it was the place where the Imam of Suliman Pasha Mosque lived.

13- Nameless Tower: Semicircular tower, reign of Saladin.

14&15- Burg Al-Ramla and Burg Al-Haddad: the first tower is 21m.high and has a diameter of 18meters. The other tower is 21m.high also, but has a diameter of 22meters. They were first built by Saladin then Al-Kamil added fortifications to the towers. They contain many inner rooms and chambers for the guards.

16- Nameless Tower: Semicircular tower, reign of Saladin.

17- Burg Al-Sahara: belongs to the reign of Saladin.

18- Burg Al-Siba': or (The Tower of Lions), belongs to the reign of Sultan Baybars. It stands now below The Police Museum, however, originally there was a domed pavilion above that tower. Its vaulted ceiling, painted with the zodiac, was supported by marble columns. Around the tower, only you can see now a carved frieze of stone lions which was Baybers heraldic emblem. You can see these lions just under the staircase leading to the entrance of The Police Museum. This tower maybe originally built by Saladin, because of the presence of  The Stone Eagle of Saladin, which was his war symbol, this stone eagle can be seen nowadays just meters under the stone edge of Burg Al- Siba'. This eagle is put nowadays on our national flag…

Monuments of Egypt 7

Al Moallaka Church

This church which is consecrated to the Virgin Mary and St. Dimiana was known as the Hanging church. It is thus called so because it is built over the Roman fortress on top of which has been put palm trees wood with a layer of stones over the fortress to be the ground of the church so the hanging church is the unique church without domes, it has a wooden roof in the shape of Noah's Ark.

It is known that Noah's Ark is one of the symbols which representing the church and salvation. It is commonly known that this church goes back to the late of the 3^rd century and the beginning of the 4^th century A.D.

Some historians however think that it was built ages before that, as it was a roman temple, which then it was transformed into a roman church. After that became Coptic church, the proves are :

The discovery of wall paintings belonging to the Roman pagan gods at the western side of the right aisle of the church, in front of saint Takla Himanote's alter. Certainly, these paintings goes back to the era before Christianity, but were covered with layer of plaster this was during the last restoration of the church 1984.

From estimating the age of a wooden specimen from the floor of saint Mark's church was taken during the last restoration and the renewal of the church in 1984. This was evaluated by the archeologists by means of Cairo's laboratory for the history of archeology, by radiating carbon 14. The age of this specimen's goes back to the year 140 – 150 B.C.

This seems to be proved by what remains of the original wood-work at the Coptic museum representing the triumphal entry of Jesus the Christ to Jerusalem.

This church was very spacious but became much smaller throughout the ages after modifications, the last one which was by (obeid by Khozam) during 1491 A.M. (1775 A.D.).

The nave of the church is divided into parts separated from each other by 3 rows of marble pillars.

The church of El Moallaka played an important part in the history of the Coptic church. It became the seat of the Patriarchs after transferring it from Alexandria to Al Fustat and it is recorded that Anba Christodolos the 66^th patriarch ( A.D. 1039 – 1070) was the 1^st pope to chant the Holy liturgy in it.

The Holy Virgin appeared in it in a vision to Anba Abraam the 62^nd patriarch (968 – 971), who had spent 3 days in prayer and fasting, when the caliph ( Al Imam El- Mouizz lidin Allah) about year 969 A.D. asked him to move the mokatam hill in order to prove the words of the gospel " if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain remove from hence to yonder place, and it shall remove" ( Matt. 1720) according to the story, there was a great earthquake and the mountain moved.

After witnessing this miracle the caliph allowed the Patriarch Abraam to restore the church of El Moallaka and Abu – Sefein.

The seat of saint Mark remained a long time in El Moallaka church till it was transferred to the church of  Abu – Sefein in the 14^th century.

The holy chrism was consecrated 3 times in El Moallaka the first by Kyrillos II 67^th patriarch (1070 – 1084) the 2^nd by Anba Ghbriel 77^th patriarch (1261 – 1263) the 3^rd time by Anba Yoannis VII the 80^th patriarch in 1290 A.D.

There is a store room for the holy chrism still filled of it up till now. And it perhaps goes back to the last service in making it at El Moallaka church.

There are 110 icons. The oldest goes back to the 8^th cent. But the majority of them goes back to 1777 A.D. and some were painted in the time of ( Nakhla Al Baraty Bey) 1898 A.D. who was the supervisor of the church at that time.

El- Moallaka is 23.5m in length and 18.5m in breath and 9.5m height. The church's iconostasis are carved in ebony and ivory and in front o  the middle alter in the nave of the church there is a pulpit which rests on fifteen columns with decorations in relief and adorned with mosaics. Among the 15 pillars there are 2 attached to the main body of the pulpit representing St. Mark and St. Luke evangelists who are not from the 12 disciples.

The 1^st pillar of the other 13 stands in front and represent Jesus the Christ, while the other 12, the disciples. We notice that each two similar pillars are put together and this because the Christ sent his disciples two by two. It dates back to the 5^th cent.

Anba Abraam during whose time the miracle of the maqattam mountain happened is buried under this pulpit.

The Fresco decorating the walls of the church long ago with its pillars were damaged during period of persecution. Their remains are found at the eastern wall of saint Tecla Hymanot's Altar. These fresco go back to the 4^th and 5^th cent. These is also a picture on the pillar in the church's nave, which goes back to the 4^th cent. Besides there are layers of fresco lately discovered.

There are 7 alters in the Moallaka church 3 of them are found in the main aisle which are : the alter of St. George in the northern side followed by the Alter of the virgin Mary then the Alter of St. John the Baptist.

The right aisle contains 3 alters among them which is the alter of Tecla Hymanote the Ethiopian at the north side followed by 2 alters recently discovered.

Next to them, is the Baptistery which goes back to the 5^th cent. It is made of solid marble bearing decorations of wavy lines. A symbol of water in the Hieroglyphic language.

There is also an upper church of St. Mark and its alter is the 7^th one.

These alters have very intricate icon stasis, they are in ebony inlaid with walnut and cedar wood without using nails or glue. They go back to the 10^th – 13^th cent.

Entering the right aisle. The visitor passes through a door made of cedar wood decorated with translucent layer of ivory dated to the 11^th cent.

The iconstasis of St. George's alter is decorated with 17 icons depicting the tortures of St. George, there are 7 icons above the Virgin's alter which are from the right to left : St. Paul the Apostle, Arch angel Michael, John the Baptist, Jesus the Christ sitting on his throne, the Holy Virgin Mary, Gabriel the Angel, Peter the Apostle.

The iconstasis of St. John the Baptist's alter is decorated with 7 icons depicting his tortures, vansleb a monk who was sent to Egypt about 1671 by king Louis 14^th.

King of France, to study the state of the churches and monasteries of the Nile Valley said that on one wall of the Hanging church he found traces of an inscriptions by hand of Amr Ibn Al Ass asking the Moslem people not to cause any damage to his church.

New discoveries during the last restoration carried by the Egyptian Archeologists Department in 1984 are :

1)    Between the alter containing the baptistery and St. Tecla Hymanote's Alter, in the southern aisle, they found a group of frescos, some of which were extracted so as to restore them, the others are fragmentary.

2)    Small room under the tile of the church floor ends at the east with a small niche with vaulted ceiling. It was built of sun-dried pulpit.

3)    A stair was leads to the outside of the church beside the discovered one which we think was used during the persecution of the church which lead to the mountain and it is still in a restoration.

The church has been restored in 10 , 13 ,17, 19 Cent. In the 20^th cent. It was restored when the 1^st part of restoration ended president Moubarak visited the church that was on the 8^th of march 1984 and under the papacy of H.H.P. Shenouda III.

Relies of Saints :

The Hanging church has some relies of saints, it holds their commemoration which attracts numerous people.

The priests anoints the reliquem with rose-oil , there relics have been discovered by priest of El Moallaka church fr. Markus Aziz Khalil and Mr Hanna Asaad, the present supervisor under the direction of the bishop of old cairo, Anba Mottheos , these relics are those of the Prince St. Tadros El Shatpi, St. John Hiraqly , Isac El Dafrawy, the two saints Aba Hour and Aba Fees.

Kyriak and his mother Youlita and St. Aba Nofer the Errant, besides these relics those of St. Dimiana were in the church from the past.

      

         

Monuments of Egypt 6

The Nilometer in Roda Island

The Nilometer 861/247. This is the oldest monument in Cairo and it is situated at the southern tip of the Island of Roda. The Nilometer is housed in the little building with a pointed roof, which is a recent reconstruction of a Turkish original. The pavilion on the west side is all that remains of the palace of Hassan Pasha Al-Monasterli, built 1830. It was a part of the salamlik area and is now used as an exhibition center for local artists and crafts ( closed Fridays ). The garden that once surrounded it have been replaced by a water treatment plant. The Nilometer is normally locked but the custodian lives nearby and he or one of his children will come out with a key a suitable interval after your arrival.

The nilometer has been altered and repaired on numerous occasions, but the basic structure dates back from 861, when it was built on the order of the Caliph Al-Motawakkil. It is a stone lined pit that goes down well below the level of the Nile. Three tunnels lead into it at different levels. In the center of the pit is a column graduated into sixteen cubits of about 54 centimeter each. When the water rose during the time of the flood in August, it was possible to tell by the heightest point it reached on the column whether it would by a year of too much, too little or just enough water. When it reached 16 cubits, this was the signal for cutting the dam that held the water back from the Khalig, a task that was performed with much ceremony. The tunnels to the river are now blocked up, and the nilometer no longer functions.

Enter and go down the steps to the level of the upper tunnel the widest of the 3 levels. The pointed arches in the recesses are apparently from the original structure and this anti date by some 3 hundred years the appearance of this arch in Europe architecture. As you go back up, notice the Quran inscriptions in Kufic script that runs around the pit. These inscriptions are verses about rain, corps, abudance, etc. we send down rain as a blessing from heaven whereby we cause gardens to spring froth and the grain to harvest (50:9) Hast thou not seen how that god has sent down out of heaven water, and in the morning the earth become green (22 :62).

Originally this frieze ended with a short dedicatory inscription saying that the structure was built in 861.

This was removed and replaced by more verses from the Quran, perhaps by Ibn Tulun in 872, who did not want to give credit to Al-Motawakkil.

 

Monuments of Egypt 5

The Mosque and Madrassa of Sultan Hassan

If the Pharaonic Egypt has to be proud of the pyramids, Islamic Egypt has to be proud as well of the Mosque and Madrassa of Sultan Hassan that is considered unique in the East.

The founder is Sultan Al-Malik Al Nasir Hassan, son of Sultan Al-Nasser Mohamed, Son of Sultan Al-Mansur Qalaun.

He ruled for 2 periods, the 1^st from 148 to 751 A.H./ 1347-1350 A.D. and the 2^nd period from 755 to 762 A.H. / 1354 – 1361 A.D. as some of his princes plotted against him and killed him in Syria.

The situation of the Mosque :

It was built replacing 2 palaces that belonged to the princes Yulbugha Al-Yahyawi and Al-Turbugha Al-Maridani.

It was founded in 757 A.H./1356 A.D. and finished after 3 years of continuous work.

The Description of the Mosque :

Al-Maqrizi described the school saying it came in the biggest form, the best trim and the greatest shape. No other temple in the Islamic world resemble this mosque. It is characterized alone by 5 qualities as the arch of its big Iwan 65*65 cubits which is bigger than that of Kisra and the great dome over the mausoleum room that is considered unique in the Arab architecture not only in Egypt but also in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Maghreb.

It occupies an area of 150*68m and id distinguished by its many sides that extend from the northwest to the southeast.

It has 2 main facades , the 1^st is the northeastern (145m in length and 37.80m in height) and is decorated with stalactites with various reliefs. As for the 2^nd façade (68 m in length), it lies at the southeast and overlooks Saladin square. The dome is in its middle and the big minaret (81.60m in height) stands at its southern corner while the small one stands at its eastern corner.

There are other 2 facades, the northwestern one under which is a lavatory and on which west lies the waterwheel that supplies the schools with water through course supported on stone corbels, the other façade is at the southwestern side and includes the windows of Al-Madrasa Al-Hanbaliyya.

The main entrance of the school is at the northern and of the main northeastern façade and is regarded as one of the greatest entrances in the Islamic buildings in Egypt. It is 12m. in width and 37.80m in height and above it are rows of fine stalactites and at its eastern side is a passage ascended to through stairs of seven steps and it leads to the open courtyard of the mosque ( Sahn ).

The sahn is almost square 34.60*32.50m while a dig ablution fountain 412sq.m in the centre covered with a wooden dome carried on 8 marble columns around which neck the text of Al-Kuran and the date of the achievement are inscribed.

At each corner of the sahn is a door that leads to one of the 4 schools designed for instructing one of the 4 rites.

The biggest is Al-Madrasa Al-Hanafiyya (898sq.m) which lies at the southern corner and the other 3 schools : Al-Madrasa Al-Shafiyya, Al-Madrasa Al-Malikiyya, Al-Madrasa Al-Hanbaliyya lies at the other three corners on each of the school's doors the following text is inscribed :

In the name of Allah, the full Merciful. The building of this school was ordered by the late martyral-malik al Nasser Mohammed Ibn Qalaun in the months of the year 764 A.H.

Generally, each school (madrasa) consists of an Iwan, sahn with a fountain in the centre and three floors overlooking the sahn from the inside and the outer facades through 2 rows of windows. The floors include the dwelling of the students and teachers.

It is noticeable that the biggest of these schools in the southeastern one which iwan's arch is 19.20sq.m the iwan includes a lot of the masterpieces of the Islamic art as its walls are faced with marble and colored stones and above them a frieze of stucco decorations within which are floral Kufic inscriptions representing Koranic texts on a background of fine floral decorations. It also includes dekket al-muballegh which is made of marble columns and on right is the white marble minbar that is considered unique among others.

2 doors in the qibla wall leads to the mausoleum dome behind the mihrab. They were plated with marvelous copper inlaid with gold and silver and the facing of one is still existing bearing the name of the sultan.

The walls of the mausoleum are faced with colored marble 8m in height and above it a wooden frieze 3m in width decorated with Naskhi inscriptions ending with the following, this dome was finished in 764 A.H. at the top of these walls, there are wooden windows and stalactites.

A cenotaph was constructed in the centre of the mausoleum to be a tomb for Sultan Hassan but has was not buried there and his sons Al-Shehab Ahmad and Ismail were buried there.

In this dome a Koran stands made a wood inlaid with ebony and ivory is preserved and is regarded as the oldest one found in Egypt.

    

Monuments of Egypt 4

St. Catherine Monastery

History has chosen Sinai to record many memories many memories and events, Sinai the peninsula has the charm, captivation and holiness and is mentioned in the ancient Egyptian texts, Bible and Koran.

It is famous for its turquoise and copper mines, and besides, it was the first military route in the ancient history and the pilgrims, way to Hejaz when the Islam shone over Egypt.

Since the early Christian periods south Sinai was a great attraction for the Christian monks. The Monasticism as an escape from the Roman violence, spread in the 4^th century A.D. specially in Firan valley, al Tur and mount Moses and all are near the water sources.

Mount Moses, 2242m above the sea level, has been a very special place not only for the Christians but also the Moslems. It is believed that it is the mountain Moses climbed and received the Tablets of the law.

St. Catherine :

St. Catherine lived in Alexandria during the persecution of Christians in the reign of Maximinus (305-313A.D.) and for her adherence to the Christian faith, the Roman tortured her severely and strapped her to spiked wheel to tear her body, but in vain finally she was beheaded in 307 A.D.

Five centuries later a monk saw a vision in which her body was carried by angels and laid on a peak of a mountain of Sinai. Therefore the monks carried her relics to the church of Transfiguration which was named for her beside the monastery, formerly called the Virgin and the mentioned mountain peak (2642m in height).

The Monastery :

It lies at the foot of Sinai mountain, where the beauty of nature and climate and the fresh well water. To its west is al-Raha Valley.

This monastery is similar to the fortress of the middle ages and is provided with a big wall of granite stones including towers at its corners and surrounding inner buildings one above the other with curved passages and corridors. The different designs of these buildings confirm that they date back to different periods.

The height of the wall is from 12 to 15m. while the sides are 117, 80,77, 76m.

The main gate at the western side is now sealed and to its left is the gate which is presently in use.

In 342 A.D. Empress Helena mother of Constantine the great, built a monastery including the chapel know as the virgin Mary at the burning bush, and in the 6^th cent. Emperor Justinian ordered the building of the church of Transfiguration in the same holy place.

Both the church and monastery were later named for St. Catherine.

The original building was destroyed except some parts of the walls and church while remaining building date back to subsequent ages and the most of them to the recent century.

The most important Buildings of the Monastery :

The great church, the burning bush chapel, the Fatimid Mosque, the monks cells, the guest dwelling, library, an oil press, 2 mills, grain stories, kitchens, wells, a big garden outside the wall.

The Main Church :

Built in the shape of a basilica at the northern side of the monastery and is called the great church or the cathedral. It consists of a central nave flanked with 2 aisles into which small chapels open the central nave ends with the alter at the eastern side, and the aisles end with 2 rooms, one for preparing the holy bush where god spoke to Moses.

The visitors to this church must take off their slippers outside imitating Moses when the approached this holy place.

The Mosque :

built in the Fatimid period in the time of Caliph Al-Amer-be-Ahkam Allah in 500 A.H./ 1106 A.D. it is situated southwest of the church and inside the monastery wall. The horizontal plan of it is a rectangular 11*7m.

the mosque consists of three riwaqs, of which the middle is the biggest and the besides, it has  main mihrab flanked with 2 others.

The walls (6m in height) are built of granite rocks mortared with loam clay and covered from inside and outside with loam clay plaster.

The floor is tiled with hip tiles but they are not the original. The roof is constructed of wood and reed, tilled with rocks and hip tiles and carried on circular arches supported on 2 piers. Below the mosque is an oil press since the mosque is considered the second floor.

The Minaret :

It rise 12m at the eastern corner of the mosque and consists of 2 parts, the 1^st part 3*3.5m and ends with a balcony projecting 50cm from the wall (75cm in thickness) while the other is 2.55*2.55m and its walls thickness is 45cm. with a dome in a semi-ball shape at the top.

The Minbar :

Lies to the right of the middle mihrab and adjacent to the qibla wall. It is made of cedar wood and consists of 2 sides with wooden panels bearing floral decorations of Fatimid style.

This minbar is one of 3 famous minbars of Fatimid style. The second is that of the mosque of badr al-Din Al-Gamali 484 A.H./1091A.D. which was carried from Ashkelon to the holy mosque of Ibrahim in al-Galil in Palestine, while the 3^rd exists in the mosque of al saleh Talai in the city of Quos in upper Egypt (550A.H./1155A.D.).

The library:

It is on the 3^rd floor of old building south to the great church and is considered of the most important elements of the monastery since it contains rare manuscripts and a big number of the decrees the caliphs offered the mosque.

The library received much interest on the part of the scientists and scholars , and was microfilmed by Alexandria University and the congress library in Washington.

The wells :

Inside the wall of the monastery are many wells as Moses well north to the main church, the bush well near the burning bush and St. Stephens well south west to the main church.

The oil press :

It is for squeezing olives to extract the oil. It lies below the mosque and extends below the yard in front of it. The ceiling is of wooden beams and reed ties resting on granite arches.

The floor of the yard is provided with lanterns to light the oil press.

The Garden :

In front of the monastery is a garden including a cemetery for the monks in the middle and a skull house beside it. The monks used to bury their heads and leave the bodies to purify, then deposit the boned in the skull house adjoining the cemetery.

The near building called the guest house was built in 1863 under the rule of Khedive Ishmael.

    

 

Monuments of Egypt 3

Synagogue of Ben Ezra

The Jewish synagogue stands in the midst of the Coptic churches. Once this synagogue was of the churches belonging to the hanging church but the patriarch Mikhail III the 56^th pope was forced to sell it to the Jews so as to be able to pay the taxes estimated by the governor Ahmed Ibn Tulun at the value of 20,000 gold dinars annually.

The Jews say about this synagogue that it goes back to the pre-Christianity, and that Moses the prophet lived in that area. If this is right it means that the old synagogue was destroyed. Then the church of Angel Michael was built in its stead. This church used to belong to the hanging church then the Jews bought it later on and transformed it into a synagogue once more. They also say that Moses and Jeremiah knelt in this place, consequently a special place called Guenizah was built inside. It is a safe place for keeping Moses Torah which was incomplete, it was put by Ezra the scribe. Later on the Rabbi Ibrahim Ben Ezra visited Egypt from Jerusalem in 1115 A.D. it was then that he rebuilt the synagogue and it still bears his name. the synagogue was restored recently in 1892 A.D.

Among the attractions in the Ben Ezra synagogue are :

1)    Moses Atlas which is called the Miracle Rock or Jeremiah's tomb

2)    An old Torah ( written on deer skin about 475 B.C.)

3)    An arabesque ceiling built in 1115 A.D.

4)    The Guenizah place.

5)    A clock of wood on which is carved Kuffic writing referring to the visit of Amr Ibn Al-Ass to that area. 

6)     A drawing of a 7 branched candelabra on deer skin.

7)    The spring ( Mikva ) 900 years old dating with the synagogue.

Description of the synagogue

From the outside it is a 2 story building. Its entrance is at the north end. From the inside it is a rectangle 16.98*11.30m. it is divided into 3 parts the biggest is the middle one which is on a basilica and its wide is 4.75m. these parts are divided by steel bars painted in marble-like color.

The synagogue has 2 floors the lower for men, the upper for women. At the end of the middle hall in the first floor there is the chapel containing the Torah to reach it there are 4 stairs each is 3.0*1.20m.

The dimensions of the Torah wardrobe are 1.4*2.55m and the width of its wooden frame is 3.35m, and that of each of its wooden side walls is 1.68m. the arch right above the closet is 85cm height.

The lector platform is found in front of the sanctuary, where the Rabbi stands to read the Torah. Its dimensions are 4.90*1.90m it is an octagonal-shaped made of white marble while the eighth side opposite to the sanctuary. Has a copper fence on which the Torah and its rolls are to rest, and the side opposite to this one faces the stairs leading to the sanctuary.

In front of the platform, the memorial stela is found, it is built higher than the surface of the floor and its dimensions are 2.50*1.45m , in the middle of which a higher part that consists of 2 semi-arches carried on 3 pillars and its height is 85cm. between these 2 semi-arches, there is a wreath of rose that goes back to the age of Rococo and Barok, with the bright golden colors, and on the columns we find 5 parted roses, above them 2straight elements ending with the same roses. While both side-columns ends with bulb shape with a bar extending out of it, the sides of the columns have a decorative shape twisting outward and ends with a hexagonal-parted golden rose. At the 4 edges of the building there are 4 heads of mabove short rectangular elements.

Below the 2 semi-circle arches there is a text in Hebrew written in golden color that says then Moses said " when I get out of the city I'll raise my hands to God, the thunder stops and there will be no cold too, just to know that the earth is owned by God".

The 2 rooms in each side of the holy Ark measure 3.70*2.60m, while in the side walls of the 1^st floor there are 3 closet in the walls with wooden doors decorated with geometrical patterns like hexagonal stars made of ivory, each closet measures 0.95*1.35m that include geometrical shapes and others.

The 2^nd floor is reached by a staircase from outside the building and a corridor leads to the secret door or the women door. An aisle turns round 3 sides of the chapel and contains 5 columns made of steel, width of the aisle is 3.45m and the length of the corridor leading to the women door is 9.9m.

The southeastern side of this floor ends with the Geniza room, a room with no doors but a high opening near the ceiling measures 76*88cm , the room measures 5.2*2.5m.

While the room on the other side measures 3.15*3.13m. this floor has 5 windows on each side each one measure 1.6*2.66m. on the northern side we find a door in the middle of the passage facing the box of laws. This door leads to a balcony, both the balcony and the synagogue ceiling are adorned with floral decorations, and each measures 78*52m. the walls of this floor are decorated with floral figures named ( the Hatay) and geometrical patterns of hexagonal stars.

As for the 4 windows of the 1^st floor, they measures 1.3*2.62m ,the currently used entrance is one of the 3 old doors of the synagogue, they used to be a big central door and 2 smaller doors, these doors must be facing the Torah Closet, so the visitor could bow in front of it. Also it is not decent to get into the synagogue from the holy side, that is why there is a corridor a person go through to get in.

The 1^st floor's windows are two next to the chapel while the two others are next to the marble memorial stela, and there is a religious necessity for windows as prophet Daniel mentioned describing how he prayed next to some windows while he was facing Jerusalem.

The Torah also warned not to pray in a room with no windows. Another opinion said that the synagogue should have 12 windows resembling the 12 tribes sons of Israel "amarchi" as the windows let the one who pray be able to see the sky and if a wall was to be built before the windows it should be dropped or be apart from the synagogue by 6 feet for the sake of light.

There are 2 small windows which measure 2.30*0.95m. the mezuza in the outer door is 9cm long and at a height of 1.65m while the central old door width is 1.95m. around the synagogue there are some annex, among of them is the Mekva, purification basin measures 1.78*2.62m, above it there is the Jewish school "midrash" another building in front of the synagogue devoted to keep valuable items and as a dwelling place for the Rabbis in the past behind the synagogue there is an old well with an edge built around and covered with an iron grid with floral patterns, measures 2.2m.