Visit Egypt’s first Christian monastery in Zaafarana

CAIRO – 30 November 2017: Put on a comfortable outfit and prepare for a mesmerizing adventure at Zaafarana mountains along the Red Sea coast, where some of the worlds first monasteries are situated, on December 15, 2017 with the Hiking Club Group.

The Hiking Club, which is an online group that aims to bring groups of people together to hike and travel, has organized a one-day visit to the Zaafarana mountains so people can explore the unknown gems of St. Paul's and St. Anthony's monasteries, which are the first monasteries in Christian history.

According to the Hiking Club event page, the journey will start at 7:55 a.m. at the Maadi Carrefour parking area to get picked up by coach. People will be dropped off at the same location at around 10 p.m. that evening.


Monastery of St. Anthony one Coptic Priests – Wikipedia
Once the bus arrives, all travelers will meet monks, climb to a hidden cave, listen to stories of miracles, and take a tour around the old and new buildings of the monasteries. They will also have a chance to buy some souvenirs from the monastery shops, such as books, honey and Christian relics. On the way back, the bus will stop at Port Sokhna for late lunch or early dinner.

St. Antony's Monastery (Deir Mar Antonios) and its neighbor, St. Paul's, are both Coptic Christian sites and are the oldest inhabited monasteries in Egypt. Both have exceptional frescos of holy knights in bright colors and of the hermit founders of the monastery in subdued colors. These frescos are widely known to monks and art historians.