Churches and Monasteries of Egypt - Alfred Buttler
Churches and Monasteries of Egypt - Alfred Buttler
Churches and Monasteries of Egypt - Alfred Buttler
\jn\v, o\
r-^
gltur(l0tii #^0itii?Jtf5ia
THE
Churches and Monasteries of Egypt
AND
B. T. A. EVETTS, M.A.
TRINITY COLLEGE, OXFORD
(J^.vfortr
HENRY FROWDE
Oxford University Tress Warehouse
Amen Corner, IvC.
(Jlew ?)orft
PAGE
Preface . v-viii
Introduction ix-xxv
Appendix 305-346
Indexes :
a 2 [IT. 7]
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2007 with funding from
Microsoft Corporation
http://www.archive.org/details/churchesmonasterOOabusuoft
TREFACE.
other words before the article, or the Hamzah except in the middle
of a word ; nor are the miauces in the pronunciation of the vowels
followed, the diacritical points alone being added where they were
wanting. Some of the deviations, however, from classical ortho-
graphy and grammar are indicated by foot-notes on the first few pages
of the text.
The existence of the work has long been known to scholars
through the references made to 'Abu Selah,' and the passages quoted
from him by Eusebe Renaudot and £tienne Quatremere. Recently
also, M. Amelineau, in his Geographie de I ^gypte a tepoque copte, has
made some little use of the history of Abu Salih, although he has by
no means extracted all the information which the book affords on the
subject of Egyptian geography.
'siderable part of the MS. is wanting, and that the leaves are not
'
arranged in their proper order. Moreover, it is often impossible to
'
translate, because the sense cannot be completed.'
The French scholar here seems to overstate the case. From an
examination of the MS. made by the authorities of the National
Library, the editor is able to say that, while it is true that no less
than twenty-two leaves are wanting at the beginning of the book, the
rest of the leaves are bound in their proper order, according to the
;
'
history and this is so contrary to the rule of Arabic literature that it
'
is enough by itself to prove that the original title had been lost. The
author is designated by his praenomen only, as 'Abu Salih the Armenian.'
It is a recognized fact in Arabic orthography that the proper name Salih
(^y^) is one of those which may by common custom be written defectively
without the 1 ; see Vernier, Grammaire arabe, p. 91. Hence there is no
i.
Armenian
internal evidence of the book, for the lengthy description of the
churches, and of the affairs of the patriarch, would Armenian
tend to
show that the writer had a special connexion with the Armenian nation
and, although he often speaks as though his sympathies and interests
were bound up with those of the Copts, we must remember that this very
Armenian patriarch, of whom we 'have spoken, was consecrated in the
presence of Gabriel, the seventieth patriarch of the Copts (Renaudot, Hist.
Pair. pp. 507-509) and there are many other proofs of friendly intercourse
;
between the two races. Moreover, on fol. 3 a, the Armenian form of the
name Sergius (|Ja/^/^^i/, Sarkis) \?>, as Mr. F. C. Conybeare recognizes,
correctly transcribed in Arabic as u-^, Sharkfs, and explained as being
equivalent to ia^, Sirjah. It may be maintained, therefore, as a proba-
^ [n. 7-]
It
X CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
bility, that work was Armenian by nationality. It is
the author of the
surprising, however, that M. Amelineau says that Abou Selah (sic) visited
'
born and bred in the country. This would explain his Arabic name, the
fact of his writing in Arabic, and his familiarity with the history of Egypt.
'
Abou Selah (sic), and was an Armenian by nationality' {Gt^ogr. p. xxiv).
The fact is that M. Amelineau is here speaking of the date at which the
copy, now in the National Library, was made but his readers may ;
'
Egypt.' As, however, the principal part of the work is taken up
with an account of churches and monasteries, with regard to which it
supplies us with much original information, I have furnished the new
title Churches and Monasteries of Egypt.' This new title is in
of '
fol. J'/ occurs again, almost word for word, on fol. 68; and often after
that they were filled with an account of the churches of Lower Egypt and
Cairo, and of the monasteries of the Wadi Habib, which could hardly be
neglected in such a work. Probably also we have lost part of the
history of the Armenians in Egypt.
The book, as we have it at present, opens with an account of the
Armenian monastery and churches at Al-Basatin, a little to the south of
Cairo. The latter buildings consisted of a Great Church,' or main building,
'
middle of this is inserted a note on the churches of Busir Bana and other
places. Then, after a note on the boundaries of Egypt, comes an account of
the city of Al-Fustat and its churches, which would seem to be fairly system-
atic and complete were it not for notes on king Aftutis, the revenues of
Egypt, Nebuchadnezzar and the patriarch Demetrius, inserted in the middle
of it without any apparent occasion for them. After describing the churches
of Al-Fustat, our author proceeds up the Nile, noticing the churches and
monasteries in the towns and villages, principally, of course, on the
more populous western bank bu^ he does not go straight on in his
;
journey; he frequently dashes from south to north, and then again from
north to south in a manner which would horrify us in a modern guide to
the Nile and he still keeps up his trick of inserting notes from time to
;
our author had also visited in person the churches and monasteries of
Cairo and its neighbourhood, and had made similar enquiries of the
priests and monks as to the foundation and restoration of these buildings
and other matters of interest concerning them. But how far our author
had travelled up the Nile is doubtful and perhaps he had not himself
;
librarian and reader to the Fatimide caliph Al-'Aziz, and his agreeable
manners and conversation led the sovereign to make him his constant
boon-companion. It is in accordance with this character that he wrote
of the monasteries chiefly as places for enjoying pleasant social inter-
course and drinking wine. The surname Ash-Shabushti is difficult to
explain, and Ibn Khallikan says that he repeatedly made researches to
'
'
discover the origin of the surname, but that all his pains were fruitless,
'
until he found that the chamberlain to the Dailamite prince Washmaghir
'
ibn Ziyar was also called Ash-Shabushti, from which it appears that
'
this is a Dailamite family name.'
Part of our author's information with regard to the churches and
monasteries of Egypt, and to the ecclesiastical history of that country,
is derived from the Biographies of the Patriarchs, compiled in the ninth
century by Severus, bishop of Al-Ushmunain, and from the continuation
of the Biographies by a The name of this work is
later writer.
world part of its contents, there is a very large part only to be known
xvi CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
at present through a study of the original Arabic MSS. It is from
these patriarchal biographies that our author borrows the greater part
of what he tells us on the subject of the history of the Coptic patriarchs,
and part of what he says on the churches and monasteries. It is thence
that he takes, for instance, his account of the visit of Al-Kasim to the
White Monastery.
The Patriarchal Biographies of Severus of Al-Ushmunain are based
in their earlier portion, as he himself tells us, on Greek and Coptic
documents preserved in the ancient Monastery of Saint Macarius in the
Nitrian Valley. In the later part the compiler has inserted the works of
certain writers almost without change, such as the biography of the
patriarch Kha'il or Michael by John the deacon, a contemporary and
acquaintance of that patriarch, and a considerable portion of the series
written by George, archdeacon and secretary of the patriarch Simon.
Many of our author's quotations are taken from the life of the patriarch
Michael.
Another writer, to whom our author is considerably indebted, is
preserved at Oxford, and a copy of the second part, relating events from
the Incarnation onwards, exists at Florence. The latter work, however?
has been carried on by a continuator down to the year A. D. 1312, and
this has occasioned the erroneous belief that Mahbub himself lived in
the fourteenth century. Mahbub is a writer several times quoted by
Al-Makin in the first part of his history. According to the Florentine
MS., Mahbub or Agapius was a Jacobite or monophysite bishop of
Manbaj.
Use was also made in the work now edited of a History of the
Coujicils, of the homilies of the patriarch Theophilus, and of a Guide to
the Festivals. seems that there were several of such Guides in the
It
perhaps those Indian priests who at the end of the seventh century
came to Egypt, to beg the Coptic patriarch to send out a bishop to
'
Misr, and, having crossed the Nile, destroyed all the boats upon the river
in order to stop the progress of the enemy. A vivid picture of this
disastrous conflict is given us by an eye-witness, the contemporary
biographer of the Coptic patriarch Michael, whose Hfe is included in
the compilation of Severus of Al-Ushmunain. The Khorassanians soon
found boats with which to cross the -river and they pursued Marwan as
;
fiir as Busir Kuridus, near the entrance to the Fayyum, where they put
him to death.His head was sent round the country as a proof of the
extinction of the Omeyyad dynasty and the victory of the Abbasides.
The Omeyyad caliphs had resided at Damascus, and the Abbasides
established their court in A. D. 750 at the newly-erected city of Bagdad,
so that Egypt was still ruled by walis, who, on account of their remote-
c 2
XX CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
ness from the seat of the central government, soon became practically
independent. One of the most celebrated governors of Egypt was
Ahmad ibn Tulun, who ruled the country from A. H. 254 to 270. By
this time the importance of the city of Fustat Misr had greatly
diminished. The Hamr^s or quarters to the north of Al-Fustat,
founded at the time of the Arab conquest, had fallen into decay, and
the ground had become bare of houses but upon the flight of Marwan
;
into Egypt;, the Abbaside troops had settled upon it, and gave it its new
name and here the emirs who ruled Egypt resided. It
of Al-'Askar,
was in this quarter, called the quarter of Ibn Tulun, that Ahmad
now
built his great mosque. He no longer, however, chose to reside here,
but founded the new quarter of Al-Kata'i', which extended from the
lowest spurs of the Mukattam hills to the mosque of Ibn Tulun.
Neither Al-'Askar nor Al-Kata was destined to exist long. When the
i'
Fatimide caliph Al-MuMzz sent his general Jauhar to invade Egypt, the
latter demolished the houses between Al-Fustat and his own new city of
Cairo, which formed these two quarters, and they thus entirely disappeared,
save for the Christian monasteries and churches, which, as Abu Salih
tells us, still remained in the Hamras, as the antiquaries of Egypt
and gained great influence over the principal officials of the country.
On the death of As-Salih, however, in the year 556 (a. d, 1161), his son
and successor in the vizierate, Al-'Adil, jealous of Shawar's influence,
deprived him of his office, in spite of the warnings against such a step
which had been uttered by Ibn Ruzzik upon his death-bed. Shawar
assembled a body of troops, marched to Cairo early in the year ^^'^,
and, on the flight of Al-'Adil, pursued him and put him to death,
himself assuming the reins of government as vizier, under the nominal
supremacy of the Fatimide caliph.
In the month of Ramadan same year, however, a fresh
of the
aspirant to the vizierate appeared in the person of Ad-Dirgham, who,
collecting a body of troops, forced Shawar to flee from Cairo, and put
himself in his place. Thus, in the course of the year 558, the post of
vizierwas held by three statesmen in succession. Shawar, however,
took the bold step of making his way to Syria, and applying for aid
to Nur ad-Uin, the most powerful Mahometan prince of his time.
Accordingly, in the month of Jumada the First of the year 559, Nur
ad-Din despatched a body of Turkish and Kurdish troops to Egypt
under the command of a Kurdish general, then in his service, named
A sad ad-Din Shirkuh. On the arrival of the army of Nur ad-Din,
Dirgham was defeated and slain, and Shawar was restored to his post
of vizier. He, however, now refused to perform his part of the contract,
and would neither grant money nor land to the troops, nor send to Nur
ad-Din that portion of the revenues of Egypt which he had promised.
Upon this, the Kurdish general seized the city of Bilbais, and great part
of the province of Ash-Sharkiyah. The unscrupulous vizier, however,
instead of satisfying the just expectations of his auxiliaries, sent messen-
gers to the natural enemy of his countrymen and his religion, the Frankish
king of Jerusalem, offering him a sum of money if he would defend
Egypt against Nur ad-Din and his troops, who, he said, had formed
the design of conquering the valley of the Nile. Complying with this
request, Amaury led a body of troops to Egypt and besieged Shirkuh
at Bilbais during three months, but without success in spite of the low
xxii CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
walls and the absence of a moat. Suddenly the news came that Nur ad-
Din had captured Harim, and was marching upon Baniyis. On hearing
this, the Franks hastened homewards to defend their own country, after
inducing the besieged general, who was ignorant of any cause for the Prank-
ish retreat, to make terms by which he bound himself to leave Egypt also.
In the year 562, Asad ad-Din Shirkuh was again sent to Egypt by
Nur ad-Din, who was now filled with the desire of subduing that country,
and had obtained from the Abbaside caliph Al-Mustadi a sanction for
his enterprise, which made it a crusade with the object of extinguishing
the rival dynasty of the Fatimides. Amaury, however, was again induced
by a bribe to come to the rescue of Shawar and his nominal master
Al-'Adid, and this time actually entered Cairo, while a sandstorm
destroyed part of the army of Shirkuh, who was forced to retreat. In
the same campaign, part of Amaury's army was defeated by Shirkuh,
and Alexandria submitted to the Kurdish general but finally the latter ;
retired from Egypt after a blockade which drove him to make terms
with the king of the Franks.
The third and final campaign of Shirkuh in Egypt began in the
month of Rabi' the First of the year 564. The Frankish king had soon
broken off his alliance with the Fatimide caliph, on the plea of treachery
on the part of the Egyptians, and making a sudden descent upon Al-
Farama, the ancient Pelusium, he had put the inhabitants to the sword.
Shawar now once more asked for help from Nur ad-Din, whom he had
treated so unfaithfully, and Shirkuh with his nephew Yusuf ibn Ayyub
Salah ad-Din, known to Europe as Saladin, led an army to the frontiers
of Egypt, where they found the Frankish troops who had been detained
there by a stratagem on the part of Shawar, and who now had to beat
a hasty and disastrous retreat.Shirkuh now took possession of Egypt,
under the sanction of the Fatimide caliph, whose nominal rule he for
the present maintained. The assassination of Shawar, however, was a
natural and rapid consequence of the Kurdish occupation and Shirkuh ;
became vizier in his place. After filling this post for two months
and five days, Shirkuh died, and was succeeded in the vizierate by his
nephew Saladin.
The history of Saladin is well known to European readers. He was
INTRODUCTION. xxiii
the son of Ayyiib the son of Shadi, a member of the noble Kurdish
tribe of Ravvadiyah, natives of Duwin, a town of Adharbaijan, and was
born A. H. 532 at Takrit, where his father and uncle were in the service
of Bihruz, who was acting as governor of the district under the Seljucide
sultan MasLid ibn Muhammad Ghiyath ad-Din. When Saladin became
vizier of Egypt he at once began to give free rein to his ambition, and
to display his capabilities for administration and for military activity.
By his amiable demeanour and by promises of money, he won the emirs
and the soldiery to his side, and was soon able to carry out the project
of extinguishing the Fatimide dynasty, and once more proclaiming the
Abbaside in Egypt as the true caliph. In the year 567, on the 2nd day
of the month of Muharram, the Khittbah of Al-'Adid was stopped by
command of Saladin, and the name of Al-Mustadi was put in its place.
The last of the Fatimide caliphs, however, was seriously ill at the time
of this change, and never knew that his high position had been lost.
A few days later the deposed caliph was dead.
Saladin now took possession of the palace of the caliphate. Treasures
of fabulous value are said to have been found there, hoarded up by the
rulers of so large a part of the Mahometan world during two centuries of
religious and political supremacy. We read of a carbuncle weighing seven-
teen dirhams or twelve mithkals, of a pearl of unequalled size, and of an
emerald four finger's breadths in length and one in width. There was
also a most valuable collection of books, in spite of the loss of a great
portion of the library of the Fatimide caliphs in the reign of Al-Mustansir.
Saladin, however, sold all the treasures of the palace. The rejoicings at
Bagdad were great when the news came that the Abbaside caliph had
been prayed for in the mosques of Egypt, and that the rival dynasty had
been overthrown and the city was decorated while the revolution
;
military fiefs was introduced, similar to those held under the feudal
system of western Europe. The present work supplies us with several
instances of the rent paid for land held under the Fatimide caliphs.
The work form a subject too large
philological features of the present
to be discussed in an introduction, and would be better treated in a
grammar of the Middle Arabic language. It must be remembered,
however, that the author is represented in the title as an Armenian,
and that his acquaintance with Arabic was probably imperfect. It is also
quite clear that the copyist was no more equal to the task of correctly
transcribing, than to that of judiciously abbreviating the book. Apart
from these considerations, the orthograpliy and grammar of the MS.
INTROBUCrWX. XXV
instead of the more modern Ij-:;-^:-^-' ; but this may be a proof of the
greater purity of the Arabic spoken in the Oases. It is a peculiarity
of the present work that in certain parts the language is far more
classical than in others ; but this may be because the author has in
some places closely followed some writer of the first ages of Islam,
such as Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam or AI-Kindi, and in other places has
composed his sentences for himself.
d [II. 7]
CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES
OF EGYPT.
HISTORY Foiib
COMPOSED BY
Section Let us begin ^ with the help and guidance of God. In this
I.
our own time, at the beginning of the year 564^ (Oct. 4, a. D. 1 1 68-
namely
Sept. 23, 1 169), took place the rebuilding of the [Armenian] church,
named after Saint James, which stands in the district of Al-Basatin^, one
of the districts of Egypt, in the neighbourhood of the hills. This was in
the days of * who was an emir*, and ruled Egypt on behalf of the
-h- -x- , Fol. 2 a
^ Folio I b was not part of the original MS., of which, in reality, the first
twenty-two leaves are wanting, but was added by its owner, who perhaps
compiled it from mutilated fragments of some leaves now missing, to supply
a beginning to the incomplete book. Hence the abruptness, obscurity, and
inaccuracy of the text. See Preface.
^ This date must be rejected ; it is the date of the dispersion of the monks
(see fol. 2 a), not of the rebuilding of the church, which must have taken place
many years before.
* Or, in the singular, Al-Bustan. It lies a few miles to the south of Cairo, on
the right or eastern bank of the Nile, near the Mukattam range, in a region of
gardens, as the name implies. It is now included in the district of Badrashain,
in the province of Jizah, and in 1885 had a population of 1,698; see Recensement
de VEgypte, Cairo, 1885, tome ii. p. 65. (A. J.
B.)
* This first page of the MS. is so litde trustworthy in its present form, that it
can hardly be determined who this emir was. Since the events here related
b [IT. 7-]
2 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
caliph. a friend to all Christians, whether high or low. He
He was
received monthly revenue of ten dinars^ from the lands [of the
a
monastery] which he held in fief ^. He then undertook and carried out
the reconstruction of this church of Saint James, which had been burnt
down he built for it, above the sanctuary ^ a lofty dome, which could
;
be seen from afar he erected arches and vaults and he completed the
; ;
§ When the Ghuzz"^ and the Kurds took possession of the land of
cannot really belong to the year a. h. 564, as they would seem to do if the date
here given could be relied upon, it may be suggested that this emir was the
Armenian Badr al-Jamali,who was vizier to the caliph Al-Mustansir from a. h.
467 to 487 = A. D. 1075-1094, and was known as Amir al-Jnyush or emir of the
troops, i. e. commander-in-chief. On account of his nationality and religion,
Badr was a benefactor to the Christians of Egypt. Cf. Renaudot {Hist. Pair.
pp. 459 and 508), who speaks of the Armenian setdement in Egypt in the time
of Badr, mentioned by our author on fol. 47 b.
^
The dinar was a gold coin, slightly over 66 grs. in weight.
^ For remarks on the tenure of land in Egypt, see Introduction.
^ The word Askina (llx.ll or \1.S..J\), from the Greek (jKr]vr], is used in this
author, or more probably his copyist, by putting jJ^W and :>\^'^\ in apposition
ARMENIAN MONASTERY AND CHURCHES. 3
Egypt, month of Rabf the Second, in the year 564 (a. D. 1 168-9),
in the
calamities well known to all men overtook the Armenians \ who were
then settled in Egypt. Their patriarch^, together with the Armenian
monks, was driven away from that monastery of which we have been
speaking its door was blocked vip, and those churches remained empty,
;
church of John the Baptist, built over'^ the church of the Pure Lady^, in
the Harah Zawilah*^; and here the patriarch dwelt during the year 564
(a. d. 1168-9).
seems to consider them as two names of the same nation. Perhaps there is some
confusion between dU^l jili, which would be correct, and jl^^l till.
^ There were a large number of Armenians in Egypt during the eleventh and
twelfth centuries. See Renaudot, Hist. Pair. p. 460 ff. Yakut, who died
A. H. 596 = A. D. 1200, speaks of the Armenians among the mixed nationalities of
which, as he says, the population of Egypt was in his time composed. See his Geogr.
Worterbuch ed. Wiistenfeld, iv. p. 001. Under the later Fatimides, high ofifices
and preacher in the same city; died a. ij. 584=:a. d. 1188. See Ibn Shaddad,
quoted by Ibn Khallikan, Biogr. Diet, trans. De Slane, iv. p. 421.
''
In Egypt churches are frequently built one over another, forming two stories.
' A church of Al-Adhra (the Virgin) is still standing in the Harah Zuwailah,
and is almost beyond question to be identified with the church mentioned in
the text ; it bears marks of great antiquity. See Butler, Coptic Churches, vol. i.
by the Berber tribe of Zawilah, who assisted Jauhar, the general of the Fatimide
caliph Al-Mu'izz, in the conquest of Egypt, a. d. 969, and the foundation of Cairo.
The Bab Zawilah or Zuwailah is one of the principal gates of the city. See
Al-Makrizi, Khitat, Bulak, a. h. 1270 = a. d. 1854, vol. ii. p. t= ; Ibn Dukmak,
Kitdb al-Iniisdr li-ivdsitah 'ikd al-amsdr, Bulak, a.m. I3io = a. d. 1893, v. p. rv.
^ Now called Atfih; generally written ^^\', see fol. 8 b, 10 a, 47 a, &c. The
town lies south of Cairo, on the eastern bank, and is the Coptic Hexiie^,
the Greek Aphroditopolis ; it now gives its name to a district of the province of
Jizah, 1885 had a population of 2,731. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. n
and in 1
and histories of wars, and chronicles and annals of former rulers, and
carried on intercourse of this kind with Al-Hafiz until the death of the
latter, which took place in the month of Jumada the Second, in the year
544 (a. D. 1 149).
was begun on Saturday the 15th of Hatur^, in the year 888 of the
Martyrs, which is equivalent to the 23rd of Rabi' the First of the year
568 (a. D. 1172). It is said that he founded a monastery outside
Jerusalem, containing a church, and named after Sharkis, who is the
same as Abu Sirjah and to this church he brought all the altar-vessels
;
and golden dinars that he had in his charge and it is said that this ;
'
The Coptic Athor (^.etJ0p) = Oct. 28-Nov. 27.
^ According to the custom of antiquity upon the arrival or departure of guests
whom it was desired to honour, and especially of bishops. So it was when Saint
Athanasius visited the different parts of Egypt :
'
He journeyed southwards,
accompanied by some of the chief bishops and a great company, and with torches
and candles and censers without number.'
^.qn^-p^-re e^JUL^-pKc epe ^enno6^ri enicKonoc ^JUl.JUL^,q
juirt oTJULHHoje ert^.aj(jL3q ^.'yuo ^enX^-JULn^.c juirt ^enKHpcwrt
juLit £,ertcyof pH e«cen^.cyxi Hne JULJULooT^.n (Zoega, Cataiogus
§ After this, the patriarch lived for a time in happiness, and then
went to his rest in the mercy of God, to whom be praise, on the 5th of
Tubah^, in the year last mentioned and he was buried in the monastery
;
by his beard and whiskers, which were growing grey and his age was ;
said that he was guilty of immoral conduct. This report arose among
those who were most envious of his innocence. The author of this book
declared as follows : I met Abu '1-Kasim Khalil, the physician and
philosopher of Ascalon, who said that he had visited this patriarch one
all the clergy of the city and the chief men take the holy Gospel of the Saviour
and crosses and censers, and go forth and bring them into the city with honour,
singing hymns.'
Fol. 4b The report was not spread until after he had departed to Syria and
had died there. It was at the house of Al-A'azz Hasan ibn Salamah
called Al-Bakilani, who was chief cadi^ at Misr, that I the poor author
of this book met Abu '1-Kasim, on Monday, the 37th of Shawwal, in the
year 568 (a.d. 1173).
steward of the Armenians. When the Shaikh Safi ad-Daulah had fully
provided all that was needed for the construction of the church, through
Fol. 5 a the priest Abu l-Wafa ibn Abi '1-Bashar, the patriarch Anba Mark"*,
who was the seventy-third in the succession, came with Anba John,
^
Janan az-Zuhri or Bustan az-Zuhri was the name given to gardens between
Fustat and Cairo, from the former owner of the land 'Abd al-Wahab ibn Musa
az-Zuhri. The pool called Birkat an-Nasiriyah was excavated on their site in
under the Fatimide caHphs and their successors. This high dignitary was
distinguished by riding on a grey mule, and he held his court in great state
on Tuesday and Saturday at the Mosque of 'Amr. See Al-Makrizi, KMtat,
i. p. J'.r f. As-Suyuti, Husn al-MuMdarah ft Akhbdr Mur wa H-Kdhirah,
;
* Occupied the see from a.d. 1174 to 11 89. See Renaudot, Hist. Patr. pp.
530-554. The title Anba transcribes the Coptic ^£.^<L and means '
father.'
FATE OF THE ARMENIAN CHURCHES. 9
^ On west bank of Nile, a little south of Cairo, and opposite Hulwan ; see
Yakfit, Geogr. Wort. ii. p. tvF. It is the Coptic T-LiULJUKJOOnf, and is now in the
district of Badrashain, province of Jizah; its population in 1885 was 794, besides
454 Bedouins; Am^l., Geogr. p. 478. IM. Am^lineau does not explain why he
writes the Arabic name as i>^ and transcribes it as Tamouieh.
2 Bastah is the classical Bubastis, Coptic no'r^<Lci~ or KoT^-Cf , and
under the name of Tall Bastah is now a small hamlet close to Zagazig, in the
province of Kalyub ; see Amdl., Geogr. p. 89. (A. J. B.)
^ The Coptic Paoni (n«&.(JOrtl) = IMay 26-June 24.
* The 'Quarter of the Romans,' who came with the army of the caliph
Al-Mu'izz, and took their part in the foundation of Cairo. The quarter was
sometimes called the Lower Harat ar-Rfim in distinction from the Upper or Inner
Harat ar-Riam. See Al-Makrizi, Khitat, ii. p. a ; Ibn Dukmak, op, cit. v. p. rv.
from dictation, the sound of Ju might be mistaken for that of ^ and an ignorant ;
cased with marble panelling some little height; and over this stand the
for
painted figures of Our Lord and the Twelve Apostles. It is probably to such
frescoes that Abfi Salih is alluding. See Butler, Coptic Churches, i. pp. 40,
112, &c. (A. J. B.)
C [IT. 7-]
lo CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
which was executed by Abu '1-Fath ibn al-Akmas, known as Ibn
al-Haufi the painter and this work was finished in the month of
;
Amshir, in the year 892 of the Blameless Martyrs (Jan.- Feb., A. D. 1177).
§ There came a bishop from Armenia, accompanied by three priests,
and sent by the king^ of Armenia and the patriarch. He brought
a despatch from both of them and two letters, one of which was from
Al-Malik Salah ad-Din 2, and the other from Al-Malik Saif ad-Din Abu
Bakr^, his brother, to Al-Malik Taki ad-Din^, and they recommended in
their letters that the bishop should be received with honour, and that the
two churches of the Armenians in Az-Zuhri^ and Al-Bustan^ should be
given up to him. So this bishop alighted at the church of John the
^ Leo or Levon II, the Rubenide, who reigned in Cilicia, not in Armenia
proper; he ascended the throne in 1186. He was a great supporter of his own
church and of other Oriental churches. See Alishan, Leoyi le Magn. p. 294, &c.
^ Saladin had left Egypt in a. h. 578, and was now in Syria, engaged in
wars and sieges; see Al-Makrizi, KMtat, ii. p. rri=; Ibn al-Athir, Al-Kdmil (ed.
Tornberg), xi. p. rr'i ; Ibn Shaddad, Sirah Saldh ad-Din (ed. Schultens),
p. 38 flf.
Aba Bakr Muhammad ibn Abi 'sh-Shukr AyyQb ibn Shadi ibn Marwan,
2
surnamed Al-Mahk al-'Adil Saif ad-Din, brother of Saladin, was born a. h. 530 =
A.D. 1145 and died a. h. 615 = a. d. 1218. He acted as Saladin's viceroy for
Egypt from a. h. 578 to 579, but was now ruling Aleppo, handed over to him by
his brother. In a. h. 596 = a. d. 1200 he became sultan of Egypt. See Ibn
Khallikan, Biogr. Did. 235; Ibn al-Athir, Al-Kdmil, xi. p. rri ; Ibn
iii. p.
Shaddad, Sirah Saldh ad-Din, 56 ; As-Suyuti, Husn al-Muhddarah, ii. p. rv ff.
p.
* Taki ad-Din 'Umar, surnamed Al-Malik al-Muzaffar, nephew of Saladin,
had been appointed viceroy of Egypt by the latter, when he summoned Al-Malik
al-'Adil to Syria in a. h.579 = a. d. 1183 (see fol. 6 b). Taki ad-Din was recalled
to Syria towards the end of a. h. 582 = a. d. 1186, so that it must have been in
this year that the envoys mentioned in the text arrived from Armenia. See Ibn
Khallikan, Biogr. Diet. ii. p. 391; Ibn al-Athir, Al-Kdmil, xi. p. r-^f; Ibn Shaddad,
Sirah Saldh ad-Din, p. 64 ; As-Suyuti, Husn al-MiiMdarah, ii. p. 50 ; Abu '1-Fida,
Ann. Musi. iv. p. 60,
^ See fol. 3 b. « See fol. i b.
FATE OF THE ARMENIAN CHURCHES. ii
Baptist^ in the Harah Zawilah ; but the Fakih at-Tusi^ did not allow it,
so the bishop compelled him, and stayed there several months, and then Fol. 5 b
grew sick and died without carrying out his object. He was buried in
the church of the Armenians in Az-Zuhri ; may God rest his soul.
§ On the Sunday of Olives^, the first day of the eighth week of the
Holy Fast, and the ist of Barmudah'*, in the year 892 (a. D. 1177)
of the Blameless Martyrs, a body of priests came to this church, with
the laity, among whom were Abii Sa'id ibn Abu '1-Fadl ibn Fahd and
Abu '1-Yaman ibn Abu '1-Faraj ibn Abi '1-Yaman ibn Zanbur and ;
these two had with them a vessel containing pure oil with which they
ate their peas ; and the}' placed it within the church, but afterwards
when they looked for it, they could not find it. Then they suspected
the Muslim guardians of the church, and allowed their servants to beat
them so the guardians went to the Fakih Baha ad-Din^ 'Ali the
;
the month of Ramadan ? Then the fakih at once informed the sultan
'
ad-Daulah Abu 1-Ma ali ibn Sharafi, his scribe, and blamed him for it,
and demanded of him the decree which he had received, empowering Fol. 6 a
the Copts to take possession of this church and this, by ill luck, was ;
See fol. 2 a.
"^
See fol. 6 a.
C 2
12 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
of the Lady in the Harat ar-Riim was appointed to perform the prayers
in on Sundays and festivals. After this there came to the court from
it
that he had buried money, belonging to Taj ad-Daulah the said vizier,
Fol. 6 b in the Great Church *, and that he had arrived in order to bring it
to light but no heed was given to him.
; It is said that he went on
in his imaginings until the church was opened to him, and he dug in
certain places. Then he said ' The money has vanished from this
:
place those who pillaged the church have taken it.' Thus he com-
;
plained that a wrong had been done. The church remained open for
him, and he lived in it as long as the fancy held him only he placed ;
' In Khorassan.
'^
I. e. the two adjacent churches of Al-Bustan.
^ Became vizier to the caliph Al-Hafiz in the month of Jumada the Second,
A. H. 529 = A. D. 1 135. Being a Christian, he aroused the enmity of the Mahome-
tans, a body of whom collected under Rudwan ibn al-Walakhshi (see fol. 9 a), and
marched to Cairo with intentions hostile to Bahram, who fled in the month of
JumS,da the First, a. h. 53i=a. d. 1137. See Al-Makrizt, ^-^/frt^, i. p. rov ; As-
Suyfitt, op. cit. ii. p. leo; Ibn Khaldfin, iv, p. vr; Abu '1-Fida, Ann. Musi. iii.
pp. 460, 468; Ibn al-Athir, xi. p. ri. For the subsequent fate of Taj ad-Daulah
Bahram, see below, fol. 50 a.
* I.e. at Al-Bustan.
^ I.e. Taki ad-Din (see fol. 5 a and note), then acting as viceroy of Egypt
for Saladin.
CHURCH OF ISTABL AL-FIl. 13
§ The street called Istabl al-Ftl^ lies near the two pools of
^
He was at first chagrined at being thus superseded in Egypt, but finally
consented to remain in the service of Saladin, who made him prince of Hamah
(Hamath). Taki ad-Din died a.h. 587 = a.d. 1191. Ibn YAvAXM^xi., Biogr. Did.
ii. p. 391 ; Ibn al-Athir, op. cit. xi. p. r^o; Ibn Shaddad, op. cit. pp. 67 and 213.
^
He came as guardian to his nephew Al-Malik al-'Aziz the son of Saladin,
who superseded Taki ad-Din in a.h. 582 as viceroy of Egypt, and became sultan
on the death of his father in a.h. 589. It was not until a.h. 596 = a.d. 1200 that
Al-Malik al-'Adil became actual ruler of Egypt for the second time, succeeding his
great-nephew Al-Malik al-Mansiir, son of Al-Malik al-'Aziz, as sultan, Al-Makrizi,
op. cit. ii. p. fro ; Ibn Khallikan, op. cit. ii. p. 391 ; Ibn al-Athir, op. cit. xii. p. 1 .r.
^
The Coptic Khoiak (^OI^.K)=N6v. 27-Dec. 26. The common Arabic
transcription of the name is Kihak {^.jj^S^.
* I.e. A.D. 1187.
^ I.e. Elephant's Stable. The Dar al-Fil or House of the Elephant and the
Birkat al-Fil or Elephant's Pool, which still exists in name, lay to the south of
Cairo, near the Birkah Karun. Perhaps Istabl al-Fil was another name for
Dar al-Fil, which may have been turned into stables like other palaces at Cairo
the Mamluk sultans had stables on the Birkat al-Fil. After a.h. 600 the borders
14 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Karun ^, which are between Misr and Cairo ; and in this street there is
Fol. 7 a a church, which was long ago ruined, and became a yard, while its walls
remained visible above the surface of the ground. Its site has been used
for the erection of a mosque, which was built by Husain the Kurd,
the son-in-law of Salah ibn Ruzzik^, the vizier in the caliphate of
Al-Imam Al-'Adid H-dini 'llah 3.
of the Birkai al-Fil were much built upon and surrounded by lofty manzarahs
and this became the finest quarter of Cairo. During the high Nile, when the
pool was full, the sultan used to be rowed about it at night, while the manzarahs
were illuminated. Ibn Sa'id says :
'
See the Elephant's Pool, encircled by vianzarahs, like lashes around
the eye
It seems, when the eyes behold it, as if stars had been set around the
moon.'
See Al-Makrizi, op. cit. ii. p. mi, cf p. 1 1 a ; Ibn Dukmak, op. cit. iv. p. 1 1 and
V. p. fo.
^ Abu '1-Gharat Tala i' ibn Ruzzik, surnamed Al-Malik as-Salih. Salah must
be an error. He was born in a.h. 495 = a.d. iioi ; was appointed vizier to the
to 915 feddans. This property came into the hands of the Christians
through gifts from the Fatimide caliphs down to the lunar and revenue
year 569 (a.d. 1174); but it was taken away from them and given
to the Muslims, so that no part of it was left in the possession of the
Christians this was under the dynasty of the Ghuzz and Kurds at
;
the end of the caliphate of Al-Mustadi' bi-amri 'llah 2, and under the
administration of Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub the Kurd.
The Southern Region 467 dinars, and the amount of produce which
:
has been stated, and 906 feddans. The Northern Region 2,445 dinars :
Revenues of Egypt.
villages included in the provinces under the dynasty ^. and also the Fol. 7 b
revenues derived from their fiefs ; not reckoning the city of Alexandria
^ The ardab is equivalent to nearly five bushels, and the feddan to about
one acre, eight poles.
^ Proclaimed caliph at Bagdad in the month of Rabi' the Second, a.h. 566 =
A.D. 1
1 70, upon the death of his father Al-Mustanjid bi-'llah. He was the thirty-
third of the Abbaside caliphs, and was proclaimed caliph by Saladin at Cairo in
the month of Muharram a.h. 56 7 = a.d. 1171, during the lifetime of the last
Tdrikh Mukhtasar ad-Duwal (ed. Pococke), p. 406 f. ; Ibn al-Athir, op. cit. xii.
p. ve\ ff.; Ibn Shaddad, op. cit. p. 38; Ibn Khaldun, iv. p. m.
^ I.e. of the Fatimides.
1 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
nor the frontier-district of Damietta nor Tinnis^ nor Kift- nor Nakadah^
nor the Lake of Al-Habash'^, outside Misr the sum total of the revenue ;
^ The classical Coptos and the Coptic KeqX. See Yakiat, Geogr. Wort.
iv.p. tor ; Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome) [p. 48]; Al-Makrizi, op. cit. p. rrr f Ibn Dukmak, ;
op. cit. V. p. rr f. Kift or Kubt is now in the district of Kus, province of Kana,
and contained, in 1885, 2,544 inhabitants. See Amdlineau, Geogr. p. 213 ff.
^ Now in the district of Kus, province of Kana ; and in 1885 had a population
of 4)534- See Recensement de Vt,gypte, ii. p. 258 ; Ibn Dukmak, v. p. Tr.
* I.e. Lake of the Abyssinians. This was a tract of low ground, more than
1,000 acres in extent, between Fustat and Cairo, approaching on one side the
cemetery of Al-Karafah, and was inundated during the rise of the Nile, from
which it was only separated by a dyke on
it was its western side. At other times
one of the most charming resorts near Cairo, being of extreme fertility, and
producing flax and other crops. Beside it were gardens also called Al-Habash
or Ard Habash. The name was, perhaps, earlier than the Mahometan conquest,
and was a eo^'VCy. The Lake of Al-Habash was given
translation of the Coptic
from those places being 60,000 dinars. From 2,186 districts and village-
districts, that is, 1,376 districts and 890 villages, came 3,061,000 dinars.
Total
No. of
Places. Districts. Villages. Dinars.
Provinces
Ash-Sharkiyah 452 294 158 694,121
Al-Murtahiyah 89 48 41 70,358
Ad-Dakahliyah 70 39 3T 53.761
Al-Abwaniyah 6 6 4,700
Jazirah Kusaniya 74 68 6 159,664 Fol. 8 a
Al-Gharbiyah 314 149 165 430.955
As-Samannudiyah 129 70 or 9 7 32 200,657
Al-Manufiyatain 101 69 32 140,933
Fuwah and Al-Muzahamiyatain 13 10 3 6,080
An-Nastarawiyah 6 6 14,910
Rosetta, Al-Jadidiyah and Adku [3] 3 3,000
Jazirah Bani Na§r 64 41 23 62,508
Al-Buhairah 176 87 89 139.313
Hauf Ramsis [lOl] lOI [59,080]
'
O Lake of Al-Habash, at which I spent a day of unbroken pleasure and
happiness, so that thy whole surface seemed to me like Paradise, and all the time
I seemed to be keeping festival. How charming is the young flax upon thee,
with its knots of flowers or buds, and when its leaves like swords are unsheathed
from thee, and the leeks have extended their canopy over thee. It seemed as if
the towers upon thee were brides unveiling, while birds warbled round them.
Would that I knew whether thy season would return, for my desires begin with it
and return to it!' See Al-Makrizi, op. cit. ii. pp. 1 or- 100; Ibn Dukmak, iv.
pp. 00-ov; Am^lineau, Geogr. p. 162. M. Amdlineau has overlooked the fact
that Al-Makrizi speaks of the Ard Habash as well as Abu Salih.
d [II. 7.]
CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Total
No. of
Places. Districts. Villages. Dinars.
Provinces
Al-Jiziyah 97 70 27 129,641
Al-Itfihiyah 17 13 4 39,449
Al-Busiriyah 14 13 1 39,390
Al-Fayy(amiyah 66 ^^ 11 145,162
Al-Bahnasa'iyah 105 84 21 234,801
Al-Ushmimain 111 54 SI 127,676
Fol. 9 a As-Suyutiyah ^ 54 22 32
'
Most of these names will known to the reader, but a few of them
be well
may be commented on. Al-Murtahiyah is now part of Ad-Dakahliyah. Al-Ab-
waniyah was a small province near Damietta, named from the town of Abwan, the
inhabitants of which were chiefly Christians ; in the fourteenth century it had become
part of Al-Buhairah. See Ibn Dukmak, v. p. va ; Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. 1
. 1.
Jazirah Kusaniya lay between Cairo and Alexandria, ibid. iv. p. 1 . . . An-Nas-
tarawiyah lay between Damietta and Alexandria, and was named from its capital
The official list of places in Egypt drawn up for the purpose of estimating
the revenue in a.h. 777=a.d. 1375 gives the following names of provinces:
Lower Egypt : district of Cairo, Al-Kalyubiyah, Ash-Sharkiyah, Ad-Dakahliyah,
district of Damietta, Al-Gharbiyah, Al-Manufiyah, Abyar and Jazirah Bani
Nasr, Al-Buhairah, Fuwah and Al-Muzahamiyatain, An-Nastar^wiyah, district of
REVENUES OF EGYPT. 19
^ The eighth of the Fatimide caliphs; reigned from a.h. 427 = a.d, 1035 to
had been deprived, but he was resisted and slain. See AI-lNIakrizi, op. cit. i. p. rov ;
As-Suyuti, op. cit. ii. p. i oo ; Ibn Khaldun, iv. p. vr ; Ibn Khallikan, op. cit. ii. p. 1 79.
^ Cf. Renaudot, Hist. Pair. pp. 550-554; Al-Makrizi, op. cit. ii. p. FI1. The
doctrines of Mark ibn al-Kanbar and the existence of his large body of followers
seem to confirm the opinion that there have always been some among the Copts,
since the Council of Chalcedon, who have refused to join in the rejection of that
Council, and in the acceptance of the schismatic and heretical teaching of Dioscorus
and his disciples. The chief points of agreement with Catholic belief and practice
in the teaching of Ibn al-Kanbar, brought out by Abu Salih, are the doctrine of
the two natures and wills of Christ, the doctrine with regard to confession, the
reservation of the sacrament, the abrogation of peculiar fasts, the denial of the
necessity of circumcision and of the shaving of the head. Some other parts of
Ibn al-Kanbar's teaching were probably misunderstood, and it must be remembered
that we have only his enemies' account of the matter.
•^
Probably a mistake for Damsis ; see below, fol, 14 a. The Coptic bishop
of Damietta had the rank of metropolitan.
^ Occupied the see from a.d. 1147 to 1167. See Renaudot, ///j-/. Pair.
PP- 517-530-
ACCOUNT OF MARK IBN AL-KANBAR. 21
confession over the censer^; and they all inclined to him, and listened
to his words. A number of the Samaritans also assembled to meet
him, and he disputed with them, and showed them that he who came
into the world was the Messiah who was expected ; and he converted
many of them. He also allowed the people to let their hair grow long ^ Fol. 9 b
shown that the doctrine was recognized by the church of Egypt. An example of
confession in the eighth century is given also in Hist. Patr. p. 2 1 9 f Renaudot
adds that John, the seventy-second patriarch, is credited by Coptic writers with
having abrogated the rule of confession. The reason alleged for John's action
is that the people disliked the practice of confession, and were even in some cases
driven out of the pale of the church by the severity of the penance imposed.
John substituted pracdce a general admission of sinfulness and
for the ancient
prayer for forgiveness, something in these terms O Lord God, look upon me, :
'
a miserable sinner. I sorrow in that I have sinned against thee, and humbly
crave thy divine pardon.' This confession was made over a burning censer, which
the priest waved before the face of the penitent. This use of incense led the
ignorant to imagine that the ascending smoke had virtue to waft away their guilt,
and, as the superstition fixed its roots more deeply, the custom arose of flinging
grains of incense on a brazier in the house in atonement for the sin of the
moment. Confession over the censer passed not only to the Abyssinians (see
below, fol. 105 b), but also to the Nestorians, the Armenians, and the Malabar
Christians. In Ethiopia the error had died out when the Jesuits first entered the
country. Among was no confession in the sixteenth century,
the Nestorians there
and Antonio de Gouvea, who visited Malabar about 1 600, says that the Christians
there had the greatest abhorrence of the sacrament of penance, and the former
custom of confessing over the censer was then almost abandoned. It seems,
however, that in all these Oriental churches the practice of particular confession
was ultimately restored. See Denzinger, Ritus Orienlalium, i. pp. 105-108; Butler,
Coptic Churches, ii. p. 298. (A. J. B.)
^ The objection was to the practice then general in Egypt, as it still is among
the conservative classes in that country, to shave off either all the hair of the
22 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
as the Melkites dohe forbad circumcision ^, saying that cir-
; and
cumcision belongs to the Jews and Hanifs^, and that it is not lawful
for Christians to resemble the Jews or the Hanifs in any of their
traditions which are in force among them in our time. For this
doctrine he set up many proofs. He forbad the practice of burning
sandarach ^ in the churches, and allowed only frankincense * ; because
this was offered to the Lord with the gold and the myrrh, and therefore
head, or all with the exception of a small tuft at the crown. We are told, however
(below on fol. 15 a), that Ibn al-Kanbar approved of a circular tonsure. Whether
this latter notice refers to the clergy does not appear, but it seems that Ibn
al-Kustal, whose views on the shaving of the head seem to have resembled those
of Ibn al-Kanbar, particularly objected to the shaving of the whole head in the
case of the priests; see fol. 20 a.
^
Circumcision on the eighth day is customary, but not obligatory; on the other
hand, the Coptic church forbids circumcision after baptism. In the Abyssinian
church circumcision is a necessary rite, and, according to Damianus a Goes, is
performed on infants on the day of their baptism, viz. the seventh day, by which
the eighth day is doubtless to be understood. (A. J.
B.)
^ He uses the word '
Hanifs ' instead of ' Muslims/ because the latter claimed
that in practising circumcision they were following the tradition not only of the
Jews, but of the ancient, orthodox religion to which Abraham belonged, and to
which the Jews had added. It was this ancient religion which Mahomet professed
to restore. The passages of the Koran are well known
, / O JO , ^ -x -- = -- lo -"' o»> ^ ' o' .-0^0^ oP
{Stlral an-Nahl, v. 124; cf v. 121, Siirat al-Fajr, v. 162, and Silral AV Imrdn,^. 89).
'
Then we taught thee by inspiration to follow the religion of Abraham, who was
a Hanif ; he was not of the polytheists.'
^ This is a resinous substance, the gum of a coniferous tree, CaUilris qiiadri-
valvis, which flourishes in north-western Africa, particularly in the Atlas range.
(A.J.B.)
* For other substances which were burnt in the churches by Copts and
Abyssinians see below, fol. 105 b. See also Vansleb, Hist, dc TEglise d' Alex,
you, and part will be forgiven by God through your doing penance ;
for he who receives a penance for his sin in this world will not be
compelled by God
do a second penance in the next world.'
to His
followers who confessed to him called him Our Father the Director '
After a time the bishops in the North [of Egypt] were informed
of these matters, and laid information of them before the Father and
Patriarch Anba Mark \ the seventy-third in the order of succession, who
reprimanded him. on account of them, and wrote letters to him in which
he warned him and forbad him and exhorted him with exhortations of
consolation, but he would not listen to him or return to him. Necessity
therefore compelled the patriarch to send to summon him to his
presence, so up to him to the CelP at the
Ibn al-Kanbar went
church of Al-Mu'allakah in Misr. There the patriarch assembled to Fol.lOa
^
meet him a synod consisting of bishops and priests and chief men"*,
and said to him Know that he who breaks any of the commandments
:
'
of the church, and bids the people act in contradiction to it, lies under
the penalties of the law. Why then dost thou not return from thy
^ Occupied the see from a. d. 1167 to 1189. See Renaudot, Hist. Pair.
PP- 530-554-
^ The Cell (i3!!ib, from the Greek KeXXlov) represented, as we should say, the
patriarchal palace ; see Appendix. It was attached to the principal church, as the
bishop's residence generally was in ancient times, and as the Vatican is attached
to St. Peter's basilica.
^ For a description of the patriarchal church of the Virgin, called Al-Mii allakah
or 'the Hanging Church,' see Butler, Coptic Churches, i. p. 216. The name was
given to any structure built upon arcades.
superior of the monastery bidding him lead that Mark to the place in
which the body of Saint Anthony lay, and require him to swear upon
it and upon the Gospel of John that he would not again do any of the
things that he had done, and then allow him to go free. So the superior
did this and released Mark, who returned to his own country^ on those
conditions.
§ The said Mark [ibn al-Kanbar] went from the monastery of
Fol. 10 b Saint Anthony to the Rif^, after having been made to swear upon the
holy Gospel and upon the said body of our Father Anthony, and after
having been made to promise that he would not return to his former
^ This is the well-known monastery of Saint Anthony near the Red Sea ; see
below, 54 ff. It is called near Itfih,' because the road thither from the Nile
fol. *
started from that town, in respect to which the monastery lies a little to the
south-east, at a distance of sixty miles.
^ Damsis or its neighbourhood; see fol. 14.
I.e.
There has been some dispute as to the meaning of the Arabic word i—ajj,
^
which generally means the country lying upon the banks of a river, or upon the
sea-shore see Dozy, ad verb.
; In Egypt the word was used to denote the Delta
or Lower Egypt see below, fol. 21a. M. Amdlineau, in his somewhat curious
;
article upon the name *—ij^l, speaks as if it were known from two sources only:
the Arabic Synaxarium, the authority of which he rejects, and the Ethiopic
Chronicle of John of Niciu, upon the authority of which he peremptorily decides
that the Rif is synonymous with Upper Egypt see Geogr. p. 403
! f.
ACCOUNT OF MARK IBN AL-KANBAR. -iO
ways or transgress the canons of the church and the rules of the law
yet this said Mark, when he arrived in his own country, returned to his
former ways and did even worse than before. For there gathered
together to him a very large body of the ignorant from the river-banks
and the villages and the towns, nearly five thousand men and reports ;
of him arrived as far as Kalyub ^ Among these men v/ere some who
obeyed him and attached themselves to him, and bound themselves
to do what he appointed and ordered for each of them so that some ;
of them bound themselves to bring him part of their money and of the
fruit of their gardens and vineyards, and a tithe of their income and ;
former state.
Then him to make known to him what would
the patriarch wrote to
happen him if he did not repent, and to terrify him and warn him
to
of that which would befall him if he went on in his pride, and in his
breaking of his oath and departure from that which he had sworn ;
and the patriarch exhorted him and warned him of the end of his
perjury and his heresy and his excommunication, namely, that the end
of these things is perdition. Mark ibn al-Kanbar would not, however,
listen to the patriarch's letters, but behaved insolently and increased
in pride and perversity, and would not be converted. So the patriarch
wrote letters to the bishops of Northern Egypt containing an account
of the case from the beginning to the end, and a summary of the canons Fol. 11 a
^ About ten miles to the north of Cairo. It is the Coptic K^XlODUe, and
is now the capital of the district of Kalyub, and of the province of Kal}'ubiyah.
It had in 1885 a population of 8,644. The neighbourhood was famous for its
fertility, and for the numerous gardens which adorned it it was one of the
; richest
spots in Egypt. Ibn Dukmak, op. at. v. p. Fv f,; Am^l., Geogr. p. 390.
e [II. 7.]
26 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
the law of his own church, and added that
it was not right for him
to do what he had dared and that he could not be allowed to
to do,
follow the fancies of his own mind as he had done in transgression of
the law and each bishop confirmed the sentence of excommunication
;
upon him.
After this, Mark ibn al-Kanbar was not satisfied with what he had
done, and with having broken the oath which he had sworn upon the
Gospel and upon the body of the great Saint Anthony in the church
of God, or with having resisted the law, and refused to accept that
which was binding upon him according to the law of the Christians of
whom he was one but he even wrote an address and submitted it to
;
the sultan. The purport of his address was that he desired that an
assembly should be called to meet him in the presence of the patriarch ;
but he embellished his account of what had passed, and said whatever
it pleased him to say, and asked for protection.
The Kadi '1-Fadil ibn 'Ali al-Baisani ^ wrote an answer to his letter,
of which the following is a copy :
reason the family all received the surname of Baisani. Ibn Khallikan, op, cit.
ii. p. III.
ACCOUNT OF MARK IBN AL-KANBAR. 27
before the altar of God in the presence of the bishops and priests and
chief men and deacons and a congregation of the orthodox laity. Thus
it became evident that he did not fear God or respect men, since he had Fol. 12 a
been allowed to receive the eucharist in the sanctuary of God. He now
gave permission to those who followed his opinions to communicate
early ^ on the festival of the Forty Martyrs^, which is on the 13th of
Barmahat, and takes place during the fast of the Holy Forty Days
and on this day he forbad communion of the wine^. He forbad also
' As it is well known, the Copts celebrate the liturgy, of course fasting, at three
o'clock in the afternoon during the fast' of the forty days of Lent, except on
Saturday and Sunday. It is not stated here that Ibn al-Kanbar allowed the liturgy
to be celebrated early on one of these days, but that he allowed an early com-
munion, doubtless with the reserved sacrament, see fol. 15 b. See Vansleb, Hist,
de I'Eglise d' Alex. p. 73.
The 13th of Barmahat would be equivalent
^ to the 9th of March, whereas the
Roman calendar keeps the festival of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste on the lolh
of March.
^ Because the wine was not reserved, see fol. 15 b.
e 2
28 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
the giving of extreme unction by relations to one another^. These
things were in addition to the other matters which were known of him
before. Then he began to ride about, accompanied by a body of
his followers and he travelled through the Rif in state like a wait,
;
and banquets were prepared for him and his companions. The end of
this was that he went over to the sect of the Melkites, and confessed
the Two Natures and the Two Wills ^ and the Melkites received him. ;
Thus he threw off the faith of Severus and Dioscorus ^, our fathers the
^ This is an abuse of which I do not find mention elsewhere ; the Coptic ritual
requires that seven priests shall take part in the administration of the sacrament of
extreme unction, and that each of them shall recite a passage of scripture and say
certain prayers over the sick man.
^ Our author, though an Armenian, if the title of theMS. be correct, here
speaks as if he fully accepted the creed of the Coptic monophy sites. To explain
this we must remember that many of the Armenians were monophysites and
monothelites as well as the Copts, and that when the Armenian catholicus,
Gregory II, in the course of his travels, arrived in Egypt about a.d. 1080, the
made a confession of common
representatives of these two religious communities
One Nature of Christ. 'On that day,' says Michael, bishop of Tinnis, 'it
faith in the
was made known to all that Copts, Armenians, Syrians, Ethiopians, and Nubians
are at one in the orthodox faith which the holy fathers of old once unanimously
confessed, and which Nestorius, Leo, and the Council of Chalcedon had changed.'
See Renaudot, Hist. Pair. p. 461 ; Ter-Mikelian, Die arnien. Kirche, &c. p. 84.
On the other hand, it is certain that many of the Armenians, and of their writers
and teachers, preserved the catholic belief which Ibn al-Kanbar and his followers
also maintained ; Synod of Tarsus,
and, in the lifetime of our author himself, the
summoned by king Leo and the patriarch Gregory in a.d. 1196, acknowledged
the Council of Chalcedon. For the acceptance of the catholic doctrine by
Armenian doctors, see Clemens Galanus, Conciliat. Eccles. Arm. cum Romana ex
ipsis Armenorum Patrum et doctorum testtmonns, &c., Rome, 1690.
^ It is, of course, well known that the Copts look upon Dioscorus, the twenty-
fifth patriarch of Alexandria, who was condemned by the Council of Chalcedon
in A.D. 451, and upon Severus, the fifty-seventh patriarch of Antioch, who was
condemned by the Synods of Constantinople of a.d. 518 and a.d. 536 and the
second General Council of Constantinople in a.d. 553, as the two great champions
ACCOUNT OF MARK IBN AL-KANBAR. 29
this wretch Mark thought within himself that he was wise, and therefore
he fell and became one of the disputatious heretics who imagine that
the Will of the Manhood was opposed to the Will of the Godhead and ;
of the monophysite doctrine, or orthodox faith as they call it. These two mono-
physite saints are commemorated or invoked more than once in the course of the
Coptic liturgy. The Prayer of Absolution addressed to the Son {^y\ JJis^) prays
that all present may be absolved 'out of the mouth of the Trinity, of the twelve
apostles, of Saint Mark, and of '
the holy patriarch Severus and our teacher
Dioscorus.' The visit of Severus to Egypt iscommemorated in the Coptic
calendar on Babah 2 = September 29, his death on Amshir i4 = February 8 and ;
the seventy-second, who died while this wretch was still bound by his
anathemas, and had not been loosed from them ; by the patriarch of
Antioch, Anba Michael ^ ; and by Anba Mark the seventy-third
[patriarch of Alexandria] ; and also by sixty bishops in the two
provinces of Northern and Southern Egypt.
§ Now this Ibn al-Kanbar had gathered together a body from
among the Melkites, the opponents of our orthodox faith, together with
those who came to him of the ignorant and simple among the Copts,
and he went down to Kalyub with the desire to pervert some of the
^
inhabitants of that town ; but the scribe of the town, and the damin
^ Or John, see fol. 9 a. In Arabic the names IXi^j or ,j-jls.-?. and (_^uJj are
frequently confused. Al-Makrizi calls both the seventy-second and the seventy-
fourth patriarch Jonas, whereas the patriarchal biographies name them John.
^ This patriarch does not seem to be named in the lists. He was the author
of a treatise on Preparation for the Eucharist (Renaudot, Hist. Pair. p. 550).
There are five of the name in the rolls of the see, namely, Michael I, the 88th
patriarch, consecrated a. d. 879; Michael II, the 126th, a.d. 1370; Michael III,
the 129th, A.D. 1401; Michael IV, the 134th, 1454; Michael V, the 140th,
a. d.
A- D. 1555. The published lists are full of discrepancies. See Le Quien, Oriens
Christ, 713 fF.; Neale, Patriarchate of Antioch, p. 173 ff.
ii. col. If Michael of
-^1 ..ii L_)LxS Ui^cj ^U—«U !sjoL5i^j ^'^'^j f^ JU-x^U isj^p.^^il jjl ^J)^ r^-o
^y^J^
ACCOUNT OF MARK IBN AL-KANBAR. 31
of the town, and others of the orthodox party heard of him, and went
to him and watched him, and took him and his party and bound them
to pay the poll-tax ^, and gave them orders, and informed the wall ^ of
the town that this body of men were acting in opposition to their own
laws, and lay under the ban of the patriarch, and that the people of every
district in which they settled would suffer from them. Visit them ' Fol. 13 a
therefore [added the scribe and the damin] and do not let them go
'
'
until thou hast obtained money from them, lest they secretly enter the
town and harm come So the wall visited them and
to the inhabitants.'
made prisoners of them, and would not let them go until they had paid
seventeen dinars as a contribution towards the poll-tax and when they ;
had paid the poll-tax, certificates were written for them in which they
bound themselves not to visit Kalyub, except as travellers on their way
to the capital or some other city, and never to settle in the town. Thus
they departed from Kalyub in the worst of plights.
Then Ibn al-Kanbar heard that the patriarch ^ of the Melkites was
arrived from Alexandria, and was spending his time in a hall of recep-
tion so he made his way thither to salute him and to congratulate
'^
;
*
None of the Copts after this was able to rebel against the government ; and
the ]\Iuslims subdued them throughout the country villages. So they betook
themselves to cheating instead of fighting, and to the employment of cunning and
guile, and to cheating the Muslims ; and they were appointed scribes of the
land-tax, and there were many affairs between them and the Muslims.' {Khitat,
ii. p. i*si=.)
^ Laid upon all who refused to adopt the Mahometan religion, by the conditions
of conquest. The Kanbarites would, of course, already have paid it in their own
district, and were forced to pay it a second time as a punishment for having come
to Kalyub.
"^
The wait I'bcled or governor of the town was the chief local official, and head
of the police.
^ Sophronius II was patriarch in a. d. 1166. His successor was Elias(?). In
1
1 95
Mark was patriarch. Le Quien, ii. col. 487 ff.
*
^jii\ , corrupted into Liwan, is the name given by the modern Egyptians to
the raised part of the reception-room {ija:^) in which the host and his guests
33 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
him upon his good health, in the company of a body of followers who
might justify their leader's words if he were attacked. Now this patriarch
was accompanied by several metropolitans, that is, the metropolitans of
the country, who informed the patriarch of the harm that Ibn al-Kanbar
had done to them by breaking the canons of their religion, and they
inquired into the matter, and they said, This man is a Copt, and does '
what is not customary.' Then Ibn al-Kanbar answered, God curse the '
hour when I became one of you.' And the patriarch said to him, Virtue '
sit. The lower part of the room, much narrower than the Liwan, is called iilji,
and here the guests leave their shoes before stepping on the Liwan. Upon the
Liwan, mats or carpets are spread, and against the walls are mattresses and
cushions composing the diwan or divan. See Lane, Modern Egyptians,
i.p. 15 f.
' Also called Sunbutiyah (Yakut) ; situated in the Jazirah Kusaniya, as the
district was then called. It was the Coptic T<LCeJULriO'f', and is now
included in the district of Ziftah, in the province of Al-Gharbiyah, having
a population in 1885 of 3,223. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. ic^i; Al-Idrisi,
he was wroth with that disciple for what he had done without permission.
So Ibn al-Kanbar departed from his presence, and went forth ashamed,
not knowing how to walk. Then the news of this occurrence reached the
patriarch of the Melkites, who sent for Ibn al-Kanbar, and reproved
him, saying, Dost thou visit a patriarch whose faith thou dost oppose ?
'
overcome by ignorance. He lived only a short time after this, and then
he died ^, having destroyed his own soul and the souls of those whom he
seduced by his deceit.
§ After the death of Ibn al-Kanbar, I found a report on sheets of
paper in the handwriting of Anba Michael *, metropolitan ^ of Damietta,
who therein makes the following statements to the author of this book,
perhaps answer to his letter to him on the subject of Ibn al-Kanbar
in
and the evil which he wrought in the world. Within it were the words
^
The respectful mode of address here ironically used by the patriarch is not
appropriate to the clergy, but common to all men above the lowest ranks, dolli
' For the date of his death see below, fol. 51 a and b.
f [11. 7]
34 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
'
The poor miserable Michael at Damietta, hereby makes known to
which has reached me with regard to Fakhir
his friend the brother that
ibn al-Kanbar, who became a priest although unworthy of that dignity
in many ways, and was called Mark, and with regard to his corrupt
doctrines contained in the treatises which he composed, in books con-
tradicting the truth, and by which he seduced simple men, devoid of
understanding, into the paths of the heretics. Now this insolent heretic
had married a wife, who lived with him for a time ; but afterwards he
desired to become a monk, and to separate himself from her. She,
however, would not consent to his wishes and so he conceived the plan
;
admitted him to the monastic vows, and ordained him priest. But his
affairs did not long remain secret, and information was laid against him
Fol. 14 b before the patriarch Jonas, the seventy-second in the succession of the
fathers and patriarchs [and this occasioned] ^ his excommunication and
;
cutting off, and the excommunication of the bishop who had ordained
him priest, because he had not inquired into the truth of the matter in
such a way as to establish the veracity of Ibn al-Kanbar before he
admitted him as a monk and ordained him priest for thus he had ;
become a partner with him in his sin and his contempt of the apostolic
canons. For Paul the Apostle says that if a woman chooses to separate
herself from her husband, and he consents to her desire, she shall not
^ The Coptic xeAJLCICO^. Yakfit sets this town four parasangs from
Samannud and two from Bara, of which places the former is still existing, see
note on 57 b, and the latter was in the diocese of Sakha, now in the
fol. district
marry another and if she prefers to be married, she shall return to her
;
former husband but the man shall not put away his wife at all. Yet
;
this man put away his wife, and forced her to separate herself from him,
and married her to another.
After this he made a parade of his learning and his exposition of
'
the holy books, and he translated them from Coptic ^ into Arabic and ;
^
Coptic had become a dead language long before this time in Lower Eg}^pt,
although Al-Makrizi informs us that near Us) ut, at Mushah and Udrunkah, and
in other parts of Upper Egypt, it was still spoken at the beginning of the fifteenth
century ; and Vansleb assures us was shown an old man who was said to be
that he
the last person who spoke Coptic. Al-Makrizi's words with regard to INIushah are:
np^.^ic ni^-nocToXoc
ivre nejuL eKoX^en ni^ itxe :
Epistles [of Saint Paul] and the Catholic Epistles and the Acts, he
produced what he chose in his own mind, some passage expounded in
*
Kutmarus : containing the Psalms and Lessons from the Holy Scriptures, and
from the seven Catholic Epistles, and from the Episdes of Saint Paul, and from the
Acts of the Apostles, and from the four Books of the Gospel ; to be read throughout
the course of the year, at Vespers, and at Midnight, and at the Liturgy ; according
to the rule of the Church of Alexandria of the Copts. Divided into three parts.
'
The first part [contains the Lessons] for the following Sundays and Festivals
'
The Sundays of the first six months of the year, namely, Tut, Babah, Hatur,
Kihak, Tubah, Amshir
'
The Festivals of Saint John Baptist Holy Cross George the Martyr
; the ; ;
the Four Living Creatures ; Michael the Archangel the Four and Twenty Elders
;
Mercurius the Martyr ; the Annunciation of the Holy Virgin Mary the Vigil of ;
the Sundays of the months of Bashans, Ba'unah, Abib, IMisri the fifth of the five ;
Wednesday, and Thursday [of the Great Week] Discourse of Bishop Severian ;
for the Wednesday Discourse of Saint John Chrysostom for the Thursday and
;
a man must not wash his mouth with water after communion. All
these things were taught by degrees, and the people listened to his
teachings one by one during a space of more than fifteen years. At
last he bade them make the sign of the cross with two fingers^, and
make their communion with the reserved^ sacrament which had been
consecrated on the Sunday, and which the priest took with him and
gave to those who confessed and desired to receive the communion
after confessing and doing penance, taking the centre of it and dipping
it in new wine, over which they prayed apart and so communicated.
Pol. 15 b He also abrogated the three days of the Fast of Nineveh^ and the first
fasted to turn away the wrath of God. It lasts three days, beginning on Monday,
and falls two weeks before the Fast of Heraclius, which immediately precedes
ACCOUNT OF MARK IBN A L- KANBAR. 39
week^ of the Fast, according to the rule of the Melkites, and he allowed
meat and milk to be eaten during the Week of Nineveh on the two
days of Wednesday and Friday.
'
all these things, those of the orthodox who were
In consequence of
on guard against him awoke, while his followers among the
their
Christians were deceived by him. Moreover, his creed which he
expounded, and which is contained in the books which he wrote, is
such as no Christian community accepts, not even the Melkites whom
he approached in the doctrines that have already been described. For
he said in his books that the Holy Trinity is composed of three Gods,
each of them absolutely perfect in word and spirit, but having one
common nature and that they resemble Adam, Eve, and Abel, who
;
were three persons with one common nature, each of them being as
perfect as the others. In the next place, Mark drew distinctions
between the three Persons, and held that the Father has dominion
and authority over his Son and his Holy Spirit, and commands or
schismatical patriarch and the Christians generally prayed him to put all the Jews
to the sword, because they had joined the Persians shortly before in their sack of
the city and cruelties towards the Christians ; that the emperor hesitated to break
his solemn oath in the manner thus suggested to him, but was eventually persuaded
to sanction a general massacre of the Jews by the solemn promise made to him
would henceforth until the end of the world observe the week before Lent as
a strict fast for the benefit of his soul. This promise was, of course, binding on
the Egyptian and Ethiopian monophysites, as well as on the Syrians, with whom alone
they were in communion ; but it did not affect the Melkites. See Vansleb, Hist, de
VEglise dAlex. p. 74 f. The same account of the origin of the Fast of Heraclius
is given by the Mahometan historian AI-Makrizi {Khitaf, ii. p. fw). (A. J. B.)
40 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
forbids them to act and that they obey him and follow his commands;
;
and that each of the Three does a work in which the others do not
participate the Father, namely, commands the Son creates what the
: ;
Father commands him to create and the Holy Spirit gives life to ;
that to which the Father commands him to give life and that every ;
^ The words of St. Jerome are the best commentary on this passage :
'
Hebraei asserunt, nee de hac re apud eos ulla dubitatio est, Spiritum Sanctum
lingua sua appellari genere feminine, id est n^'^p ni"i . . . Sed et in evangelic
quod, juxta Hebraeos scriptum, Nazaraei lectitant, Dominus loquitur : modo me
tulit mater mea, Spiritus Sanctus. Nemo autem in hac parte scandalizari debet
quod dicatur apud Hebraeos spiritus genere feminino, cum nostra lingua appelletur
genere masculino, et Graeco sermone neutro. In divinitate enim nuUus est sexus.
Et ideo in tribus principalibus linguis, quibus titulus dominicae scriptus est pas-
sionis, tribus generibus appellatur, ut sciamus nuUius esse generis quod diversum
est.' (Jerome, Comm. in Esaiam, cap. xl. ver. ii.)
Origen quotes the same passage from the Ebionite or Nazarene '
Gospel
according to the Hebrews '
" 'Eav 8e npoaUrai ris to kuO' 'E^pa'iovs evayyeXiov, evda avros 6 'Eanfjp (prjaiv' "Apri
fXa^e fie rj fJirjTrjp pov to dyiov nvevpn iv pia Ta>v Tpi)(a>v pov Koi (mrjvfyKe pe tls to opos
TO piya Qa^ap." (Origen, Comni. in Johamie?n, torn. II; vol. iv. col. 132, Migne ;
all eternity from the Father and the Holy Spirit and he explained ;
his people through the divine books, both old and new. He held that
the patriarchs and the prophets were tormented in hell on account
of their sins and that they could not save their souls in spite of their
;
piety towards God but were punished in hell until the Lord Christ
;
saved them, being himself without sin. He held that the patriarchs
and prophets were without the gift of the Holy Spirit, and next that
the Holy Spirit never spoke by their mouths thus denying them the ;
grace of the. Holy Spirit. He said " If the Holy Spirit had been :
in them, they would not have gone down into hell." Next he supported
these false doctrines by the assertion that all the good actions done
by the patriarchs and prophets were reckoned by God to Satan, which
is as much as to say that Satan helped them to do good deeds without Fol. 16 b
gender when it denotes the Holy Spirit, ,_^jJJl ^j^Jl or ^^jliJl. The ancient
ego mittam vobis, a patre meo,' &c. (Hist, de VEglise dAlex. p. 122 f) In the
Catechism published in 1885 by Filta fis, the hegumen of the patriarchal church
of St. Mark at Cairo, it is said (p. v) :
Lhl L_j^l ^ i^t*3uAl t^l jixjJkl ^j^xsS\ ^^)\ w'3 ij^'^\ LaU.-^- j*»:j eJlill j^^^l
'
The third Person [of the Trinity] is distinguished by the appropriate character
of procession, for He is the Holy Spirit who proceeds, that is to say, issues
g [11.7-]
42 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
•
He Adam onwards except
held also that none has died from the time of
for committing some which he deserved death and that the
sin for ;
body of Christ alone did not commit any sin, for which it deserved
death and that when he died he received from his Father all that
;
were imprisoned in hell, through the merit of his death and in one ;
place he says, "he received from Satan all that were imprisoned in
hell." Thus Mark implies that the Lady died on account of sin
alone, and so others beside her who are justified in the Gospel and
the Old Testament. He held also that after the death of men and
their assembling in paradise, there happens to those who have not
been chastised in this life^ the same that happened to Adam and he ;
held that punishment and recompense in the next world belong to the
^ Vansleb says that although the Copts do not employ a tern; corresponding
to the Latin '
purgatory,' yet '11 est bien vrai qu'ils croyent que les ames souffrent
des peines & qu'elles re9oivent du soulagement par le Saint Sacrifice & par les
oeuvres de pidte qu'on fait pour elles, & il est vrai aussi qu'a cette fin ils font des
obseques pour ces memes ames & qu'ils disent la Messe le 3 & le 7 jour, a la fin
^J^sij^\ elL' xJl:J ^L,^"^! Jjcsj (_jj^il ^J^JL!1 iLejJLij I-wvJlx.)! i^lJi^ ^1 ^36 ~.
Jo A-H-J rJS-^. ^^i^^ r*"^^? ijj^'i^^ (5^ iJ.i;;-Al ^) iJv^ *^^;3 (_r^-^^ O^"'^- ^^'''•'''•^
j^j Jw^jl^l aL^.^. ,^Ci\ JU^"*!! ^A dJtoUJ ^*^'^ i .^^ xjbj^:^ ijwaJiJl t>'Sk,t. wasCXm^
'
Question: Are the souls of the faithful profited by prayers and good works?
'Answer: Yes. The prayers of the church and the off"ering of the Holy
Sacrifice and the performance of good works profit those souls which have died
still tainted by some of the imperfections and weaknesses of human nature, but
not those which are sunk in vice and are reprobate without hope of repentance or
forgiveness. This truth has been taught by the universal Church of Christ from
CERTAIN WONDERS OF EGYPT. 43
Intelligent and reasonable soul apart from the body ; but that chastise-
ment in this world is for the body, in order that, to avoid the pains of
penance, it may not again consent with the soul in the commission of
sin; then be saved on the last day.
it will
'All the expositions of his wicked doctrines are found in the books
that he wrote, such as that called The Ten Chapters, and that entitled Fol. 17 a
The Teacher and the Diseiple, consisting of eight parts and the work ;
their hands, and none of the fish escape from them so that the people ;
are the likenesses of lions and wild beasts and other things.
§ Account of the moving pillar^ in the land of Egypt. This is
the first ages, and the Church of Israel bears witness in the second Book of
Maccabees that Judas Maccabaeus offered sacrifices for the departed warriors
(2 Mace. xii. 43).'
^ Can this be a version of the story told of the minaret of Abwit near
Al-Bahnasa, reckoned by As-Suyuti among the twenty wonders of Egypt, which
constitute two-thirds of the wonders of the world .^ He says it is
g 2
44 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
a marble pillar, rising to the height of about seventeen cubits above
the ground, and its diameter is two cubits. It moves on one day of
the year, making one motion.
§ Account of the tree\ which only bears fruit when a man runs
towards it he wishes to cut it down and another
with an axe, as if ;
man meets him and forbids him to cut it down, and guarantees to
him on behalf of it that it will bear fruit. And in truth in the ensuing
year it bears a quantity of fruit equal to that of two years.
'
skilfully constructed, so that if a man pushes it it inclines to the right and to the
left ; movement is not visible externally except
but the in the shadow of the minaret
in the sunshine.' {Husn al-Muhddarah, p. i«, .) i.
dJj (»^**w U JlxJ jL J^"* y~4r^} T^3 ^4^ '^''^i W;^ (€*J ^^J^ saLH iSpj
'
In this town there is a wonder, namely, its minaret, which is ascended, and, if it
is pushed, yields to the push, and leans to one side ; and the cause of this is
'
Among the wonders of Egypt is this : that in Upper Egypt there is a hamlet
called Dashni, in which there grows a mimosa-tree ; and if this mimosa is
threatened with being cut down it withers away and shrinks up and grows
smaller; but when they say to it, "We have forgiven thee, we will spare thee,"
then the tree recovers. It is a well-known thing and true at the present day that
there is a mimosa in Upper Egypt which withers away if the hand is laid upon it,
and recovers when the hand is removed.' {Khitat, i. p. rr}!
The fruit of the sant was used in medicine see 'Abd al-Latif, Mukhtasar ;
if these stones struck against one another, a dark mist would rise at once
and would prevent their progress, and an exceedingly heavy rain would
descend. It is said that the wise men of this country fixed these stones
in this district ; was slow in coming to them, they moved
and, when rain
these stones by their arts, so that rain came to them whenever a rainfall
was needed. This is related in the biography of Al-Mu'tasim^ and ;
certain of the chronicles contain the account of it, which is a true one.
^ The stones which cause rain if they strike together are not described in
the Life of Al-Miitasivi, published by Matthiessen, Leyden, 1849.
"^
The eighth of the Abbaside caliphs ; son of Harun ar-Rashid, and brother
and successor of Al-Ma'mun. Reigned at Bagdad from a. H. 218 to 227 = a. d.
and as time went by, and the kings required the stone of which it is
constructed, much of this material was taken away from it. The church
is now a ruin, but its remains are still conspicuous ; they stand near the
prison^ of Joseph the Truthful, that is to say the son of Jacob, the son
of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the Friend of God, upon whom be peace.
§ The city of Wana^ contains the church of George^.
'
Al-Kuda i says : The prison of Joseph, upon whom be peace is at Busir in !
the province of Al-Jizah ; all the learned men of Egypt are agreed upon the
authenticity of this spot.' {Khitat, i. p. r.v.) This passage of Al-Kuda'i is also
quoted by Yakfit, Geogr. Wort. iii. p. t^v. Al-Makrizi goes on to state that the
flat roof of the ' prison ' was called Ijdhat ad-Dud, —the '
answer to prayer,' — and
that it was much visited at particular times by those who had special petitions to
make : notably by Kafur al-Ikhshidi.
As-Suyfiti speaks of the prison as standing to the north of the pyramids, which
are still known as the Pyramids of Abusir, and are a little to the north of
Sakkarah, and about six miles to the south of Al-Jizah.
Busir or Abusir as-Sidr is now in the district of Badrashain, and had in 1885
a population of 1,848. In the fourteenth century, as it appears from the
was of great importance. Am^lineau, Geogr. p. 10.
revenue-lists, the place
The pyramids of Busir and the mummies found there are described by 'Abd
al-Latif, Miikhtasar Akhbdr Misr, ed. White, pp. 156, 158.
^ Wana or Bana is near Busir Wana, as it has already been remarked. It was
the seat of a Coptic bishopric. It is also called, as it may be seen a few lines
lower down, Wana or Bana Busir. It was named in Greek Kvi'oVoXej, and in
we proceed, that this was one of the most frequent dedications in Egypt. Our
author mentions forty-two churches or monasteries named after St. George. He is,
as it isknown, the famous Cappadocian martyr, probably the first who suffered
well
under Diocletian, and with whose name the legend of the dragon is connected.
At the time of the Crusades, St. George was proclaimed champion of Christendom,
and in the reign of Edward III he was formally adopted by our countrymen
as their patron saint, in addition to the former patrons of England, Our Lady and
St. Peter. The martyrdom of St. George is commemorated by the Copts on
Barmudah 23 = April 18 ; whereas the western calendar gives his name to
April 23. His Acts exist in Coptic and Ethiopic. See Zoega, Cat. Codd. Copt.
cod. cliii ; Budge, Martyrdovi and Miracles of St. George, with Coptic text and
translation. The extreme limit of scepticism with regard to this saint is reached
by M. Amelineau, who regards his Acts, in all their versions, as pure romance
{CoJites et romans de VEgypte chre'tienne, ii. p. 167 ff.)
^ Two days' journey to the south of Fustat (Old Cairo), according to Yakfit,
in the most northern part of Upper Egypt. The Ka'id from whom it received
its name was this very Fadl who restored the church. See Yakiat, Geogr.
Wort. iv. p. ivo. There were thirty-nine Miinyahs in Egypt at this period; see
Yakut, Mushtarik^ p. I'.v. The word Munyah, now popularly pronounced
Minyah, or shortened into Mit, is an Arabicised form of the Coptic JULUOItH,
which signifies *
port,' and is not derived from the Greek (xov-q, '
mansion,'
as it was formerly suggested. Alit al-Kd'td is now included within the district of
Biba in the province of Bani Suwaif, and in 1885 had a population of 455.
See Rec. de I'l^gypte, ii. p. 222.
^ ^JJSh written by a clerical error here and on fol. 69 a as ^o-^j-Jij. Abfi
'1-Faraj ibn Killis was vizier to Al-'Aziz from a. d. 979 to a. d. 990, see Ibn
Khallikan, iv. p. 359 ff.; As-Suyuti, Husfi al-Muhddarah, ii. p. icr.
^ The sixth of the Fatimide caliphs; reigned from
386 to 411 a. d. a. h. =
996-1020. He was a persecutor of the Christians, and was the founder of
the religion of the Druses. See Introduction.
* The dedication of churches to the Virgin was more frequent in Egyj)!,
48 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
§ Wana Busir^ contains a church named after the great and vah'ant
martyr Mercurius^, and two other churches one dedicated to Our —
Lady the Pure Virgin, and the second to the holy martyr Saint
George^, besides a church to the martyr John'^, who is also named
as might be expected, than any other dedication. More than fifty-five churches
of the Virgin are mentioned by our author as existing in Egypt in his time.
^ Our author here returns to Wana or Bana, which he had left a few lines
above.
^ AfterOur Lady and St. George this is one of the most popular dedications
in Egypt. Our author mentions about thirty churches of St, Mercurius. This saint
is one of the very few commemorated in the Coptic Synaxarium or Calendar among
those who suffered in the time of Decius. According to the Coptic authorities,
Mercurius was born at Rome, and was originally called Philopator. He was
a great 'hunter of wild beasts,' but eventually became a soldier, and an angel gave
him a two-edged sword with which he slew his enemies. It is this two-edged sword
which has become two swords in the popular legend, and has earned for the saint
the Arabic cognomen oi Abti 's-Saifain, 'father' or 'owner of the two swords;'
and the Coptic artists accordingly represent him brandishing a sword in each
hand. Mercurius was beheaded at Caesarea in Cappadocia during the persecution
of Decius; and his martyrdom is commemorated by the Copts on Hatfir 25 =
Nov. 2 1 . There was also a bishop Mercurius, who was present at the Council of
Nicaea, and whose festival is kept on Barmahat i = Feb. 25 and another ;
Mercurius whose day is Babah 28 = Oct. 25. It is curious that the Dictionary of
Christian Biography does not mention the name Mercurius. St. Mercurius the
martyr of Caesarea is Greek church also, but on Nov. 25
commemorated by the
instead of Nov. 21. See Butler, Coptic Churches, i. p. 76, and ii. pp. 357-9 Malan, ;
saints, is, as it is well known, derived from the Syriac wt-'c, '
my Lord.' Many of
the Christian theological and ecclesiastical terms used in Arabic are Syriac
in origin.
* There are more martyrs than one of this name in the Coptic calendar. See
below, fol, 56.
THE FAYYUM. 49
The FayyiLm.
§ Madinat al-Fayyum*^ and its province. Al-Fayyiim was the name
of one of the sons of Kift'^, the son of Mizraim, who built it for one
a name given on
'
account of Lake IMoeris, identified by some with the modern Birkat al-Kurtln,
but by Mr. Cope Whitehouse with the low ground, now dry land, in the Wadi
Rayan, to the south of the Fayyfim. See Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. rf\; Am^lineau,
Geogr. p. 339 ff-
The following passage on the Fayyum is repeated on fol. 70 f.
^
As we shall see in several cases below, our author follows other Arab
writers in deriving the names of places in Egypt from the names of real or
h [II. 7.]
50 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
of his daughters who had brought dishonour upon herself, so that he
banished her thither. The city existed before the time of Joseph*,
the son of Jacob, the son of Abraham the Friend of God, upon whom
be peace and Joseph rebuilt it. He also made the Nilometer^. And
!
2 Al-Makrizi quotes Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam's own words, to which without doubt
our author is referring :
t-.8l»> LiLiLo S.J,c ^jLj sJlC t—a-<^) yaji\ J-jiJl (j-li ^^ Jjl j^xil J*c ^j1 Jlj
'
Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam says : The first who measured the rise of the Nile in Egypt
was Joseph, upon whom be peace ! who set up a Nilometer at Memphis.'
Cf. below, fol. 68 a, 69 b, 70 b; cf. also Diodorus, Bibl. Hist. i. cap. 36, who
speaks of the earliest Nilometer as being at Memphis; and Herodotus, ii. cap. 13,
who implies the existence of a Nilometer at Memphis under king Moeris.
^ I.e. the great dykes and stone near the village of
and sluices of brick
Al-Lali<an, which regulated the supply of water into the Fayyum. This ancient
structure, attributed by the Mahometan historians to Joseph (Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
i. p. rFv f .
; Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. n^f ; As-Suyuti, Husn al-MuMdarah,
i. p. rr), was destroyed by French engineers early in this century, and a new lock
erected. (A. J. B.)
* Also called from its reputed author Balir YHsuf ox 'Joseph's River.' It is
THE FAYYUM. 51
canton was a thousand dinars. The lands of this district are laid under Fol. 18 b
water when the river rises twelve cubits but are not entirely submerged ;
with eighteen cubits. There are here tracts of common land 2, in which
no one has the right of property ; for men are allowed to make use of
still working order, and flows from a spot named Rds aJ-j\Ianhi or Head of
in '
Al-]Manhi/ near Darwah Sarabam (fol. 77 b), to Hajar al-Lahun, where it branches
out into the many canals which irrigate the Fayyum. See Yakilt, Geogr. Wort.
iii. p. Srr; Mardsid al-Ittild' ad voc. ; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. vi,
^
That is of the Coptic, not of the Mahometan year, which consists of 354 or,
in the intercalated years, of 355 days. The Coptic year consists of twelve months
of thirty days each, with five or six additional days called Nissi.
Here our author quotes Al-Kindi's Fadail
^ Mi'sr. Al-Makrizi says, quoting
by name from the same book
'
In the Fayyum there is common land in which none has the right of property
whether IVIuslim or of the allied peoples; and all, both rich and poor, may
demand a share of it; and it consists of more than seventy sorts of land.'
Al-Kindi, followed by our author, is speaking of the different sorts of crops
grown on the land. Seventy different crops seems a high number, unless every
variety is to be separately enumerated. Al-Makrizi gives a list of the principal
crops of Egypt, and names thirty-nine of them, without reckoning all the kinds of
fruit-trees, and without counting all the different species and varieties of each
genus. He names wheat, barley, beans, lentils, chick-peas, flat peas, flax, leeks,
'Account of the different kinds of land in Egypt and of the various crops grown
there,' in Khitat, ii, p. 1 . . ff
h 2
52 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
it as they pleascj and to demand a share of it according to their circum-
stances, and the land is of seventy kinds. The revenue of the Fayyum
was estimated by Ibn Tarkhan in the time of Kafur al-Ustadh\ Emir
of Egypt, generally known by the appellation of Al-Ikhshidi, under the
Abbaside dynasty^, in the year of the Arabs '>,^^, when the revenue
amounted to 620,000 dinars^; and this equals the amount calculated
to come from Ar-Ramlah^ and Tiberias and Damascus.
^ Abfi '1-Misk Kafur al-Ustadh, or the eunuch, was the son of 'Abd Allah.
He was a negro slave, sold, it is said for eighteen dinars, in a. h. 312 = a.d. 924
to Abfi Bakr Muhammad ibn Tughj al-Ikhshid, governor of Egypt, who subse-
quently emancipated him and appointed him guardian over his two sons. When
Al-Ikhshid died in a.h. 334 =
a.d. 946, his eldest son Abu '1-Kasim Anftjur
became ruler of Egypt, but the state was actually administered by Kafur, who is
known as Al-Ikhshidi on account of his having belonged to Al-Ikhshid. When
Anujur died in a.h. 349= a.d. 960, his brother Abu '1-Hasan 'Ali succeeded
to the government of Egypt, and Kafur acted as his lieutenant, as he had acted for
his brother. 355 = a.d. 966, and then Kafur became uncontrolled
'Ali died in a.h.
ruler of Egypt, as the son of 'Ali was too young to reign and this state of affairs ;
continued until the death of the negro in a.h. 357 = a.d. 968. Kafur is
celebrated as the most successful and powerful of all the black eunuchs who rose
to eminence under Mahometan rule. The poet Al-Mutanabbi wrote in his praise.
See Abu '1-Mahasin, ed. Juynboll and Matthes, ii. pp. rvr-rir; Ibn al-Athir,
viii. pp. »*ri-Fri ; Al-Makrizi, ^M^f, i. p. rri ; Ibn Khallikan, trans. De Slane,
ii. p. 524 ; As-Suyuti, Husn al-Mtihddarah, ii. p. it=. (A. J. B.)
^ The Abbaside caliph reigning at Bagdad in a.h. 355 = a. d. 966 was
Al-Muti', who was proclaimed in a. h. 334=:a. d. 946, and abdicated in a. h. 363 =
A.D. 974.
^ This statement seems to be borrowed from Ibn Zulak
pj^i ;^^.iik!!))l ^j9l5o eiiJ^fiCj (jrjoMl j^a AjA Ic Jo!!^jJl kJ\:S jl^jj ^ji\ J^sj
^J
juo I— aJi ^j>j.i^^ IflyOj y^_ii * RjI aJI»::-u dJUiiJj ^^--*^j c^am* 'LXm isi dJ:*Jl sAa i
'
Ibn Zulak says in Al-Kindi's book of information on the emirs of Egypt, that the
Fayyfim was reckoned for Kaffir al-Ikhshidi in this year, namely the year 356, as
yielding a revenue of more than 620,000 dinars.' (Al-Makrizi, Klu'tat, i. p. r^^)
* I.e. Ar-Ramlah on the coast of Syria, a liltle to the south of Yafa or Joppa.
THE FAYYtfM. ^i
* Occupied the see from a.d. 727 to 737, Renaudot, Hist. Pair. p. 201 f.
Sjcfclj Iff^ L^l U-aa. lUs *A>^1 J=*"^ fT?^^ ' ^^""^
I^V^^y.^ ^^ ' iji.Ji\ L-j"^! dlla (jOj
S-Jj ^jOj Uj^ ^j !SjO J-x-^j eixJ^l sjufc **JiKjl L-J^i) Jlsii ^<o,i« c:*30j ij.\j^\ ij.*
sJ-Ril
^J>\ ^^ iulkj OaiT U-^ (c>1 tjl.*} ^ Ijo. d^a-l jJLJl Jjy c:*3l iJ Jlsj JUL^lS
'
And Anba Abraham, bishop of the Fayyum, was present on matters
the bishop
of their business. And when we entered' the presence of Al-Kasim the next
time, he called one of his odalisques who was from Western Africa, and he said
;
to Anba Abraham " This is thy daughter " and he laid the bishop's hand upon
:
her hand, for his heart was as the heart of children. And he said to the bishop
" Thou knowest that I have loved thee deeply since my father's time, and all that
thou didst ask of my father I will do for thee." And the holy Abraham said to
he said to him :
" Bring the 300 dinars."So he brought them and gave them to
Al-Kasim. Now Anba Abraham had much money derived from church property;
for he had in his diocese thirty-five monasteries, in the Fayyum ; and he was the
administrator of their goods and he was bound to pay a land-tax of 500 dinars
;
into the public treasury of the government on their account. He was the head
of all of them, and the merchants of Egypt sold to him and bought from him.'
MS. in Bib. Nat. Paris, numbered Ajic. Fonds Arale 139, p. 142, lines 5-13.
' By Ibn'Abd al-Hakam,who probably wrote at the beginning of the third cen-
tury of the Hegira, and who is the source from which subsequent historians drew.
It is unfortunate that this work, which is still extant, has not been published. See
article in Zeitschr.filr die Kunde des Morgenlandes, vol. iii. p. 329 ff., 1840, on
Geschichte dcr 77iuhammedanisc}ien Eroheriing Aegypktis. Yakut quotes the passage
of Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam as follows :
(_>Jii t iyuO (jl l»ilXl *l,Jo Ool's Al-o d_>U &JL.M c^jWi iJJ^V^ vy^ lS.Jj.i-0 CIaJoC ycua J^
I5JX9 ^^J Jafilll LjIb ^^dlii* /,^^ .>;5 rj^i^ (•^^^'-^'-'^ !;.*«>.=>. euJiAJt iJiic r^^J i>-^s.
j>i«i>
r^;^^^
OoOj SJ lij^^
^^ jV^i-ii l^ Ultla ^! Jlfii ^^y:^ Jjt> Jjiill dJJJ BjJjlc
^Jl ILs.^'
UJ^ U^ L^ (^r'l) f'^^'f^
iJj^ij A^3t-aSl 'la A.Sl..al lOsilS U^U ^-^4^ L^'^
^^J iJv"'^'
^^ ^^-^ l4-::-».iajl .^ilj ijlio «! ^Ks.** ^* ^1 —Li ^^ ^^^^ r^o (c^V ^ j""
Jl 1U3.1 ^jl
J^3 S.U.UC dili tij.>,l (c^ eUil L^jI ^.3tj <—a-j^ JUi 5,.u^Lj ^1 \^i ^.
&C. ^j6>\\\ Jl ^J^*-^l ^Jc•l ^* ij,^^ <^ J^^ jCxll <—2-^J /R-^9 ^^ ^X.^-*
'
'Abd ar-Rahman ibn 'Abd Allah ibn 'Abd aJ-Hakam says : I learnt from Hisham
THE FAYYUM. 55
wisdom is departed," But Pharaoh reprimanded them and denied their statements
and softened down their words, and they refrained from repeating them. Then
after some years they repeated their charge, so Pharaoh said to them, " Come,
suggest something by which we may try him " Now in those days the Fayyum
!
was called the Waste Land, and moreover it was an outlet for the superfluous
waters of Upper Egypt so they all agreed that this should be the test by which to
;
try Joseph. So they said to Pharaoh, " Desire Joseph to spread abroad the
waters of the Waste Land, so that fresh territory may be added to your dominions
and fresh revenues to your revenues." So he called Joseph, and said, " Thou
knowest the place of my daughter such an one; I have determined when she
grows up to seek for her a city, and I have not found any for her except the
Waste Land, which is a small town, near to us, but which cannot be reached
from any part of Egypt except by passing through deserts and wildernesses up to
this time. For the Fayyum is in the midst of Egypt as Egypt is in the midst of
the countries, for Egypt cannot be reached from any part except by passing
through deserts. I have settled this district upon my daughter. Do not therefore
leave any means untried by which thou mayest gain thy object." So Joseph
answered, "Yea, O king, if this be thy desire I will perform it." Pharaoh said, "The
sooner it is done the better it will please me." Then an inspiration from God
came to Joseph that he should dig three canals; one from the further part of
Upper Egypt, from such a place to such a place, and one in the east from such
a place to such a place, and one in the west from such a place to such a place.
And Joseph disposed the workmen and dug the canal of Al-Manhi, from a point
above Ushmunain to Al-Lahun.' Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. sr-r i. Cf Al-]\Iakrizi,
Khitdt, i. p. rpo, where the same passage is quoted; As-Suyuti, Hus7i al-MuM-
darah, i. p. r 1 .
^ Ar-Rayyan ibn Walid ibn Dauma' is the name given by most of the Arabian
historians to thePharaoh of Joseph although Al-Makrizi says that the Copts
;
56 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
son of Dauma', surnamed Pharaoh, after the interpretation of the dream
and the explanation of it. Pharaoh clothed Joseph with a robe of
honour, and entrusted him with his signet-ring and with the adminis-
tration of his kingdom.
called him Nahra'fish. It is impossible at the present day to say whence the
names of the ancient Pharaohs found in Arab writers were derived none of them ;
seems to be known to Muhammad in the Koran. The names seem to have been
borrowed by later writers from Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam, who was himself indebted to
Ibn Isliak.
^ The seventeenth section of the patriarchal biographies compiled by Severus
ofUshmunain begins with the life of Kha'il, the forty-sixth patriarch. Anc. Fonds
Arahe 139, pp. 140 and 141, line 17.
^ Occupied the see from a.d. 743 to 766 according to Renaudot, Hist. Pair.
pp. 203-236. The name J^jli», Kha'il, is an abbreviated form of J-oLi^,
Mikha il or Michael. Another form of the name is JL)l», Khayal. The biography
of Michael, included in the history of the patriarchs compiled by Severus of
Ushmi^nain, is one of the most important parts of that work, and is the contem-
porary composition of John the Deacon, who was an eyewitness of many of
the events which he relates. See MS. Anc. Fonds Arabe 139, pp. 140-191.
^ This caliph, the second of his name, is referred to several times in the
present work. He reigned from a.h. I26-i33 = a. d. 744-751. See Introduction.
^ The first of the Abbaside caliphs, who overthrew the Omeyyad dynasty.
Reigned a.m. 133-137 = a.d. 751-755-
^ Our author is referring to the following passage in the biography of Michael,
which narrates events that occurred shortly after the death of Marwan
aXJuil ^.J^l 1S.JI ^W?. Lj ^jliaLJl .1.3 ej^iij jlo-^l ci^UlWil J.r> ,.a-«>
f-^} \j^^
CERTAIN MATTERS CONCERNING EGYPT. 57
uijlia-Jl
'
The revenues of Egypt, after deducting the pay of the troops and the expenses
of the governor's house and what was needed for the administration of the country,
amounted to 200,000,000 dinars carried yearly to the public treasury.' MS, Anc.
Fonds Arahe 139, p. 180, line 25, p. 181, lines i, 2. The figures have been altered.
^ Abii Naitur is not elsewhere mentioned.
^ I.e. astronomy. As it is well known, the Arabs derived their first knowledge
of astronomy from the Arabic translation, made by order of the caliph Ma'miin,
of the Almagest of Ptolemy, and it is from that work that the term dUu = (T<^aipa
is borrowed.
^ The attribution of a knowledge of astronomy to Nimrod is based on
a genuine tradition of the devotion of the ancient Babylonians to that science.
Haji Khalfah remarks upon the use made by Ptolemy in the Almagest of the work
of Chaldaean astronomers; Lex. bibliogr. (ed. Fluegel) i. p. 71. Many legends
are related of Nimrod, the 'Enemy of God,' by the Arab historians, and he is
alluded to in the Koran, following Jewish tradition, as the persecutor of Abraham.
See Ibn al-Athir, Al-Kdmil, i. p. a 1 ff.
i [II. 7.]
58 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
revealed to him the worship of the stars and Nimrod the giant learnt ;
from Satan the doctrine of Taghut^. Nimrod was the first who wore
Pol. 19 b a crown^ of gold, set with jewels, and put on purple robes, and showed
himself in such guise.
Section referring to the distinguished men of Egypt, and to the
wonders which are to be found there. Among the former were Moses
and Aaron his brother, and Miriam their sister, who were born at
Askar^, in the region of Egypt. On Mount Sinai God spoke with
Moses and Moses struck with his rod.
;
magic, which was taught to men there by the two evil angels Hariit and Marflt
(see Surat al-Bakarah, 96), who still hang head downwards among the ruins of
the great city.
^ An idol of the ancient Arabs of Mecca ; see Koran, Siirat al-Baharah,
257, 259, where the religion of Taghut is placed in antithesis to the true religion of
Islam. Cf. Sttrat al-Md'idah, 65.
^ Eutychius reports this legend, in speaking of the time of Abraham
J-Jlj ^1 js^J:. ^jlj J^.U-^. isllo eUj> Jjl wl JUjj Job dll* jU->' ^^j'^ \J^ x^-^^ ^k
294, p. 60.
The epithet .Ca. 'giant,' corresponds to "lis^ in Genesis
, x. 8, 9.
In Egypt Moses divided the sea, and performed the ten miracles.
Joseph the Truthful^ ruled over Egypt.
In Egypt Here is the Holy Valley^, and the
also is the palm-tree.
which the birds of that species go on pil-
fissure of the Abtl Ktr'^', to
grimage every year. One bird is caught in this fissure, and remains
hanging there until the winds blow it to pieces. In this country also
is the Halt al-Ajiiz'^, from Al-'Arish to Aswan; which is sometimes
Compare ver. 46 :
'
O Joseph the Truthful ! teach us with regard to the seven fat kine,' &c.
^ I can only conjecture that this may mean the Wadi Natrun or Wadi Habib,
the ancient Nitrian valley, so famous in the annals of monasticism.
^ This legend of the Abukir birds is found in most of the Arab historians who
have written on Egypt; see Quatremere, Alem. Hist, et Geogr. i. p. 32, where our
author is quoted among others. The fissure is said by our author (fol. 86 b) to
be on the Jabal al-Kahf. Other writers say the Jabal at-Tair, the well-known hill
which still bears the name, on the Nile, opposite Samallut and Talia. As-Suyuti,
who reckons the Jabal at-Tair as one of the twenty wonders of Egypt, on account
of these birds, describes them thus :
'
They are piebald, with black necks, striped on the breast, with black tips
cf. i. p. r I
* '
Wall of the old woman,' also called Jisr al-'Ajilz, '
dyke of the old
woman.' It sdll exists in portions near Jabal at-Tair, near Kusiyah, and at
other places.
The '
old woman ' is said by some writers to be Dalukah (see fol. 70 b), who
i 2
Go CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
^.'
In the river Nile there is a fish, which is called the ' thunder-fish
Even if a strong man places his hand upon it, his strength will not
prevent him from receiving a shock through his body, and his arm
will remain thunderstruck and will be paralysed during the space of
an hour.
In this country is the meeting-place of the two seas, which is called
the Isthmus^ here the two seas approach one another.
; Between them
are two dykes ^. The two seas are the sea of the Romans and the sea
of the Chinese*; and the dyke is a journey of one night ^ from both of
reigned over Egypt in remote antiquity. The purpose of the wall is said to have
been to defend Egypt from her enemies. Another story makes the old woman
build the wall to prevent the lions from coming down to the Nile to drink,
in revenge for the death of her son, who had been devoured by a lion. See
Yakut, Geogr. WorL ii. p. 1 1
.
; Al-Makrizi, Khitdt, i. p. ri; As-Suyuti, Husn
al-Muhddarah, i. p. n.
Our author, on fol. 57 b, makes Cleopatra the builder of the Ha it al-Aj4z,
which extended not only from Al-'Arish or Al-Farama to Aswan on the eastern
bank of the Nile, but also from Nubia to Alexandria on the western bank.
In these statements he follows Eutychius, Annales (ed. Pococke), i. p. 301.
The statement of Diodorus that Sesostris built a wall 1,500 stades in length,
to protect Egypt on the east from the Syrians and the Arabs, is well known ; see
Diod. Sic, Bibl. Hist. bk. i. cap. 57.
^
I.e. the electric eel, gymnotus eleciricus, the properties of which are well
known. They were much celebrated by Arabic writers on Egypt. See Yakut,
Geogr. Wort. iv. p. a«i>i; Abu '1-Maliasin, op. cit. i. p. rl ; Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
i. p. ^^ ; Al-Mas'udt, Murilj adh-Dhahab, ii. pp. 392-3 ; 'Abd al-Latif, Mukhtasar
(ed. White), p. 82.
^ I.e. Isthmus of Suez. This passage is partly repeated on fol. 58 a.
^ The high ground to the north of Lake Timsali is still called Al-Jisr,
'
the dyke.'
* Our author here treats the Red Sea as part of the Indian Ocean, and
the latter as part of the China Sea.
^ On fol. 58 a the distance between the two seas, which is about eighty miles,
is given as a day and a night's journey, and Al-JNIakrizi makes it the same. Yakut
and the Mardsid al-Ittild' make it four days.
CERTAIN MATTERS CONCERNING EGYPT. 6i
except Egypt.
'Water is conveyed to them in boats; and from a place called Suwais (Suez),
at a distance of one post, bad, discoloured water is carried to them upon camels
so that one of their proverbs says : The people of Al-Kulzum receive their provi-
sions from Bilbais, and their drink from Suwais, and they eat the flesh of the Tats
(wild goat)' (ed. De Goeje), p. 196. This passage was not made use of by
Quatremere in his discussion of the position of Al-Kulzum, Mem. Hist, et Geogr.
i. pp. 1 51-189. The distance of one post or about twelve miles is too great,
as the ruins of Al-Kulzum are placed by Niebuhr about one mile to the north
of Suez. See also Yakiat, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. 1 oa; Mardsid al-Ittild' (ed. Juynboll),
The last of these writers says that in his day Al-Kulzum was ruined and its
site was known as Suez, This is inaccurate, as it has just been shown.
^ The classical Pelusium, and the Coptic nepeJULOTn, near the north-eastern
It was at Al-Farama that the first engagement took place between the Arabs
and Egyptians when 'Amr invaded Egypt in a. h. 18; see As-Suyuti, Husn
al-Muhddarah, i. p. rF.
M. Amelineau does not explain why he adopts the form El-Ferma.
62 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
In this country brocaded stuffs are made: gauze of Tinnis^, and
sharb'^, a stuff used for tents, and coloured Dabtki^ ; and there is no
^ The fine tissues of Tinnis are much celebrated by Arab historians and
geographers. Ibn Haukal, who wrote in a. h. 367 = a. d. 978, says of Tinnis
and Damietta
'
In these two cities are manufactured fine DaMM and sharb and splendid dyed
'
garments, the equals of which in beauty and price do not exist in the whole world
(ed. De Goeje, p. 1
.1).
Al-Makrizi [Khitat, i, p. ui) says that the veils for the Ka'bah were made at
Tinnis from the early times of Islam, and he describes some of the designs upon
them. These manufactures ceased when the people of Tinnis were removed
to Damietta in a. h. 588 = a. d. 1192, and only the citadel remained inhabited.
The foundation of the stuffs of Tinnis is said to have been linen (Ibn Haukal,
loc. cit.), with which silk was interwoven. Cf. Quatrembre, Mem. Hist, et Geogr.
i. pp. 308, 309, 327 ff. ; Al-Idrisi (trans. Jaubert), i. p. 320.
^ A precious tissue; see Glossary to De Goeje's Bibliotheca Geog. Arab. p. 272.
^ Al-Makrizi says
^JLo>>)lj dj^jj.1 L->J:j\ ^U-jtJlj aJJu-U i-jLill I4JI v—~--^i! IjLb.s (jJ ^ aj J (J^..»
cj^i JuLo I41.C jul^c Ji J^ uj^ W J*'" ^aU i_j;.iJl *jUx11 c>3^ c-A&Jil JjJI
AJUii^j iJA
^j\ ij! i^^^^j Lr-*=* ^•*' j«^^ (^. <^^. Hj^'^ f«VJ ij ^*;^J *jLs11 ioo>Xa.j
JOjl^^^o y.OV^a 9
J ^^^^ ^"^
C^A«M dJU*> ..iLoCxJ
(<
, IJ^J^J
3 L^" (J^->***'
'Dabik is a town in the neighbourhood of Damietta, which gives its name to the
sumptuous robes and the dyed turbans of sharb, and the trimmings of Dabiki
interwoven with gold. Turbans of sharb, interwoven with gold, were made there ;
each turban being 100 cubits in length, and bearing designs woven with gold of
the value of 500 dinars, without reckoning the price of the silk and the linen
thread. These turbans and the rest were brought into fashion in the time of
Al-'Aziz bi 'llah, son of Al-Mu'izz, who reigned from the year 365 (a.d. 975) until
he died in the month of Sha'ban, in the year 386 (a. d. 996).' Khitat, i. p. m.
CERTAIN MATTERS CONCERNING EGYPT. 60,
stuff, not interwoven with gold, of which garments are made, of the value
of 100 dinars, except and Al-
the stuffs of Tinnis^ and Damietta,
Manhab (?) and SikillP. The Egyptians make woollen garments, and
robes of goats' hair of Sam^lus, which are not to be found anywhere Pol. 20 a
in the world except in Egypt. The natives of this country can boast
of the wonderfully prolific nature of their horses, mules, and asses. They
'
There is no brocade in the world with a foundation of linen, of which a single
garment, not interwoven with gold, fetches a price of 100 dinars in cash, except
the brocade of Tinnis and Damietta.' ^M<z?, i. p. 1 w.
Cf. Quatremere, Mem. i. p. 308, who makes the mistake of translating ijl:6 by
'
cotton.' Al-Makrizi says that the robes made at Tinnis for the caliph, in which
a large quantity of gold was employed, were worth 1,000 dinars a piece; and
that the sale of these fabrics at one time brought in a yearly receipt of 20,000 or
30,000 dinars from Al-'Irak alone. Cf. Al-Idrisi (trans. Jaubert), i. p. 320.
"^
I.e. Sicilian tissue. As in many other cases, a name derived from the place
where the material was originally manufactured is retained, even when the
manufacture is no longer confined to that place Sikilli was also made in Spain.
^ In the Wadi 'l-'Alaki, which lies to the south-east of Aswan, in the country
of the Bajjah or Bisharis. The mines have not been vvorlved for many centuries,
but were known in the time of Rameses II. See Al-Idrisi (trans. Jaubert), i. pp. 36,
41; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. pp. 1 lo, ilv,
35 f. 1 u Abu; 'I-Fida, Tab. Aeg. p.
^ Quatremere gives an interesting chapter on the emerald-mines of Egypt
{Mem. ii. p. 73 ff.) He first quotes an extract from Al-Makrizi {Khitat, i. p. rrr),
who copies however from Al-Mas'udi, and Al-Mas'udi's informant was 'Abd
ar-Rahim, sometime government clerk at the mines. The mines are said to lie
in the midst of a waterless desert at Kharbah, a place seven days' journey to the
south-east from Kus or Kift, the nearest town on the Nile. They are in a mountain
range in the territory of the Bajjah, north of the great peak called Karkashandah.
Various names are given of the different species of gems obtained, and the
estimation in which the several sorts of emerald are held in different countries is
stated. Al-Makrizi adds that the mines were regularly worked till about 1358 a.d.,
when the vizier 'Abd Allah ibn Zanbur put a stop to the mining. But it is related
that Ibrahim Pasha, who governed Egypt about the end of the tenth century of the
Hegira, in travelling through Upper Egypt, came to a place called '
the well of
emeralds,' whence he took a vast number of gems. Prosper Alpinus mentions
a well of emeralds, which produced a famous stone belonging to the Grand
Seigneur. Maillet states that the situation of the mine is lost : while Bruce
{Voyage to the Sources of the Nile, vol. i. p. 229) speaks of a Jebel ez-Zumurrud
or Emerald Mountain, which he visited, and where he saw several sinkings or
shafts. But as this mountain lay in an island, it cannot be (concludes Quatremere)
the emerald-mine which Oriental writers agree in placing on the continent.
So far Quatremere. But the mistake of Bruce, whose island was probably
that of Zabargad, led to the rediscovery of the lost mines in 18 19 by a French
explorer named The results of his visit were published in a large
Cailliaud.
work by the French Academy and the ruler of Egypt, Muhammad 'Ali, was so
;
convinced of the value of the mines that he sent a number of miners to work
them under Cailliaud's supervision. Cailliaud, however, seems to have spent but
a short time at the work, before he was called away to join Ibrahim Pasha's
expedition to the Soudan. From that time provisions ceased to arrive for the
colony of miners, who gradually melted away, and the place was once more
abandoned. So it remained till 1891, when Mr. Floyer, an Englishman in
CERTAIN MATTERS CONCERNING EGYPT. 65
and marcasite^ of gold, silver, and copper ; and the Lake of Nitre, and
command of an expedition sent by the Khedive Taufik, once more set foot
on Jebel Zabara. For an account of this visit and for many topics of surpassing
interest in relation to the desert between the Nile of Upper Egypt and the Red
Sea, I refer the reader to M. Floyer's learned and ingenious work, t,tude stir le
See also Yakut, Geogr. Wort. ii. p. t'lv; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. \\f., and
Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome) (A. J. B.)
[p. 22].
^ Mr. Fisher, of Oxford, has kindly supplied me with the following note on
this mineral
'
The term marcasite is now used by mineralogists for one species of pyrites,
but was at one time of wider signification, and synonymous with pyrites in
general. It is a compound essentially of iron with sulphur (FeSg), containing
46-7 per cent, of iron and 53-3 per cent, of sulphur, but the forms found in nature
contain other metals such as copper, gold, silver, tin, &c. ; arsenic also is
gold " may have reference to its appearance, or to the fact that gold could be
extracted from the specimens so named. The synonyms are numerous, e. g. anlvos,
named ; and each kind is mixed with sulphur and gives out sparks when struck
k [IT. 7-]
66 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
the salt lakes ^. In Egypt is found the clay of Aswan, which is called
the 'clay of and of this the jars intended to contain the drink
art,'
called /?47i-«' ^ are made. The manufacture^ of white paper exists here;
factories for boiling sugar* are found here; and presses for sugar-
canes; and fields of rice^; and oil of turnip*^ and radish; and oil of
against iron.' This paragraph is based upon the article by Sadebek and Hoffmann,
'
Ueber den Namen Markasit/ in the Neues Jahrbuch fiir Minerahgie, Stuttgart,
revenue to the Egyptian government. There are other salt lakes in the Delta
^ The Arabs first learnt the manufacture of paper about a.d. 750, probably
from the Chinese, and the first place at which it was made by Muslims was
near Damietta was famous for paper, which was also made in the Fayyum. The
chief constituent was linen.
^ Al-Makrizi gives an account of the method of cultivating the sugar-cane in
Egypt in his time ; see Khitat, i. p. 1 . r . The use of sugar in Egyptian cookery
is described by 'Abd al-Latif, Al-Mukhlasar, ed. White, pp. 178-182. The sugar-
factories of Egypt were very numerous Ibn Dukmak, at the end of the fourteenth ;
century, names sixty-five of them in Cairo alone, from many of which the
government derived a large revenue see op. cit. iv. p. f ; 1
^ 'Abd al-Latif says that rice was much used in cookery with meat and fish
;
op. cit. p. 184. It was introduced into Egypt under the Mahometans.
6 7 i<
9 Yox these notes see next page.
THE NILE. 67
The Nile.
" 'Abd al-Latif, who was a contemporary of our author, says of the Egyptians :
'
They have a peculiar custom also of extracting oil from the seed of the
radish and the turnip and the lettuce, and this oil they burn for light and they ;
make soap of it also : and their soap is moist, and red, yellow, or green in
colour/ ('Abd al-Latif, op. cit., ed. White, p. 176.)
^
'Abd al-Latif also mentions oil of balsam among the products of Egypt, and
says that it was only made at 'Ain Shams (Heliopolis) in that country ; remarking
that no balsam was to be found in his day in Syria, where Galen and Nicolaus
say that it grew in the greatest perfection; op. cit. pp. 22-26. See also Butler,
Coptic Churches, ii. p. 331. (A. J.
B.)
'Abd al-Latif says that opium was made from the black poppy
® ((_pls^^ji
:,yjf\) in Upper Egypt, and was often adulterated; op. cit. p. 48.
® The abi-amh was a fish found in the Nile. It is curious that our author
should place it here among the vegetable products. Al-Idrisi says that the
ahramis has a red tail, is called the king of fish, is very good to eat, and is a hand's
breadth in length, and half that measure in thickness; see Jaubert's trans., p. 29.
The name of this fish is derived from the Greek a^pauls, which occurs in Oppian's
Halieutica, i. 244-7 •
^°
The Nile was naturally reckoned to be one of the twenty wonders of Egypt
see As-Suyfiti, Htisti al-Muhddarah, i. p. i=. ; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. ri . The
following passage commonplace found
is a in slightly different words in most
ancient writers who have written on Egypt; see Herodotus, ii. 25, 26; Diodorus
Siculus, i. 36; Strabo, xvii. i; Heliodorus, Ae/hiopica, cap. 28; 'Abd al-Latif,
p. 4 ff. ; Al-INIakrizi, i. p. 0. ff. See below, fol. 26 b.
k 2
68 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
time of the great decrease of water, when other rivers and springs fall
or dry up ; and its rise comes at the very time when it is needed, and
so likewise its fall comes when it is needed, by the special care of God
for the inhabitants of Egypt. After the decrease of the Nile the wells
rise, and the time of sowing depends upon it, and not upon the rains.
The Nile flows continually down to the salt sea, and cleaves its way
through it visibly.
God has spoken of the Nile of Egypt by the tongues of his prophets
for Isaiah the God shall bless the people of Egypt, and
prophet says :
'
Fol. 20 b a dream, and said " Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee into
:
the land of Egypt, and be there until I bring thee word^."' And the
Lord Christ and his mother, the Pure Virgin, and the blameless old man,
Joseph, dwelt two years in Egypt.
§ And in the prophecy of Hosea, as the pure Gospel bears witness,
it is said From Egypt have I called my Son ^.'
:
'
Scjoiirner's in Egypt.
Moreover the territory of Al-Mausil ( J-o^U loO forms part of what was once the
kingdom of Assyria, and so the name was used as synonymous with '
Assyria.'
'
The kings of Al-Mausil and of the city of Nineveh.'
2 Matt. ii. 13. 3 Hosea xi. i, and Matt. ii. 15.
*
(^-*i;'*
oi" ^-j*^)^ '^ ^^ Syriac jfx-i..^ wlt-'so, 'my Lady Mary;' it occurs
constantly in this work as the appellation of the Blessed Virgin.
^ Tiie Copts have, as it is well known, unanimously preserved the tradition,
SOJOURNERS IN EGYPT. 6g
who was the nephew of Stephen, the chief of the deacons, and first of
the martyrs in Jerusalem.
Some of the pure patriarchs^ also came into Egypt namely, Abraham,
;
the Friend of God and ; Jacob, the son of Isaac, who lived here seventeen
years and died here, and whose body was taken back to Syria ; and the
fathers of the twelve tribes, who were his sons. The posterity of the
latter in Egypt increased to the number of six hundred thousand five
hundred and fifty souls ^, including the descendants of Joseph the Truthful
and his sons Manasseh and Ephraim, without^ reckoning the sons of
Levi, whose number amounted to twenty-two thousand two hundred
and seventy-three souls. Joseph died in Egypt, and his body was carried
into Syria and Moses prayed and worshipped at his prison ^
;
Among those who dwelt in Egypt were Moses, and Aaron his
brother, and their sister Miriam. Lot also, the son of Abraham's
brother, entered this country; and Joshua the son of Nun; and the Fol. 21 a
also found in Greek and Latin ecclesiastical writers, that St. Mark was the
founder of the church of Egypt, and the first bishop of Alexandria. The Arabic
Lives of the Patriarchs, by Severus of Al-Ushmunain, begins with an account of the
episcopate of St. Mark; see British Museum MS. Or. 26,100, pp. 16-23. Cf. the
old Greek diptychs preserved in MSS. of the Coptic Liturgy of St. Cyril, which
give a list of the bishops of Alexandria beginning with St. Mark (jUl.<LpKOT
Tonr ^.vIOT ^.uocToXoT K^-i evA.weXic'TO'r ^.p^ieuic-
KonoT K^.I JUL^.pxYpoc).
^ This passage is based, like that above, upon the Fadail Misr of Al-Kindi.
As-Suyuti, borrowing from the same source, mentions, among the prophets who
sojourned in Egypt, Abraham, Ishmael, Jacob, Joseph, the fathers of the twelve
tribes, Lot, Moses, Aaron, Joshua, Daniel, Jeremiah, Jesus; see Husn al-Muhddarah,
i. p. ri
^ Cf. Numbers i. 46, 47.
^ I have here dislocated the translation in order to avoid an awkward
parenthesis.
* See above,
fol. 17 b. The tradition among both Christians and Muslims
was Moses visited the prison of Joseph at Busir, and consequently there
that
was here a mosque erected in the name of Moses, and called Masjid Musd ; see
Y^kut, Geogr. Wort. iii. p. Fv ; Al-Makrizi, i. p. r.v .
70 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
prophet DanieP and the prophet Jeremiah, and Ezekiel ; besides others,
kings, great men, wise men and philosophers, captains and rulers, in all
ages and all times ^.
Boundaries of Egypt.
§ The furthest point of the land of Egypt on the east is 'Abbasah ^, and
on the west Alexandria. Its greatest length is from Al-'Arish* to Aidhab ' '^j
"^
The lists of distinguished visitors to Egypt given by the Mahometan
historians remind us of the similar lists in Diodorus (i. 96). As-Suyuti gives
the names of many Greek philosophers and writers who sojourned in Egypt,
among whom are Plato, Hippocrates, Ptolemy, Aratus, Euclid, and Aristotle ; see
Husn al-Muhddarah, p. ri i. f.
^ A small town on the Syrian frontier of Egypt, fifteen parasangs from Cairo.
It is said, among other accounts, to have been named after a daughter of Ahmad
ibn Tulijn. It is now included in the district of Sawalah, in the province of
Ash-Sharkiyah. See Yakfit, Geogr. Wort. iii. p. oil ; AI-Makrizi, i. p. rrr ;
Quatre-
mere, Mem. pp. 62, 189 Rec de ttgypte,
i. p. 3.
; (A. J. B.) ii.
frontier of Egypt. It is now the seat of a governor, and in 1885 contained with
and its greatest breadth from Barkah^ to Ailah-. It is said that Barkah
is also called 'the Five Cities.'
of our era. M. Amdlineau, who speaks as if the Synaxarium and the revenue-list
alone preserved the name of this important town, seems to have ovedooked
Quatrem^re's account of it, as well as Al-Makrizi's, which proves that 'Aidhab was
existing not only at the end of the fourteenth century, as the revenue-list published
by De Sacy shows, but as late as the middle of the fifteenth century, although
it was then in a state of decadence, and no more than a village of huts. See
Yakut, Geogr. Wb'rt. ad voc. ; Al-Makrizi, i. p. v .r ; Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome) [p. 49];
Quatrem^re,iW/«. ii. pp. 162-172, where Ibn Haukal and Abu '1-Fida are also cited.
M. Amelineau {Geogr. p. 160) would identify 'Aidhab with Berenice or Myoshormos,
the former of which is probably correct, the latter being absolutely out of the
question.
^ The name of a town and district to the west of Alexandria, corresponding
to the classical Barca or Pentapolis, which latter appellation is translated by the
Arabic ^Xt> ^j.,.^ ,
'
the Five Cities.' The province was not, strictly speaking, part
of Egypt. See Yakut, Geogr. Wor/. i. p. ovr; Al-Makin, Tdrikh al-Musliinin,
ad ann. 27.
^ A small town on the shore of the Gulf of Suez, and on the borders of Syria
and the Hedjaz. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. Frr; Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome)
[p. 123 f]; Al-Makrizi, i. p. iAt=.
^ '
Misr ' here denotes the city of Al-Fustat or Fustat Misr, the remains
of which are now called Masr al-'Atikah, and incorrectly named by foreigners
'
Old Cairo.' The city was founded by 'Amr ibn al-'Asi, the Arab conqueror
of Egypt, in a. h. 20 = a. d. 641, and remained the capital of the country until it
was superseded by the suburb of Al-'Askar, which was founded to the north of it.
* Our author is quoting loosely from the biography of the patriarch Benjamin,
in Severus' history of the patriarchs :
U),-i.9 ^jJj.U ^'^. ' B^'U J^-aJl 1^^ 5,lssi-b JLj* j^ ^1 L1-5J ^a. J.*il loJ-ikU
72 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
until they reached a fortress, built of stone ^, between Upper Egypt and
the Delta ^, which was called Bablun^. Here they pitched their tent,
and all of them prepared to meet the Romans and to fight with them.
And they called that place 'Al-Fustat' in their language; and the
meaning of this word is '
The Tent.' In this way the Arabs called
the Fort of Ash-Shama ^ at Misr Fustat Bablun.'
'
' Then [the Arabs] crossed the hills until they arrived at a fort built of stone,
between Upper Egypt and the Delta, which was called Bablun, and there they
pitched their tents, that they might prepare to fight with the Romans. Then they
named that place, that is to say the fort, Bablun Fustat in their language ; and
that is its name at the present time.' (Brit. Mus. MS. Or. 26,100, p. 105, lines
12-14.)
^ The Roman fortress referred to is built with alternate courses of stone and
brick, and has stone pediments over the gateways ; so that the use of stone
predominates sufficiently to justify the expression in the text. I have given a plan
of this fortress in Copiic Churches (vol. i. chap. 4). (A. J.
B.)
^ I translate 1—fli.ll by '
the Delta' because that is its obvious meaning here.
See note on fol. 12 a.
Diodorus, 56; Strabo, xvii. i, § 35; Josephus, Ant. Jud. ii. 15. Other Arabic
i.
Mem. i. pp. 49, 50 ; ChampoUion, L'^gypte sous les Pharaons, i, p. i84f., ii. p. 1 10 f.
i->yt U.« i)^ ^^juJj hi^M (X-i-o l^»la> JA,3 sJjo dJ,XJ;Jx>*.j)| (<*^ ^.'^""''-^' (i'
l^^-3
lijwwj ijl JviiJ L/"i^ U J liiJJ^^^l u*'J_r ^^ u**^J/^-^ ^/^^ (j-ii^jr^ "^^ Jub t_^-fcK
'
At the beginning of the caliphate [of 'Umar] George was appointed patriarch
of Alexandria. He remained four years in possession of the see. Then when
he heard that the INIuslims had conquered the Romans, and had vanquished
Palestine, and were advancing upon Egypt, he took ship and fled from Alexandria
to Constantinople; and after his time the see of Alexandria remained without
a INIelkite patriarch for ninety-seven years.
'
When George took flight, Cyrus was appointed patriarch of Alexandria in
succession to him ; Cyrus was a Maronite, and followed the religious faith of [the
1 [H. 7-]
74 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
people of Al-Fustat dug a moat against the Arabs. Al-Fustat was then
called Al-Luniyah^ but the Arabs called it Al-Fustat, because they
;
said This is the tent (fust^t) of the people, and their place of meeting/
:
'
'Amr, then, came thither with three thousand and five men but after- ;
and the Arabs did not put up a tent, not being acquainted with the use
of tents.
^ This is simply part of the word Bdhhmiyah (l^JjLb) or Babylon, which the
Arabs supposed to be two words, meaning Gate of Luniyah.
" M. Amdlineau, who has published a translation of the greater part of
fol. 21 b {Geogr. p. 542), translates ^^a. by 'fossd' ! He also reads, a line or two
further down, '
Louiiah "
instead of '
Luniyah,' not being aware that the latter is
simply part of the form i^ JA) (Babluniyah), used by Al-Makrizi for '
Babylon.'
^ For remarks on the conquest of Egypt, see Introduction,
* Al-Makrizi (i. p. u) says that 'Amr raised a revenue of twelve millions, and
'Abd Allah ibn Sa'd ibn Abi Sarh fourteen millions. The latter succeeded 'Amr as
emir of Egypt {op. cit. p. rii). Our scribe has evidently altered the figures.
^
Some say that it was not 'Abd Allah the son of 'Amr who governed Egypt
after the latter, but 'Abd Allah ibn Sa'd.
THE CITY OF FUSTAT MISR. 75
was the first money that was taken to him from Egypt. 'Amr ibn
al-'Asi had visited Egypt during the days of ignorance, and knew
the roads leading thither, through trading there together with one of
the tribe of the Kuraish^.
^ These words are borrowed from Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam, who relates that 'Amr
went from Arabia to Jerusalem on a trading expedition with some members of the
tribe of Kuraish. In Syria, 'Amr was able to render certain services to a Greek
deacon of Alexandria, who was visiting Jerusalem on a pilgrimage, and who, in
gratitude to 'Amr, invited him, with one of the members of the tribe of Kuraish,
to visit Alexandria, where the two Arabs were much struck by the wealth and
magnificence of the capital of Roman Egypt. See As-Suyuti, Husn al-Muhddarah,
\. p. 01 ; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. ioa; Ibn al-Athir, iii. p. w; Abu '1-Mahasin,
i. p. "1
'
"Amr had visited Egypt during the days of ignorance, and knew the roads leading
and had seen the wealth of the country
thither, and the cause of his visit ;
to Egypt was that he travelled to Jerusalem for purposes of trade, with some
members of the tribe of Kuraish,' &c,
1 2
76 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
§ I found it stated in the History of the Church that the Muslims
entered Egypt and took possession of it in the month of Ba'unah, in
the year 321 of the Righteous Martyrs^^.
§ The number of those that were slain in the conquest of Egypt,
without reckoning those that were killed during the siege, was twelve
thousand three hundred^.
§ The places named after the Arab tribes, who laid them out at the
time of the conquest of Egypt in Muharram of the year 20 of the
Hegira, were [the streets or quarters named after^] Muharrah ibn
Haidan ibn 'Amr ibn al-Haf ibn Kuda ah ; Tajib Umm 'Adi ; Lakhm
'
Our author does not seem to have copied his authority very accurately here
as regards the date. The passage in the life of the patriarch Benjamin runs as
follows :
'
The king [i. e. caliph] of the Muslims sent an expedition, under one of his trusted
friends named 'Amr ibn al-'Asi, in the year 357 of Diocletian the slayer of the
martyrs; and the army of Islam invaded Egypt in great force on the 12th day of
Ba'unah, [that is to say] in the Roman month of December.' (Brit. Mus. MS.
Or. 26,100, p. 105, lines 7-10.)
Cf. Renaudot, Hi's^. Patr. p. 162.
Ba'unah does not correspond to December, but to May 26-June 24.
It is well known that the so-called Era of the Martyrs really begins with the
accession of Diocletian, a. d. 284 (Aug. 29), and was originally employed by
heathens as well as Christians.
^ Al-Kindi makes the number of slain only 3,500 ; see Al-Makrizi, Khifaf,
i. p. rlt= .
j^Jaill
^^^ ^ (i^l^j
(.^^ <•?>=» xj^. i>J^'" J^^=^ (l'^ 3)*^ ij^js Pt^\^ ji ]^— sUjj
THE CITY OF FUSTAT MISR. 77
and Judham, the two sons of 'Adi ibn Murrah Rashidah ibn Jazilah ;
were given to the Khalij and Al-Kantarah and the Quarter i); Habib
ibn Mughafifal, who dwelt in the Wadi Habib^ the Karafah ^ the ; ; Pol. 22 b
Banu Hajas ibn Yusuf ibn Wa il Al-Malik Abu '1-Khair ibn Sharahil ;
'
When 'Amr returned from Alexandria and settled at the place where his tent
(fustat) had been pitched, the tribes assembled together and divided the place
between them. Then 'Amr appointed as stewards of the quarters Mu'awiyah ibn
Khadij of the and Sharik ibn Simi of the tribe of Ghatif, and Amr
tribe of Tajib,
p. rsv.)
The names of the Arab tribes here furnished by our author as those which
laid out the different quarters of Al-Fustat, and gave their names to them, are
also found in Al-Makrizi {ibid) and Ibn Dukmak, iv. p. 1 f., with the addition
of others.
^ This passage seems to be corrupt.
^ companions of Mahomet, shared in his flight, and took
Habib was one of the
part in the conquest of Mecca. Under the caliph 'Uthman, he retired into the
Nitrian valley, which was therefore named after him. Wadi Habib is the most
usual of the names given by the Arabs to the Nitrian valley (see fol. 20 a), which
they also called Wadi Natrian, Wadi '1-Muluk, Desert of Askit {^KiaBis, Scaetis),
Desert of Shihat and Mizan al-Kuliib (Balar^ce of Hearts). Of the last two names
the former is simply the Coptic Shihit (cyi£,HT"), from which ^KiaBis and Askit
are derived, and the latter is an Arabic translation of the two elements of which
the Coptic name appeared to be composed, namely ajl, 'measure,' 'weigh,' and
^ This is said to be the name of the tribe which settled on the plot of ground
to the north-west of Al-Fustat which afterwards became the great cemetery of
Al-Karafah; but another account of the origin of the name 'Karafah' is given on
fol. 42 a. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. i'a .
78 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Wardan the Roman \ the friend of 'Amr ibn al-'Asi ; Shajaah ibn
Mandaghan ibn Mahk ibn Ka'b ibn al-Harith ibn Ka b. The market-
place of Barbar^ was named after Barbar ibn Abi Habib. The street
of Al-Khadiji was the settlement of 'Abd ar-Rahman ibn Mu'awiyah
ibn Khadij ibn Hajar, emir of Egypt ^ in the caliphate of 'Abd Allah ibn
az-Zubair* at Mecca and of Marwan^ in Syria.
§ 'Amr ibn al-'Asi ibn 'Adi is described as being dark and short,
with a large head and prominent brows, wide-mouthed, with a long
beard, broad-shouldered and broad-chested^. He died in the year
43 ; and he was buried in the Mukattam'' hills, in the neighbourhood
of the Ravine, on the road towards the Hedjaz.
^
Wardan is said to have been an Armenian, Under the caliph Mu'awiyah,
he was the director of the tribute of Egypt ; and he was killed at Alexandria in
A. H. 53. The market-place of Wardan at Al-Fustat was named after him. See
Yakfit, Geogr. Wort. iii. p. 1 if .
*
'Abd Allah was the eighth caliph, but was not recognized in Syria and only
by a party in Egypt. He reigned 128 days, during the latter part of a. h, 64 and the
earlier part of a, h, 65, In the month of Jumada '1-Ula, a. h. 65, the Omeyyad
caliph Marwan invaded Egypt, and fought with 'Abd Allah and his emir 'Abd ar-
Rahman, whom he defeated and slew, so that the Omeyyad dynasty was established
throughout the Mahometan world. See Al-Makin, Tarikh al-Muslimin, ad ann.
64 and 65; Abu '1-Faraj (ed. Pococke), pp, 194-8; Abu '1-Fida, Annales, p.402flF.; i.
= A.D. 684 to A.H. 66 = A, D, 686, See Abu '1-Faraj, p. 197 Abu '1-Fida, ^?/«a/^j, f. ;
" This description is taken from Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam, See An-Nawawi, Kitdb
Tahdhib al-Asmd (ed, Wiistenfeld), p, ^ va ff.
^
The well-known hills to the east of Al-Fustat and Cairo, about which many
legends were told by the Arabs ; see Al-Makrizi, Khitat^ i. p, 1 rr
KING AFTUtIs. 79
King Aftiitts.
a king named Aftutis^, in the time of Isaac son of Abraham, was the
^
Otherwise called Agapius {^yS\£.\) ; see Introduction,
^ The Syriac Mabug (<^2))l5o , see Assemani, Bib. Or. ii. p. 22 ; cf. '
Mabog,'
Pliny, H. N. v. 19), and the Greek Hierapolis, in northern Syria, to the east
of Antioch and not far from the right or western bank of the Euphrates. It is
now called Menbij or Benbij, and by the Turks Kara Bambuj or Buguk Manbej,
but is in a ruined state. In the time of our author it was a flourishing city and
renowned for its salubrious climate (YakQt, Geogr. Wort, ad voc.) Eutychius
incorrectly identifies it with Megiddo [Afuiaks, i. p. 242). '
The City of the Priests
(^jl^Dl i:j>*) is a translation of the Syriac name of the place, \.j'oJi Iio.*Iao or
)lcJo»o ^.x..*:iO, which the Greeks converted into Hierapolis. This parenthetical
passage of our author is based upon the words of Mahbub, son of Constantine,
himself:
'
At that time [i. e. the period of Jacob] the queen Semiramis built a great temple
to Kuyus the idol in a city on the bank of the Euphrates and she appointed ;
seventy men priests to KuyCis. The name of this city was Hierapolis, the interpre-
tation of which is " City of the Priests," and it is the ancient city of Manbaj.'
(Bodleian MS. Hunt 4,178, fol. 70 a.)
If may be conjectured that Kubbus (u^J^^^) is the correct reading instead
it
Agapius accepts the tradition mentioned in the same treatise that Semiramis was
the founder of the temple.
'
This name appears as TJtis on fol. 57 a and b, but is more often found in
Ho CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
first who discovered books and sciences and astronomy and arithmetic.
He studied the latter in the books of the Chaldaeans and people of the
East, and introduced them into Egypt, besides magic and the art of
Fol. 23 a conjuring. At the same time, Sodom and Gomorrah were built and ;
Babylon^ also was built upon the river Nile. This king, mentioned
above, reigned for thirty-two years.
Revenues of Egypt.
son of Maliya, son of Kharaba; see Khitat, i. p. if. ; As-Suyiiti [Husn al-Miihd-
darah, i. p. r i) calls Tutis the son of IMaliya, son of Kalkan, son of Khartaba.
'
For a different account of the foundation of the Egyptian Babylon, see
fol. 60 b. The generally accepted story of its origin is given by Strabo, Geogr.
xvii. cap. I, § 30, and Diodorus, i. cap. 56, § 3 ; cf. Josephus, Ant.Jiid. ii. 15. The
recently-discovered tablets from Tall al-Amarna show that intimate relations existed
between Egypt and Babylon on the Euphrates, at least 1,500 years before our
era. (A. J. B.)
^ Al-Makrizi says 97,000,000 dinars, and adds that according to the compu-
tation ofIbn Dahyah 90,000,000 Pharaonic dinars were equivalent to 270,000,000
dinars of his ow^n time. Ash-Sharif al-Harrani says that from a Sahidic list
Egypt in the time of Joseph
translated into Arabic he found that the revenues of
amounted to 24,400,000 dinars, thus nearly agreeing with our author. The
same figures are given by Al-Hasan ibn 'Alt al-Asadi. See Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
i. p. vo.
'
This is the name commonly given by Arab writers to the Pharaoh of the
time of Moses ; see Al-Mas'udi, ii. p. 397 f.; An-Nawawi, Tahdhib al-As?}id, p. . .
;
agency of his officers Karun and Haman^, the canal of Sardus^, which
has more windings than any other.
The Romans derived a revenue of twenty millions of dinars^ from
Egypt. The country was placed by Heraclius under the government
of George, son of Mennas, the Mukatikis'^, on condition of receiving
^
Haman, the minister of Pharaoh, is mentioned in the Koran, Sural al-Kt^as,
V. 5 and 7 ; al-Ankabtil, v. 38; al-Mumin, v. 25 and 38 and (Karfln) Koraii in
;
al-Ktsas, v. 76; al- Ankabilt, v. 38; and al-Mu^min, v. 25. Korah is represented
in the Koran, following the Talmud, as a man of immense wealth, and insolent
Haman was commanded by Pharaoh to dig this canal, and that the people of the
villages in whose neighbourhood it was to run offered him money if he would
allow the canal to be brought close to them, which could only be effected by its
Quatrembre identified the so-called canal of Sardus with the ancient Tanitic
branch of the Nile, now named the Bahr Mu'izz {Mem. i. 301).
^ It is impossible to conjecture on what these figures are based. Very pro-
bably the population was about eight millions, and there is nothing improbable
in the statement of Abu which would give 2| dinars per head, or £1 5^. od.
Salih,
of our money. But the Roman revenues were in kind as well as in money.
Herodotus (iii. 91) makes the revenue from Egypt and parts adjoining, including
Barca and Cyrene, 700 talents of silver, without counting the income from
the fishery of Lake Moeris, and 700 talents in coined money. St. Jerome, on
Daniel xi. 5, says that Ptolemy Philadelphus derived from the countries under his
sway 14,800 Egyptian talents, besides 7,000,000 bushels of corn. Towards the
end of the Lagide dynasty, the revenue of Auletes was 6,000 talents, though Cicero
puts the amount at 12,500; but even this would be only about £2,250,000 as
against Abu Salih's £10,000,000. In the time of Augustus, the amount of corn
sent by Egypt to Rome was nearly 3,000,000 quarters per annum, and if the value
of this were included, a near approach would be made to Abu Salih's figures.
See 'Abd Allah Simaika's Province Romaine d'igypte, p. 129 seq. (A. J. B.)
* The position, name, and tide of this official, which have so long been
a problem to Arabists, seem to have been settled as far as possible by
Prof De Goeje in his memoir De Mokaukis van Egypie, and by Prof. Karabacek
m [II. 7.]
8a CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
a of eighteen millions of dinars yearly. 'Amr ibn al-'Asi drew,
sum
in the year 20 of the Hegira, one million of dinars but in the year ;
22, twelve millions. Under the Abbasides, when Egypt was adminis-
tered by Ahmad ibn Tulun, it produced five millions and, when ;
in his article Der Mokaiikis von Aegypten in the Mittheilungen aus der Sammlung
der Papyrus Erzherzog Raincr, vol. i. pp. i-i i The latter authority concludes that
.
the full designation of the Mukaukis was probably Georgios son of Menas (Mennas)
Parkabios, according to the Coptic custom of double names, thus explaining the
name Farkab (t->5^ for given to his father by Yakut, Al-Makrizi, and
^f)
As-Suyfiti; and that his office was probably that of Pagarch, which corresponded
to the more ancient office of Nomarch, with, perhaps, the post of Strategos
held in addition. Strategos is found in the papyri translated into Arabic by
iijxi.! Jxlc or dJjsU u^o-U, and Pagarchos by _.yU J.«lc or simply J-olc; and
Eutychius calls the Mukaukis ^\p. ^Jc J^lc, while As-Suyuti says that he was
chief military officer as well as superintendent of the taxes. The term Miikmikis
itself is believed by Prof Karabacek to be the Greek /ueyai';^!^? (v. Aeschylus,
Persae, 641), an honorary epithet which would be analogous to fieyaXoTrpeTriaraTos,
evBo^oTaros and evKKeeaTaros, found in papyri of the time of the Mahometan con-
is about 11,342 square miles' (Baedeker). At 632 acres to the square mile
this gives 7,168,144 acres or considerably less than one-third of our author's
estimate. The statistics of revenue in the remainder of this paragraph are credible
enough. (A. J.
B.)
NEBUCHADNEZZAR. 83
Nebuchadnezzar.
the first district which he restored in the country was that of Al-
Ushmunain^.
^ The third of the Abbaside caliphs; reigned at Bagdad from a. h. 158 = a.d.
775 to A. H. i69=:A. D. 786.
^ A very distinct tradition has been preserved in Egypt of its invasion by
Nebuchadnezzar, spoken of by Jeremiah (xliii. 16 fF. and xlvi. 13 ff.) and by
Ezekiel (xxix. 19). See As-Suyuti, i, p. ri f; Al-Makrizi, i. p. rAi, &c. ;
* This number seems to arise from a confusion with the true number of years
in Nebuchadnezzar's reign, viz. forty-three years according to Berosus, the Canon
of Ptolemy, and the Babylonian contracts ; see Strassmaier, Bahylonische Texte
Insckriflen von NabiichodoJiosor.
^ The classical Hermopolis or Mercurii Oppidum, and the Coptic CLJJULOTIt,
on the west bank of the Nile between Munyah and Manfalftt. It is now in the
district Raudah in the province of Usyut, and in 1885 had 2,312 inhabitants
of ;
but it has much declined from its ancient importance. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort.
i. p. TAr; Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome) [p. 47]; Al-Makrizi, p. tpa; Am^lineau, Geogr. i.
p. 167 ff.
m 2
84 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
'
From the time of Ananias (Annianus), who was appointed patriarch of Alexandria
by Mark the Evangelist, until Demetrius the eleventh patriarch of Alexandria, there
were no bishops in Egypt, and the predecessors of the last-named patriarch
appointed none. But when Demetrius became patriarch, he appointed three
bishops, and he was the first patriarch of Alexandria who made bishops. When
he died, Heraclius was constituted patriarch of Alexandria after him, and appointed
twenty bishops.' {Annates, ii. p. 330.)
The assertion of Eutychius is contradicted by the patriarchal history of Severus
of Al-Ushmunain, which not only states that St. Mark himself consecrated Annianus
(^_^ij) Lil) bishop of Alexandria, and left him there in that capacity during his
sojourn in Pentapolis, but also mentions bishops in Egypt, other than the patriarch,
in the lives of Avilius (,_;^Uu>) the third patriarch, of Celadion {,^^\p%) the ninth,
and of Julian ((,^L|^.) the eleventh ; see Brit. Mus. MS. Or. 26,100, p. 21, line 18 ;
p. 24, line 5; p. 25, lines 9 and 19. I use the word 'patriarch' here as being
that employed by Severus.
^ Occupied the see from See Renaudot, Hist. Pair.
a. d. 799 to 819 (?).
pp. 246-266. This date of the restoration of the churches corresponds closely
enough with my estimate of the date of, e.g. the church of Abu Sirjah in the
Roman fortress at Al-Fustat ; see Coptic Cliurches, i. p. 181. (A. J.
B.)
RESTORATION OF CHURCHES OF AL-FUSTAT 85
Fustat Misr were rebuilt, and that their restoration was commanded,
under the superintendence of that patriarch \ after they had been
^
Our author is referring to the following passage in the life of the patriarch
Mark in Severus' collection :
>l-^^ 1^^^ (_j«-o^l> dJ C>l5 Sa 5l.jl5 ^*Ll->.a S„>Ji&.lj WtSjj S-jolj sAs^ 5J1C A>^
ci^ (JV^
(_5AiC A^jAaiU l^iU IjiSiU ia-la. ^ l»W ^jU W^^S U^lj Aa-la. JL^ u-'Jizi' J5 C^IsnjUs.
J ^jl JjJ dliUaLoj d^ ^j s>]>j dUM Joos.-^ lj;]! ^^J J^_ d;WJl J jUs d.!
,J^
«^. LaU U! ^\ du)^ Jl ^r^b f^b LT^^^ ij^ J^- rV'^' -^J J^ (J'^
'^^'^ 1?!^
'
When they understood the discourse of the wali, and his care for the affairs of
the churches, Anba Michael, bishop of Misr, said : Now is the time for us to take
measures for the restoration of the churches, since it is evident that the wali bears
an affection towards the Christians. Next day, therefore, the patriarch returned
to the wall, who
showed respect to him, and honoured him, and
saluted him, and
raised him from the ground, and made him sit beside him, and discoursed with
him, saying I told thee yesterday that I would perform whatever thou requirest,
:
but thou hast asked nothing of me ; now, therefore, mention to me whatever thou
needest, and it shall be done because of my love for thee. So the patriarch
answered with soft words : May the Lord preserve thy days and increase thy
dignity and authority ! Thou knowest that thy servant has not been set as ruler
over revenues and taxes, but over souls and churches ; and I beseech thy greatness
— for we have here churches, some of which have been destroyed by the un-
righteous one before thy coming to Egypt, therefore the Lord destroyed his
houses and cut off his life from the face of the earth but if it seems good to —
thee to command us to rebuild these churches, so that we may pray in them and
intercede for thy greatness, the matter rests with thee. Then God quickly put
it into the heart of the wall that he should order the restoration of those churches
and all the churches in Fustat Misr were rebuilt.' (Bib. Nat. Paris MS. Anc. Fonds
Arabe 139, p. 211, 1. 17-p. 212, 1. i.)
86 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
destroyed in the patriarchate of Anb^ John\ the forty-eighth in the
succession.
§ The city of Misr, outside which is Madinat ash-Shams^, was
founded by Mizraim, the son of Canaan, the son of Ham, the son of
Noah, the son of Lamech the Blind, and it was called after the name
of the king of the Egyptians, Mizraim. Beyond Egypt is the district
between the two rocks, beyond Al-'Arish.
Churches of Al-Fustdt.
The first church built in Fustat Misr was that which is beyond
Al-Kantarah^ ; it was built in the time of Maslamah ibn Mukhallad
al-Ansari*. The name of Misr in Greek is Jibt^; and in Prankish Roman
it is Babylon the Fortress. The church above mentioned was in the
^ Occupied the see a. d. 775-799; see Renaudot, Hist. Patr. pp. 241-246.
see Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. r.i ; As-Suyuti (ii. p. v) names this first church.
^ Evidently an apocopated form of k'iyvTvros, and therefore a formation analogous
to Kibt (Copts). As the Egyptians give the hard pronunciation to the _., they
would sound the word Ghibt. The Greek y becomes _. in Arabic in the words
Jii'jt's for Tfapyios, Sirjah for ^epyios, jaghrd/iyd for yecoypacpla, and many others.
" I. e. the ttngua Franca. Babylon, as the name of Fustat, or Fustat and
Cairo together, was widely employed in Europe at the time of our author and
later; see Mandeville's travels, edition of London, 1568, fol. ciiii verso: 'And
who so wyll go through the land of Babylon wher the Soudan dwelleth . . . hee
CHUR CHES OF AL -FUSTA T, 87
quarter, between Cairo and Misr^, running from the church of Saint
George, called Al-Hamra. The church was in the middle of this quarter,
which is also called Harat ar-Rum-, and was inhabited by Christians and
Abyssinian monks and others. When the quarter was demolished, as
the others also were demolished outside Misr, and the houses which it
contained were destroyed, the bricks and timber were carried off for
other buildings in Cairo. A few ruined houses, however, remained, Pol. 24 a
and were inhabited by the men of Maimun '^
The church of Saint George, called Al-Hamra, had fallen into ruin
and disorder but Al-Mu'allim Sarur Al-Jullal undertook to improve and
;
shall goe from Gaza . . . and from thence men come to Baby lone and to Kayre
and in Babylone is a fayre churche of our lady wher she dwelled vii yere whan
she was oute of the lande of Jewes, for dreade of kynge Herode. And there
lyeth the body of Saynte Barbare vyrgyn, and there dwelled Joseph whan he was
solde of his brethrene There dwelleth the Soudan, for there is a faire citie and
. . .
stronge castell.' Mandeville is said to have travelled early in the fourteenth century.
The Romaunce of Sowdone of Bahyloyne, published by the Roxburghe
the
and is now called Masr the remains of Al-Fustat being called Old Masr.
;
^ '
Quarter of the Romans;' see above, fol. 6 a.
^ Maimun al-Kasri was an officer in Saladin's army; see Ibn al-Athir, xii.
The pavilion seems to have been destroyed in the twelfth century {ibid}j. See
also Ibn Dukmak, iv. p. 1 r . .
88 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
canaP dug by 'Amr ibn al-'Asi, emir of Egypt, in the caliphate of the
Prince of the Faithful, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, the Mu'allim Sarur
al-Jullal offered to the caliph handsome gifts, consisting of different
kinds of food and drinks and sweetmeats, and prepared for him many
kinds of fresh and sugar in varied forms; and the caliph accepted
fish
them from him, and gave him a robe of honour, and granted his requests,
and sent him to Al-Kulzum^, which is a fortress built to protect the country
on the side of the Hedjaz and the name of the place is derived from
;
the weaver's cord, with which a garment is held fast, and which is called
kuhiini'^. Jauhar al-Mu'izzi^ built a bridge^ over that canal, leading to
Fol. 24b the bank of Al-Maksam. Here is the watercourse called Al-Majnunah''.
Before this bridge, there was a bridge which was destroyed ; but traces
of it are left on theand part of it on the west side, below
east side,
the garden, near the road constructed from thence to Az-Zuhri, for
carrying provisions to the canal which runs from Cairo to Al-Kulzum, that
they may be taken thence to Mecca and Medina, and also to the region
' The famous Khalij or canal of Cairo, sometimes called Khalij Amir al-
Mtimimn, or '
Canal of the Prince of the Faithful,' after 'Umar, the first who
assumed that title. It runs from the Nile at Al-Fustat northwards to Bastah
(Zagazig), whence it turned eastwards and terminated in the Red Sea, near
Al-JKulzum. Its original purpose was to furnish Mecca and Medina with provisions
from Egypt. The Khalij now only serves to convey water to the city of Cairo,
and terminates at Matariyah, near the site of 'Ain Shams or Heliopolis. In
constructing this canal, 'Amr had only to avail himself of and render navigable
the very ancient Amnis Trajanus. For an account of the Khalij in ]\Iahometan
times, see Al-Makrizi, i. p. v i ; Ibn Dukmak, iv. p. i r . .
* The general of the Fatimide caliph Al-Mu'izz, who conquered Egypt and
founded Cairo in a. d. 969 ; see Introduction.
^
A complete list of the bridges over the canal, with a plan, is given in
C. Niebuhr's Voyage en Arable, 4to, Amsterdam, 1776, lom. i. p. 89. See also
Al-Makrizi, Khttat, ii. p. 1F1 if. (A. J.
B.)
^ Al-Makrizi gives this name to a canal in the Fayyum ; see E/iita[,\.\). rf<i.
CHURCHES OF AL-FUSTAT. 89
and a turban of Sikillt, bound round the middle with a band of Dabikt,
interwoven with gold and he was summoned by name on both occa-
;
of the Blameless Martyrs (a.d. 1180). The Shaikh al-Wajih Abil Fol. 25 a
'1-Hasan ibn al-Amahh, the scribe, provided for the improvement of
the churches attached to the Great Church, in the year 892 (a.D. 1176)
of the Blameless Martyrs.
§ The Shawar as-Sa'di *, vizier in the
building lasted until the time of
caliphate of Al-'Adid, and of [the invasion of] the Ghuzz and the Kurds ^,
who came with Yusuf Salah ad-Din ibn Ayyub, the Kurd, who became
governor of Egypt, and was called, on the dirhems and dinars, Partner '
^
Erasure in original.
' jli. is here correctly written ; compare (jl*. on fol. 5 a.
'
In the name of God the compassionate and merciful. This dinar was struck
at Cairo in the year 571. There is no deity but God alone; he has no partner.
Abfi Muhammad Al-Mustadi bi-amri 'llah is Prince of the Faithful. Mahomet
is the Apostle of God, who sent him under his guidance with the true religion,
that he might reveal it above all religion, even if the polytheists are indignant
thereat; may God bless him and his family and the most Victorious Prince
Yiisuf ibn Ayyub.' (Poole, Brit. Mus. Cat. of Or. Cohis, iv. p. 63.)
Silver dirhems of Damascus, a. h. 573, have the following superscription:
From these inscriptions it does not appear that Saladin (Al-Malik an-Nasir, &c.)
was actually called '
Partner' of the caliph al-Mustadi, Prince of the Faithful, upon
the coins ; but that he was named upon them as if he were his partner.
The dirhem was a silver coin about forty-five grains in weight.
Amaury, king of Jerusalem, invaded Egypt in a. h. 559, but his final and
^
Shadid al-Mulk ibn al-Fakhr ibn Busaiwah, and Abu '1-Barakat his
son, and Al-As'ad Abu l-Khair Jirjah ibn Wahab, known as Ibn Fol. 25 b
al-Mikat. The restored churches were consecrated, by the help
of God and prayers and liturgies have been offered in them up to
;
this day.
§ When the restoration took place, and when this great church
I mean Al-Hamra — was put into order, then the envious and the con-
tentious were indignant because it had been erected anew and they
;
incited the common people to assist them, and they pillaged the church,
and it was destroyed a second time. Afterwards the property of the
church that had been scattered was restored, and a fresh consecration
took place, and the liturgy and prayers were offered according to the
customary practice.
'
I am quite unable to identify this church, and indeed doubt its existence
at the present time. The Epiphany tank and the well of fresh water are common
features in the churches of Egypt ; see Coptic Churches, i. p. 22. {A. J.
B.)
11 2
92 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
a kitchen^, which was pulled down by the Shaikh As-Sa'id Abu '1-Fakhr
Sa id ibn Busaiwah, who rebuilt it as a church dedicated to Our Lady
the Pure Virgin. When it was completed, it was consecrated by the
Fol. 26 a father and bishop, Anba Gabriel, bishop of Misr, in the presence of
Anba Peter, bishop of the Fayyum, on the fourth Sunday of the Holy
Fast, being the fifth of Barmahat^ in the year 903 of the Righteous
Martyrs, which equivalent to the 19th of Dhu '1-hijjah, in the year 582
is
(a.d. 11S7). From the roof of this church a view is obtained of the
Pool of Karun^. The view from this church is agreeable, on account
of the gardens and pleasure-grounds and handsome buildings which
surround it. It is spacious and pleasant during both the high Nile and
the seed time, and there are many people in the gardens and pavilions
which surround it.
Among those who at any time have attacked this church there was
a body of blacks, called the Juyushiyah^, who grew insolent and violent,
and whose hands were stretched out until they stopped the roads and
seized the money of travellers, or shed their blood. When the Ghuzz
and the Kurds obtained possession of Egypt, in Rabi' the Second of the
year A. H. 564 (a.d. 1169), a body of Armenian Christians overcame
the blacks, and drove them away and killed many of them and the ;
quarter which they inhabited was left deserted it was in the neighbour-:
ploughed it, and made wells and waterwheels, and laid it out in gardens,
and sowed seeds of many plants, and was the first to make the ground
Fol. 26 b green with vegetation. The entrance to the church was altered, since there
was no door in this street, but it was at the side, in the road mentioned.
* This was one of the troops of which the army was composed ; see fol. 54 a.
POPULATION OF EGYPT. 93
Population of Egypt.
§ The book of Fadd'il Misr ^ relates that Al-Wahd ibn Zuwa ah was
set over the taxes of Egypt, in the caHphate of Hisham ibn 'Abd al-
Mahk and went to number the population, and stayed six
al-Aliwal,
months Upper Egypt, and in Lower Egypt three months. He
in
counted more than ten thousand villages and in the smallest of the ;
villages there were five hundred male Copts and the total number of ;
The Nile.
§ The learned are all agreed that there is not in the world a river
of greater length than the Nile^. For its course through the land of
the Muslims amounts to more than a month's journey ; and its course
through Nubia to two months' journey; and for a journey of four
months it flows through uninhabited deserts, until the source is reached
in the Mountains of the Moon, to the south of the Equator 2. There
1 By Al-Kindi.
^ This account of the course of the Nile is quoted in almost the same words
by Yakfit, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. Air .
^ See also fol. 10 1 a.. This statement is borrowed by the Arab geographers
and historians from the Geography of Claudius Ptolemy, which was translated
into Arabic in the reign of the caliph Al-Ma'mun, a.h. iqS^a.d. 813 to a.h. 218
= A.D. 833, although this translation has long been lost; see Haji Khalfah, ed.
Fiuegel, i. pp. 602-3. Ptolemy says {Geogr. bk. iv. c. viii) that to the west of
the Anthropophagous Aethiopians lie the ^fountains of the Moon, from which
the melted snows flow into the lakes which form the sources of the Nile, and
these mountains extend from long. 57°, lat. 12° S. to long. 67°, lat. 12° S.
{to T^y SeXTjfj;? opo% a(^ ov inobe^^ovTai ras x'-°^^S "' ''ov Net'Xov Xifivai Koi eW;^et
fioipas TO. TTipara tov rfji 2{\rjvt]s opovs vC v6t. t/S k Kai ^^ vor. i[3 t'.)
Ibn al-Fakih al-Hamadani says in the Kitdb al-Bulddn, which he wrote about
A.H. 290=A.D. 903, that the Nile comes from two lakes beyond the equator,
called Buhairatd 'n-Nil (ed. De Goeje, p. if).
Al-Mukaddasi says that according to Al-Jihani the Nile rises in the Mountains
94 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
is no other which runs from south to norths except the
river, again,
Nile ; and there which flows both into the sea of the Romans
is no river
and the sea of the Chinese^, except the Nile of Egypt. There is
no other river, too, which rises when the heat begins, at the time
when other rivers fall, and some rivers and springs are entirely dried
up and as the heat increases so the height of the Nile increases and
; ;
Fol. 27 a there is no other river which rises and falls regularly except the Nile
nor does any river in the world produce such a revenue as that which
comes from the overflow of the Nile.
al-Masih. The Ghuzz and the people of Cairo pillaged it, and broke
the pillars of the apostles ^ and part of the roof was burnt. In conse-
of the Moon, and flows first through two lakes beyond the equator (ed. De Goeje,
p. >!.).
'Abd al-Latif says that the sources of the Nile are springs which rise in the
Mountains of the Moon, eleven degrees beyond the equator (ed. White, p. 4); and
Al-Idrisi says sixteen degrees (ed. Rome, p. 19). (A. J.B.)
^ The Red Sea was looked upon as a branch of the Indian Ocean or China
Sea ; cf. fol. 19 b. The Mardsid al-luild' says :
'
The Sea of Al-Kulzum is a branch of the Indian Sea.'
Our author means, of course, that the Nile was connected with the Red Sea
by means of the canal of Cairo {Khalij Amir'al-J\Iu' mi'ntn). (A. J. B.)
^ I.e. Al-Hamra.
^ The expression Al-Busluldi {\^'h^\) undoubtedly denotes the main columns
of the nave, frescoed or painted with the figures of apostles. I may quote
a surviving example from the church of Abu Sirjah in the Roman fortress of
CHURCHES OF AL-FUSTAT. 95
and it was consecrated afresh, and the liturgy was celebrated in it.
Now at this church there was a lotus-tree^ of large size and well
proportioned, which grew as high as the roof of the church this tree ;
was cut down and sold for a considerable price, and the money was
spent upon the rebuilding of the fabric.
Besides this, there is a fourth church, large, and contiguous to the
others ; surrounded by a wall of sun-dried bricks ; with a separate door
leading into it. It is among gardens and pleasure-grounds, and com-
mands a view of the canal. When Misr was burnt, in the month of
Safar, in the year ^64, this church was pillaged and part of the walls
was thrown down, and not a single Christian was found at the time
to undertake its restoration so that it has remained to this day in ; Fol. 27 b
suspense between hope of revival and the prospect of utter ruin. The
wall of the aforesaid fourth church was destroyed and levelled with the
ground and the church was profaned through the destruction of its
;
wall, and became contiguous to the road, and was united with a pavilion
in the garden, known as Duivairah Sandal'^. Part of the roof also
disappeared, namely the timber above the sanctuary therefore the ;
Shaikh Al-Jullal Ibrahim undertook to restore it, with the help of some
Babylon :
'
On each of these eleven ancient pillars is painted the life-size figure
of a saint or apostle, now so begrimed and obscured that in the doubtful light all
may easily escape notice, and it requires close attention to make them out when
discovered.' Coptic Churches, i. pp. 187-8. (A. J.
B.)
^ 'Abd al-Latif says
' The lotus-tree is plentiful in Egypt, and its fruit is the Nahk, and is very sweet
(ed. White, p. 58).
church was improved by the Shaikh Abu Sa'id ibn Andunah, the
financial secretary of the Divan and chief notary, who rebuilt that which
had been thrown down, and completed the dome, and whitewashed it.
The consecration was performed by Anba Gabriel, bishop of Misr, in
the presence of a body of bishops, priests, and deacons, of the chief
men and of the orthodox laity of Misr and Cairo. The liturgy was
established in the church for every festival and every Sunday and the
night ^ of Sunday. The aforesaid Shaikh Abu Sa'id was present at all
times in this church with a body of priests and deacons of the sons of
the chief men at all the festivals, and at the night and day services
;
The shaikh provided for the church and for them. Now a congregation
of priests and deacons and Christian laity again began to visit the
church every Sunday. All this took place in the patriarchate of
Anba John^, the seventy-fourth in the order of succession.
In the same street there is also a church of the Melkites. There
were five churches in this street, from one of which a procession issues
^ Occupied the see from a.d. i 189-1216 ; see Renaudot, Hist.Patr. pp. 554-67.
AHMAD IBN TULUN. 97
on Palm Sunday, and goes up to Cairo. The Ghuzz and Kurds took
possession of four of the churches [of the Melkites], robbed them of
and threw down their walls, so that they were level with
their timber,
the ground, on account of the weakness and small numbers of the
Melkites but one church of theirs remained, near the church of
;
§ The Book of Fadail Misr'^ states, among its narratives, that the
Copts of Egypt are related by affinity to Abraham, the Friend of God^,
and to Joseph the Truthful ''; and the chain of this tradition starts from
'
Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam says 'Umar ibn Salih informed us that he had learnt from
:
Marwani al-Kassas that three of the prophets were connected with the Copts
by affinity for Abraham had Hagar as his concubine and Joseph married the
; ;
daughter of the chief [priest] of 'Ain Shams [i. e. On or Heliopolis] and the ;
O [IT. 7.]
98 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
the companions of Mahomet. Ashhab ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz ^ said When :
'
you conquer Egypt take charge [of the inhabitants], for truly they
may claim your protection, and kinship with you Isma'il- ibn 'Abbas !
'
for you will find among them useful auxiliaries against your enemy.'
Abu Salimah said Mahomet at his death said, " I charge you to
-^
:
'
drive away the Jews from the Arabian peninsula*." Then he added :
Ashhab ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz is the authority quoted by Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam in
^
his Futuh Misr, from which our author borrows the whole of this passage.
Ashhab is said to have derived the tradition from MaHk ibn Anas, who quoted
Ibn Shahab, who quoted 'Abd ar-Rahman ibn Ka'b, who quoted his father, who
heard the words of the 'Apostle of God.' See As-Su}uti, Husn al-Muhddarah,
i.p. 0. Cf. Ibn Hisham, Sirah Muhammad, i. p. o, and Abii '1-Mahasin, p. ro. i.
1^^ JoJiio \yoy.u Jla . . . ^1 Jj-^ ^1 ^L.i ^ X^ i^s Xil J.*C ^\ ^>lj
'
Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam quotes from Muslim ibn Yusar to the effect that the Apostle
of God said : Take charge of the Copts,
-
for you will find them excellent
auxiliaries in fighting your enemy.' {Husn al-Muhddarah, i. p. ^ .)
^ This is a mistake of the author or his copyist for Umm Salimah, the name
of one of Mahomet's wives. As-Suyuti says:
'
At-Tabarani in Al-Kahir and Abu Na'im in Dald'il an-Nahfah quote, according
to a genuine chain of tradition, from Umm Salimah to the effect that the Apostle
of God . . . , at the time of his death, charged them, saying : God ! God is with
the Copts of Egypt for you shall conquer them, and they shall be for you an
;
* This command of the Arabian prophet is handed down among the 'genuine'
traditions collected by Al-Bukhari ; see his Kildb al-Jdmi' as-SaJnh^ ed. Krehl,
pt. i. p. riF, under the title :
SAVINGS OF MAHOMET WITH REGARD TO THE COPTS. 99
" God ! God commits the Copts of Egypt to your charge ; for you
shall rule over them, and they be to you an increase of numbers,
shall
and a body of auxiliaries in the path of God." He said also^ "Take :
charge of the men with curling hair, the Copts of Egypt, for truly
they are your uncles and kinsmen, and your auxiliaries against your
enemy, and your helpers in your religion." Then some one said to him :
down from 'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'Asi, Mahomet said": The Copts '
^ As-Suyuti says
^0% ^ . . . 4]1 ^yjj L! ^Ujl pjSll Jljis dJi Jio Jlai ajJUJI sJic ^\ J dJi ^
iljLxil ,.<ft£,.fi^<
* Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam quotes from Musa ibn Abi Ayy^b al-Yafa'i, who reports
the words of a man of the tribe of Al-Marbad to the effect that the Apostle of
God fell sick and sw'ooned, and when he recovered, he said
. . . Take charge :
of the men wnth curling hair. Then he swooned a second time, and when he
recovered said the same words. Again he swooned for the third time, and said
the same words. So the bystanders said : The Apostle of God commits to our
charge the men with curling hair ; and when he recovered they asked him his
meaning. So he said The Copts of Egypt
: are our uncles and our brothers-in-law,
and they shall be your auxiliaries against your enemy and on behalf of your
religion. Then they said: How shall they help us in our religion, O Apostle
of God ? Then he answered They : shall relieve you of the affairs of this
world, so that you shall be at leisure for religious worship,' &c. (Husn
al-Muhddarak, i. p. v .)
Mahomet sent Hatib^ ibn Abi Balta'ah, of the tribe of Lakhm, to the
Mukaukis, governor of Alexandria, to urge him to adopt the religion
'
'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr ibn al-Asi says : The people of Egypt are the noblest of
all foreigners; the gentlest of them in action, the most excellent of them in
character, and the nearest of them in race to the Arabs generally and to the
Kuraish in particular,' i. p. rr .
'
'Abd Allah ibn Wahb informed us, quoting from 'Abd Allah ibn Lahi'ah, who
reported the words of 'Umar the freedman of Ghufrah, that the Aposde of God
said : God ! God is among the protected people, the natives of the black soil,
^ It is said to have been the curling hair of Mary the Coptic maiden which
attracted the admiration of Mahomet.
The^ mission oT Hatib took place in a.h. 6 = a.d. 628, at the time when
Mahomet also sent envoys with the same object to the king of Persia, Hera-
emperor of the Romans, the prince of Ghassan, the governor of Yemen,
clius,
and the Negus of Abyssinia. Ibn Hisham compares this proceeding of the
Arabian prophet with the sending out of the twelve apostles by Jesus Christ. See
At-Tabari (ed. De Goeje), ser. i. p. 1 col f. ; Ibn Hisham, Sirah MiiJiammad, p. Sv 1
;
An-Nawawi, Tahdhib al-Asmd, pp. iii and vor; As-Suyuti, i. p. oa flf. ; Ibn
al-Athir, ii. p. rr^ ff.
THE THREE HAMR AS. loi
and *Amr ibn al-'Asi named them Al-Hamra, because they were not
Arabs, and had become Christians.
concubine. She died in a.h. 15 or 16. See authorities referred to in last note.
* Ibrahim, the son of Mahomet and Mary the Copt, lived to the age of fifteen
months, and died in a.h. 10 = a. d. 631, so that Fatimah was the only child of
Mahomet who survived him.
^ Hassan ibn Thabit died at Madinah a.h. 54 = a. d. 674; see An-Nawawi,
Tahdhib al-Asmd, p. r.r f.
® The three quarters named Hamrd, a word which is apparently the feminine
of ahmar, '
red,' lay between Al-Fustat and Cairo. The quarters or suburbs
of Al-'Askar and Al-Kata'i' were subsequently built upon their site. The Hamras
were founded at the time of the conquest of Egypt by the Arabs, but fell into
decay about the time of the fall of the Omeyyad dynasty. Al-Makrizi {Khitat,
i. p. ru) and Ibn Dukmak (iv. p. F f.) mention the foundation of the three Hamras
in terms similar to those employed by our author here and below, fol. 32 a ff.
I02 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Fol. 29 b The Hamra al-Wusta, which is known as Al-Kantarah\ is the place
where the Red Standard stood at the time of the conquest of Misr
by the Arabs and around it were gathered those who asked protection
;
§ The monastery^ named after the martyr Mennas*, the owner of the
three crowns'^, which came down to him from heaven, who was a native
* The festival of St. Mennas is kept by the Copts on Hatur i5 = Nov. 11,
and by the Roman Church on the same day. It is said that his father was
a native of Nakyus, but was appointed governor of the province of Africa. Under
Diocletian, Mennas, who was then serving in the army, was beheaded on
account of his attachment to the Christian religion, and was buried near Lake
Mareotis. See Bib. Nat. MS. Arabe 256 {Synaxarium), ff. 53 b-54 b. Am^lineau,
Actes des MM. de Vtglise copte, p. 88 ff. ; Eutychius, Annates, i. p. 402. St. Mennas
is represented in Coptic paintings accompanied by camels, because some beasts
from the sea like camels prevented his body from being carried away from the
spot where it was destined to be buried, and when the body was laid on the back
of three camels in succession, each refused to move in spite of blows; see
Synaxarium.
^ This is an allusion to the legend that St. Mennas saw heaven open, and the
martyrs wearing beautiful crowns, such as were afterwards bestowed upon him.
MONASTERY AND CHURCH OF SAINT MENNAS. 103
^ The Arabic Nakyus was called NtKtouy or 'NikIov by Greek authors, and Niciu
The emperor then erected a church over it, which was replaced by a larger
church built by Arcadius and Honorius. See Synaxarium, he. at., and Amdlineau,
Actes des MM. p. 90.
^ This town, the Coptic JUL^piCOTHC „ and the classical Marea (Mapfi'a),
on the shores of Lake INIareotis, was flourishing after the Arab conquest, but
seems to have fallen into decay before a. d. 1376, as its name does not appear in
the revenue-lists of that date. Some ruins on the borders of the lake, however,
still bear the name. Am^lineau, Geogr. pp. 241-3.
* Al-Makrizi mentions as the chief act of Al-Walid ibn Rufa ah, wall of Egypt,
that in A. H. 117 he allowed the Copts to rebuild the church of St. IMennas in the
Hamra. According to Al-Makrizi, Al-Walid died in a.h. ii7 = a. d. 735, after
governing Egypt for nine years and five months. Sec K hit at, i. p. r.r
I04 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
vessels of silver and other things. They also bought much property,
Fol 30 a besides a garden in which were two wells with waterwheels and all ;
^
For the arrangement of these satellite churches or chapels, see Coptic
Churches, i. p. 137. (A. J.
B.)
^ Our author does not state whether this is St. Theodore the Greek or Western
(Amshir 28 = Feb. 22), St. Theodore the Eastern (Tubah i2=Jan. 4), or St.
There are four martyrs of the name of John in the Coptic calendar, com-
'^
indicated upon the plan in vol. i. of Me'm. de la Mission Arche'ol. Frang., showing
the topography of Cairo. But the plan is incomplete. (A. J.
B.)
" The burning of Al-Fustat by order of Shawar.
MONASTERY AND CHURCH OF SAINT MENNAS. 105
p. 178.
[II. 7-]
P
io6 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
and made it a church, dedicated to Saint George, with a separate
it off,
door near the Great Church, and also a door from the sanctuary. When
he had completed this church, it was consecrated by the bishop Anba
Mark, bishop of Cairo, in the presence of Anba Jonas \ the patriarch;
and the liturgy was celebrated in it.
Much opposition was made by evil-minded Muslims during the
furnishing of this church, and so the Christians explained that it right-
fully belonged to this [Great] Church, and was not a new building ;
and God helped the right, and those among the Muslims who knew,
testified that it had been a chamber within the church, according to
the testimony of thosewho lived near the church.
among gardens, and is beautifully situated and
This church stands ;
§ In the month of Jumada the First, in the year 559, when the
Kurds and the Ghuzz came with Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub, and
the king of the Franks^ was appealed to for help against them, then
this monastery and this church were burnt to the ground, except the
apse^, and the northern and southern sides of the sanctuary, which were
preserved intact. These were restored, and domes and arches were
built,and piers [were set up] instead of the marble columns, in the
caliphate of Al-'Adid, and in the vizierate of Shawar. The expenses
were paid by the most excellent Shaikh Salib, already mentioned,
and by Karim ad-Daulah ibn 'Ubaid ibn Kurrus al-jullal, and by
Mansur ibn Salim al-Jullal, of Cairo, and by others and out of the ;
money brought by Makarim ibn AbCl '1-Minna, the priest of the Church
of the Lady, called Al-Mu'allakah, at Misr, to Anba Jonas, the patri-
arch, as a consecration fee"*, that he might make him bishop of
had been before was consecrated, and the liturgy was said in it.
; and it
§ The church of Saint John, which has already been mentioned, built Tol. 31 b
above the Great Church^, was restored by the Shaikh Khassat ad-Daulah
Abu '1-Fada'iI, known by the name of Ibn Dukhan, and was conse-
crated, and the liturgy was said in it. He also rebuilt, in front of it,
a tower, close to it, which was old and had fallen to ruin he built ;
shall finish this work but I, with my own money.' In the courtyards
outside this church there are burying-grounds. The rest of the
monastery and the pavilion have not been finished up to this time.
Five wells have been dug in this monastery, and in the courtyards which
surround it and are its property.
The greater part of the houses and the shops, bought for this
monastery when it was restored, were ruined and those which remained ;
- Of St. Mennas.
P 2
io8 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
were left deserted, and were surrounded by ruins. Then they were sold
Fol. 32 a by Anba Mark, bishop of Misr, to a certain man, who demolished them,
and carried away the bricks and the timber so that this monastery ;
built for it. The architectural features and the wall of this church remain
outside the fabric. There is also, in the Hamra al-Wusta, a church
named after Saint Coluthus^, built in the caliphate of Al-Amir, and
under the government of Suwarr ibn Rufa'ah, on ground bought by the
Christians from the tribe of Banu Fahm it stood near the baths of Ibn ;
^ Any building resting upon columns is called 'suspended' ((ji^). (A.J. B.)
^ This saint, whose festival is kept by the Copts on Bashans 25 = May 20, was
a priest, and his sister was married to Arrianus, governor of the Thebaic! under
Diocletian. Coluthus suffered martyrdom by decapitation after terrible tortures.
See Georgii, De viiraculis S. Colidhi, &c., Rome, 1794; Zoega, Catal. Codd. Copt.
p. 237, cod. xli ; Amelineau, Actes des MM. p. 21.
The form of the name Kullah (ixls) is analogous to Jirjah (i>.^), Sirjah (ia-y*.),
Tadrah (i^:>lj'), Kurrah (i^), Andunah (ijjjol), &c., and to Syriac forms such as JJq.3,
derived from the Greek vocative; see Noldeke, Sjr. Gram., p. 79. Cf. Coptic
KoXee, &c.
^ Ibn Dukmalv calls it JJic ^. J^-^ jlsj
'\jX-\ The Alley of Sahl ibn 'Akil
'
*
Here follows an account of the laying out, at the time of tlie Arab conquest
and of the first foundation of Al-Fustat, of the three quarters called respectively
the Further, Middle, and Nearer Hamras. A similar account of the first laying out
THE THREE HAMR AS. 109
Hamra ad-Dutiya, and the first part of them was that which was laid
out by the tribe of Bill ibn al-'Umar ibn al-Haf ibn Kuda ah, from the
street called Darb Az-Zajjajin, by which the market-place called Suk
Wardan is entered, to the alley called Zukak Abu Farwah, or its
vicinity, and it ends at the passage called Khaukhat al-Istabl in the
Hamra. That which was laid out by the tribe of Banu Bahr ibn
Suwadah ibn Afsa extends from the Hamra ad-Dunya, opposite the Fol. 32 b
mosque of Al-Kurun, to the covered passage called Sakifat as-Sari
or its vicinity. That part of the Hamra al-Wusta which was laid out
by Hadhil ibn Madrakah extends from the guard-house of Abu
'1-Mahajir or its vicinity to the place called Bain al-Kumain^. That
of these quarters is given by Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p.ru, and by Ibii Dukmak, iv.
p. f f. It is difficult at the present day to identify many of the points described.
^ Bain al-Kumain is south of the Roman fortress where Dair Bablun and
Dair Tadrus are situated. Jabal al-Kabsh is a rocky elevation in the quarter
of Ibn Tulun, and upon it stood the well-known Kal'at al-Kabsh, of which a
good illustration with an interesting note is given in R. Hay's Illustrations of
Cairo, London, 1840, fol. The hill on which this castle stood was also called
Jabal Yashkur. As far as I am aware there is no moat or canal at the foot of the
hill now. But it is evident so far that Abu Salih is speaking of a quarter extending
from the Bab Ibn Tulun across the present rubbish-mounds in a south-westerly
direction to Dair Bablun. The mention Mennas below gives another fixed
of St.
point, if it may be idendfied with the present Dair Mari Mina and this would ;
show that Al-Hamra extended also west of the line from Bab Ibn Tulun to Dair
Bablun, in the direction of the Khalij. Finally Dair Abu 's-Saifain, lower in the
text, is described as situated in the Hamra ad-Dunya. Al-Makrizi states that under
the Abbaside caliphs the Further Hamra was again built over, and called Al-'Askar,
so that a plain which had grown bare save for the Christian monasteries dotted
over it was once more covered with houses. See Hamaker's Expugnatio
Memphidis, notes, p. 102. In the Memoires de la Mission ArcMologique Fra?i(aise
au Caire, 1 881-1884, there is an essay on the early topography of Cairo, illustrated
with four plates, which are exceedingly interesting and, as far as they go, most
valuable. But the author has strangely neglected this region of Old Cairo and
Al-Hamra, devoting all his learning and talent to the Fatimide city. On p. 417
(torn, i) there is a brief note upon Al-Hamra, which certainly makes the boundaries
no CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
part which was laid out by the
Banu '1-Azrak extended from the tribe of
Hamra al-Kuswa Yashkur ibn Jazihih ibii Lakhm, and
to the street of
to Al-Kantarah and its road, down to the moat or canal, at the foot
of the Jabal al-Kabsh, and to Al-Maja'iz and the monastery of Mary
or its vicinity and the flat below the hill is all named after Yashkur,
;
from the cemetery and the mosque of AI-Khaluk and the pool of Karun
and the hill of Yashkur ibn 'Udwan ibn Lakhm.
The Book of Al-KJiitat also relates that the tribe of Banu Kin^nah
ibn 'Amr ibn al-Kibr ibn Fahm laid out that part of the Hamra
al-Wusta which extends from the alley of Sahl ibn 'Akil to the conduit
where the wheat-sellers are, and the alley called Zukak at-Turmus,
opposite the church of Saint Mennas; and that the tribe of Banu Rubil,
whose ancestor Rubil was a Jew, laid out part of Al-Hamra, as far as
the monastery of Mary, north of the gardens of Hawi and the mosque
of Al-Khaluk on the flat. The sons of Yashkur ibn Jazilah ibn Lakhm
laid out part of the Hamra al-Kuswa, namely the open place of
Ad-Dunya and that of Ar-Rayah, and the road of Khulan from the
Darb al-Kantarah to the market-place of Wardan, and from the road
of Al-Hamra and the part beyond it on the Nile, which is called
•the place of Al-Kaba'il, to the stable and to the baths of 'As-Salib'
or '
the Church^.'
of ihe district too narrow : and it is not even marked on ihe plan which professes
to show Fustat Misr in the year 969 a.d. Tlie old bed of the river is well shown
in contrast with the present line : but there again the plan seems to me erroneous,
inasmuch as for the whole river frontage of Old Cairo the present line of the bank
is given, and the divergence of the old channel from the present channel is made
to begin at a point by the Fum al-Khalij and to extend only northward of that
point, whereas there can be little doubt that even in the tenth century the bed of
the river southward from Fum al-Khalij to Kasr ash-Shama' was still eastward
of the present line. (A. J. B.)
^
The baths of Al-Fustat and Cairo often changed their names. The baih
of 'the Church' (iu,..*j50l) was named after the church of St. Sinuthius, which stood
near it. This bath was also called the 'Bath of the Vault' {y£\ f.La-). See
Ibn Dukmak, iv. p. \ .^ .
CHURCH OF SAINT ONUPHRIUS. iii
* The Kais were an Arab tribe who settled in Egypt soon after the Mahometan
conquest. See Al-Makrizt, translated by Quatremere, Me'in. ii. p. 207 ff.
* The Lawatah were a tribe of North Africa, of Berber origin, who settled in
Pol. 33 b The church was burnt during the fire of Misr, in the month of Safar,
A.H. 564 (a.d. 1169), in the caliphate of Al-'Adid, and the vizierate of
Shawar. It was afterwards restored, with its domes and arches, by the
Shaikh Abii '1-Makarim ibn Hanna the scribe, and by other Christians.
Among the churches attached to this church of Saint Onuphrius, there
is, on the ground floor, a church dedicated to Saint Coluthus, restored
by Abu '1-Fakhr ibn Furaij ibn Khuwair, [who was priest] in the church
of the Island of Misr-; and, in the upper story, is the church of
Saint Mennas, by the Shaikh Sa'id ad-Daulah ibn Munja ibn
built
Abu Zakari ibn as-Sarid. There is also a church of the Pure Fathers,
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, restored by the Shaikh Abii Sa id Gabriel
ibn Buktur, known as Ibn al-A'raj, and afterwards by Abii '1-Fakhr, the
scribe of salaries^, known as Sa'idan. There is also the church of Saint
Or*, restored by the Shaikh Abu '1-Fakhr, the scribe of salaries of
^ This may, of course, have been a mere exercise of fancy, or it may point to
a traditional knowledge of the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics as well as of the
hieratic and demotic scripts, long preserved in Upper Egypt. The bishop
Pisentius, in the seventh century, learnt in a monastery to decipher demotic
papyri containing the names of mummies ; see Amelineau, Contes et romans de
V^gypte chre't. i. p. xxxix.
^ The Island of Misr is north of Raudah or Roda, the large island in the Nile
nearly opposite to Old Cairo. There was a Coptic monastery upon this island called
Dair ash-Shamd, doubtless from its proximity to the A'asr ash-Shamd . (A. J.
B.)
^ I. e. one of the secretaries who superintended the payment of the officials of
the government.
* Hur, whose festival is kept on Kihak 2 = Nov. 28, is a saint famous in the
annals of Egyptian monasticism. His name appears as 'flp in Greek, and as
the Diwan al-MajHs^. The Great Church- [of Saint Onuphrius] was
restoredby Abu '1-Faraj ibn Zanbur, in Barmahat of the year 899
of the Righteous Martyrs (a.d. 1183); and it became a patriarchal
church in Tubah of the year 900 (a.d. i 183-4), through the agency
of the aforesaid.
It is stated, in the Guide to the Festivals'^, that, on the 7th of Kihak,
Ibn Katib al-Farghani was beheaded. It was he who superintended
of his are among the Apophthegmaia Patrum. See his life in Rosweyde, Vitae
Patrum, p. 714 f.; of. Zoega, Cat. Codd. Copt. p. 299; Synaxarium (Paris MS. Arabe
256), ad diem ; Acta SS. at Aug. 7. The prefix Aba (Ul) is the Coptic ^n^, and
appears in Greek as a-na (Greek inscriptions at Philae), or nWa (Callimachus,
Hymji. in Dianam 6, and Greek papyrus quoted by Karabacek). Whether it is
a form of Abba, the Syriac )ir>/, generally written in Coptic as 6,&.&.^, is disputed.
^ The Great Church means, of course, the principal church, to which these
smaller churches or chapels were added, whether above it, or contiguous to it on
the same level.
^ It appears that there were several 'Guides to the Festivals' among the
Copts. The Synaxarium says at Hatur 1 7 :
q [11. 7.]
114 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Fol. 34 a the construction of the Kilometer^ in A, H. 347 ^ (a. D, 864), and his
body is church of Saint Coluthus, which was a separate church
in the
in the caHphate of Al-Amir, and has already been mentioned, in
connection with the church of Saint Mennas in the Middle Hamra.
At the time of the fire already mentioned, the threshold of black
granite, which has been described, was removed and placed at the
outer entrance, near a well of running water, where there is a burying-
ground.
The garden which lies opposite to this church was its property,
^ This was in the caliphate of Al-Mutawakkil, the Abbaside, and under Yazid
ibn 'Abd Allah the Turk, governor of Egypt.
^ The date here given corresponds with that generally recorded by Arab
historians for the completion of the Nilometer. Some repairs were carried out
by Ahmad ibn Tulun twelve years later, but Al-Makrizi, As-Suy(iti, and Al-Ishaki
agree that the Nilometer had been very little altered up to their own time, and
there is no doubt that it remains substantially the same now. The pointed arches
used in the construction of this Nilometer are about sixteen years older than those
in the mosque of Ibn Tulun, and they are of course much older than any example
of the pointed arch in Gothic architecture. Lane thinks it probable that both the
mosque and the Nilometer were built by the same architect. It was known that
the mosque of Ibn Tfllun was built by a Copt, and if Lane's theory is correct, we
have his name in Ibn Katib al-Farghani, the Coptic architect of the Nilometer.
See Lane's Modern Egyptians, vol. ii. p. 341 (App. F) ; S. Lane Poole's Art of the
Saracens in Egypt, pp. 54-55 ; Murray's Egypt, vol. pp. 174, 232 (6th ed.).
ii.
Pococke (vol. i. p. 29) gives a cut showing a plan and section of the Nilometer,
and claims special credit for its accuracy ; but he exhibits circular, not pointed
arches. Norden's section is better ; see his Voyage d'^gypte et de Nuhie,
Copenhagen, 1755, fol., plate xxvi. (A. J.
B.)
CHURCH OF SAINT ONUPHRIUS. 115
son of the Shaikh 'Ilm as-Su'ada Abu '1-Yaman, son of the Shaikh
Sanfat al-Mulk Abu
'1-Faraj ibn who handed over theal-Wazir,
management Shaikh Abu 1-Makdrim ibn Hanna, and to those
to the '
whom he should choose after him. This church was included within
the fortress built by Shawar the vizier, who constructed a passage
leading to the church, at which you arrive from the entrance of the
mosque of Al-Kurun'\ in the nearer Hamra, This mosque was built
by As-Sahri ibn Al-Hakam. To this church belonged the hegumen Fol. 34 b
Bashir ibn an-Nashr, a native of Munyat al-Umara"-^, who was wise and
learned, a good priest, sweet-voiced, beautiful in countenance, perfect
in stature, respected by men. The Shaikh Abu '1-Fadl ibn al-Uskuf,
scribe of Al-Afdal Shahanshah, was assiduous in his prayers in
this church, and communicated in it ; and when he had received the
eucharist, each day that he came, he threw into the plate^ a dinar for
this priest, on account of the pleasure which he took in his ministration
and the sweetness of his voice. This priest was drowned in the Bahr
al-Jizah ; may God give rest to his soul
q 2
I] CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
The Hamra ad-Dunya was formerly called Al-Bawasir, and the river
ran by it, and it was also called the Bank of As-Sa ir. The book of
Al-Khitat hi-Misr testifies [that near] the Kaisariyat al-JamaP stands
the important church dedicated to the martyr Mercurius^; and this church
was upon the bank of the river, which has now receded from it. The
church was restored by the father Anba Ephraim, the Syrian, the
[sixty-second] in the order of succession^, in the caliphate of Al-Imam
Al-'Aziz bi-'llah, son of Al-Imam Al-Mu'izz li-dini 'llah. In ancient
times there had been a church dedicated to Saint Mercurius, on the
bank of the but it was ruined and turned into a storehouse for
river,
^ The passage is slightly corrupt. The reference is, of course, to the Khitat
Misr of Al-Kindi, from which our author so frequently borrows. There were
many Kaisdriyahs in Cairo and Fustat Misr; and accounts of them are given
by Al-Makrizi, Khitat, ii. pp. ai-I], and Ibn Dukmak, iv. pp. rv-F.. They were
quadrangles, enclosed by a colonnade, and used as market-places or bazaars. The
name was borrowed by the Arabs from the famous Caesarium {Kaiadpiov) of
The tradition that the Nile came near it consists with the similar tradition con-
cerning Kasr ash-Shama' (see R. Hay's Illustrations of Cairo, where is an
excellent sketch of the great Roman gateway and the two bastions adjoining ;
see also note upon the plate). The main, and I think decisive, reason for this
identification lies in the absolute certainty of the association of the existing church
of St. Mercurius or Abu 's-Saifain with the legend attached to the church
of St. Mercurius of the text. The story as related to me by the priest of the
church, and the legend recorded by AI-Makin in the fourteenth century, are both
given in Coptic Churches, i. pp. 124-127: and the one-eyed water-carrier of the
legend corresponds with the one-eyed tanner of Abu Salih's earlier version.
(A.J.B.)
^ Occupied the see from a. d. 977 (?) to 981 (?) ; see Renaudot, Hist. Patr.
PP- 366-373-
CHUR CH OF SA INT 31ER C URIUS. 1 1
or in a lie. So the Christians assembled and went out to the mountain, Fol. 35 a
and the Muslims and Jews went out at the same time, on account of
a certain event which is related in the history of the church. Many of
the Muslim sayyids'^ came forward, and prayed, and cried AlWm akbar,
and implored the assistance of God, but no sign appeared to them.
Then the Jews followed them, and still no result followed. Then the
patriarch came forward, and the tanner, for whom God had performed
a miracle, followed him and all the orthodox people followed them.
;
They prayed to the most high God, and burnt incense, and cried
Kyrie eleisoii^ three times and God showed his wonders, and the
;
near the hill of Al-Kabsh, between Cairo and Misr. This miracle
took place through the faith of the tanner, who had plucked out
his own eye by the root, and in the presence of Al-'Aziz^ and the
chief men of his government, and the cadis of the Muslims. When
Al-'Aziz had witnessed this great miracle, he said 'It is enough, :
O patriarch we recognize what God has done for you ' and then he
; ;
The patriarch, however, refused with thanks but Al-'Aziz begged him ;
to ask for something, and did not cease until the patriarch had asked
for a certain church, which had fallen into ruin. So Al-'Aziz Pol. 35 b
commanded that this church should be restored for the patriarch,
and it is said to have been the church of Saint Mercurius.
When the patriarch was about to begin to work upon this church,
the common people of the Muslims attacked church had him. F.or the
fallen into ruin,and nothing was left to mark it except 'the walls, which
were also in a state of decay and it had been turned into a storehouse
;
whom be praise, who has shown his great power, is able to assist in
the erection of houses for his worship, and has no need of this world's
money.' And he begged Al-'Aziz to restore the money to its place,
and not to force him to accept it ; so the caliph consented to his request.
And when the patriarch was hindered, by those who attacked him,
from restoring the church to its original state, and when they raised
disturbances and showed their indignation at the matter, news was
brought to the prince of the faithful, Al-'Aziz bi-'llah, that the common
people would not allow the patriarch to carry out the decree for the
restoration of the church. Then Al-'Aziz commanded that a body of
his troops and his mamelukes should go and stand by during the
rebuilding of the fabric, and should repulse any who tried to hinder it,
and punish them as they deserved for opposing 'that which we have
decreed to them^.' When the people saw this, they refrained from
their attacks. Thus the work was begun.
Now it happened at that time that the Shaikh Abu '1-Yaman
Kuzman ibn Mina, the scribe, travelled to Palestine and the surrounding
districts,and remained there a considerable time, employing himself in
thework to which he had been called and in this way he gained much
;
money. He lived a solitary life, for he was not married and none ;
lived with him except his servants and he was abstemious and con-
;
patriarch :
'
Spend all this money in the path of God ; in building
churches, and in other pious works for the sick and orphans and the
poor, according to the will of the most high God and may he impute ;
it to me good deed
as a So he departed to go to Syria but before
!
' ;
^
The first person is used in this last clause only, apparently a quotalion from
the decree.
B URNING OF THE CHUR CH OF SA INT MER C URIUS. t r
9
prayers, and to pray for the continuance of peace and a good end.
So the patriarch began the restoration'^, and a body of the chief
men and the orthodox laity helped him in this work, and brought him
that which he needed of various kinds for the restoration and the pages ;
burning of this church was that the Christians had brought many gifts
to it, and had made for it many splendid vessels so the mob of ;
^ That is the Nitrian desert, or Wadi Natrfin, where the principal monastery
is dedicated to St. Macarius. (A. J.
B.)
^ Of St. Mercurius or Abu 's-Saifain.
^ See Renaudot, Hist. Pair. pp. 368-371.
*
Or John; he occupied the see from a.d. 1147 to 11 67.
I20 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Fol. 37 a Then a large multitude of them assembled and gave way to their fury,
and set fire to the church, so that nothing remained except the walls,
and a small chapel within it, which was not burnt. This chapel was
dedicated to John the Baptist^, and here the liturgy continued to be
said, until the Christians decided to restore the Great Church aforesaid.
So they restored it, and completed the sanctuary, and substituted for the
roof of timber cupolas and arches of baked brick. The wooden baldakyn
over the middle altar was renewed, and a wooden tablet was placed
upon the latter. The wooden baldakyn over the middle altar was
exceedingly handsome, of skilful workmanship, and supported on four
pillars of hard marble^. All this was provided by the Shaikh Abu
'1-Barakat ibn Abu Sa id Hablan, the scribe, in the year 892 of the
Righteous Martyrs (a. D. 1175-6)^, at his own expense; except the
pillars, which were paid for out of the funds of the church, consisting
of that which the chief men subscribed towards it, and that which was
brought by the bishops, who were appointed to vacant sees, as a present
from them. For this was in the patriarchate of Anba Mark"*, who was
known, before his promotion, as Abu '1-Faraj ibn Zar'ah, the scribe and ;
' There is now no chapel of St. John the Baptist attached to the Great Church
of Abii 's-Saifain, though there is a chapel dedicated to St. John the Evangelist.
See the plan of Abu 's-Saifain in Coptic Churches, i. p. 78. It is possible that
the chapel named in the text occupied the east end of the south aisle : and
this conjecture is borne out by the subsequent statement of Abu Salih that the
chapel of St. George also escaped the fire : for the chapel of Mart Jirjis is in
the triforium, i. e. on the first floor directly over the south aisle ; see plan, ibid.
p. 119. (A.J.B.)
^ This description of the altar-canopy resting on marble columns corresponds
with that now existing. The wooden tablet or altar-board has already been
explained. (A. J.
B.)
^ This date, with that given below, roughly fixes a. d. 1170-90 as the date
who gives ;was one of the good deeds of this patriarch. This
' and this
was and the vizierate of the most glorious
in the caliphate of Al-'Adid,
Yflsuf an-Nasir ibn Ayyub, brother of Asad ad-Din Shirkuh\ the Kurd, Fol. 37 b
under the dynasty of the Ghuzz. This restoration was superintended
by three architects, among the principal architects of Cairo. This church
had been the episcopal church, until the death of Anba Philotheus,
bishop of Cairo ; but Christodulus- transformed it into a patriarchal
church^, and appointed an income for Anba Gabriel, the successor of
Philotheus, which he continued to receive from it and arranged that ;
^ Salah ad-Din (Yfisuf ibn Ayyub) was, of course, nephew, not brother, of
Asad ad-Din Shirkuh.
"^
The sixty-sixth patriarch; he occupied the see from a. d. 1047 to iioo.
^ This would be quite a century before the restoration of the church. The
existing tribune and patriarchal throne show how the restorers marked the char-
acter conferred on the church by Christodulus. See Coptic Churches, i. p. iii,
and plan on p. 78. (A. J. B.)
* This passage refers to some inscription in the manzarah of the church. The
manzarah was a gallery in the upper story of a house, church, or mosque, open
at the side like an Italian loggia. There is a well-known example of such
a 77ianzarah in the still existing mosque of Ka'it Bey. The word also denotes,
as here, a reception-room on the ground floor: and even a separate pavilion.
(A. J.
B.)
^ The chapel of St. George (Abu Jirj or Mari Jirjis) is in the south triforium
of the church of Abii 's-Saifain, and the cupola referred to is part of the external
fabric, although it rises over the sanctuary. It is curious that Abu Salih here
specifies this chapel as escaping the fire which destroyed the main fabric, when
he had a little earlier singled out the chapel of St. John as remaining uninjured,
and so seemed to imply that no other part of the church survived. The expression
'whole and untouched' is remarkable, and would seem to show, what is otherwise
probable, that the fire was of a very partial character : unless the conjecture of
a previous note holds good, that the chapel of St. John was actually under that
of St. George. It must, however, be noticed that Abu Salili's expression only
applies to the haikal and dome, and seems to imply that the rest of the chapel
r [II. 7-]
122 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Saint George^, with the lofty cupola, erected by the Shaikh Abu '1-Fadl
Yuhanna, son of Kiil, the bishop ; whose father received the name of John
at the time of his promotion as bishop to the see of Atrib^. The cupola
and the sanctuary, that is to say the altar, and the walls of this chapel
remained whole and untouched at the time of the fire. Ibn Abu
'1-Fada'il ibn Farruj built an enclosure around this church, which he
also whitewashed and paved and it was solemnly;opened in the year
570 (a. D. 1175).
The church of the angel Michael^ was the patriarchal Cell from
westward was burnt. I may be pardoned for quoting a description of the existing
chapel written twelve years before I had seen Abu Salih. '
The choir of this
chapel retains part of the ancient panelled roof which probably once covered
the whole triforium. The beams and coffers are sumptuously gilt, and coloured
in the style of the thirteenth century : but only faint relics of its former beauty
remain.' By putting the date somewhat earlier —and merely architectural dates
in these churches are not very certain — one may possibly identify this ceiling
as previous to the general restoration. If not, it certainly dates from that epoch.
(A. J.
B.)
^ The Arabic forms of the name George are various, but correspond to
different Coptic forms of the same word. We have in Arabic Jirjiyus (,_^v^»ya.),
Jirjis ((_j-j>.^), Jirj (j^j*-), Jirjah (i*;*.), and the diminutive form Juraij (-r!/*-)
and in Coptic we
veoopvioc, vecDpvi, veopve, veojpve, vecjopv,
find
reopv, and veop. See Mr. W. E. Crum's Coptic MSS. from the Fayyum,
Index I. (A. J. B.)
^ The classical Athribis and the Coptic ^LOpH^I, the site of which lies
a little to the north-east of the modern Banha al-'Asal on the eastern bank of the
Damietta branch. Atrib was still a town or village in the fourteenth century and
later. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. iii; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. ivo f;
Quatremere, Mdm. pp. 1-25 Am^lineau, Geogr. p. 69 f
i. ;
^ Abu Salih now mentions three churches, the church of St. Michael, the
neighbouring church of Aba Nub which was destroyed by the fire, and the
CHURCH OF SAINT ANOb. 123
the time of the promotion of Anb^ Gabriel^ Abu 'l-'Ula, son of Tarik
the scribe, the seventieth in the order of succession, and after him
under Anba Jonas ^, This Tarik was a priest, who
the seventy-second.
lost his wife, and then solicited the rank of bishop but when the ;
church of St. Anthony, built on the same site as Aba Nub. These, I think, were
separate buildings, i.e. not part of Abu 's-Saifain; indeed this is proved by the fact
of St. Michael being the patriarchal Cell, and having its own courtyard, and by
the fact of Aba Nub being turned into a summer residence. But it is remarkable
that these three names are found attached to three chapels side by side in the
upper story of Abu 's-Saifain : see Coptic ChurcJies, i. p. 119, plan. There can
be little question that these three chapels are meant to preserve the names of
the three churches which have perished. (A. J. B.)
^ Occupied the see from a.d. 1131 to 11 46. See Renaudot, Hist. Pair.
pp. 500-513.
2 Or John.
^ The sixty-eighth patriarch; he occupied the see from a.d. 1093 to 1102.
See Renaudot, Hist. Patr. pp. 471-483.
* I.e. of Sinjar, the Coptic TlCtJinvepI, in the northern Delta, between Burlus
and the marshes. See Amelineau, Ge'ogr. p. 375.
° It would seem that this date should be 889 = a. d. 1172.
r 2
124 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
the glorious martyr Saint Anub\
which the patriarch
to the expenses of
Anba Gabriel contributed. was founded by Abu
It is said that it
Nasr, brother of Abii 'l-'Ula ibn Tarik, but was not finished and ;
then was newly built by the Shaikh As-Safi Butrus ibn Muhna, the
scribe. Afterwards the priest Abu '1-Khair, known as Ibn al-Amadi,
chose to pass the summer at the church of Saint Anub, and in part
of the courtyard in front of [the adjacent church of] Michael ; and here
the patriarchs generally sat on a wooden dais, to enjoy the coolness
during the days of summer. [Saint Anub] was restored as a church
after the fire,under the name of Saint Anthony, and was solemnly
opened by Anb^ John, the seventy-ninth^ patriarch, at the beginning
of his patriarchate, in the year 903^ of the Righteous Martyrs (a.d.
1187). All those named contributed to the expenses of the annual
[dedication] festival. The [last-named] patriarch died in the year 92-5*
of the Righteous Martyrs (a.d. 1207), on Thursday, the ist of Bashans^ ;
and in this very year his elder brother the priest died.
' The Arabic Aba Nub represents the Coptic <^n^ ^IIOtK, The saint,
whose festival is kept on Abib 24= July 18, was beheaded in his youth, under
Diocletian, after enduring horrible tortures. See Synaxariw7i (MS. Arabe 256), at
Abib 24; Zoega, Cat. Codd. C(?//. Cod. xxiv ; Amdiineau, Actes des AIM. p. 145 AT.
"^
This should be 'seventy-fourth.'
^ There is some difficulty about this date, as the Patriarchal History and Abu
'1-Barakat assign the election of John, the seventy-fourth patriarch, to a.m. 905 =
A.D. 1 189, and Al-Makrizi makes it only one year earlier; see Renaudot,
Hi'sl. Patr. pp. 554-5. Our author, however, is a contemporary witness.
* The other writers give a.m.
93 2 = a.d. 12 16 as the date of John's death,
which was followed by a vacancy of the see lasting for many years. Oriental
chronology is full of discrepancies !
Lord in the Temple and an altar dedicated to the martyr, the valiant
;
Fol. 39 a
St. Macarius the Great, monk of the Nitrian Desert ; St. Macarius the abbot, of
Alexandria ; and St. Macarius the bishop of Jerusalem.
'^
The festival of the Four Incorporeal Living Creatures (Apocalypse iv. 7-9 ;
Ezekiel i.
5 and x) is kept on Ilatfir 8=Nov. 4. See Synaxarium (MS. Arabe
256) ad diem.
126 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Theodore Basradiladus^. The church was restored by Al-Mu'alh'm Zavvin,
who was damin^ of Cairo in the caHphate of AI-Hafiz. Afterwards it
different from that of the Coptic martyr. The Greek church also commemorates
him.
2 See note on fol. 12 b. ^ I. e. Saladin.
* The Arabic Bamin is intended as a transcription of the Graeco-Coptic
noiJULHrt. This saint, whose festival is kept by the Copts on Kihak 9= Dec. 5,
was one of the famous hermits of Egypt in the fourth and fifth centuries. Some
of the acts and sayings of Poemen or Pastor
are to be found recorded in Rosweyde
Synaxarium (MS. Arahe 256) ad diem Zoega, Cat. pp. 290, 299, 319, and 340.
;
over the tank, a church named after Saint John the Baptist^, restored
by Abu '1-Fath, of Upper Egypt, who was priest at the church of
Al-Mu'allakah^. It was roofed with great beams. On a recent occasion
the blacks determined to pillage this monastery, and they attacked this
roof, so that they succeeded in ruining the building. Afterwards it was
restored by the aforesaid persons^, and was solemnly opened on Sunday,
the 32nd of Barmahaf*, in the year 900 of the Blameless Martyrs
(a.d. 1184), by Gabriel, bishop of Misr, and Anbi Peter, bishop of the
Fayyum. Near it is the tower, which is entered from the church, and Fol. 39 b
beneath which lies the garden; it overlooks the lake of Al-Habash, and
the river Nile, and Al-Bustan.
^ This church as well as the two previously mentioned and those subsequently
named as standing near the lake of Al-Habash are unknown, though obviously
existing at the time of our writer, in different degrees of repair. (A. J.
B.)
^ See note on fol. 9 b. ^ Only one has been named.
* The Coptic c^^.JULe^:a3e = Feb. 25-March 26.
^ Because the lake of Al-Habash, like the other thennumerous pools of
Cairo, was full of water only at the time of high Nile. Most of the pools within
the city were filled up by Muhammad 'Ali, who is said thereby greatly to have
improved the health of the place at the expense of its picturesque character. (A. J. B.)
128 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
return to
his faith. Yahya suffered much from this, and at last
repented, and consented to abandon his evil habits and so the ;
to open another door, near the first, leading into the monastery only.
This was in the caliphate of Al-Hafiz. Thus Yahya had possession
of the tower and the garden. When that apostate died, after repenting
and neglecting the matter of his religion, his sons acquired possession
of the garden and the pavilion, and made use of them and they also ;
were Muslims.
Beside the same lake", near this monastery, stands the monastery
named after Saint John the Baptist, celebrated for its beautiful and
pleasant situation, but now in the possession of the Melkites. It was
formerly restored by Abu '1-Fadl ibn al-Baghdadi and Abu Nasr ibn
'Abdun, known as Ibn al-' Addas, the metwalli of the Divan of Syria,
in the caliphate of Al-Hakim. Ibn al-'Addas rose high in the affairs
of the government and became Nizir his sobriquet was Al-hamdit'^ ;
^ The term Idblah is commonly applied to the niche in the wall of a mosque,
showing the direction of INIecca, although this is properly called mthrdb, and kiblah
denotes the point to which the eyes are directed in prayer. The meaning here is
that Yahya set on these two places the symbol of Mahometan worship. (A. J.
B.)
^ I. e. the lake of Al-Habash.
^ '
Praise to God as He is worthy,'
MONASTERY OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST. jzg
visiting it. Then troubles followed one after the other, and the greater
part of the monastery and the church fell into decay and perished. The
Melkites had a bishop at Misr, named Joseph, who did what lay in his
power to renew and restore this monastery; but the restoration remains
to this day unfinished, on account of the weakness of the sect, and their
small numbers, and the remissness of their head, and his neglect of the
supervision of this place and others. The bishop of this sect at
Misr began once more to visit this monastery on the Monday of the
second week of the Great Fast, together with a great number of
Melkites and Copts who assemble to hear the Lenten charge, and the Fol. 41 a
instructions which are given them as to what must be done during that
season. Moreover, festival is kept in this monastery on the second day
of the feast of the bathing^.
the tank,' because of the custom of bathing in the church tank, formerly observed
by the Copts on that day. The festival is observed in memory of the Baptism of
Christ, and it coincides with the western Epiphany, being kept on Tubah ii =
Jan. 6. At the time of our author, the custom of bathing in the Nile on the
S [II. 7-]
130 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
The Book of by Ash-Shabushti^, bears witness that
the i^/t'^rt^i'/m^j',
this on the bank of the lake of Al-Habash, near the river,
monastery is
and that beside it are several gardens, one of which was laid out by
the emir Tamim, brother of Al-'Aziz bi-'llah and in this there is ;
are blooming. Near the aforesaid sycamore is the bridge which leads
to many roads, and at which men set lines for fishing during the days
of high Nile and this is a pretty sight.
;
Al-Hakim seized upon part of this monastery and church, and rebuilt
it as a mosque, with a minaret and his name was inscribed upon it.;
night of the Epiphany was still observed and not only the Christians but the ;
Mahometans also followed the practice, and marked the festival by illuminations,
and a fair with its usual accompaniments; many of them pitching tents beside
the river. Al-Mas'udi, who witnessed the festival in a. h. 33o = a. d. 942, describes
the illuminations and festivities on this night ordered by Al-Ikhshid, then governor
of Egypt ; and Al-Masihi describes the observance of the festival by the Fatimide
caliph Az-Zahir in a. h. 4I5 = a. d. 1024. See Al-Mas'udi, Miirilj adh-Dhahab
(ed. Barbier), ii. p, 364 f; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. >«1F.
^ See Introduction.
^ I have changed the order of the sentences to avoid the awkward parenthesis
in the text.
^ In a paper which I wrote some years ago in the Athenamm, 1881, I tried
to show that the minaret (i,lju = lighthouse) took its origin from the Pharos at
Alexandria (dj.jj^^l i,lij>), and that theory has been rather strengthened than
shaken by subsequent research. AI-Makrizi relates that all the early minarets
were of brick, that the first stone minaret was that of the mosque of
and
Al-Maridani ; Lane Poole's Art of the Saracejis, p. 59. (A. J. B.)
see S.
* It was not Mukhallad, but his son Maslamah ibn Mukhallad, governor of
Egypt under the caliph Muawiyah from a. h. 47 = a. d. 668 to a. h. 62 = a. d. 682 ;
CHURCH OF SAINT VICTOR. 131
§ The church of Saint George, the property of the Copts, was near
the monastery of Saint John the Baptist. It was very large. Afterwards Fol. 41 b
the river flooded and not a trace of it remained.
it,
of Taj ad-Daulah, the Syrian, son of Sabil, known as the Golden Nose.' '
It is also said that all this land belonged to the vizier, Abu '1-Faraj, the
West-African, in the caliphate of Al-Mustansir, besides quarries of
yellow clay at Al-'Adawiyah, of which the [pots called] Khazaf
are made.
Church of Saint Victor.
see above, fol. 23 b. Maslamah was the who made additions to the mosque
first
^ The district of Al-Habash was adjacent to the lake of Al-Habash, and was
called in Coptic rtieo^LTOJ (Amdlineau, Geogr. p. 162). It is mentioned, not
only by 'Abu Selah,' as M. Amelineau remarks, but by Yakut, who speaks
{Geogr. Wdri. i. p. oi 1) of
'
Gardens named Al-Habash, after which the pool of Al-Habash is so called;' and
by Al-Makrizi, Khitat, ii. p. lor .
^ So called because a flight of steps led down into it. This well was con-
structed by Al-Hakim. See Al-IMakrizi, Khitat, ii. p. i^i . .
^ Also called 'Well of Abu Salamah.' It is said to have been situated in the
most beautiful spot near the lake of Al-Habash. See Al-Makiizi, Khitat, ii. p. i^i . .
S 2
133 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
district of Al-Habash, near the Well of the Steps. On the wall
of the apse of this church, a Coptic inscription was found, giving the
date of the paintings upon it, namely the year 759 of the Martyrs^
(a. D. 1043), in the patriarchate of Anba Sinuthius^, the sixty-fifth in
the order of succession. At the end of the church were built two
altars: one of them named after the martyr Saint Cosmas^, with his
brothers and his mother, and the other named after Saint John, the
martyr of Aswan and these were built at the expense of Abu "1-Barakat,
;
the above mentioned, in the year 572 (a. D. 1177). In the upper story
is a church named after George the Martyr, erected by the Shaikh
in the Roman army ; and he was beheaded after manifold tortures in the persecu-
tion of Diocletian. See Synaxarinm (Paris MS. Arabe 256) ad diem ; Amdlineau,
Acies des MM. p. 177 ff.; Zoega, Cat. pp. 113, 239. There are other saints of
Saints Cosmas and Damian with their mother and their brethren were
popular saints in Egypt. Their festival is kept on Hatfir 2 2=Nov. 18.
* The thirteenth of the Fatimide caliphs; reigned from a. h. 549-555 = a. d.
1154-1160.
^ Abu '1-Faraj Muhammad ibn Ja'far al-Maghrabi became vizier in a. h. 450,
and remained in office about a year. See Al-Makrizi, Khiiat, i. p. rei ; As-Suyuti,
Hum al-Mtihddarah, ii. p. 100 .
CHURCH OF SAINT VICTOR. m
in the caliphate of Al-Mustansir, therenamed after is another church
Saint Victor, which is now furnished and complete with
domes and its
walls. For a long time there was no liturgy there, and when this state
of things had long continued, the vizier Tala'i'^ ibn Ruzzik commanded
that some of the columns should be taken to build the mosque which
he founded in that part of Misr named Kardfah. The tribe of Karafah
were called Banu Hajas or Banu Yusuf ibn Wa'il, and they took up
their quarters at this place, when the Arabs conquered Egypt. The
place was called Karafah^, a word which means 'copyist,' or copyist of '
books ;' and there were many monks here in hermitages and monasteries,
and many churches, which the Muslims destroyed when they came with
'Amr ibn al-'Asi ibn 'Adi, in the month of Muharram of the year 20
(a. D. 641). Those of the hermitages which remain have been turned
by the Muslims into minarets. Then their hands were stretched out,
until they built of part of the walls of the hermitages the foundations
of this garden, which at the present time is still in cultivation. After-
wards, Al-Ajall Taj al-Muluk Buri'^ the Kurd, brother of Salah ad-Din Fol. 42 b
Yusuf, built many pavilions in this garden and outside it, and
embellished them with marble and gilding, and spent much money
upon them.
'
The fall of Aleppo has been dearly bought by the death of Buri.' (Abu ITida,
Awidk's, iv. p. 58.)
134 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
there were here many Nestorian monks. But when Al-Amir was
informed of this restoration, he issued a decree against Abu '1-Fada'il,
and acted extortionately towards him, and seized all his money
and the decree remained in force until the caliph had built a mosque
within the monastery. The originator of this act of tyranny was
Abu '1-Fadl Ja far ibn 'Abd al-Mun'im, known as Ibn Abu Kirat, the
metwalli of the Diwan al-Khass^ of Al-Amir. There was some land
attached to this monastery and belonging to it, outside the enclosure,
and was farmed by Abii '1-Barakat ibn Kitimah, the Jacobite
this land
scribe. There was now -no one in the monastery, which was empty,
Fol. 43 a and deprived of liturgies and prayers. One of the stewards of Kitamah
lived there, in a garden which was the property of his master but ;
the priest Yusuf, the Nestorian, gained possession of it, and let the
land to Muslims, and sold the upper story of the church at Misr,
including the bakehouse, and let most of the property with which the
Nestorian churches were endowed at low rents to the Muslims, for long
periods. There are no Nestorians with him but they live in the east,
;
a low class.
This monastery [of which we have been speaking] came into the
possession of the Copts of Misr in the patriarchate of Anba Mark ibn
Zar'ah, the seventy-third in the order of succession, who made it
^
The board which regulated matters connected with the privy purse.
MONASTERY OF THE NESTORIANS. 135
the Disciple. Its expenses were paid by the Shaikh Abu '1-Mansur ibn
Bulus, who also paid for the liturgies and the eucharistic elements and
the rest, and did not cease to supply all that was needed until the day
of his death. His son continued to provide for [the expenses of this
monastery], as his father had done may God rest his soul — and !
—
appointed ministers, both priests and deacons. The monastery is now
prosperous, and the people of Upper Egypt come to it, and open its door.
There is also a burying-place for the Coptic Jacobite Christians and
the bishops of Misr, in the district of Al-Habash and the body of Anba ;
^ The festival of this martyr is kept on Tubah 16= Jan. n. He was con-
verted to Christianity in his youth, and martyred in the persecution of Diocletian.
See Synaxarium ad diem.
"^
Occupied the see from a. d. 1002 (?) to 1032; see Renaudot, Hist. Pair.
pp. 386-408. On p. 401 Renaudot refers to this passage of Abu Salih.
^ See Al-Makrizi, Khitat, ii. p. i^io, and Renaudot, Hist. Pair, p. 390 ff., for
Sa'id ibn Mansiir, the scribe, and the second made by Nasir, the grave-
digger. In this burying-ground there is a conspicuous monument of
syenite, sculptured with a cross of points^. Near the burying-ground
is the Well of the Steps, with the sycamore beside it, and the guard-
house. At the upper end of this ground, there is a cemetery of the Jews
Fol. 44 a and Samaritans, and when they come near the Christian cemetery they
see the sign of the cross, and then they return to that part of the ground
which Anba Michael, the fifty-sixth patriarch^, sold to the Jews, at the
time when Ahmad ibn Tulun extorted money from him. This patriarch
also sold a church to the Jews^ in the Kasr ash-Shama', besides the
property of the churches at Alexandria, and the herds of camels of the
monks of the monastery of Saint Macarius. The Melkites, however, have
no cemetery in the district of Al-Habash, but their burying-places are
within their churches, and on the hill where the monastery of Al-Kusair
stands. The Armenians and the Nestorians likewise [bury] in their
churches.
Church of Al-Mariiltt
* The 'cross of points' is doubtless the Coptic cross, such as that represented
on the cover of my Coptic Churches. (A. J.
B.)
^ Occupied the see from 881 to 899
a. d. (?); see Renaudot, Hist. Pair.
Old Cairo, on the same bank of the river. The church of Al-Martuti, however,
is not now in existence, possibly because the confiscation recorded by Abu Salih
Lord Jesus Christ came down into Egypt from Syria, with his mother
in the flesh, our Lady the Pure Virgin, and the righteous old man Joseph
the carpenter, they sat in this place, where there is now a picture of
the Lady before the holy altar. The church was founded by the Copts Fol. 44 b
under the name of the Lady, and was called Al-Martuti, which is the
Greek word Matir-id'^, and means Mother of God the Word.' When
'
this church grew old it fell into decay, and was restored by the Shaikh
Abfj '1-Yaman Wazir, a native of Sanhur-, and metwalli of the Divan
of the Delta, and by Abu '1-Mansur,his son, in the caliphate of Al-Amir,
and in the vizierate of Al-Afdal Shahanshah. In its upper story Abii
'1-Yaman built a beautiful mansarah, called As-Salukiyah, and the priests
assembled there, and he conversed gaily with them this was in the lunar ;
year 478 (a. d. 1086), in the patriarchate of CyriP, and the episcopate of
Daniel. He also caused a complete set of vessels of goldsmiths' work to
be made for this church, for the liturgy and the incense and all the needs
of the church. In the upper story of the church he built several depen-
P-3I1-)
^ MrjTTjp Qeov.
of its existence. So the government laid its hand upon this garden,
and it was taken away from the church.
A certain Jew, named Abu '1-Fakhr ibn Azhar as-Sani', became
a Christian, and was converted to the religion of the Messiah, and was
baptized in this church by Anba John, bishop of Tamwaih, in the
province of Al-Jiziyah, assisted by the priest Abii Y^sir ibn Abu Sa'd
Fol. 45 a ibn al-Kustal, in the caliphate of Al-Fa'iz, in the vizierate of Tala'i*
ibn Ruzzik, and in the patriarchate of Jonas, the seventy-second in
the succession ; this took place in the month of Rajab, in the year
554 (a. D. 1 159). God enlightened this Jew so greatly that he learnt
to read Coptic, and translated it into Arabic ; and he was ordained
deacon, on account of his peculiar merits, in the church of the Pure
Lady^j in the Harah Zawilah, in the city of Cairo, by Anba Gabriel,
bishop of Mi§r, on the 15th of Abib, in the year of the church 901
(A.D. 1 1 85).
Adjacent to this church of Al-Martilti, is a church which had fallen
into decay, but was restored by Abu '1-Fada'il ibn Ash-Shubramuray-
yiki^, with the assistance of a body of Christians, in the year 902 of the
Righteous Martyrs (a. d. i \ 86). The furnishing of the church was
completed by the Shaikh Abu '1-Faraj ibn Zanbur, the scribe of
As-S(jbasi the Turk, wali of Cairo ; he paid the expenses himself, and
he provided for it a dome and a roof, and constructed over the dome
a beautiful dome of timber ;one named
and he built in it two altars,
after Saint George, and the other after the angel Michael. In the midst
of the church he erected a long vaulted transept, in which he also opened
a door which led to the altars in the old church and he separated them ;
on Monday, the 21st of Barmahat, the second day of the fifth week of
the holy fast, in the presence of Anba Mark ibn Zar'ah, the seventy-
third patriarch, and Michael, bishop of Bastah and Al-Khandak, and
Anba Gabriel, bishop of Misr, and Anba Simon, bishop of Al-Bahnasa\
and Anba Peter, bishop of the Fayyum, and an assembly of the clergy
and of the chief men.
In the upper story of this church, the steward, Sayyid al-Ahl, son of
Thomas, the archdeacon, built a church in the name of Saint Mercurius,
with a wooden altar-, and it was consecrated by Anba John, the seventy-
fourth^ patriarch, on the loth of Bashans, in the year 910 of the
Righteous Martyrs (a. D. 1194). The Shaikh Abu '1-Yaman Wazir
removed the body of Saint John from the church at Damanhur, near
Cairo, to this church, because, so it is said, when he was in the neigh-
bourhood of it on a certain night, he heard a voice from the shrine of
the martyr, saying I cannot remain in the church of the Lady
:
'
there ;
and above it rises a lofty minaret, and, around it, the chambers, which
belonged to the monks, are inhabited by Muslims and this change ;
^ The classical Oxyrhinchus, and the Coptic TieJULXe ; then the capital
of a province. It stands on the western bank, at some distance from the stream.
It was said that our Lord and his mother sojourned at Al-Bahnasa. The town
is now ruined and contains about sixty inhabitants ; it is in the district of Bani
Mazar, in the province of Minyah. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. wi ; Al-Makrizi,
Khitat, i. p. rry ; Amelineau, Geogr. p. 90.
^ This is the only definite instance known to me of a Coptic altar constructed
of wood; see Coplic Churches, ii. p. 3 if. (A. J.
B.)
^ Occupied the see from a. d. 1189 to 12 16; see Renaudot, Hist. Pair.
PP- 554-567-
t 2
I40 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
At the church of Al-MaT'tilii, the history of which has been related,
there was a priest named Abu Yasir, son of the priest Abu Sa'd, known
as Ibn al-Kustal, who maintained customs at variance with those pre-
scribed by the pure Fathers : such as growing the hair long, and baring
the head at the time of the liturgy \ and christening infants without
circumcision^, and giving permission to the bridegroom to see the
bride before marriage ^ If a priest with shaven hair and covered head
said the liturgy, he would not communicate from his hand, but he had
a second liturgy for himself. Thus he divided the church into two
parties and, although he was often rebuked for this, he would not
;
^ These two customs of wearing long hair and uncovering during the liturgy
seem to refer to the priests only neither of ihem is now practised.
: See above,
fol. 9 b and 15 a. (A. J. B.)
^ I have before stated that circumcision on the eighth day is customary, but not
obligatory, with the Copts ; while circumcision after baptism was always regarded
as forbidden. See Renaudot, Hist. Patr. pp. 286, 497, 588. (A. J. B.)
^ In prohibiting this the Copts seem to have followed the Muslims.
* The twelfth of the Fatimide caliphs, who succeeded his father Al-Hafiz in
A. H. 544 = A. D.149 and died in a. h. 549=:a. d. 1154.
1
'
There were two places of this name in the province of Al-Jiziyah, but this
TURA. 141
the upper part of it; and he planted many trees in the garden and spent
much money here. At Al-'Adawiyah are the quarries of yellow clay,
of which the [pots called] khazaf are made and they are to the north, ;
1 lira.
is probably that one which was also called Dair ash-Shama' ; see fol. 65 b. It is
still existing in the district of Badrashain in that province, and in 1885 had
a population of 883. See YSkut, Mushiarik , p. t=.v; De Sacy, Ahd-Allaiif,
p. 676 ; Rec. de I'Egypie, ii. p. 221.
^ Ruler of Yemen after a.h. 577 ; died a.h^ 593.
"^
To the south of 'Adawiyah and to the north of Hulwan, on the eastern
bank. It is now in the district of Badrashain, and in the province of Al-Jiziyah,
A.H. 86 = a.d. 706. He attempted to make Hulwan the capital of Egypt; see
below.
142 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
built on the side of the river and they say that Moses the prophet
;
—
upon him be peace was born^ there, and his mother cast him thence
into the river, in the wooden ark. Shahran is celebrated as a spot
frequented by visitors, on account of the beauty of its situation, and
the views obtained from it of Misr and the river Nile; so the Book of
the Monasteries, by Ash-Shabushti, testifies. Opposite this monastery
of Shahran, in the mountain on the east, there is a large cavern 2,
supported by pillars like a house, which has been hollowed out in the
side of the mountain, and is exceedingly extensive ; and it is said to be
called '
the city,' and the end of it is unknown.
^
Monastery of Shahran, near Turd.
Tura. These caverns were cut out by ancient Egyptian workmen quarrying for
stone for the pyramids and other buildings. The Arabs have a great horror
of mining in the dark, and tell marvellous legends of these openings into the
heart of the mountain. (A. J.
B.)
^ Al-Hakim had forced the Christians to wear black clothes and turbans, and
to use black trappings for their mules and asses, forbidding them to ride on
horseback. (A. J. B.)
^ In the Niirian desert.
* See Renaudot, Hist. Pair. p.391 if.
^
Or John. Sec the story in Renaudot, HisL Pair. p. 388 f.
MONA STFRY A ND CHUR CH AT TURA 1 43
the country.
and the latter was enclosed within a wall^ and within the enclosure
there was a well and a water-wheel. Around the church there was
a space planted with orange-trees, and two dnivairahs, which are fruit-
bearing palms, and other trees. When, however, the series of misfor-
tunes befell the Armenians, the church came back to the Jacobites, in
the patriarchate of Anba Mark^ known before his promotion as Abu
'1-Faraj ibn Zar'ah, the scribe he was the seventy-third in the succes-
;
and the people began again to frequent it at all times. Outside it,
there are stone foundations visible on the surface of the ground, which
are said to have been made for the purpose of building upon them
a manzarah ; but it was never fully prepared, and now there is only
one fragment of building in a cracked condition. When the patriarch
came to this church to consecrate it, an assembly of bishops and priests
and of the Christian laity were present.
In another copy it is said that the monastery of Saint George came
into the possession of the aforesaid priest Abu Yasir, known as Ibn
Fol. 48 b al-Kustal, and was solemnly opened in the month of Ba'iinah, in the
year 559 (a. D. 1164), in the patriarchate of Anba John, with the consent
of the Armenians. Abu Yasir built in the upper story a church to the
martyr Saint Mennas, and a church in the name of the great saint
John the Baptist and of Gregory. The latter church was to the south
of the great central sanctuary, in the monastery of the Armenians at
Tura, and it was consecrated on the 30th of Ba'unah, in the year 903
of the Righteous Martyrs (a. D. i 1 86) and the expenses of the building
;
were paid at first by Ibn Mashkur, and at the time of its consecration
by Abii Mansur, the superintendent of the building of the walls of Cairo
and Misr. In the same monastery there is a tower, and a mill, and
a garden which belonged to the Armenians and, when it ceased to
;
belong to them, it came into the possession of the Jacobites, after the
year 600 (a. D. i 204). When the priest Abu Yasir died, the monastery
became the property of his disciples, and of the Copts, permanently
down to our own time.
§ The western range unites itself to the mountain chain of Western Fol. 49 a
Africa and to the western shores, which at last reach the land of Ibn ^
Ghawatah, and the Dark Sea^. The river Nile flows between these two
mountain-ranges.
2 The Atlantic.
^ Arcadius can hardly have founded this monastery in memory of his teacher,
who is said to have outlived him by some forty years at least ; see Gibbon
(Edinburgh, 1832), vol. v. p. 148 n. Tlie association of Arsenius with the monas-
tery is, however, probably authentic. The ful{ name of the convent, according
to Al-Makrizi, was monastery of John the Dwarf (Yuhannus al-Kasir or Al-
Kusayyir), i.e. St. John Kolobos; see Khitat, ii. p. 0.1 (A. J. B.) .
U [II. 7.]
146 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
is kept there in honour of Arsenius, at which many people assemble.
Below his church on the mountain-top, there is another church, hewn
out in the rock with the pickaxe ^ and in it there is an altar. The
monastery is on the upper part of the mountain and stands on a terrace,
on a peak of the mountain, and is fairly constructed and commands
a beautiful view. It has a well hewn in the rock, from which water is
^ This would be the church of St. John the Baptist named below on fol. 51a.
"^
Khamarawaih, son of Ahmad ibn Tulun, and second of the Tulunide
dynasty, ruled Egypt and Syria, nominally under the suzerainty of the Abbaside
caliphs, for twelve years, from a. h. 27o=a.d. 884 to a. h. 282=:a. d. 895. The
annual tribute demanded from him by the caliph amounted to about 500,000
dinars. He was famous for his magnificence and his love of art. The story
which our author tells of his admiration for the mosaics at the monastery of
Al-Kusair is told also by Yakiit, Geogr. Wort. ii. p. 100.
^ Eustathius succeeded Balatianus, as Melkite or orthodox patriarch of
Alexandria, in the sixteenth year of the caliph Harun Ar-Rashid, i. e. a. d. 802, and
occupied the see for two years. See Eutychius {Annales, ii. p. 410), who is
the authority from whom the statements in the text are taken. Eutychius
explains ^^j^ as
went down with it to fill up the quantity required and the monk ;
remained by the river, while the mule kept going backwards and
forwards by itself, until he had finished his business. The monastery
is enclosed within a stone wall but on one occasion a mob of Muslims
;
went up, and by a ruse induced the monks to open the gate to them,
whereupon they entered and sacked the monastery, and killed some
of the monks.
The monastery known as Al-Kusair al-Hakkani is within the desert,
and is uninhabited it is half-a-day's journey from the monastery which
;
is being described.
The number of churches at the monastery of Al-Ku.sair, accord-
^ I.e. May 8. Cf. Synaxarium (Paris MS. Arabe 256) for that day.
^ This must be a confusion with the length of Eustatliius' life.
U 2
148 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
ing to a description, of the date of Barmahat, in the year 891 of the
Blameless Martyrs (a.D. 1175), was ten.
(i) In the upper part is the church of Saint Arsenius, the teacher of
the sons of the emperors and his body is buried under the altar, which
;
* This is exceedingly interesting for two reasons : (i) It is unusual for a church
to have less than three altars now, though Abu Salih proceeds to enumerate several
with this peculiarity ; and (ii) I do not know any other so distinct and unquestion-
able evidence of the practice of burying the body of a saint under the high altar of
an Egyptian church, though ten or twelve years ago, writing on the subject of the
Coptic altar in ignorance of Abu Salih's testimony, I had no hesitation in inferring
that the practice existed. See Coptic Churches, ii. pp. 12-16. (A. J.
B.)
^ In teclmical language this means, I think, that the nave was roofed with
wagon-vaulting, such as may still be seen in the basilica in the Harah Zuwailah
in Cairo, in the church of Al-Mu'allakah within the fortress, and in many
others, (A. J.
B.)
' This is, as far as I know, with the subsequent statements of our author, the
only direct evidence of the use of the Byzantine glass mosaic in the churches of
Egypt, and it is fortunate that Abu Salih's testimony is of unmistakable clearness.
The arrangement which he sketches is common enough, indeed is almost
exactly reproduced in the haikal of Abii 's-Saifain {Coptic Churches, i. p. 112, see
also p. 40). But there the design is painted on the wall, not wrought in mosaic :
in glass mosaic remaining in the Coptic churches, or anything to show that this
form of art ever flourished in Egypt, though mosaic of another kind constitutes
some of the most splendid decoration in churches and mosques alike. There is,
however, some evidence from early writers to support the construction of the text.
MELKITE MONASTERY OF AL-KUSAIR. 149
and some of these glass tesserae were gilded and some were coloured,
Khamarawaih, son of Ahmad ibn Tulun, used to stand before these
The allusion to Bethlehem is, of course, to the church of the Nativity erected
there in a. d. 327 by the empress Helena, and it is possible that even at that date
glass mosaics were employed for decoration : for those in the church of S.
Pudenziana at Rome and S. Costanza at Naples are said to date from the fourth
century. However that may be, there is no doubt that by the time of Justinian
the walls of the church at Bethlehem were covered with mosaics, traces of which
remain even at the present day in spite of renewals and destructions.
Eutychius records the visit of the caliph 'Umar to this church, his admiration
for the mosaics in the southern transept (' for the whole vault was decorated with
many-coloured designs in mosaic work '), and his order that no change should be
made in the decoration (ed. Pococke, ii. pp. 158, 288). But the best account
of these mosaics is given by De Vogiid in his ^glises de la Terre Sai?ile,
p. 66 ff.
The word rendered tesserae in the text is i^yos, the plural of ^ /ass. But
Eutychius, in the passage just quoted, uses the word l-*a^«J fusaifisd as the term
for glass mosaics — a term derived from the Byzantine \JM']4>cc(rts. Now the author
of the History of Damascus speaks of ^ya^i or tesserae, coloured and gilt, which
are known 2l% fusaifisd ; and similarly Kamal ad-Din ^t^x\.t% fusaifisd as equivalent
to ^.JaJ^ ^J=3 or gilded tesserae. Further, Ibn Batutah mentions a mosque
adorned with pictures of great beauty in gilt mosaic, and again of animal figures
in mosaic. These authorities are quoted by Quatremere, Hist, des Sultans
Mainlouks, ii. Liv. i. 270 n. But the point which Quatremere misses
append, p.
is that if these passages are examined, they are found all to establish the use
of glass mosaics, but out of Egypt — in Syria. and Arabia. I do not, however,
know of any passage proving the use of Byzantine mosaic in Egypt to put beside
this clear and explicit evidence of Abu Salih, here and on fol. 104 a. The splendid
lamps of the type called Kala'uni, found till recently in churches and mosques,
but now chiefly in museums, show what skill in glass-work the Egyptians pos-
sessed in mediaeval times —a skill far higher than would be needed for making
the cubes of mosaic work. Going further back, we find record of famous glass-
works at Fustat. Further back still, Olympiodorus of Alexandria wrote on the
sacred art of alchemy, which included the making of glass coloured like precious
stones. This was early in the third century, and the MS. is in the Bibliotheque
I50 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
pictures and admire the beauty of their execution, and was much
delighted with them, especially with the picture of the Lady ;
so that
he even built a mangarak for himself at this monastery, that he might
come This church was very large but Al-Hakim
there for recreation. ;
destroyed it in the year 400 (a.d. ioio). Afterwards there was built
on the same site a new church, named after Peter and Paul, in which
there was one altar surmounted by a baldakyn, and over the middle
of which there was a vaulted roof.
(4) The church of Stephen, the chief of the deacons and first of the
martyrs for the name of Christ among the Israelites.
Fol. 51 a and his brother, Abu '1-Fada'il, was charged with the control of the out-
lay. This Abu '1-Barakat was the metwalli of the Dhvdn at-ta/ikik'^, in
NationaU. See Hendrie's Theophilus or Arts of the Middle Ages, 1847, p. 163.
The same most interesting work has a long account of glass-making and painting
in Book II, and Greek enamelling and mosaic are described t'd. ch. xiii-xv.
pp. 133-135. Strabo was told by the glass-workers of Alexandria that they
were enabled to execute their magnificent works of art solely through the exis-
tence in Egypt of a peculiar earth (Book XVI, ch. ii. § 25, quoted by Perrot
& Chipiez, Htst. of Art in Egypt, ii. p. 375). Indeed the manufacture of glass
is now supposed to have had its origin in Egypt, and the art of enamelling which
flourished under the caliphs certainly began with the Pharaohs. (A. J.
B.)
*
This 'Melkite' saint is, of course, not also revered by the monophysite
Copts, since he was the great opponent of the monophysite leader, Severus of
Antioch, and the determined adherent of the Roman see.
2 This was the board which regulated the expenses of the government.
The metwalli of this Divan was a person of high rank. In a. h. 501 a sum of
700,000 dinars is said to have passed through the hands of this Divan, apart from
the expenses of the officials, and Abii '1-Barakat ibn Abi '1-Laith arranged the
dinars in boxes on one side of the room and the dirhams on the other side.
When the vizier Al-Afdal saw this large sum of money, he said to Abu '1-Barakai
'
By my father's tomb, if I hear of any well out of order, or of any land lying
MELKITE MONASTERY OF AL-KUSAIR. 151
the vizierate of Al-Afdal, and afterwards, until he was put to death in the
year 528 (a. D. 1134). In this church there is one altar, surmounted by
a small baldakyn and over the midst of the church there is one large
;
(9) The church of Cosmas and Damian and their brothers and their
mother, who were all martyred for the name of Christ.
(10) Below this is the church of Saint John, the Baptist and Fore-
runner, in a cave, and with a stone roof, supported on a pillar, like
a house which is concealed. In the midst of it, and on the roof, are
ecclesiastical paintings, most of which have been effaced. Near this
church is the tomb of John the monk, who planned the walls of
Cairo and its gates \ in the caliphate of Al-Mustansir, and in the
uncultivated, or of any village in ruins, I will cut oflf thy head ' to which the
metwalli answered :
'
Far be it from thee that in thy days any village should be
ruined, or land left unculdvated, or well allowed to fallout of repair !' Al-Makrizi
confirms the statement of our author that Abfi '1-Barakat was put to death in
A. H. 528. See Khitat, i. p. F. 1
^ This piece of information is very interesting, and is one more proof that the
Copts were the architects of Cairo, as I have always contended, and not the
Moslems.
What Abu Salih says is that John the monk planned the new walls of Cairo
in the vizierate of Badr, under the caliphate of Al-Mustansir. The original walls,
of brick, were built by Jauhar, under the caliph ,A1-Muizz in a. d. 969 or 970 (see
Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p, rw ff.) ; but a century later these walls, being outgrown,
were demolished by Badr al-Jamali, in a. d. 1087, who extended the boundaries
of the city, especially on the northern and southern sides, erecting new walls of
brick, with gateways of stone (see Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. rvi). In his learned
essay on the topography of Cairo, M. Ravaisse gives a very clear plan, showing
the walls of Jauhar and those of Badr. Saladin subsequently extended the citadel
and made other enlargements, but in the main the existing walls are more probably
those of Badr than those of Saladin. See M. Ravaisse in Mem. Archeol. de la
3Iiss. Frang. au Caire, 188 1-4 ; esp. plate 2 facing p. 454. (A. J.
B.)
153 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
vizierate of Amir al-Juyush Badr ; over his tomb there is a marble slab
in the walP.
The church of Saint George 2, which has already been mentioned
among these numerous churches, is outside, on the peak of the moun-
tain, and it was founded by the Shaikh Abu '1-Hakam, brother of AbO
made for him, and it contains the stone which he used as a pillow.
Within the monastery there is a cistern, which receives water from the
mountain at the time of rain. There is also a well of springing water,
hewn in the rock, of which the monks and their visitors drink. There
is a mill hewn in the rock. The churches
are likewise founded in the
rock. Near the church of Saint Sabas, restored by Abu '1-Barakat,
there is a manzai^ah which was made for Al-Amir, who came here in
the hunting season ; and there is a place for his attendants. There
is here the manzarah of Khamarawaih, son of Ahmad ibn Tulun, in the
upper story of the monastery on the eastern side it has now fallen into ;
decay. The monastery now, in our time, contained five monks in poor
circumstances, until the end of Barmahat, in the year 891 of the
Righteous Martyrs (a.d. 1175). After that, Fakhr ibn al-Kanbar^,
the misleader of the ignorant through his false creed, came to live
there, with a body of his followers and he dwelt there twenty years, ;
^ This tomb was apparently in the cave in which the church was hewn. The
slab over the tomb is worth notice, as the Copts never mark the burial-places of
the dead in any of the old churches. (A. J. B.)
2 No. 5 in the list of churches. ^ See above, fol. 9 a ff
*
I. e. the first week of Lent, during which the use of fish and other white meat
is allowed. (A. J.
B.)
2 The Coptic Mechir (JULe^Ip) = Jan. 26 to Feb. 24.
CHURCH OF THE CHAMBERLAINS A T AL-KANTARA H. 153
Hermes Trismegistus.
Khar^ba, son of Malik, one of the sons of Baisur,
§ Kalkali^, son of
son of Ham, son of Noah, was exceedingly wise
and it is said that ;
his teacher was Hermes^, who was the first inventor of alchemy, and
turned lead into gold, and hardened quicksilver into solid, white gold,
and melted sand into glass ^; and his glass-furnace was at a place called
'
the Oven"^,' at the top of the eastern mountain, outside Cairo.
^ Al-Makrizi and As-Suyfiti write this name Kalkan (^j50i), and the father's
^ This village, or suburb of Al-Fustat, has already been mentioned ; see fol.
23 b and 32 b. The reason for the foundation of this church at this spot is given
by Eutychius, namely that when the caliph was residing at his palace called the
'
Dome of the Air ' on the Mukattam hills, his Greek (Roman) chamberlains
found it too far to go to the Melkite churches in the Kasr ash-Shama' or Fortress
of Babylon, and so asked and obtained his permission to build a church at the
nearer suburb of Al-Kantarah ; see Eutychius, Aimalcs (ed. Pococke), ii. p. 430.
X [II. 7.]
154 ' CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGVPT.
the chamberlains of Al-Ma'mun^ 'Abd Allah, son of Harun ar-Rashid,
since it was near the '
Dome of the Air-,' which he founded on the
Mukattam hills. The Christians wore black garments^, and rode on
horses, until the caliphate of Al-Mutawakkil Ja'far, who forbad them
to do so.
Huhvdn.
alighted from the ass which he was riding, and ordered his groom, who
accompanied him wherever he went, to hough the ass and he himself ;
went alone into the inner parts of the desert and never returned nor ;
[from the hills] to the lake. Beside the latter he erected a pavilion
of glass ^
'Abd al-'Aziz also built several mosques at Hulwan, and spent much
money here. One copy of the history states that he spent a million of
dinars here. He also planted palms and other trees here. He levied
the land-tax several times in every week, fearing that a rebellion might
arise and come upon him, and that then he would stand in need of
money. He built the bridges over the canal of the Prince of the
Faithful*. It was his wish to remove the seat of commerce by land
and water to [Huhvan], and to depopulate Al-Fustat. [In his time] Fol. 53 a
the public treasury was at Hulwan.
§ [There is at Hulwan] a monastery named after the Lady Mary,
the Pure Virgin. It was erected at the expense of the bishops, in the
' I translate the words thus because the statement and even some of the words
are apparently borrowed from Eutychius, who says
'
He had begun to be attacked by the disease of elephantiasis, so the physicians
selected the city of Hulvvan as a residence for him.' (^Annales, ii. p. 369.)
^ This was in a. h. 79 = a. d. 699; see Al-Makrizi, Khitat, ii. p. n«A An .
X 2
156 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
patriarchate of Anba Isaac ^ the monk, who was the forty-first in
the order of succession, and in the patriarchate of his successor, Anb^
Simon- the Syrian, the forty-second patriarch, during the governorship
of Abd al-'Aziz ibn Marwan, through the agency of Gregory ^, bishop
'
'
Occupied the see from a. d. 686 to 688 ; see Renaudot, Hist. Pair.
pp. 177-9. Al-Makin gives the name of the patriarch as Isak (dl~jj) in Coptic,
transcribing the word IC^^K ; see Tarikh al-Muslimm, ad ann. 66. The
foundation of a church by the patriarch Isaac at Hulwan, during the residence there
of'Abd al-'Aziz, is mentioned in the Coptic life of this patriarch; see Amdlineau,
Hist, dupatr. Isaac, p. 78. The Patriarchal History also says:
'And [Isaac] built a church at Hulwan because he was visiting the emir
'Abd al-'Aziz at that place. Now the emir had commanded the chief men
of Upper Egypt and all the provinces to build each one a house for himself at the
city of Hulwan.' (Brit. Mus. MS. Or. 26,100, p. 126, 11. 22-4.)
^ Occupied the seefrom a. D.688-7oo(?); see Renaudot, ZTzj/.P^/r. pp. 179-189.
^ This bishop is mentioned as the chief bishop present at the election of John,
who was set aside by 'Abd al-'Aziz in favour of the patriarch Isaac ; see Brit. Mus.
MS. Or. 26,100, p. 125, 1. 27 — p. 126, 1. I. The building of the church in
question and of other churches was entrusted to the superintendence of the
bishop Gregory by 'Abd al-'Aziz.
' After three years 'Abd al-'Aziz dismissed the bishops to their sees that they
might find means for building two churches at Hulwan ; and the bishops spent
money from their own revenues upon the building ; and the governor entrusted
the superintendence of the building to Gregory, bishop of Al-Kais.' {Ibid. p. 1 35,
11. 4-6.)
* The Coptic K<i,ic. Now in the district of Bani Mazar in the province
of ]\Iinyah, with a population in 1885 of 3,160. In Yakut's time it was in ruins.
CHURCH A ND MONA STERF AT DA HSHUR. 157^
See Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome) [pp. 47 and 113]; Yakut, Geogr. Wor/. iv. p. no;
Amelineau, Geogr. pp. 395-397.
^ Or John; he occupied the see from a. d. 677 to 686 (?), and was the
predecessor of Isaac, and the fortieth of the Coptic patriarchs. See Renaudot,
Hisl. Pair. pp. i'j4—i'j>j.
^ There would seem to be some confusion between this church and that
mentioned on fol. 52 a. Both accounts, however, are based on Eutychius, who
speaks of the church built by the chamberlains of 'Abd al-'Aziz at Hulwan in
Annales (ed. Pococke), ii. p. 369, and calls it ^JJ^\^\ A^.-p as here.
^ We are told a few lines further down that it was at Dahshur, which is
nth of Tubah and on the Monday of Easter; and the people mani-
;
fested great joy on account of these saints, and held spiritual communion
[with them].
The revenues of this monastery and this church, which are in the
Dahshur ^ in the province of Al-Jiziyah. were composed
district called
partly of an income of money and produce, together with the
endowments and votive ofiferings and other receipts. But this state
of things was afterwards changed, and disappeared through the dis-
appearance of the good people and this church became a mosque, and ;
was called the mosque of Moses and the monastery was entirely ;
Fol. 54 a § There is a church named after Mary, the Pure Virgin. It was
restored in the patriarchate of Anba Isaac, the forty-first in the
succession, by Gregory, bishop of Al-Kais. The bricks and timber
of this church were taken away, at the time of the victory of the emir
Valentinian I, and to have been devoted to pious exercises from their youth. After
Husain ibn al-Hafiz and of the quarrel between the Raihaniyah and
the Juyushiyah^, when many on both sides were killed. With the
materials thus seized, the mosque called '
Mosque of the Hyena,' at
Itfih,was restored, in the lunar year 528 (a. D. 1134). The result was
that this church was entirely ruined and fell to the ground.
§ Itfih received its name from one of the sons of Malik, son of
TadraS; one of the sons of Mizraim ; for most of the large towns are
called after the names of their sons. [Itfih] travelled towards the west,
until he reached the [Sea of] Darkness-, and beheld many wonders.
§ The monastery named after Saint Anthony^. This stands to the
east of Itfih, and to the south of Misr, and from it to the river Nile there
^
These two sections of the Egyptian army quarrelled and fought in the reign
of Al-Hafiz, and his son Husain had much trouble in quelling the riots. See the
account in Al-]\Iakrizi, Khttat, ii. p. 1 v fif.
" The Adantic Ocean, called by the Arabs Az-Zidmah or Bahr az-Zulumdt,
was thought by them to be the western portion of the circumambient ocean. In
these dark regions, curiously enough, is placed the Fountain of Life, of which
Al-Khidr drank and so lives on to the Day of Judgment. (A. J.
B.)
^ Abij Salih now passes from the Nile valley eastward through the desert to
the celebrated monastery of St. Anthony, which lies in the mountains towards
the Red Sea coast, to the south-east of Cairo, and nearly in lat. 29*^ N. In Coptic
Churches, i. p. 342 ff., may be found some remarks on this and the neighbouring
monastery of St. Paul. A woodcut of Dair Antd^iiyils is given in Sharpe's Hist.
of Egypt, ii. p. 350. St. Jerome in his Life of Hilarion gives a brief description
of the place, mentioning the gardens with their springs of running water, and the
chapel of St. Anthony on the height. For the visit of the Pfere Sicard, see
tome v. pp. 125-200 of Nouveaux MetJi. des Missions du Levant, Paris, 1725,
where there is an interesting plan of Dair Atddfiiyus and Dair Btlhis, as well as
a map of Egypt. Still earlier is the visit in the seventeenth century of Jean
Coppin, a French officer, who published his travels in a work called Bouclier
dc V Europe, Paris, 1686, 410, where there is an account of these monasteries on
p. 305 ff. Pococke (vol. i. p. 128), besides some brief notes on the two monasteries,
i6o CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
is a distance of three days' journey through the desert of Al-Kulzum.
The pure body [of Saint Anthony] Hes at this monastery, buried in his
cave\ in which he used to pray is walled up within.
;
[the body]
His
church, named upon the summit of the holy mountain.
after him, stands
Pol. 54 b This monastery possesses many endowments and possessions at Misr.
It is surrounded by a fortified wall. It contains many monks. Within
the wall there is a large garden^, containing fruitful palm-trees and
apple-trees and pear-trees, and pomegranates and other trees besides ;
a large and well-built keep. The cells of the monks overlook this
garden. The monastery possesses property and gardens also in Itfih.
There is nothing like it among the other monasteries inhabited by
Egyptian monks. It is in the possession of Jacobite monks.
§ It was in the Egyptian desert that Anba Andunah, the Egyptian,
appeared. He was also named Antonios, the Star of the Desert and
Father of Monks ^ He was the first monk who lived in the desert and ;
In recent times, the late Mr. Greville Chester Dair Atifdmyils, and published
visited
dwelt in the deserts. The angel of the Lord also appeared to him,
and showed him how to wear the monkish habit \ and taught him how
he must act in dwelling in the desert, that he might be an example
to other monks, who should imitate him and live according to his
pure life.
was born at Ko/aa or Ko'/xa near Heraclea, and where his life is given ; Bibl. Magna
PalruT7i, torn. ix. p. 729 ; Athanasius, Op. torn. ii. p. 450 fF. ; Rosweyde's Viiae
Pairum, s.v.; Sharpe's Hisi. 0/ Egypt, ii. p. 274, &c. (A. J. B.)
^ Hence called the Angelic Habit; see Coptic Churches, i. p. 347 and p. 334.
(A.J.B.)
^ This story is related in the legend of St. Mercurius given in Coptic Churches,
ii-
PP- 357-360. (A. J. B.)
^ The story is not to be found in the works of St. Basil now extant in Greek.
* Eutychius relates, on the authority of St. Basil, that the latter was sitting in
his room, with a picture of St. Mercurius before him, when it suddenly disap-
peared from the panel on which it was painted ; but that it reappeared an hour
later with blood on the point of the lance, much to the astonishment of St. Basil,
until he heard that at that very hour Julian had been mysteriously slain. (A. J. B.)
^ I. e. Eutychius; see the story in his Annates (ed. Pococke), i. p. 485, whence
Abfi Salih has borrowed it. Artaxerxes is, of course, inaccurately put for his
descendant Sapor, mentioned a few lines above. Artaxerxes was the founder of
the Sassanian dynasty of Persia, and reigned from a.d. 226 to 241. Sapor II
reigned from a.d. 310 to 380. The death of Julian was in a.d. 363, whereas
the year of Alexander (i. e. of the Seleucian era) 580 would be 267. (A. J.
B.)
[IT- 7-]
y
1 62 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
this happened in the reign of Artaxerxes, in the year 580 of Alexander,
or, according to another copy, in the year 554 of Alexander. The
history of Mahbub al-Manbaji, son of Constantine, relates the same
incident.
With [Anthony] also was PauP the monk; and these two were
the first who clothed themselves in woollen garments, and dwelt in
Pol. 55 b the deserts. This was in the patriarchate of Dionysius^ the fourteenth
in the succession. In the time [of Anthony] also lived Athanasius^ the
scribe, patriarch of Alexandria, and Saint Pachomius'*, the Egyptian
monk, and Basil, bishop of Caesarea.
In this district [of Itfih]^ there are seven churches, of which six
'
The name is corruptly written ; it probably passed through the stages
^0t ^^.i u^JJ.) u"'"M' ur-^^-' '^'hich are intelligible enough if we suppose that
they were the result partly of careless dictation, partly of careless writing from
dictation, and partly of careless copying.
Sozomen (vi. 29 and i. 13) mentions two Pauls, viz. (i) a saint who lived
with him. He prayed 300 times a day, and had a bag of pebbles by which
to count his orisons a sort of rosary. —
(2) Paul, called the Simple, who was
a disciple of Anthony and who gave his name to the monastery of St. Paul or
Dair Bidiis, as it is now called, a day's journey to the south of Dair Antimiyus.
Abii Salih's account of Dair BuJus —a very scanty one — is given a few pages
below. (A. J.
B.)
2 Occupied the see from a. d. 248 (.?) to twelfth year of Gallienus, i.e. 264-5.
See Renaudot, Hist. Pair. pp. 32-39. St. Anthony lived from a. d. 251 to 356.
^ Athanasius was a friend of St. Anthony. His life and writings are too well
known to need special reference. (A. J.
B.)
*
A celebrated monk of Tabennesi, called the Father of the Coenobites, because
he first gathered the monks together into monasteries. His '
Fifty Rules for the
Monastic Life' are given in Migne's Pa/res Aegyptii, p. 948; and Palladius gives
his history. See Ada SS. for May 14, Rosweyde, Tillemont, and the Coptic
life by his disciple Theodore, published in 1889 by M. Amdlineau. Pachomius
seems to have been born about a. d. 280, and to have died in a. d. 348 or 349.
His festival is kept by the Copts on Bashans 14 = May 9. (A. J. B.)
^ As the road to the monastery of St. Anthony started from Itfih or near it,
THE HERETIC BALUTUS. 163
belong to the Copts and one to the Armenians ; this last is named after
the martyr Saint George.
our author speaks as if the monastery was in close connexion with the town ; see
above-, fol. 10 a.
* There are two places of this name Al-Jummaizah the Great (AI-Kubra)
:
and Al-Jummaizah the Little, (As-Sughra), both near Itfih. This monastery
is mentioned by Al-Makrizt [Khitat, ii. p. o.r), who says it was also called
Al-Jud, and was dedicated to St. Anthony. Perhaps it is identical with the
monastery of St. Anthony near the Nile, a little to the south of Itfih and there-
fore not far from Al-Jummaizah from this monaster}- provisions were sent
; to
the great monastery of St. Anthony near the Red Sea.
^ A town about twenty miles below Al-Kais, on the west bank, and not far
from Al-Bahnasa; see Yakut, Geogr. Wort. ii. p. irr; Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome) [p. 113].
It does not seem to be in existence now. As the place is at some distance from
Al-Jummaizah, and on the opposite bank of the river, perhaps our author or his
abbreviator has here confused two monasteries.
y 2
i64 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
clothed as he was in the monastic habit, girded with the ztmiyah and
the asMin ^. When he was questioned as to his religion and his creed,
he professed himself a believer in the Unity of God^. His doctrines
prevailed during a period which ended in the year 839 of the Righteous
Martyrs (a.D. 1123) then he died, and his memory was cut off for ever.
;
^ I have already explained that by the asMm is meant properly the o-^jj^a
d-yyeXtKoi/ or angelic habit, but it sometimes denotes merely the leathern girdle,
as Al-Makrizi says
'
The askim, which is a leathern belt with a cross upon it, and with which the
monks gird themselves.' [Khitat, ii. p. o.a .)
The wearer of this girdle has, nowadays, for the time being to double his
offices and make 600 daily prostrations. The order made by St. Pachomius for
the monkish habit enjoined the use of a sleeveless cassock — x*''"*"*' nxfipi^o^ros,
a hood (TK€naafjLa or kovkovKlov, a girdle (oiVT] — the zthi/yah of the text, and the
dva^Xevs, which is defined as rovs wjxovs Kai Tovs ^paxlovas dpfxc^", and seems to
have been a sort of scarf worn across the shoulders (Sozomen, iii. c. 14). But
the P^re Sicard seems to identify the angelic habit with this dm^o\fv<:. He says
that the habit is a sort of '
pallium ou scapulaire ' of leather, called the as^hi
that it falls from the shoulders over the back and chest and has four ends worked
with crosses, and that these ends are disposed crosswise over the body in various
fashions. {Noiiv. Mem. des Missions dans le Levant, v. p. 150.) (A. J. B.)
2 Or a '
Unitarian.' (A. J. B.)
' Yakut sets this place on the eastern bank of the Nile, but says no more
about it. It does not seem to be in existence now, but was presumably between
Itfih and Saul. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort, ad voc.
* I can only conjecture that this saint is the martyred priest of Shatnfif, Aba
Ari (t/.l bl), commemorated in the Synaxariiim on Misri 9 = Aug. 2. See
Hyvernat, Actes des MM. de I'Egypte, p. 202 ff. Cf Am^lineau, Actes des MM.
copies, p. 151,
CHURCHES A T ITFIH. 165
In the district of SauP there is a church named after the Lady, the
Pure Virgin Mary.
There is also a church named after the glorious and valiant martyr
Theodore, the Eastern^.
There is also a church to the glorious Saint John^.
Churches at Itfih.
Moreover in the district of Itfih, in the city and outside it, there
were more than twenty churches but only ten of them remain to the ;
the Lady, which belongs to the monks and a church named after ;
the valiant martyr Theodore and a church named after Saint Cosmas ;
;
and a church named after the Lady, the Pure Virgin and a church ;
named after the saint Aba Jul^; and a church of the martyr Saint
^ On the east bank, to the south of Itfih ; the place is now included in the
district of Itfih (Atfih), in the province of Al-Jiziyah, and in 1885 had a population
of 3,184. See Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome) [p. 48]; Yakflt, Geogr. Wari. iii. p. i«ro ;
Gospel' (.»^4JJ1 J^^l u-*a.Lo), commemorated on Abib 16= July 10, who had
the gospels written out for him in golden letters. (A. J.
B.)
* There is some difficulty about this town, which Al-Makrizi places close to
Daljah, i. e. on the west bank, to the west of Mallawi and Ushmunain {Khitat, ii.
p. o.e), whereas our author seems to set it on the east bank, near Itfih.
""*
Aba Jul is without doubt a corrupt form of Aba Bajul, the Coptic <Ln<5,
1 66 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Fol. 56 b Mennas, called the Church of the Column,' over which is a sheet
'
on the bank of the Salt Sea^ and between it and the monastery of
Al-Jummaizah there is a journey of two days through the desert.
Monks in priest's orders and deacons come from the monastery of the
great Saint Anthony to the monastery [of Saint Paul] to celebrate
monastery of Al-Kusair, in connexion with which our author has already told
the story of the mule ; see fol. 50 a.
^ This is the famous monastery of St. Paul {Dair Btllus), of which I have
spoken above, near the Red Sea and almost a day's journey beyond St. Anthony.
St. Jerome, in the Life of Hilarion, quotes St. Anthony's disciples, Amathas
and Macarius, as stating that Paul the Theban was the real author of monasticism
— principem
' ejus rei fuisse non nominis '
— if the reading is right and St. Jerome
;
professes his own agreement with that opinion ; although St. Anthony is generally
called, as by Abu Salih, the '
father of monks.' (A. J. B.)
* The sea is called Jlll^s.-^' in distinction from^^^ without an epithet,
which might mean simply a river or canal, and in Egypt generally means '
the
Nile.'
AL-FARAMA. j6y
A/-Aris/i.
Al-Fnramd.
^ The Wadi 'l-'Arabah is a valley running from west to east between the Nile
and the Red Sea. The pool of Miriam is a name given by our author to
'
'
a spring which bursts out of the rock behind the monastery of St. Anthony and
supplies it with water, and in which Miriam, the sister of Moses, is said to have
bathed at the time of the Exodus (Makrizi, Khitat, ii. p. o . r ; cf Murray's Guide,
p. 324).
"
It is interesting to know that remains of the ancient Rhinocolura existed in
the time of Abu Salih. The columns at Misr would be mostly those used in the
construction of the Christian churches and of the' mosques. These columns were
taken from classical buildings, and were not cut or designed during the middle
ages. The use of columns for building is illustrated by the well-known story
of Ibn Tulun and the Christian architect who built his mosque ; see Al-Makrizi,
Khitat, ii. p. rio ff., and S. Lane-Poole's Art of the Saracens in Egypt, p. 54.
(A. J. B.)
^ Champollion justly points out that the towns denoted by the modern Arabic
names are not as a rule on the actual site of the ancient towns which they repre-
sent, and argues that Al-Farama was rebuilt by the Arabs nearer to the sea than the
ancient Pelusium, which is said by Strabo to have been 2,040 yards from the sea,
i68 CHURCHES AXD MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
the prophet ; and its name was taken from Faramunus^ It was
exceedingly wonderful, and one of the most ancient of foundations of
which there is a record. It is said that there was a way from this
Pol 57 a ^^^y ^° ^^^ island
of Cyprus on dry land, but the sea covered it. The
sea also covered the quarry of black and white marble of Gaza, and
the quarry of white marble which was in Libya ^. There were at Al-
Farama many churches and monasteries, which were wrecked by the
Persians^ and the Arabs ; but it is said .that the wall of the city remains
to the present day.
§ The book of Fadail Misr'^ relates that there was in the city of
Tinnis a governor called Ibn al-Mudabbar, who sent men to Al-Farama
to pull down the stonework of the gateways on the eastern side of that
city. But when those who were sent to extract the stones arrived, the
people of Al-Farama went out armed to meet them, and forbad them to
extract the stones, saying These gates are ancient and have never
:
'
been injured by any king or any other man how then can we allow ;
you to extract the stones from them, and take them away to another
country? It was through these gates also that Jacob, the father of
and is put by Champollion at 3,000 yards. Abfi Salih states above that the Arab
town was on the sea (fol. 19b); Al-Makrizi is evidently wrong in placing it at the
distance of a day's journey. Al-Farama was occupied by 'Amr on his way to the
conquest of Egypt. Subsequently it was refortified by the caliph Al-Mutawakkil
about A. D. 853; and about 11 17, as Abu Salih records, it was taken by Baldwin,
king of Jerusalem, who, being unable to hold it, laid it in ruins and retired. See
Hamaker, Incerti auctoris Exptignatio Memphidis, pp. 16, 17; Champollion,
Ei^gypte sorts les Pharaons, ii. pp. 82-87 j
Quatrembre, Mem. i. p. 259. (A.J. B.)
^ This is evidently a transcription of the Coptic Pheremoun or Baramoun.
Both the Coptic name and the Greek UrjXovaiov, as well as the modern Arabic
designation At-Tih, have the connotation of '
mud.' (A. J. B.)
^ This account of Al-Farama is borrowed from Al-Kindi; see Al-Makrizi,
Khitat, i. p. n I
^ During the invasion of Chosroes; see Patriarchal History, Brit. Mus. IMS.
Or. 12,000, p. loi.
* By Al-Kindi, Cf Al-Makrizi {Khitat, i. p. r 1 r), who quotes Ibn Kudaid.
ISHMAEL. 169
the tribes, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham the Friend [of God]
— upon them —
be peace! made his entry ^ and if perchance one of the ;
kings who beheve in God shall undertake to restore the gates, then
their stones shall be found safe and in their places.' So the men went
away and did not displace a single stone.
Ishmael.
a wife from among them and they are called Ishmaelites, because
;
Ishmael was their father, and because Ishmael grew up among the
Arabs and spoke the Arabic language. Ishmael lived one hundred
and thirty-nine years ^. He had, by his Arab wives, twelve sons"', who
^
The allusion is, although somewhat incorrectly made, to the Koran, Silrah
lYisuf, ver. 67, where Jacob says to his sons when they are about to journey
to Egypt
'
My sons, do not enter by a single gate, but enter by different gates.' Cf.
Al-Makrizi, Khi[dt, i. p. rir. Cf. the INIidrash Rabbah on Gen., Par. 91 (quoted
by Geiger, Was hat Mohammed aus dern Judenihume aufgenommeti ? p. 148)
z [IT. 7-]
I70 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
were great giants among the Arabs and they were the [heads of] ;
tribes. And Nabish^ was one of the sons of Ishmael. Now he, I mean
tJtis, dwelt at Al-Farama. His name is also said to have been Saduk.
He built many cities, and called them by the names of his sons such :
^
This is the form given by Ibn IsMk ; the Hebrew is Naphish (5^''S3) ; see
east bank of the Damietta branch, in the district of Faraskur, and in 1S85 had
1,197 inhabitants, having much sunk from its former importance. See Yakut,
Geogr. Wort. ii. p. oa Am^lineau, Geogr. p. 509 f.
1 ;
*
'It cast a thousand;' the etymology reminds us of Virgil's derivation of
Latium, '
his quoniam latuisset in oris.' (A. J.
B.)
^
The Halt al-Hujiiz or 'barrier-wall,' generally called Hci it al-Ajilz or
fisr al-'Ajiiz, 'wall' or 'dyke of the old woman,' has already been mentioned
on fol. 19 b. It was generally said to have been built in remote antiquity by
a queen called Dalukah; and our author's statement that Cleopatra built it to
fortify herself against Augustus, is probably borrowed from Eutychius; see
Annates, i. p. 301.
®
I. e. Sietir Baiidouin or Baldwin I, king of Jerusalem from a. d. i 100 to 1 1 18.
AL-KULZUM. r7i
Al-Kiihum.
^
Occupied the see from November a. d. 1103 to 1 129 ; see Renaudot, Hist.
Pair. pp. 483-500. His fifteenth year therefore corresponds with a. d. 1118, the
year of Baldwin's invasion of Egypt and of his death.
'^
See above, fol. 1 9 b.
said to have been warned by an oracle that his enterprise would only help the
z 2
172 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
these two places, in order that the two seas might be connected, the
one with the other but he feared that the Romans might attack
;
to this day, and witnesses to them are not wanting^ and this sea is ;
§ The history of Sa'id ibn Batrik, the Melkite, relates'^ that the
dearth was raging at Medina, near Mecca, and the people of Medina, of
the Hanifite religion^ were in great distress ; so 'Umar ibn al-Khattab,
in the eighth year of his caliphate,wrote from the Hedjaz to 'Amr ibn
al-'Asi ibn 'Adi, emir of Egypt, to inform him of this. Then 'Amr
ibn al-'Asi sent to 'Umar a caravan of camels loaded with corn, for
which the point of arrival was Medina, and the point of departure Misr.
Then 'Umar wrote to 'Amr commanding him to dig a canal to Al-
Kulzum, that thus the transport of the corn might be facilitated. So
'Amr dug the canal, which passes through Al-Kantarah, and is called
the canal of the Prince of the Faithful and thus boats brought wheat ;
and barley from Al-Fustat along the canal to Al-Kulzum, whence they
^ See Eutychius, Antiaks, ii. p. 321. This canal of Cairo, or Khalij Amir
al-Miiminhi^ has already been spoken of on fol. 24.
CHURCHES IN THE PROVINCE OE AL-JIZAH. 173
were carried over the Salt Sea to Medina, which is the city of Afram,
belonging to the diocese of Al-Kulzum, and the children of Israel built
it for Pharaoh at that time.
It is said that the canaP of Cairo starts from the dam near [the
island of] Raudah at Misr, and finishes at As-Sadir, in the province
of Ash-Sharkiyah, where there is a bridge, and where the wheat is
transferred from the bank to the dealer who travels to Mecca and
the Hedjaz.
§ The western bank [of the Nile]. The province of Al-Jiziyah^. Fol. 59 a
The fortress of Al-Jizah was built by 'Amr
ibn al-'Asi, in the year
22 of the Hegira (a. d. 43), and was completed for the Hamdan^ This
last is [the name of] an Arab tribe who settled there at the time of the
conquest of Alexandria.
^ The present canal or khalij was doubtless the old Anmis Trajanus, and
it starts from the Nile, as described, at the Fum al-KhaJij, near the island of
Raudah. Yakut {Geogr. Wort. iii. p. oi) speaks of As-Sadir as a marshy district
on the eastern boundary of Egypt, being the first place arrived at by one coming
to that country from Syria ; and he adds that he had visited the place himself. Abu
Salih means, I suppose, that the canal at the time of his writing, in the twelfth
century, was still available for merchandise as far as As-Sadir, from which point
transport to the east had to be made by camel. The greater part of the canal
was disused as early as the eighth century, when the caliph AI-Mansur is said
to have filled it up. (A. J.
B.)
^ Al-Jizah, now pronounced Ghizah, is the name of the town or village on the
west bank of the Nile, opposite Cairo, and it gives its name to the province.
The Coptic name of Al-Jizah was 'JTiepCHC or TiepCIOI. (A. J. B.)
^ The 'Umar warned the Muslims not to allow any great river to
caliph
intervene between them and their home in Arabia, so that if they had to flee back
to their native country there might be no obstacle in their way but in spite of this ;
the tribe of Hamdan insisted on settling at Al-Jizah on the further side of the Nile,
and 'Amr built a fort for them there. See As-Suyuti, Husn al-Muhddara/i, i. p. ai .
174 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
In the western part of Al-Jiziyah are the tombs of the kings ^ or
Pharaohs, in which are their treasures, all traces of which have been
effaced.
In this district [of Al-Jizah] is the church of the martyr Victor^ son
of Romanus^, on the bank of the river; it was built at the expense of
Abu '1-Khair as-Sairafi, a native of Al-Jizah. A light was seen to
proceed from the picture of the Lady in the apse of this church on
several occasions ; and this thing became celebrated, and was talked
of by many of the faithful who had witnessed it, and by other persons of
authority. The foundations of this church were inundated by the river,
so that it almost fell was restored, and its foundations
into ruin ; but it
were strengthened, and an enclosure in the river was built for it,
to give it strength, by the Shaikh 'Izz al-Kufat Abu '1-Fakhr ibn
Sulaiman, the scribe, who spent much money upon it. This [shaikh]
was celebrated in his time for his benevolence and his almsgiving.
The Ghuzz and Kurds destroyed part of the aforesaid church but ;
The name is corruptly written here, but all other authorities make it
^
Romanus see Synaxarium (Paris IsVi. Arahe 256), which has ,j^iU.«, Zoega,
; ;
it down, and carried away all the materials and the timber, and the
timber of the roof of the church which has been described, with its
materials, and rebuilt with them a church which had fallen into ruin,
and which was named after Mark^ the Evangelist. This building he
made wider and handsomer than the former church and it remained ;
for several years in good order, until the Ghuzz and the mob of Muslims
attacked it and wrecked it and after that no one restored it again ; but
;
its walls are still standing, in a ruined state, and it is deprived of liturgies
and fasted for the space of a whole week and at the end of the week ;
God filled up the measure of the waters of the Nile, and they increased
beyond that, after the rising of Arcturus, until they reached a height
of seventeen cubits or more; and the Life of Anbd Michael states that
they reached ^ eighteen cubits and men ceased to despair of the
;
^ 'Izz al-Kufat.
^ Mentioned by Al-Makrizi, and by the Copto-Arabic lists (Am^lineau, Ge'ogr.
pp. 578 and 580).
^ I have inserted these two clauses here instead of lower down, where the
copyist has misplaced them in the text. The history of this rise of the Nile in
answer to the prayers of the Christians is borrowed by our author from the Life of
INIichael the forty-sixth patriarch, by John the Deacon, included in the patriarchal
biographies. This writer describes the assembly of bishops at Al-Fustat, according
to the custom which prescribed that all the bishops should meet the patriarch in
synod, twice in the year ; and having stated that the Nile had not risen that year
above fourteen cubits, he adds
Luj> Lol %3u> ^jlSj (_*jLaJl isJfkJl Aiij ^t-cUlU (jLW^Jl ^ LilS ^^Jl ^::.a. *4V-'^ \j^
jjjjJi\l J-^s?^lj Uj^'^ill |^vJu>l:> ^-j^^ Uif'tfti lioyi^j WM (_^jJu.l J-v^ilj t b:;^ * aJj.^!
.SJ4II
1^ <p-y^ (*-^^ *—*4^ (J^ )U--^^ tj"*
'^^*-*' ^-> J^-J (Jl U^'^^^^r \J^}~^ L_*Jt-^l
'When the 17th of Tut came, which is the festival of the Glorious Cross, the
clergy of Al-Jizah and of distant places assembled, with most of the lay people of
Al-Fustat, old and young, and walked in procession carrying the Gospels and
censers with incense. Then we entered the great cathedral church of St. Peter,
the foundations of which lie in the river; but the church could not contain the
people on account of their multitude, so that they stood in the outlying places.
Then the patriarch raised the cross, while Anba IMennas, bishop of Memphis,
stood by him with the holy Gospel, and led us all forth, bearing crosses and
books of the Gospel, until we stood on the banks of the river and this was before ;
sunrise. And the patriarch prayed, and Anba Mennas, the bishop, prayed, and
the laity did not cease crying Kyrie eleison until the third hour of the day ; so that
all the Jews and Muslims and others heard our cries to the most high God.
And he heard us, praise be to his glorious name ; for the river rose and
increased in height by one cubit; and every man glorified God and gave
thanks to him. And when Narun heard of this matter he was filled with wonder
and fear, both he and all his troops.' (Paris MS. Anc. Fonds Arabe 139, p. 183,
11. 5-14.)
Cf. Renaudot, Hi'si. Patr. p. 230, where he wrongly says that the church of
St. Peter was at Misr. Al-Makrizi also mentions the event.
The subsequent rise to the height of eighteen cubits is mentioned in the MS.
just quoted on p. 180, 1. 7.
CHURCHES IN THE PROVINCE OF AL-JIZAH. 177
church [of the angel Michael] that Anba Michael, the forty-sixth
came with the bishops who were his fellow-prisoners, when
patriarch,
they were released from the hand of Marwan al-Ja'di, the last of the
Omeyyad caliphs. Afterwards the river inundated this church, and not
a trace of it remained.
§ The monastery named after the glorious martyr Mercurius. The
church belonging to was destroyed by the Khorassanians^, when they
it
were transported to the western bank of the river, in order to fight with
Marwan, surnamed the Ass of War^.
§ There is a church of Mark^, the evangelist and apostle, in the
fort built by Khush^ king of the Persians, at the same time as the
Kasr asJi-Shamd at Misr. The king used to alight at both of them Fol. 60 b
from his boat.
§ The church of the angel Michael, also called the Red Monastery'',
ison the bank of the blessed Nile. In this monastery there is a church
named after Cosmas and Damian, which has a conspicuous dome of
stone.
^ The best account of the attack upon INIarwan made by the Khorassanian
troops of the Abbaside caliph As-Saffah is given by the contemporary witness,
John the Deacon, in the life of Michael just quoted.
^ This sobriquet alluded to his vigour and tenacity.
^ This must be the church already mentioned on fol. 59 b.
* I. e. Artaxerxes Ochus. The name is shortened from i^y>.\ , and the points
over the ^J:>
are, of course, incorrect. Eutychius, after mentioning Artaxerxes
Mnemon, says
'And after him reigned his son Artaxerxes, called Ochus.' Further down
Eutychius says
'
And Ochus, king of the Persians, built at Fustat Misr the fort which is now
called Kasr ash-Shamd! [Annales, i. p. 267.)
® This must still be in the province of Al-Jiziyah, and is not to be confounded
with the Red Monastery of Upper Egypt.
a a [IT. 7.]
178 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Al-Khaizaraniyah ^ Here is the church of Saint Poemen, [the
garden of] which contains fruitful palm-trees and an arbour of trees ^.
Munyat Andunah ^ Here there is the church of the saint
Abu Bimah *
; and a church named after Abu Bagham ^, the
^ This village or district was, as we have been told a few lines above,
contiguous to Al-Jizah. Both the locality and its church of St. Poemen are
named in the Copto-Arabic lists (Amdlineau, Ge'ogr. pp. 578 and 580), thus
'
[Church of] Saint Poemen at Pouhit or Al-Khazranijah.' ]\I. Amelineau, in
spite of his study of Abu Salih, has not discovered the mention of this place and
chinch in our author, and therefore is totally at a loss as to the position of
Al-Khazraniyah, or Al-Khaizaraniyah {op. cit. p. 363). The name of St. Poemen,
M. Amelineau assures us, is translated into Greek [sic] by Pastor '
'
^ i_)LiJl, put by a clerical error for i_jl-a3l, seems to denote trees, and is
^ This village, on the west bank, a little to the south of Al-jizah, is said to
have been named after a Christian scribe of Ahmad al-Mada'ini, whose riches
excited the cupidity of Ahmad ibn Tulijn, so that he fined him 50,000 dinars.
See Al-Makrizi, Khi'lat, i. p. r . a .
as '
Aba Abimah.' He was a celebrated martyr, born at Pankoleus in the nome of
Pemje or Al-Bahnasa. Pankoleus appears to be the same as Jalfah, which is
mentioned by our author on fob 73 b and 74 a; see Amelineau, Geogr. p. 96.
Epime or Abimah was a landed proprietor and the chief of his townsmen. In
the persecution of Diocletian, he was ordered to bring forth the presbyters of the
town and to hand over the sacred vessels, but answered that there were no
permanent priests there, and that the vessels were of glass. The saint was sent
to Alexandria,where Armenius, the governor, condemned him, it is said, to be
thrown into a furnace at the baths, from which he emerged unhurt but finally he ;
was beheaded, after manifold tortures, at Ahnas. His life was written by Julius
of Akfahs; and his festival is kept on Abib 8= July 2. See Synaxarium at that
day; Zoega, Cat. p. 22 ; Amelineau, Ades des MM. p. 134.
^ A soldier in the time of Diocledan, who, on account of his adoption of
Christianity, was scourged and afterwards put to death. His festival is on
Kihak 2 = Nov. 28.
CHURCHES IN THE PROVINCE OF AL-JIZAH. 179
^ Suyut or Usyut, now more commonly called Asyut, is the largest town in
Upper Egypt, since it contained, in 1885, 31,398 inhabitants. It is the Coptic
CIOJO'CT and the classical Lycopolis; and it is now, as it was in the time of
and the Arabic form wiih yj is, of course, the result of a popular assimilation to
other names compounded with that word. See Amelineau, Ge'ogr. p. 361 f.
^ I. e. Bulak ad-Dakrur. The suburb of Cairo named Bulak was not founded
until A. D. 1313 ; see Al-Makrizi, Khitat, ii. p. ir.
* This place, the Coptic JULO^oriOIt, lay in the province of Al-Jizah,
a little to the north of Cairo, on the east side of the Rosetta branch of the Nile,
and was sometimes IMukhnan Muna '1-Amir, as being close to the latter
called
place. M. Ameiineau's article on the name consists of the following words
'Mokhonon, JUL0;|X10^0^' u^"*- ^^ ^^^'^ ^® trouve dans la liste des dglises
de I'Egyple, qui est publiee a la fin de cet ouvrage. II devait sans doute faire
partie de la banlieue du Caire, comme la plupart des lieux cites dans cette liste.
II n'a pas laissc^ de traces dans I'Egypte contemporaine, et ^tait meme deja perdu
dans le xive siecle ' {Ge'ogr.-^. 585). It is remarkable that M. Am^hneau here
disregards the testimony of our author himself, of Yakut, and of the revenue-list
published by De Sacy, although he expressly states that he has had recourse to
these very authorities for the composition of his book. See Yakut, Gcogr. W'orl.
was celebrated every day, and t'o which priests and deacons were
attached at which also the laity congregated.
;
Monastery of Nahya.
^ See above, fol. 34 b. Near Mukhnan, and now included in the district of
Badrashain, in the province of Al-Jizah, with a population in 1885 of 2,935.
Mund (^%>) is the plural of Miaiyah, and the place in question was sometimes
called in the singular iMunyat al-Amir. Nevertheless M. Amelineau writes it '
Mina
al-Emir ' (^^1 Ij^), as if it were compounded with the Arabic L*.o
,
' harbour.' The
modern pronunciation Mina ((V*, less correctly U-*) arises from the present vocaliza-
tion of the singular as Minyah (ir.!*). DeSacy transcribes the name as Mona al-Amir.
^ On the west bank of the Nile, near Cairo, a little to the north-west. It is
now called Ausim, and gives its name to a district of the province of Al-Jizah.
In 1885 it had 7,170 inhabitants. In Coptic it is £.0*rajHJUL. See Yakut,
Geogr. Wort. iv. p. irl ; Amelineau, Ge'ogr. p. 51 ff.
* A little to the west of Al-Jizah, in the same province, and now, with
a population of 3.914, included in the district of Wasim (Ausim). See Yakut,
MONASTERY OF NAHVA. i8i
[there], and a native of the town of Nah}'a, when I visited the monas-
tery in the month of Shauwal, in the year 569 (a. D. 1173), at the
feast of the holy Pentecost, in order to receive the communion there.
He said that he had found, in a chronicle^ the statement that this
holy monastery was erected by a merchant, who had come to Egypt
from the west, when he arrived at Misr- from the frontier district
of Alexandria, before the reign of Diocletian, the unbeliever, who shed
the blood of the martyrs, and commanded the people to serve idols, and
slay victims for them, and offer them up to them, and burn incense
to them. That merchant had come from the west forty years before
these things happened.
When Al-Mu'izz li-dini 'llah came from Western Africa, and took
possession of Egypt '^ he encamped beneath the walls of this monastery,
and stayed there seven months, and laid out in front of it a garden, with
a well and water-wheel, at the foot of the hill to the w-est of the sycamore-
tree, besides constructing a cistern for the convenience of travellers. This
well is now filled up, and the cistern is disused. Subsequently [Al-
Mu'izz] entered Misr. At the present day the garden is a waste, and
there is nothing left in it except the roots of sycamores and lotus-trees.
Geogr. Wort. iv. p. Aor ; Rec. de tEgypie, ii. p. 258. This was one of the monas-
teries of Egypt which were famous even among
Mahometans. There was
the
an account of it in Ash-Shabushti's Book of the Monasteries, from which our
author himself quotes on fol. 64 a and b, and which is also quoted by Yakut,
Al-Kazwini and Al-Makrizi. Quatremere gives a translation of our author's
account of the monastery of Nahya (Nehia) in Me'm. i. pp. 11 6-1 25, but with
certain alterations and omissions. (A. J. B.)
^ That this monastery once possessed a good library may be inferred from
Ibn Mansur, quoted by Quatremere, Rech. Crit. et hist, sur PE^ypte, p. 145.
(A.J.B.)'
^ Memphis is often spoken of by the Arabs as Misr al-Kadimah, or Ancient
IMisr.
there to the monks, which has remained up to this day. The columns
of this monastery, at were constructed of granite.
its restoration,
Al-Amir bi-ahkami ['Hah] this monastery in the vizierate
visited
of Muhammad ibn Fatik but he found the doorway, which was closed
;
by an iron door, too low for him^, and as he would not consent to
enter with bowed head, he turned his face to the outside, and his
back to the door, and crouched down, until he had entered. Then he
walked straight forward until he had entered the sanctuary. Then he said
to one of the monks Where is the place at which the priest stands?'
:
'
So [the monk] showed it to him. Then the caliph said Where is the :
'
^ This is the usual form of doorway to a dair in remote places even now, as
at the Natrfin monasteries. The description in Coptic Churches, i. p. 296, of
a doorway '
scarcely four feet high, and closed with a massive iron-plated door,'
exactly agrees with that in the text. (A. J.
B.)
^ This hollow place before the altar with steps on each side was doubtless
meant to give access to a confessionary in which relics were deposited under the
altar. (A. J. B.)
' Quatremere translates thus [Mem. i. p. 118): 'II pla^a devant le sanctuaire
un voile soutenu par trois colonnes de marbre,' ignoring the word ]o1\. The
MONASTERY OF NAHYA. 183
its door was outside the monastery, but it possessed a staircase, con-
a roof.
Then the monks, when they saw the great liberality of Al-Imam
al-Amir, and began to allow themselves freedom with him, asked him
to grant the monastery a piece of land which they might cultivate year
by year and he granted their request, and by a permanent deed of gift
;
Kurds conquered [the country] in the year 564 (a. D. 1169), and took
this land away from the monastery, so that nothing was left to the
words are difficult to understand. They seem to refer to an altar screen, although
it is not easy to imagine any symmetrical arrangement with three pillars, the
central one of which would necessarily come where the door should be, nor to
picture a wall '
supported ' in the manner described. (A. J.
B.)
^ Termes Arda. ^ Mentioned by Yakut, Geogr. Wurt. iii. p. oi«o
184 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
monks except the fishing-pool, on the produce of which they make
a profit.
Fol. 62 b One of the government scribes of Misr came to this monastery to
ask for water to drink, and to wash his hands ; but he found the water
there scanty in quantity, and so he caused a well to be dug within the
enclosure, opposite to the southern wall of the church. Those who
dug the well met with a rock [in the course of their work] and so
he caused it to be cut through, at the cost of one dinar for every
cubit, and the number of cubits amounted to fourteen and this was ;
day. May God rest the soul, and reward the intention of the founder
The water which comes up from this well is sweet, good, light, and
digestive.
to receive counsel from the monk who was my spiritual father, and he
informed me of all that you have heard from me, for he lived in this
monastery, and met here with old men who told him all that I have
Fol. 63 a told you. On a certain occasion I was about to behave irreverently
in a place opposite the well ; but this old man forbad me. saying
"This place, my son, contains the tomb of Martha and Mary 2, which
^
The resurrection of Lazarus is commemorated by the Copts on Barmahat
20 = March 16. The emperor Leo translated the reputed relics of Lazarus from
Cyprus, where he was said to have been bishop of Citium, to the monastery
which the emperor had built in his honour at Constantinople. See Acta SS.
at May 4.
^ Nothing is known in the west of the reputed relics of St. Martha and
St. .Mary in Egypt.
MOXASTERF OF NAHFA. .
185
In this church there is a tank, into which the water flowed from
that well which I have mentioned through a pipe, which was afterwards
filled up. There is in the monastery a Persian mill, which contained an
instrument for peeling off the bran, but this has now become useless.
Near the church there is a large and lofty keep^, consisting of three
stories, which is entered from within the church by a flight of steps.
This keep fell was restored by the Shaikh
into decay, and so it
under the keep, for burying the monks. There are also in the monas-
tery places of burial for the villagers.
The worms destroyed the timbers of this monastery and the church ;
and so they were pulled down at the expense of that Sayyid^, who
constructed instead of the roof [of timber] a vaulted roof, and enclosed
the columns within piers masonry and none of the columns
[of ],
destruction of the church of St. Macarius and of the cells by the Arabs of Upper
Egypt (j^-all ^jljjc) is commemorated on Barmudah 1 = March 27; see Symax-
ariuvi at that day.
^ I. e. Ibn Katamah.
2 This sentence is left untranslated by Quatremere in quoting the passage,
doubtless because he failed to understand it. The word Bustid has already been
explained in opnnexion with a similar passage above, fol. 27 a. By the 'wooden
Bustur is meant a pillar i)ainted with the figure of an apostle. (A. J.
B.)
=*
The Muslims contemptuously changed the name Dair al-Karrd?n into
Dair name
al-Kildb, as they transformed the of the Church of the Resurrection
{Kiydmah) at Jerusalem into Church of the Rubbish-heap {Kumdmah). (A. J. B.)
^ The translation of the relics of St. Lazarus from Cyprus to Constantinople
is commemorated by the Copts on Babah 2i=0ct. 18.
MONASTERY OF NAHFA. 187
The Guide to tJie Festivals also states that the birth of the Lady
[which took place] outside Jerusalem in the reign of Augustus Caesar,
is celebrated every year on the jst of Bashans\ which is called the
This passage from Ash-Shabushti is quoted in much the same words, but
^
without mention of the source, by Yakiat {Geogr. Wort. ii. p. v.t*) and by
Al-Kazwini {Kitdb Athdr al-Bildd, ed. Wiistenfeld, p. irr), and, with due
acknowledgment of the author, by AI-Makrizi.
b Ij 2
i88 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OE EGYPT.
people assemble to enjoy the country. It has also an extensive fishing-
pool. The waters of the blessed Nile surround this monastery on its
four sides ^.
Copts, and named after the valiant martyr Theodore the second ;
Pyramids of Al-Jizah,
The Pyramids. These were built by Hermes ^, the wise, the three-
fold in wisdom, who by his knowledge of the secrets of nature, invented
^
I. e. during the annual inundation.
^
Or Saft Maidun. Formerly in the province of Al-Bahnasa, but now in that
Arabs the name was well known through the existence in Arabic of many
treatises ascribed to Hermes Trismegistus ; see Haji Khalfah (ed. Fluegel),
pp. 53, 424, 480, 592; iv. pp. 100, 465; V. pp. 39, 41, 157, 171, 247, 587,
iii.
'
INIake mention of Idris in the Book ; for he was truthful and a prophet, and we
raised him up to a high place.' The last words, of course, refer to his translation
to Heaven. See Al-Baidawi, Atiwdr at-Tanzil, &c. (ed. Fleischer), i. p. oAr.
Eutychius says that Enoch was called Idris by the Arabs {Annales, i. p. 30).
Ibn al-Athir says that Enoch (-tjjLi.), the son of Jared, is the same as Idris the
prophet ; that he was the first of the prophets, and the first to write and to study
the stars and to calculate ; that the learned Greeks {^J^\iy^\ *ljic) call him
Hermes the Wise, and hold him to be great; that he exhorted the people to
repentance, and that God raised him up when he was 365 years old according to
the Pentateuch {Al-Kdmil, i. p. Fr). As-Suyiati says that Enoch, Hermes, and
Idris are the same person {Htisn al-Miihddarah, i. p. iv). Haji Khalfah says
that Idris, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Enos, the son of Seth,
the son of Adam, was the originator of all the learning that existed before the
flood—
'U.W1_^;~^ Jj^ |j9 !>"^ <:.->j^-o Uil ^Jl^Jla!l J^ c^/^ls ^\ jt^-xil /»u*»-
and that he is the same as Hermes, and is called the Chief Hermes (i-w^Jf^ll ;_^^)
190 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
make pilgrimages to the two great pyramids, and say that Hermes is
stone upon stone, higher than these two pyramids ^, which are the tombs
of Hermes and Agathodaemon. It is said that the area covered by
each of the two great pyramids is twelve feddans *; and in each of them
there is a well, the site of which is not known.
and the Threefold in Grace (a»sj.11j itAi^^) and that he was the first to erect
;
buildings, and was himself the constructor of the pyramids; see Lex. Bibliogr. ed,
Fluegel, i. p. 63.
^ Nothing is known from Greek or Latin sources with regard to Agathodaemon
except that he designed maps for Ptolemy's Geography, and therefore probably
lived at Alexandria in the middle of the second century of our era ; but the Arabs
have more to say about him, since they claimed to possess treatises by him on
amulets and on alchemy (Haji Khalfah, iii. p. 391, vi. p. 51), and identified him
with Seth 65 cf the sources quoted in the last two notes).
(ibid. i. p. ; (A. J.
B.)
"^
As-Suyuti adds that they offer sacrifices and incense there.
^ The present height of the great pyramid is about 451 ft., but the original
height was 480 ft. 9 in., which is nearly 20 ft. higher than the tower of Strassburg
cathedral, the loftiest building in Europe ; St. Peter's at Rome being 429 ft., and
St. Paul's in London 404 ft. high. The second pyramid is not much smaller
than the first. The third pyramid, however, is considerably less, and was there-
fore less famous than the other two; not to mention the still smaller pyramidal
structures which make up the group at Al-Jizah. (A. J. B.)
* This is singularly accurate as regards the great pyramid, the present area of
which is i2f acres, the former 13^. The pyramid of Chephren, however, is
smaller, covering now about lof acres, and formerly about \\\. (A. J, B.)
THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS. 191
There is also a third pyramid, besides the two former, the base of which
is built of hard granite of variegated colour ^.
The monastery is near the pyramids, on the western side
and its ;
JjJJiJl laiul'i .3.^1 jjL.JI »,Isns' ^Ljji sJaJ P^^\ jsO U^ tj^^ u>lli!l Ulj
'
The third pyramid is less than the other two by about a quarter ; but it is
built of stones of red granite, which is spotted, and of extreme hardness, so that
iron makes no impression upon it except after a long time.' {3fukhlasar, p. 92.)
(A. J.
B.)
"^
This must be the martyr Timothy of ancient Misr (i^jjill j-a.^), a name
given to Memphis by Arab writers, who is commemorated on Ba'unah 21 =
June 1 5 ; see Synaxarium at that day. He was a soldier in the Roman army
when the persecution of Diocletian broke out, and for proclaiming Christ before
Arianus, the governor of the Thebaid, he was repeatedly tortured and at last
beheaded. Such, at least, is the account given.
^ I transcribe this name conjccturally as INIastayah because De Sacy names
a town called Mestayah in the province of Al-Gharbiyah. A few lines further
down our copyist writes lil:-** , IMastatah (?).
192 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Jizah there are fifty monasteries, flourishing and populous, which have
been ruined and burnt by the heretics [that is to say] at the hands :
Dar Manuwil.
Monastery of AsJi-Shanici.
* See note on fol. 49 a, where the name is incorrecdy written Ibn Ghawatah.
See Ibn Khalddn (vi. p. i-i), where there is a mention of the tribe of Baraghwatah
and their native country in north-west Africa.
^ This place is said by YakQt to be in the province of Al-Jizah, and to be
also called Dair ash-Shamd or '
Monastery of the Candle.' Compare the name
Kasr ash-Shama' and its supposed derivation from ^HJULI ,
'
Egypt.' The
1375 also name the
revenue-lists of a. d. place as existing in the province of
Al-Jizah. There were two places of the name in the same province but there is ;
now only one Mit Shammas, which is in the district of Badrashain, in the province
of Al-Jizah, with a population in 1885 of 883. See Yakut, Mushtarik, p. f.v ;
Rec. de V Egypte, ii. p. 221. The monastery of Ash-Shama' must have stood
close to Munyat ash-Shammas.
' Yakfit says that this was '
an ancient monastery, held in reverence among
the Christians, in the province of Al-Jizah in Egj'pt. Between tliis monastery and
Al-Fustat there is a distance of three parasangs, as you go up the Nile ; and the
throne of the patriarch is in this monastery, and here he resides as long as he is in
§ This monastery is also called the 'Monastery of the Devils \' for
the following reason. In the days of [the caliph] Al-Mustansir, during
the years of dearth, the monks deserted this building, which remained
uncared for, so that cattle used to feed in it. Moreover certain figures
used to issue forth from the monastery, and used to ride upon horse-
back from nightfall to morning, and enter a certain ruined village.
Thus the monastery received that name. Paphnutius^ went and lived
in monastery alone, to take care of it. It was a small domed
this
structure, and it was restored at the expense of the officials, until it
assumed the form in which it is now. Paphnutius had visited
Onuphrius, the saint and pilgrim^, and lived with him for a time;
for whenever Paphnutius heard of a saint, he went to see him and
received his blessing and he was with Saint Onuphrius at the time
;
would live there in the place of Onuphrius. But God sent a violent
wind, which lasted long and blew down that palm-tree, from which
Onuphrius used to feed himself during his lifetime and filled up with ;
sand the well of water from which he drank. So Paphnutius went else-
where, and every one who saw his form, thought that he was a disciple
[of Onuphrius], although it was not so. Afterwards he became a dis-
Cc [II. 7.]
194 ~ CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Wadi Habib and then he
ciple of Saint Macarius^ the Great, in the ;
^
Macarius the Great is distinguished by the title of 'the Egyptian' from
Macarius '
of Alexandria ' or of '
the City.' He is, perhaps, the most highly
reputed of the monks of the Nitrian desert, and the best-known monastery there
still bears his name. He has left fifty homilies and '
a volume on Christian
Perfection, which places him in the first rank among the writers on practical
Christianity' (Sharpe's History of Egypt, ii. p. 289. See also Sozomen H. E. ed.
Hussey, bk. III. c. 14; vol. ii. p. 289). He is said to have retired to the desert
in A. D. 330, and to have died there in a. d. 390. (A. J.
B.)
^ Abu Shanudah, in Coptic cyeitO*yxe or cyertcy^, and, in the Grae-
cizing form found in Coptic MSS., CinoTOSOC, Sinuthius, is the name of the
celebrated monk who founded the White Monastery; see below, fol. 82 b. He
was the son of a peasant and was born at Shenalolet, w hich has been identified
with Shandawil, to the north-east of Ikhmim. He served in boyhood as a shepherd,
and then came under the tuition of his uncle Apa Pjol (^n<L TTXtJoX = Lil
Jjs^.), who trained him in the monastic life. Sinuthius is said to have been
present with St. Cyril of Alexandria at the council held to condemn Nestorius.
The death of Sinuthius is commemorated on Abib 7= July 2, and is said to have
taken place in the very year of the Council of Chalcedon, viz. a. d. 451. The
discourses delivered by this saint were carefully preserved, and many attributed to
him are extant at the present day. It is said that a copy of one of them was laid
upon the tomb of St. Peter at Rome, and that the voice of the Prince of the
Apostles declared that '
Sinuthius was the fourteenth Apostle, as Paul was the
thirteenth.' See Synaxariiim at Abib 7 Zoega, Cat. pp. 375-502 Amelineau,
; ;
Vie de Schnotidi and iMonuments poi(r servir a I'histoire de V Eglise Chre't. (A.J. B.)
MUNASTERV OF ASH-SHAMA\ 195
^ Quatremere {Mem. i. pp. 160- 161) refers to the Ada SS. ii. 15 for a statement
of St. Antoninus that he saw at Clysma several coffins of wood, enclosing the
remains of various anchorites, and among them probably the relics of St. John the
Dwarf and St. Sisoi. In Coptic Churches, i. p. 304, I have noted the existence
at this day of wooden coffins full of relics at Dair Abu Makar ; and, curiously
enough, when the Pere Sicard visited the monastery of St. Macarius he saw four
of such coffins, one of which, the monks said, enclosed the body of John the Dwarf.
(A. J.
B.)
^ The Coptic '^"^JULHpI ; now included in the district of Sharbin in the
province of Al-Gharbiyah, with a population in 1885 of 3,185. See Ameliueau,
Ge'ogr. p. 118.
^ The Arabic minln {^jtj^) transcribes the Greek fivpov, and denotes '
chrism."
The chrism was originally consecrated at Alexandria, but about a. d. 390 the place
was changed to the monastery of St. Macarius in the Nitrian desert; see Coptic
Churches, ii. pp. 333-334. This passage of Abu Salil.i is well illustrated by
Renaudot {Hist. Patr. pp. 354-355), who relates that, during the great famine in
C c 2
ig6 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
is consecrated there. The roads are dangerous, and this course
was found necessary. Anba Mennas, the sixty-first patriarch, built
an altar named after Saint Mark, at Mahallah Daniyal, where the
patriarchs lived and the chrism was placed upon it for fear of the
;
dangers of the roads, from the time of the dearth at the beginning
of the caliphate of Al-Mu'izz in Egypt.
the time of the caliph Al-Mu izz, great numbers perished and many episcopal sees
were vacant ; and that the patriarch himself was forced to remain in Lower Egypt,
and was supported with his followers by a wealthy lady at a village called
Mahallah Daniel. (A. J. B.)
^ This is one of the repetitions which prove the want of plan of the author, or
the carelessness of his copyist ; see above, fol. 46 b.
Our author seems to imply that this place is in the province of Al-Jizah,
^
and Al-Makrizi, who calls the place Damuh as-Saba, and names the church of
Saints Cosmas and Damian as well as the synagogue there, actually states that it is
in that province. 'Abd al-Latif also states that Damuh was in the province, and
near the town of Al-Jizah. At the present day there is a Damuh as-Saba in the
i.e. St. iNIercurius, is marked on Norden's Plate XXVIII, nearly facing Huhvan
and overlooking the river. (A. J.
B.)
198 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
and spend some time there, lounging and sauntering and he laid ;
out a garden near it, and planted in it trees of all sorts, and palms
and dug wells over which he placed water-wheels and he surrounded ;
Fol. 67 b the garden with a strong hedge. The annual rent which was received
from this monastery into the public treasury amounted to ten dinars.
Afterwards this rent was stopped, and with the money oil-presses were
built within the enclosure of the monastery, complete in all their parts.
The monastery possessed forty-seven feddans of land, which were
appropriated by the Ghuzz and Kurds and the rest, in the reign of
An-Nasir Yusuf ibn Ayyub, the Kurd.
In the church lies the body of Paphnutius^, the superior of this monas-
tery and his festival is kept on the 15th of Amshir. The monastery
;
contains a painting of the Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary. Al-Afdal took
pleasure in sitting in his place in the upper story of the building.
The Shaikh Abu l-Yaman, who has already been mentioned, pro-
vided for this church, at his own expense, vessels of solid silver. He
provided a paten ^, and a chalice, and a spoon ^, and a censer, and
a cross, and a splendid veil of silk.
In this district there is also the large and beautifully planned church
of the glorious saint and champion Saint George.
There is also a church named after the female martyr Mahrabil*.
^ We were told above that the relics of St. Paphnutius had been in the
monastery of Ash-Shama', but that they were stolen thence by Husain, son of
Al-Hafiz. Can they subsequently have found their way to Tamwaih ?
^ The curious enlargement of the denotation of the word siniyah (a>v1^) is
remarked upon by De Goeje, in his note on Ibn Hankal, p. r!"i, where he points
out that from signifying a china (Chinese) plate or dish, it grew to denote a plate
Memphis.
and he was the first to be buried in the land of Egypt. The Nile
gradually changed its bed in that direction.
Other writers say that Memphis was built by Mizraim for his son
Kift, who was called Barim and others say that this city was built
;
by Manfa'us, the son of 'Adim, who made it thirty miles long and
twenty miles broad, and erected around it thirty towers, each tower
long after the Arab conquest ; see 'Abd al-Latif, p. 1 1 6 ff. ; Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
i. p. iri' ff.
^ Yakut, who gives the same derivation, states the Coptic form as Mafah
(iiU), which corresponds to the Thebaic JUL^<i.n.e better than to the Memphitic
JUL^.n. {Geogr. Wori. iv. p. 667.)
•'
The Coptic ajJULQ-tf ^.rt.
* I. e. The image must be the great statue of Rame?es 11, which,
Memphis.
after lying as it fell for so many centuries, has now been set upright by the
English engineers under the command of Major Plunkett. The name Bu "1-Hul
Jj^ll jjI), or Father of Terror,' Terrific or is more commonly
'
(
'
e. Gigantic,' i. ' '
built by Pharaoh, surnamed the 'Lover of his Mother \' who was king
of the Pharaohs.
Joseph the Truthful constructed a large Nilometer at Munaif "
and he was the first who measured the Nile in Egypt by the cubit.
At Memphis there are wonders buildings, images, tombs, treasures,
:
four hundred courses, during his whole reign, until he died, in the time
of the author of the treatise^.
Near these pyramids is the great image of granite [called] the
Terrific"^, sunk in the sand up to its middle.
Busir Bana^. This town is named after a sorcerer, called Busir, Pol. 68 a
who lived which reason it was named after him. In this
there, for
town is the large church which was entirely built of hard stone, and
is named after the Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary; it stands within
the fortress of this city. The church was erected in ancient times ;
but as time passed by, and the kings stood in need of the stone of
which it was composed, the greater part of it was carried away and ;
and a church of the holy martyr Saint George and a church of the ;
great angel Michael and a church of the martyr Saint John^, whose
;
wilfully mutilated, which diminished its talismanic power. See Al-Makrizi, Khttat,
i. p. irr. It is well known that the Sphinx is hewn out of the living rock, which
is limestone, not granite. (A. J. B.)
^ The following passage is repeated from fol. 1 7 b f. Busir Bana and Bana
are again wrongly placed in Southern or Upper Egypt.
"^
d d [II. 7.]
202 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Fol. 69 b Idrijah, one of the villages of Bush. Here there is a church named
after Saint George.
Tansa. Here there is a church named Nahadah and a church
after ;
named after the martyr Mercurius ; and a church named after Gabriel
the angel ; and a church named after the Lady, the Pure Virgin.
TJie Fayy/iin.
the Truthful carried them off by digging the canal, to rective the
water of the Nile, which then began to flow into it. The age of
Joseph was thirty years in the reign of Ar-Rayyan, son of Al-Walid,
son of Dauma', after his interpretation of the dream which the king
saw. When Joseph interpreted this dream, the king gave him a royal
robe, and the signet-ring of the kingdom from his hand, and entrusted
him with the administration of the kingdom, and was distinguished
from him only by ascending the throne. When Joseph dug the canal
and admitted the water into it, it flowed from Ras al-Manhi until it
reached Al-Lahun, through a break in which it flowed into the Fayyum,
which it irrigated. The canal contained a great mass of water, but
was the work of no more than ninety days. When the king and his Fol. 70 b
viziers saw it, they said This is the work of a thousand days
:
'
and ^
'
so it was called Al-Fayyum. And Joseph made the streams of two sorts,
streams that ran down for the raised grounds, and streams that ran
up for the depressed places, at certain times and hours of the night
and day and he framed meters, so that no man could take more water
;
^
Alf Ymn, according to the present Egyptian pronunciation.
^ So also Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iii. p. \rr , where he also gives a second form
Shananah.
d (1 2
204 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Daluk^ founded a Nilometer at Ansina^, and a Nilometer at Ikhmim ^
and 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn Marwan set up a Nilometer at Hulwan^. In
later times the province of the Fayyum was settled as a fief upon the
Ghuzz and Kurds, in the reign of Yusuf ibn Ayyub, the Kurd and so ;
it remained until the end of the year 573 (a. d. 1178), when its revenues
were 133,274 dinars. Then it was settled upon Buri, the brother [of
Yusuf ibn Ayyub], and his followers, in the year 576 (a.d. 1180), when
its revenues were 100,046 dinars. Then it was settled upon Taki ad-Din
'Umar ibn Shdhanshah, and the son of his sister, in the year already
mentioned, when its revenues were of the amount given above.
In Madinat al-Fayyiim ^ at present there is the church of the glorious
Fol. 71a angel Michael, which is exceedingly large, and contains certain pillars,
large and high, so perfect that few more perfect have ever been seen.
This church stands near that gate of the city which is called the gate
of Surus.
Therealso a church of the Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary, outside
is
^
Generally called iS^b . She was said to have been queen of Egypt in her
famous for its ancient temple, which was reckoned among the wonders of Egypt,
but of which few remains now exist. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. no; Al-Idrisi
(ed. Rome) [p. 48J ; Al-Makrizt, Khitat, i. pp. ri and rri; As-Suyuti, Husn
al-MuMdarah, i. p. ta ; Amelineau, Geogr. pp. 18-22.
* See above, fol. 52 a ff.
the- 26th of the same month, and finished on the 13th of Ba'unah, on
the 20th of which month it was consecrated. It is said that the moun-
tain called An-Naklun is that which contained the place where Jacob,
son of Isaac, son of Abraham, enjoyed the shade, and worshipped and ;
sacrifices were offered to God there in the days of Joseph, the son Fol. 71 b
south-west of Madinat aI-Fa}7um, near the modern Gharak, and has now been
swallowed up by the sands, like the other villages of that district. Al-Makiizi
gives an account of the monastery of An-Naklun. See also Amdlineau, Geogr.
pp. 133 and 273. (A. J.
B.)
Yakut mentions a place of
^ this name, which was, however, in the province
of Samannud, and still exists; see his Geogr. Wdrl. iv. p. Arr, and Rec. de tEgypte,
ii. p. 264.
It is related that 'Aour' or Aura (see a few lines below), bishop of the
^
Fayyum, was the founder of the monastery of An-Naklun early in the fourth
century ; and his history translated from the Arabic, is to be found in
M. Am^lineau's Cotites c{ Rom. de T ILgypte Chre'L p. 109 ff.
Monastery of Al-Kalam/in ^.
from which it annually receives nearly three thousand ardebs [of salt].
Of the dates of the palm-trees it receives a quantity, which are sold
every year.
There is here a spacious church named after the Lady, the Pure
Virgin Mary, which was consecrated on the 14th of Hatur. Anba
Samuel^, the superior and administrator of this monastery, was
^ The hill of Al-Kalamun, upon which this monastery stood, rises to the
south-west of the Fayyfim near An-Naklun and near Al-Gharak and the Wadi
Rayan but it does not appear that the name is still given to the place, which is
;
mentioned by Yakut, who merely says that it was in the Fayyum and was widely
celebrated. The Coptic name is K<i.X<LJULa3rt. See Yakiit, Geogr. Wbri. ii.
a learned man
and God revealed to him what would happen in
;
the future, and spoke with him and Samuel wrote down what God
;
said to him, and his prophecies were verified in his own time.
This monastery is enclosed within a surrounding wall, in which there
is a large garden containing palms and olives and vegetables. In the
monastery there are four towers and it contains twelve churches. In
;
during the whole week. The monks go to him to receive his blessing.
Around his cave there are many fruitful palm-trees. He used to
have with him a hundred dinars of money but when the Ghuzz and ;
tame that he was able to feed them out of his hand. The devils also
appeared to him, and stood opposite to him, face to face, but could not
reach him.
^ Al-Idrisi says that this was a round fish of the same kind as the 'Afar {jiis),
and was also found in the Sea of Tiberias ; that it had few bones and was good
to eat, being sometimes of the weight of five pounds. Translated by Jaubert,
i. p. 30.
2o8 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Fol. 72 b The door of this monastery is plated with iron, and is of skilful
workmanship.
This monk, Muhna, of whom we have been speaking, made, at the
beginning of his monastic life, before he shut himself up in the cave
on the mountain, a church which was hewn out of the rock, and over
it he made cells for the monks. It is said that the father, Anba Samuel,
of the Saviour^.
^ I. e. the Wadi Rayan, still so called, to the south of the Faj'yum, and,
according to some, on the site of the ancient Lake Moeris.
;
More commonly called simply Az-Zaitun, or The Olives
^ in Coptic '
'
<^<LniX(JL3IT. The Acts of the martyr John of Phanijoit have been published
by M. Am^lineau see Un Document copte du xii Steele, 1887. The place is on the
;
west bank, close to Dalas and Bush Kura, and a little to the north of Bani Suwaif,
to the province of which it belongs; and in 1885 it had 1,300 inhabitants, besides
sixty-two Bedouins. See Yakut, Geogr. Wb'rt. ii. p. sio; Ibn Dukmak, v. p. f
Amdlineau, Geogr. pp. 327-330. This passage of our author is quoted in sub-
stance by Quatremere, Mem. pp. 412-413.
^ As-Sutir is of course the Greek rrcoTrjp.
CHURCHES OF FANU AND NAKAIJfaH. 209
Sailall.
Alexandria.
*
This passage is quoted in substance bj Quatremere, Metn. \. p. 413.
Nakalifah is still existing, and is included in the district of Sanuras in the province
of the Fayyum, with a population in 1885 of 2,664. See Rec. de t Egypte, ii.
p. 258. In the fourteenth century revenue-lists both places are named; see
^ He succeeded Agatho, and was the fortieth patriarch, occupying the see
from A.D. 677 to 686.
e e [II. 7-]
2(0 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
»
Hajar al-Ldhun.
Hajar al-Lahun^. is Here
the monastery of Saint Isaac ^ and ;
the church named Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary. This church
after the
is spacious and beautifully planned, skilfully built and designed, and
The village of Al-Lahun still exists, and in 1885 had a population of 2,416. It
stands at the entrance to the Faj-yiim, where the ancient lock of the canal of
Al-Manhi was; and it is included in the district of Tubhar. See Amelineau,
Ge'ogr. p. 232.
^ Saint Isaac of Difri ('j~'^pe), in the province of Al-Gharbiyah, was put to
church of the glorious martyr Saint George ; and the church of the
glorious martyr Mercurius.
§ At Bahumalis^ there are several churches, namely, the church
of the angel Gabriel, and a second church of the angel Gabriel ; a church
of the angel Raphael; a church of the glorious Saint Sinuthius-; and
a church named after Saint Armenius ^.
§ The Kufadah*. [Here there is] a church named after
district of
the Lady, Pure Virgin Mary
the a church of the glorious angel ;
intended here and elsewhere. The most popular martyr of this name, however,
would seem to be the John who was martyred together with his cousin Simeon,
with whom he is commemorated on Abib ii=july 5. See their Acts, edited
and translated by M. Hyvernat, Ac/es des MM. de I'Egypie, p. 174 ff. See also
Syjtaxarium at that day ; and Amelineau, Actes des MM. p. 141 fF.
^ I cannot guarantee the form of this name, nor identify the locality.
This may be the famous monk Sinuthius, founder of the White Monastery
^
e c 2
212 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
§ Jalfah^ Here there is a church of the Lady, the Pure Virghi
Mary ; a church named after Saint Dioscorus ; a church named after
the saint and glorious martyr Victor, son of Romanus ; and a church
named after Bu TaHhah^.
§ At Bardani^hah^ there are several churches, namely, the church
of Aba Kustiil a church of the ; angel Michael ; a church of the angel
Raphael ; a church of the angel Gabriel ; the church of Mercurius,
the valiant martyr the church of the saint and glorious martyr Saint
;
the two churches of the angel Michael and of the angel Gabriel.
§ Al-Kufur^. Here there is a church named after the martyr
Theodore.
probably the Jalaf, which Yakut says was near Al-Kais, in the district of AI-
Bahnasa. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. ii. p. i.f; Amelineau, Geogr. p. 150 f.
Tahd.
of the two glorious and militant martyrs, Saint George and Mercurius ;
Saft al-HInhallabi.
^ On the west bank, a little to the north of Munyah or IMinyah Bani Khasib,
in the province of which it is now included, being in the district of Kalusana.
It is the Coptic TOT^O. In 1885 it had 1,113 inhabitants. See Al-Idrisi,
trans. Jaubert, i. p. 124; Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iii. p. on; Amdlineau, Ge'ogr.
p. 471 f. Taha is again mentioned by our author on
fol. 77 a.
^ Al-Makrizi mentions two churches alone at Taha, viz. those of Mary and
the Apostles.
^ Our copyist writes ^\^\, but (^-^iJl is the form given by Yakut in his
Mushtarik, p. rt«<), where he says that the village was in the province of Al-
Ushmunain.
^ This is thought to be the place called in Coptic X3lI>.vCKUX. It is now
a town of some little importance, since in 1885 it contained 10,777 inhabitants;
and it is situated in the district to which it gives its own name, in the province
of Asyut. INIallawi is on the west bank, a little to the south of Ushmunain.
See Amelineau, Ge'ogr. 239 f Al-lMakrizi names the churches of the Apostles,
p.
of St. George, and of St. Michael at Mallawi, but says that the two last were
in a ruined state in his time.
^ I conjeclurally read Abatir and identify the saint with Apatil, a soldier of the
214 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
martyr Saint George two churches of the two angels Gabriel and
;
Raphael and two churches of the Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary, and
;
and Udrunkah-.
§ Rifah^ Here there is a church named after
the Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary a church of the glorious martyr ;
named after the two martyrs Thomas and Severus and a monastery ;
epH&e. In 1885 it had a population of 4,119, and is now included within the
district and province of Asytat or Usyut. See Amelineau, Ge'ogr. p. 165. Al-
Makrizi names churches and monasteries at Rifah and Udrunkah, but apparently
not those mentioned by our author.
^ Also called Durunkah or Derenkah. It lies a litde to the south-west of
Usyut, in the district and province of which it is included. It is a little to the
north of Rifah, and had 4,629 inhabitants in 1885. In the time of our author
and later this was a great Christian centre ; and Coptic was still spoken here
in the time of Al-Makrizi. See Yakiit, Geogr. Wort. i. p. ita; Rfc. de V Egypte,
ii. p. 99.
^
I cannot identify this place. It would be some distance to the north of
Rifah and Udrunkah.
CHURCHES AT AL-BAHNASA AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. 215
wheel.'
* I. e. apparently JUL^ItCtjeXeT, which only approximates to the sound of
Bahnasa.
^ The IMS. has Barta'u. The Copts and Abyssinians, differing from the
Latins and Greeks, agree in holding that St. Bartholomew preached in the Oases.
They generally add, however, that he was martyred on the sea-coast, that is,
^j* *^1 j^ J\ J.30 idll 'isjs.A ijl j^^lcij *4;-i>j *4t^' u^^J J* (j^ c:jla.l^ll ^Jl
'
On this day is commemorated the death of the holy disciple Bartholomew, one
of the Twelve. To this apostle it was allotted that he should go to the Oases.
So he and Peter travelled thither, and he preached the gospel to the inhabitants of
21 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Stephen; Abatir^; Bartholomew; the Disciples and Apostles; and
our Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary.
The last church is in the city [of Al-Bahnasa], and is large and
spacious.
There are also churches of the glorious angel Michael and of the
angel Gabriel ; of Istafura" the martyr, who was also called Dog's Face,
the Oases, and called them to the knowledge of God, after wonderful signs and
astounding miracles had been shown to them.'
After converting the people in the Oases,
Jl ^a.j^j
^ UU 41)1 <^^j^.. ^ ^'^ js^^ ^Jo\^
J^ ^\ :>'^\ Jl ^ wU
'
Then he went to the country on the sea-coast, to those who knew not God ; and
he preached among them and turned them to the knowledge of God, and to faith
in the Lord Christ. But Agharbus, the king, heard of him and was wroth with
him, and commanded that they should put him in a sack of hair-cloth and fill it
'
Whose face was the face of a dog.'
In Zoega, Ca/. p. 235, and in Co7iflicts of Holy Apostles, translated by
Mr. Malan from the Ethiopic, p. 76 ff., the name is said to be Christianos. The
story is that he was a '
Cynocephalus,' in Coptic OT^ofl^OOp, who was con-
verted by Saints Andrew and Bartholomew, and accompanied them in their
missions in Nubia. He had lived near the city of Barthos, which has
been supposed to mean Parthia. Barthos, however, was not far from Elwah,
which Mr. Malan says is unknown, but which might be 'Alwah in Nubia.
St. Christopher is commemorated by the Copts on Barmiadah 2 = May 28.
Cf Acta SS. at July 25, where a different history of St. Christopher is given.
The epithet '
dog-faced ' is, however, preserved in a troparion sung by the
Greek church, on the festival of St. Christopher (May 9); although the Meno-
logion of Basil (a. d. 984) repudiates the literal acceptance of this epithet, and
PLACES IN EGYPT VISITED BY OUR LORD. 217
and was one of those who were with the fathers and pure disciples.
This last church is on the canal, outside the city. [There are also
churches of] Mark of the martyr Mercurius, who has two churches
;
Saint George and two churches of the glorious Saint Theodore and
; ;
it bowed in adoration before him, after he had gone down thither from
mark.
Above this church there is a church built of stone, and named after
Fol. 76 a the Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary. Festival is kept here on the 2ist of
Tubah^, which is the day of her death, when a large congregation
assembles. This mountain [of Jabal al-Kaff] is opposite to the district
called Al-Bihu^, [but is] on the eastern side of the river. It is also
said to be near the city of Al-Ushmunain^; and it is also called the
Jabal at-Tair*. On this mountain there are two stone crosses, of a red
colour one of them is a large stone and the other a small stone.
;
fol. 76 a, identifies this mountain with the Jabal at-Tair, which rises opposite to
had a population of 1,252. See Ibn Dukmak, v. p. F Rec. dc I'Egypie, ii. p. 73. ;
at-Tair seems to be the one described by Curzon in his Monasteries 0/ the Levant,
ch. i.x (p. III). (A.J. B.)
'
Curzon gives a plan of this church, p. 114, in which he specially remarks on
the eight columns. (A. J. B.)
"^
Amaury or Almeric, king of Jerusalem from a.d. 1162 to 1173, was induced
by bribes to Egypt in the first year of his reign, to assist
lead his troops to
Shawar against Shirkuh; and again in 11 63, when the Latin sovereign entered
Cairo, and Shirkuh retreated. Amaury continued to assist the Fatimide caliph
and his vizier, until in 11 68 he took a powerful army to Al-Farama, which he
took and sacked. This unscrupulous piece of treachery against his Egyptian
allies forced Shawar to implore Nur ad-Din, his former enemy, to assist him
against the Franks, and Amaury was driven to retreat.
^ Al-Makrizi calls this the monastery of Isus (,_;.^^--.^l ..sj), explaining this
word as equivalent to the Arabic Fasu (p_j--J.) or 'Jesus; ' and it is, of course,
simply a transcription of the Graeco-Coptic IHCOnfC. AI-Makrizi relates the
same story which is given here of the well by which men foretell the rise of
the Nile. Our author seems to take Bistls as tlie name of a place ; but this
error must have arisen from his seeing the monastery mentioned as (_,^j^jIj ^^^ j^
or (j-^.b r^ j:i, i.e. 'A monastery which is named after Jesus.' (A. J.
B.)
* On the west bank, a little to the north of Al-Bahnasa, but a long way from
f 1-
2
2 20 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
that this monastery belongs to the province of Al-Ushmunain. Christ
visited this placeand stayed here.
In the monastery there is a church, in the middle of which there is
a well of running water. Over this well prayers are said during the
rise of the Nile every year and then the water in the well rises. In
;
the well there are marks contrived, which show the number of cubits
reached by the rise of the Nile and when the water of the well rises
;
Lord Christ and the Lady, and Joseph the carpenter, they worshipped
AI-UshmQnain. There must have been a confusion on the part of some writers
between Ishnin and Al-Ushmflnain. Ishnin was formerly in the province of
Al-Bahnasa, but is now, under the name of Ashnin an-Nasara, or '
Ashnin of the
Christians,' included in the district of Bant Mazar, in the province of Minyah.
In 1885 it had a population of 1,260, See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. tao ; Rcc.
de I'Egypie, ii. p. 22.
' Also called Ashmfinain, Eshmunain, or Oshmunain. Al-Ushmunain is the
Usyut, and had 2,312 inhabitants in 1885. See Amelineau, Geogr. p. i67fF.
Al-Idrisi [p. 47] (ed. Rome); Yakut, Geogr. Wort. \. p. cap. The term 'island'
is given to the district in which Al-Ushmunain stands, because it is surrounded
by water by the Nile on the east, the Bahr Yusuf or Al-Manhi on the west and
:
came, and here he was killed on the rock as the old monk^ had ;
in all times, for upon it is the mark of the hand of the Lord. Outside
the church there is a Syrian tree bearing [the fruit called] sebestan^,
which is of a red colour. The tree stands near the ancient temple
and when the Lord v/ith the Lady passed by it, it bowed its head
in adoration to him. The governor of the town [in later times] wished
to cut it down; but the patriarch Agatho^ was standing under the
thrown, for he was a Stylite, and had him burnt alive. See Anc. Fotids Arabe
139. P- 167, 1. 13 ff.
back into his face. Thereupon the governor was afraid, and never
again gave orders tliat the tree should be cut down but he brought ;
to the patriarch gold out of his treasury, and begged him to accept
it, and to spend it on any sort of good work that he might wish.
had done. Thereupon Marwan sent some of his soldiers, who killed
a large number of the people, and scattered them, and destroyed all
the churches so that only one church was left, namely, that named
;
after Saint Mennas, the martyr, for the sparing of which alone it was
decreed that 3,000 dinars should be paid. 2,000 dinars, therefore, were
collected from the rich men of the city, but 1.000 were wanting, and
so one-third of the church was turned into a mosque, which stood before
the kaisdriyah.
§ Darwat as-Sarabam^ Here there is a church of the Lady,
'
The consonants and vowels of this name are alike uncertain.
"^
This place has already been mentioned on fol. 74 a. I do not know
whether our author means to imply that all these towns and villages were visited
by our Lord.
^ Yakut calls it Darwat (u^JJI) Sarabam, and Al-Makrizi Darut Saraban.
The latter writer says that Darwat ash- Sharif The place lies to
it is also called
the south of Al-Ushmunain and Mallawi, and a little to the north of Ras al-
Manhi, the spot at which the Bahr Yusuf or Al-Manhi issues from the Nile. In
Copticit is TepCOX C^p^Tl^It the latter word being an abbreviation of
;
the Pure Virgin Mary ; and a church named after the angel Gabriel,
which is called MagMr ath-Tkilj"^.
Near the last-named place is the district of Sanabu^, where there
is a church of the Lady, built of baked bricks.
§ Jabal Ashtar or Halaliyah^. Here there is a church named
after Bu Nadil ^, the martyr, which has fallen into decay.
two churches of the Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary a church of the ;
glorious Saint George, outside the city a church of the glorious angel ;
Michael, who has also another church one of these two is outside, ;
and the other within the town two churches, one of the martyr ;
was also called Munyat Abi '1-Khusaib. In our author's time it was a flourishing
and populous town ; and it is one of the most ancient cities of Egypt. See
Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. tvo, and Mushtarik, p. f .v ; Al-Idiisi, trans. Jaubert, i.
^
See a few lines lower down.
^ This town is at some distance to the south-west of Munyah Bani Khasib
and lies remote from the river at the foot of the hills. It is now in the district
of ar-Raudah, in the province of Asyut, and in 1885 it had 8,209 inhabitants.
It seems to be the same as the Coptic eTXKG, mentioned in one of the papyri of
the Archduke Rainer ; and its Arabic name is said now to be written '
Dalja,
iLj. See Yakut, Geogr. WorL ii. p. OAr ; Am^lineau, Ge'ogr. p. 175 f.
of this name of Kus Kam is one who makes shrouds of reeds for
'
the poor'.' It was built by KQs, the son of Kift, the son of Mizraim.
Our Lord Jesus here with the Lady, the Pure Virgin
Christ stayed Fol. 78 b
Mary, his and the righteous old man, Joseph the
mother in the flesh,
carpenter, at the time when they fled from Herod, the unbelieving
king, who slew the infants. They stayed in a chamber in the upper
story of this church, which is reached by mounting a flight of steps.
In this chamber there is a window which was opened in the wall by
the breath of the Lord it was not opened by the hand, nor by any
;
M. Amdlineau omits the form given by our author. Some writers have made
it the same place as Al-Muharrakah, and our author seems to be of this
opinion. In fact, however, the monastery of Al-Muharrak was built at the foot
of the western mountain, which is not far from the town of Kdsakam, and is
"^
The Paris Synaxariiwi says, at Hatftr 6 = Nov. 2 :
'
[On this day is commemorated] the meeting of the Saviour, our God and our
King, our Lord Jesus Christ, with his pure disciples at Kuskam, which is the
same as Al-Muharrak, and the first liturgy which took place there, according to
g g ["• 7]
226 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
twenty-third patriarch^. Hence came the form of consecration [of
churches which has since been employed] : the vessels filled with
water and the prayers recited over the water, to consecrate it and
'
; ;
the odoriferous plants^ and the leaves and the lamps upon their ;
he was buried in this place. Opposite the door of the church there
is a well of running water. In the church there is a tank full of water,
Fol. 79 a which at a later time was turned into wine. The form of consecration
employed for this church became the customary rule for all future
times and the consecration took place on the 6th of Hatur"^.
;
After [his stay here], our Lord Christ blessed the water of the
aforesaid well, because he and his mother and their companions had
drunk of it so that every one who went to it in faith, and drank of
;
it or bathed in it, was healed of his pains and many were cured of their ;
^ The plant used for sprinkling the water was a kind of beetroot, in Arabic
silh (jJ-Lj); see Vansleb, Hist, de I'Eglise d'Alex. p. 215. (A. J. B.)
''
I. e. at Al-Muharrakah, near Kusakam ; see a few lines above.
^ So in Synaxarium ; see note above.
PLACES IN EGl'PT VISITED BY OUR LORD. 227
diseases ; and the water became, in the mouth of those that drank of
it, sweet like the water of the Jihon ; I mean the Nile of Egypt.
Pilgrimages have been made by many multitudes from all districts
to this church from ancient times, because it has been celebrated on
account of signs and wonders and the healing of various diseases ;
and the time of pilgrimage is at Easter, every year. The Lord Christ
commanded that the original size of this church should not be added
to ; it should remain as it was.
but that The mark of the hand of the
Lord on the eastern and on the western mountain.
is
which burnt him up, so that not a trace of him remained. On this
account the place was called Al-Muharrakah, as it has already
been said.
To the west of this church there is a vaulted chamber, hewn out
in and here the Lady used to dwell
the mountain-side ; and the ;
' I.e.' The burnt village,' l)j being understood. When the form is masculine
(Al-INIuharrak), j.> is understood.
228 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Monastery at Ansina.
' Whether this should be Ansina, as our MS. has it, or Isna (Esneh) I cannot
say. See following note.
^ This Matthias, or Matthew,
is mentioned in the Life of the Patriarch
Alexander 704-737?;;
(a. d. and the following story is to be found there. See
Anc. Fonds Arabe 139, p. 136, 1. 10 ff., where the saint, however, is said to have
lived near Isna. A Coptic life of this saint, who is there called ^Tl^
JUL^OO^IOC n^HKe) '
Saint Matthew the Poor,' is quoted in Zoega, Cat.
p. 534 ff., in which it is said that this saint founded a monastery named after
St. Pachomius, near Isna (Esneh), where he lived a most ascetic life, fighting with
devils, who appeared to him in the form of serpents. A gid was brought to him,
possessed by a devil, and he bade her parents anoint her with oil from the church
lamp, so that she was healed. The Mahometan governor of Isna used to consult
Matthew on matters of importance, and send him presents of grapes, figs, pome-
granates, myrtle, and jasmine.
The festival of St. Matthew the Poor is kept on Kihak 7 = Dec. 3; and the
Synaxarium has the following notice on that day
'
On this day died St. Matthew the Poor. This saint was the superior of a
monastery on a mountain in the neighbourhood of Aswan. He used to perform
many wonderful works, and cast out devils; and he was counted worthy to
possess the gift of healing, so that he used to pray over every sick man who was
brought to him, and the Lord healed the sick man in answer to his prayers.'
The Synaxarium then relates the story of the girl who was swallowed up, in
somewhat different terms from those of our author, and concludes thus
^j^ AO»*3dl ^_ i^*^ r^"* Ur^ AJj^flll w'iJlo luH 4_jJl »J3.'«
'
Among the wonderful acts recorded of this Father was his habit of feeding
OTHER CHURCHES A.XB MONASTERIES. 229
the following. A certain maiden had two brothers, who were tempted
by Satan to commit sin with her, so that she became pregnant and ;
this fact became apparent, but none knew the cause. So her parents
brought her to this monk and he questioned her as to how the thing
;
had happened and she confessed all to him. Then he raised his
;
hands to heaven and prayed and the earth immediately opened and ;
swallowed her up, in the sight of her parents. This is attested by the
History of the Church in the Life of the Father Alexander^ the priest Fol. 80 a
of the monastery of To Hcnatoii'^, who became forty-third patriarch.
wild beasts with his own hand. So when he had finisiied his course, he went to his
rest in peace, and the Lord took him to himself. May his acceptable prayers be
with all those who are baptized Amen.' !
(jO {j'ji\ L_jj^il t_^wJie &j^ JJfl elb* jjW^^ u^J s^^^ (^-^b ij^ i^ ^^'* c/*J
lT^'
(j.jly. i^l^lijJl
^ ^ j^ ijl J (»jLft \j\p^. *a^JJ ^ J^j^ U^3 ^Jo^^ ,_^L«o j,bl
^
^j^ yiotll JUS ^ hjS\
^ jJt.o jp jj dl^ i_^^^ ^S ^•^'^
(J' (J^J "-r^^!*
land of Egypt.' (Brit. Mus. MS. Or. 26,100, p. 103, line 26-p. 104, line 4.)
BULYANA AND BAHJURAH. 231
which the emperor oppressed the orthodox people, and required them
to conform to his creed, which was contrary to the truth. From these
two men the Christians suffered great persecution, yet they would not Fol. 80 b
deny their faith. But in their time the Hanifite nation appeared, and
humbled the Romans, and slew many of them and took possession ;
people; saying in the decree: 'Let the shaikh and patriarch come
forth in confidence, with regard both to himself and to all the Copts,
who are in the land of Egypt and elsewhere, for they shall be safe
from all violence and treachery and so on. So this decree of
;
'
patriarch.
Bulyaiid and Bahjiirah.
^
Occupied the see from a. d. 616-622 (?); Renaudot, Hist. Pair. pp. 154-155.
Our author means, of course, the first preaching of the Mahometan religion at Mecca.
^ I. e. of the Seleucian era.
* The fiftieth patriarch; sat a. d. 826-836 ?
the district of Bardis, in the province of Jirja, and in 1885 had 3,854 inhabitants.
There was formerly here a talisman, which served as a protection against
crocodiles. See Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome) [p. 48]; Yakiit, Geogr. Wort, i, p. vro ;
Ktls.
and some of the inhabitants used to enshroud the kings for burial.
The town is enclosed within a wall. It was built by Kus, son of Kift,
so that he might travel thence to the Oases in the west, and in the
east to the mines of gold and emeralds ^ and to the Hedjaz.
of Saint Pisentius. Outside the monastery, and to the west of it, there
\k^\ ^o -i£
lS^^Ij J'^^r^ W^-»=f" rr* h^ S^^ ^fl>-j
'
On this day died the Father Pisentius, bishop of Kift. This saint became
a monk in his youth, and was exceedingly devout, and learnt by heart many
books, among which were the Psalms and the Twelve Minor Prophets.'
He had a power of performing miracles; and a woman was healed of her
sickness by swallowing dust from his footprints. When he celebrated the liturgy
he is said to have been conscious of the presence of the Lord and his angels in
the sanctuary, and even to have seen them with his bodily eyes. On one occasion
a priest, celebrating the liturgy in the presence of St. Pisentius, was guilty of the
irreverence of spitting, for which he was severely reproved by the saint, who told
him that he had actually defiled the wing of a cherub, who was standing
beside the altar ; and on hearing this the priest was stricken with remorse, was
carried home sick and died.
h u [II. 7.]
234 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
is a well of water which was visited by our Lady and the Lord Christ
with the righteous old man Joseph. At this place there is a church
named after the holy man, Saint Coluthus; and a church named after the
glorious Saint Mercurius ; and the church of Saint John and a church ;
and disciples, Peter and Paul and a church of the great martyrs and
;
champions, Cosmas and Damian, their brethren and their mother and ;
the church of the glorious angel Michael and the church of the two
;
great and glorious martyrs Peter and Paul, outside the city, restored
by the blessed Shaikh 'Izz al-Kufat, son of the Shaikh Mustafa '1-Mulk
Abu Yusuf, under the rule of the Ghuzz and Kurds.
There is a church called Al-'Abbasah outside this city, named after
the saint and martyr George, which has already been mentioned. It
But the Muslims were indignant with Mara on this account, and brought
charges against him, because of which he was seized by Al-Majid
Faris, son-in-law of Shawar, when the latter was wali of Kus, who
placed him in fetters, and intended to put him to death. But he offered
to the wall much money, and the Christians assisted him with a large
THE WHITE MONASTERY. 235
sum of money ; and so he was released out of the hands of the governor.
Afterwards Mara was killed by Arabs^ in the desert; and he was
brought to the side of this church and buried there. It is said that
before he was killed, Saint George appeared to him during his imprison-
ment, and spoke with him, and loosened the fetters from his feet. In
this church, Mara replaced by a new roof; and
the roof of timber Fol. 82 b
he had pictures of the martyrs, of the saints, and of the angels
painted in the church. Other restorations were undertaken by Fakhr
ad-Daulah Abu '1-Makarim ibn al-Fath, the Alexandrian scribe, when
he was in this place in the year 892 of the Righteous Martyrs
(A.D. 1175-6).
^ The form ^^^Jc, applied especially to the desert Arabs, is, of course, well
kno\Yn in later Arabic.
^ See p. 194, noteThis is the famous White Monastery (^o^)l ^)jJl) near
2.
Suhaj, and not far from Ikhmim, though on the opposite side of the Nile to that
town. See Norden's Plate LXXXIX, which shows Dair al-Abiad, or the White
Monastery, and Plate XC, which shows Ikhmim: also Curzon's Monasteries of the
Levant, ch. xi (p. 128), and the description and references given in Coptic Churches,
vol. 351 seq.
i. p. I take this opportunity of remarking that neither the measure-
ments nor the description which I borrowed for the latter work from Denon and
from others have proved accurate. Pococke's plan and section face p. 246 of vol. i.
The site of the church is now so encumbered with houses which cover the greater
part of it —a whole village in fact lies within the walls of the church — that to make
an accurate plan will require a great expenditure of time and labour, and probably
of money. Ikhmim, the Xe^fiis (Xe/x/iw) of Herodotus (lib. ii. 91) and Diodorus
(lib. i. 18), was famed for its Hnen according to Strabo (lib. xvii) —a fame which
has been abundantly confirmed in the last few years by the discovery of the rich
textiles now in the South Kensington Museum.
The designation 'White Monastery was already ' given in the time of our author,
for Yak(it speaks of the foundation of St. Sinuthius under that name {Geogr. Wort.
ii. p. iFi), mentioning also another '
White Monastery,' which overlooked Edessa.
h h 2
236 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
thousands of people, and within it are the bodies of the two pure
aujourd'hui. Pas une pierre n'a bouge. Quand de loin on la voit se detacher
en avant de la montagne, elle se pr^sente comnie un bastion carre : de fait c'est
a la maniere des anciens Egyptiens, par assises froides. Les blocs de pierre
fournis par les temples de la ville ruinee ont du etre coupes et taillds de nouveau
cependant ils montrent encore leur emploi primitif Les murs d'une grande
profondeur n'ont pas moins de 120 metres de longueur sur cent en largeur. La
hauteur en est tr^s-grande ; et tout autour r^gne une sorte de corniche peinte
qui rappelle les chapiteaux de certaines colonnes de la grande salle hypostyle de
Karnak. On distingue encore quelques restes des couleurs dont les pierres
^taient revetues. On entrait au monastere par deux portes qui se faisaient face,
et dont I'une a dtd murde depuis. Celle par laquelle on entre aujourd'hui est
d'une profondeur de plus de 15 metres; quand on y passe I'obscurite fait la
a la forme de toules les eglises coptes avec ses cinq coupoles. La coupole du
fond est orn^e de peintures encore bien conservees, avec des inscripdons coptes
en I'honneur du fondateur : elles sont sans doute post^rieures a Schnoudi.
L'obscuritd de cette eglise empeche de reconnaitre les peintures et de lire les
a disparu aujourd'hui, car les huttes actuelles sont recentes, Au-dessus de I'^gHse
dans r^paisseur des murs, on avait pratique une rampe qui conduisait a la terrasse ;
a gauche de cette rampe en terre on avait construit des chambres . . . Les con-
structions du cotd gauche de l'eglise sont seules demeurees debout: celles du
cot^ droit n'offrent plus que des ruines ou Ton ne peut se risquer.' {Vie de
Schnoudi, p. 88.)
It should be added that the first monastery on the site of the present '
White
Monastery ' was founded by Aba Bajul, the teacher of St. Sinuthius, who built the
much larger one which still exists. (Op. til. p. 47.) (A. J.
B.)
THE WHITE MONASTERY. 237
is around the keep and the monastery also a wall of enclosure, within
^ This apparently contradicts the statement above that St. Bartholomew's body
was in the Oasis of Al-Bahnasa ; but perhaps relics said to be his existed at both
places. Quatremere quotes this passage, Mem. i. p. i4f.
^ So the Coptic and Arabic panegyrics on this saint call him
^.^^. ajertoT'f nmpecB.nfrepoc oto^^ ni^.p;x^juLA.rt2!.piXHc
"
duOj^i ^LaJS^ ^jnyX^j *.
a *» . i \ 5^ftJ^ Ul
^ There was a mountain and also a village of this name, called in Coptic
^"TpHIie or ^Tpene, and in Arabic l^j\, io^jl, and below on fol. 87 a even
lo|A:l. On the mountain the 'White Monastery' was situated, so that -it was
called 'The Sinai of St. Sinuthius' (Am^Iineau, Mem. pour servir, p. 392; cf.
Ge'ogr. p. 70 f.)
® The expression used in the patriarchal history is djli.1 jyeii Jio v_^.*,
'
boats like royal palaces.'
238 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
So the monks went meet Al-Kasim and brought him into
forth to
the monastery, together with the odalisque who was witli him and ;
they passed through the first door, and through the second which
leads into the enclosure of the church and they went as far as the ;
door which forms the entrance into the church, still riding upon their
horses. But as they were about to enter into the church, this old
man, the superior of the monastery, cried out, saying Alight [from :
'
thy horse], O emir, and enter not with such pride into the house of
God, above all in the company of this woman ; for never from the
beginning has any woman entered into this church ! I fear for this
woman therefore, if she shall enter into this church !
' But the emir
paid no heed to the words [of the old man], but entered on horseback,
together with his odalisque and the soldiers who were with him. So
when he came to the middle of the church, his horse plunged with
him, and he fell to the ground ; and through his fall the horse which
Fol. 83 b the woman was riding also plunged, so that she fell to the ground
and died on the spot and the horse that was under her died also.
;
counsel which thou didst address to me. But now the mysteries of
this place have been manifested to me so that I do not doubt them.
I desire therefore, O shaikh, that thou shouldest accep£ this gift of
money, and pray for me that God may forgive me, and may not deal
with me as I deserve, because I ventured into the house of God, and
entered it riding on horseback together with my companions.' Then
the aged monk consoled him, and would not accept anything from
him but the emir adjured him and forced him, and showed humility
;
towards him, and at last induced him to take four hundred dinars,
saying :
'
I ask God to pardon thee, O shaikh, that thou mayest ask
him to pardon me this sin which broke from me.'
THE WHITE MONASTERY. 239
that had happened was told him. And he commanded a body of men
to carry it out of the church but they were not able to do so. So
;
when he saw this other wonder, he asked pardon of God most high,
and made a gift of three hundred dinars of his money. Then they
departed. And they were filled with doubts and dismay and the ;
^ The Copts were famous for their skill in ivory inlaying, for examples of
which see Coptic Churches, ii. p. dd, &c. (A. J. B.)
"^
See above, fol. 6 a.
^ If this date is reckoned from the era of the martyrs, it is very inaccurate and ;
if, which is unlikely, it is reckoned from the birth of Christ, it is still wrong by nearly
a hundred years, since the date of the death of Nestorius is a.d. 450 or 451, and
that of his banishment a.d. 435. His death anticipated the Council of Chalcedon,
which, according to Zacharias the rhetorician, he had been invited to attend ; see
Land, Anecd. Syr. iii. p. 118; Evagrius, lib. ii. c. 2 ; Assemani, Bib. Or. ii. pp. 40 and
55. Eutychius states that the banishment lasted for seven years {Annales, ii. p. 12)
and relates, as Abu Salih does, that rain never falls on the tomb of Nestorius. (A.J.B.)
240 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
not descend upon his tomb, because he was the cause of the Council
of Chalcedon.
Story of Febronia.
and take prisoners and slay [as they would] so they set about doing ;
so. Among the places which they attacked was this convent, which
they afterwards plundered and among the nuns there was a young ;
maiden^, named Febronia, who had come from Syria to this convent,
when she was three years old, and had grown up within its walls ;
and she was of great beauty. So when the Bashmurites saw her, they
were astonished at her, on account of her beauty and they said one ;
took her and brought her out from the convent, and separated her
from her sisters the virgins, and consulted with one another as to what
they should do with her; and some of them said: 'Let us cast lots
;
for her but others said
' Let us take her to the prince.' But while
:
'
they were consulting upon these and similar proposals, she said to
them Where is your chief, that I may tell him of a great secret.
:
'
and Quatrembre, Recherches, p. 155. The events are also stated in a few words by
Al-Makin, Hist. Sarac. (ed. Erpenius), p. 99, and by Al-Makrizi. The name
Febronia (Fibruniyah) is well known to the Copts through the commemoration
of the martyr of Nisibis of that name on Abib i = June 25. (A. J. B.)
STORF OF FEBR ONIA. 241
worth a great sum of money ? And then you will let me return to
my sisters in the convent in which I was brought up for I am ;
me, and what is the secret which thou saidst was worth much money ?
So she said to'him: 'My ancestors were wise, valiant, and warlike; Fol. 85 a
and they possessed a secret which they inherited from their ancestors,
and disclosed to no one else. They engaged in great wars, and they
returned in safety, without a wound to any one of them and the ;
cause of this was that they knew certain names which they repeated
over the oil with which they anointed themselves then they went ;
out to the wars, and neither the sword nor the arrow nor the spear
did any harm to them. Now this is what you stand in need of. If
therefore thou wilt let me go back to my convent, I will confer this
benefit upon thee, and show thee this great secret, and I will give thee
what I have of this oil and if thou dost not believe my word, then
;
upon any of my comrades.' So she said to him Wilt thou swear to:
'
me, before I reveal this secret to thee, that thou wilt let me go, and
restore me to my convent and the place in which I was brought up ?
Then he swore to her, saying I will let thee go, and will not allow any
:
'
me go back to my place with thee and no .other, that I may take the
oil and anoint myself with it in thy presence.' So he went with her
into the convent and she approached the picture of the Lady, and
;
prayed before it, and begged the Virgin to assist her to obtain deliver-
ance and then she anointed herself on the neck with oil of the lamp.
; Fol. 85 b
Then he said : I will not make the experiment except in the presence
'
this maiden, that if her words prove true I will let her go, and will
allow none of my comrades to have power over her. Do you then
ii [II. 7.]
242 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
agree with me in this matter ? Then they said to him
' We will not :
'
oppose thee and if this secret be true we shall obtain much advantage
;
from it.' Then he said This maiden said, " Try it on whomsoever thou
:
'
mayest wish," so I said to her, "It is fittest to try it on thee;" and she
consented and she anointed her neck with it but I did not think
; ;
his comrades, who had a sharp-edged sword with him, and said to
him, Come, strike her upon the neck with this sword that thou hast
'
with thee and if we see the result to be successful, you will agree with
;
me to let her go.' So they consented to his bidding. Then that man
arose and drew his sword, and the maiden bent her knees and displayed
her neck but they did not know that which was in her heart. Then
;
she covered her face, and said If there is any strong man among
:
'
you, let him strike with his sword upon my neck, and you will see the
power of God in this great secret.' So that man whom their chief had
appointed went forward to her, and struck with all his might and ;
her head immediately fell from her body for it was her purpose by ;
Fol. 80 a this means to preserve her maidenhood, that she might appear before
Christ a pure virgin, as she had been created, without earthly stain.
So when the ignorant Bashmurites saw what had befallen the maiden,
they knew at last what had been her intention and they repented ;
§ In the city of Ikhmim there were seventy churches until the end
of the year 552 of the Arabs (a. D. i 157).
In the district of DimniV there is a church, on the western bank
of the river, named after the glorious saint Abu Bagham.
they do until the head of one of them is caught in the fissure, and
Copts on Bashans 2=:ApriI 27, but by the Roman church on May 14. He
seems to have died in a.d. 348 or 349 at an advanced age, after establishing
a set of rules for the monastic life. See Ada SS. at May 14 ;
Amdlineau, Hist,
de S. Pakhome el de ses covununauies.
^ It is apparently this convent which Pococke describes (vol. i. p. 78) as
lying 'to ihe east of Akhmim' and 'being one of the most dismal retirements he
ever saw.' Pococke mentions the spring and the well called '
Bir Elaham.' In
Poeocke's name for this monastery 'Dermadoud' (Dair Madud ?) there is no
correspondence with that given by Abu Salih, which is, of course, a name of
dedication, not of locality. (A. B.)
J.
^ Al-Makrizi says that this is part of the Jabal at-Tair.
* See above, fol. 19 b.
i i 2
344 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
he hangs there, beating with his wings until he dies ; and after that
all the birds fly away until not one of them is left there.
That monastery is celebrated for its wonderful miracles.
§ At Ansina^ was the house of Mary the Copt^, who was born and
grew up at this place. She it was whom the Mukaukis sent as a gift
to Mahomet, who married her and the purpose of the Mukaukis in
;
sending Mary the Copt, was that through her he might be connected
by affinity^ with Mahomet, The house of Mary was afterwards turned
into a mosque.
The district known as Ansina. This was the name of one of the
sons of Kift, son of Mizraim, who built it for certain sorcerers. [There
is here] the monastery of a saint called Abu Tabih*, whose body is
I'ol. 87 a At Ansina there is also a church named after the saint and great
martyr George; and a church of the valiant martyr Theodore the
Eastern and a monastery of the great saint Sinuthius, on Mount
;
A-ndariba\ in which many holy monks have lived, especially the holy
champion and ascetic, the blessed Anba Yasib.
^ We now return northwards to Ansina or Shaikh 'Abadah, the famous Red '
p. 41.
'^
I take this to be another form of Atiibah or Adribah (see above, fol. 82 b),
usyOt and its neighbourhood. 245
and many became monks in this monastery for his sake. Matthew
was a native of Askit'^ and he used to pray over the oil, and whatever
sick person was anointed with it was healed of his disease through
the power of God which dwelt in him and he used to cast out devils ;
in the name of Christ, from those who were possessed by unclean spirits.
and the allusion to be to the White Monastery, opposite to Ikhmim, which has
already been spoken of. The MS. has Uj.jil, and Quatremere transcribes it by
'
Andrina; see his Mem.
' i. p. 42, where this passage is quoted in substance.
'
The Forty Martyrs of Sebaste.
^ I.e. St. Matthew the Poor, who has already been named above, p. 228.
^ I.e. the desert of Scyathis or Scete, afterwards called Wadi Habib.
* A little to the south-east of Suyfit, Usyut, or Asyut, on the same side of the
river. It is the Coptic CtjaJTII ; and in 1885 it had 4,008 inhabitants. See
Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iii. p. rl. ; Amdlineau, Ge'ogr. p. 423 f.
* Suyut, Asyfit, or Usyut is the largest town in Upper Egypt, and has been
a place of great importance from remote antiquity. The Coptic CIUUO'VT, and
the Greek Lycopolis, it is now, as it was in the time of our author, the capital
of a province, and in 1885 it had 31,398 inhabitants. See Yakut, Geogr. W'url.
i. p. rvr ; Al-Idrisi (trans. Jaubert), i. p. 126; Amelineau, Ge'ogr. pp. 464-466.
246 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
built by Manfa'us, the king ; and its name means the Beloved.' The'
rubbed in the fingers it would spread out evenly, and some of it would
extend beyond the sides in it they sow flax and wheat and clover and
;
other crops. It is said that there is nowhere in Egypt anything like this
level unbroken expanse of cultivated fields^, or any more delightful
place where the beauties of the country can be better enjoyed than this,
when its crops are in full luxuriance, and when the flowers appear they ;
spoken can be heard there on account of the great noise of the birds.
At Usyut no Jews live nor does a single Jew travel that way,
;
(A.J.B.)
* The faiJasdn is an ecclesiastical vestment described in Coptic Churches, ii.
p. 120. It signifies also a sort of veil or scarf worn by lawyers, doctors, and
others. (A. J.
B.)
USrUT AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD. 247
a gate called Al-Kantarah ; Bab Umm Hariz ; Bib as-Sudan ; Bab al- Fol. 88 a
Mikyas.
The monastery of Abu 's-Sirri. This monastery contains the body
of Saint Theodore, the military commander and martyr, and the body of
the bishop Harufus ; these two bodies lie upon a wooden stand in the
altar-chamber.
The monastery called the monastery of Abu Sidir^, whose body
arrived at Shutb on the 5th of Hatur. Near the monastery is the
mountain of At-Talimun^, the length of which is twelve posts on the
eastern side.
At Al-Kharibah Suyut there is a ruined bath^.
at
There is a church of the martyr Abu Bagham, whose body lies
within it and he has another church at Al-Kharibah.
;
^ Al-Makrizi also speaks of ihe church of Abil Sadrah (La^ y\). Sadir and
Sadrah both seem to be forms of the name Theodore.' The Paris Synaxariiim
'
does not commemorate the bringing of his body to Shutb ; but that translated
by Mr. Malan has at Hatfir 5, '
Bringing of the body of
Theodore to Shutab.' St.
^ Al-Idrisi names this mountain under the form Tailanmn (^^^UJs) see the ;
^ The mention of the ruined Roman bath at UsyCit recalls the incident of the
suffocation of a number of men in a bath, during the reign of Theodosius I, by
the members of the rival faction, at the time of the games in the circus, and the
threatened punishment of the city by the emperor, whose wrath was averted
and the oven, and made the keep his dwelling-place but in the ;
Monastery of Al-Asal.
the south of the church and containing a mill and the cells of the
monks ; and the other being to the north of the church. It also has
a press for olive-oil. It is said that there are here fourteen churches.
There is a church of the saint Sinuthius a ; church of the Lady and
Pure Virgin Mary a church of the glorious ; angel Michael a church ;
named after Saint Claudius the martyr a ; church named after the
saint Bli Hadr* of Al-Ushmunain and a ; church named after the
^ Mentioned by AI-IMakrizi.
2 The mill and oven are used for preparing the eucharistic bread, the oil-press
* This is apparently the same as Hadri (^A.TpH), the monk and friend
of Saint Or (^CJL5p), in the fourth century. Abu Hadri {^JjSa y\) is com-
memorated according to the Paris Synaxarium on Kihak i2 = Dec. 8, but he is
saint and martyr George, in which the liturgy is celebrated every day
of the year.
It is said that there was in the monastery of Al-'Asal a monk
named Simon the saint, who became bishop. At his cell there were
fruit-bearing palms, in which the ravens used to build their nests ; and,
through his gentleness and kindness, the shy raven grew so tame that
itate from his hand. And the sinners among his people left off their
sins,and listened to his life-giving doctrines, and repented of their sins,
and began again to attend the church in order to hear his exhortations
and teachings, and to bring him, out of their earnings, tithes and money
in payment of vows.
pitchers of water, and is filled from the blessed Nile. On the upper part
of this mountain there is a place where there are [chambers in] three
stories, hewn in the rock. And there are in this monastery rope-
ladders, and there is a place whither, if there be great cause for fear,
the monks ascend by these ladders, and when they have arrived at
Fol. 89 b the top they draw up the ladders after them. The monastery contains
a mill and several ovens, and a press for olive oil. There are thirty
monks here. Beneath the monastery there is a garden, full of trees
and tall fruit-bearing palms and olives and pomegranates, and verdant
plots, and beds of vegetables ; and from these the monastery gains much
money, which pays for its needs year by year, besides that which
God sends them through alms and also through payment of vows.
This monastery is independent, and its inmates are leaders among the
monks, holy men, ascetics, champions of the faith, and learned. The
monastery was free of taxation but when the Ghuzz and Kurds con-
;
quered Egypt they seized upon this and the other gardens in the
possession of the monasteries, and also seized their endowments.
In the monastery of Saint Severus there lived an aged monk, an
ascetic, who fasted continually week after week at the end of the ;
Karfunah {lJ,yS), Arfiinah (iJjs^l), or Aghrafimd (li^^el), adding that the name
means 'writer,' i.e. ypd(f)cov.
^ The Eai'r Abt Sazviris at Usyut is mentioned by Yakut (Geogr. \V6rL ii.
visited the old man, and witnessed his mode of life, and made enquiries
of him, and found that the report was true and the old man announced ;
to Tala'i' that he would rise in rank and would become vizier and ;
indeed the most high God did grant him the vizierate and so he ;
There is another monastery named after the Lady and Pure Virgin
Mary, which is called the monastery of Abtj '1-Harith.
There is a monastery called Dair at-Tinadah^, named after the
martyr Abu Bagham.
There is the monastery of the martyr Saint Victor, with a church
which contains his body and that of the martyr David.
The body of the martyr Coluthus is in his monastery at Suyut, with
the body of the martyr Bagham.
The monastery of Saint Victor is at Al-Khusus, to the east of Suyut,
on the mountain and it contains his pure body.
;
2 Yakut gives us the pronunciation of this name, and adds that the monas-
tery was a celebrated one near Usyut, attractive as a resort for })leasure, and
inhabited by many monks {Geogr. Wort. ii. p. -iFs).
k k 2
353 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
A monastery called Ibsidiya^ stands between Rifah^ and another
place ^.
Tunhidhd.
Fol. 90 b The monastery of Aba Nub the martyr, which contains the bodies
of sixty-three monks who were martyred. It stands to the north of
the town of Al-Ushmunain. The monks were put to death by a black,
named Haffaz, in the caliphate of Al-Mustansir bi'llah, at the time of
the disturbances in Upper Egypt, during the patriarchate of Christo-
dulus, the sixty-sixth in the succession, in the year 781 of the Righteous
Martyrs (a.d. 1065-6). This monastery contains a keep, which is
a lofty structure.
exists, and had in 1885 a population of 4,119. See Amelineau, Geogr. p. 165.
^ The name is omitted in the MS.
* This martyr, so celebrated in the Eastern churches, suffered in the perse-
cution of Diocletian about the same time as his friend St. Bacchus. The Copts
keep the festival of St. Sergius on Babah 10=: Oct. 7. See Synaxarium at that
day; Eutychius, Ajinales, i. p. 412.
VARIOUS CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES. 253
There is a church named after the Lady and Pure Virgin Mary.
There are two churches named after the angel Gabriel, one of which
was wrecked by the mob of Muslims in the year 580 (a. D. 11 84), under
the rule of the Ghuzz and Kurds. There are also two churches named
after the angel Michael two churches named after the martyr Abi
;
of the martyr Saint Mennas two churches of the Lady and Pure;
a church of the Lady and Pure Virgin Mary a church named after ;
the angel Gabriel a church named after the martyr Aba Falukh
; ;
the church of the angel Raphael and a church named after the great ;
martyr George.
§ At-Sumusta ^, in the nearer part of Upper Egypt, there is the
church of Abu Harudah, the martyr, whose body lies within it.
§ Butij ^. The body of Saint Pachomius and the body of Sinuthius Fol. 91
lie in two chests in a church to the south of Butij.
Saint John.
There are also six churches, namely, a church of the angel Raphael,
^ Sumusta or Samasta is on the west bank, and is now in the district of Biba,
in the province of Bani Suwaif, with a population in 1885 of 2,135, There are
three small hamlets of the same name in the same district beside this larger village,
which is distinguished by the name of Samesta al-Wakf. The MSS. of Al-Makrizi
write Ua--»i,. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort, ad voc. ; Ibn Dukmak, v. p. 1; Rec. de
VEgypte, ii. p. 288.
^ Butij or Abu Tij is the Graeco-Coptic T<LnoO'rKK. It is now the
capital of a district in the province of Asyut, and in 1885 had 10,770 inhabitants.
See Yakut, Geogr. War/, i. p. voo ; Amelineau, Geogr. p. n f.
254 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
a church of the martyr Saint Mercurius ; a church of the martyr
Claudius ; a church of the valiant martyr Theodore ; a church of the
glorious prophet Daniel ; and a church of Aba Fu, besides a second
church of the angel Michael.
§ Akfahs\ Here there are six churches, of which the following
is a list : a church named after the Lady and Pure Virgin Mary ; the
church of the glorious angel Michael ; a church of the glorious angel
Gabriel ; a church of the martyr Theodore
a church of the martyr ;
Aba SiyGn the church of Julius ^, the scribe and martyr of Akfahs.
;
who forged the bits of Dalas ^. [Here is] the church of Saint Coluthus,
^ St. Philemon is said to have been a musician, and to have been martyred
in the persecution of Diocletian. His festival is on Barmahat 7 = March 3. See
Synaxarimn at that day; Am^lineau, Actes des MM. p. 63.
* On the west bank, in the district of Az-Zawiyah in the province of Bani
Suwaif, and in 1885 containing 1,665 inhabitants. The Coptic name is 'j~XoX.
In the time of our author the place was in the province of Al-Bahnasa. See
Yakut, Geogr. Wort. ii. p. oaI ; Amelineau, Ge'agr. pp. 136-138.
^ Al-Idrisi says (trans, by Jaubert) : ' Delass est une petite ville oti Ton
VARIOUS CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES. 255
the physician, who was also a priest, and was burnt alive in the
fire.
the angel Gabriel a church named after Bastidar and a church named
; ;
after him.
fabrique des mors de cheval et divers ouvrages en fer. Du temps des anciens
Egyptiens elle etait comptee au norabre des villes les plus florissantes mais les ;
Berbers, par leurs violences, et les Arabes par leur mdchancetd, Tent r^duite,
ainsi que ses environs, a un etat miserable.'
^ On the west bank, opposite to Fashn, in the district of which it is included,
being also the province of Minyah. In 1885 Shinara contained 1,847 inhabitants,
besides 847 Bedouins. The Coptic name is CUiEnepcW. The Arabic name
is sometimes written L:.^; and Al-Makrizi mentions a iLii., which is probably
the same place. See Amdlineau, Ge'ogr. p. 429 f.
^ There are several places of this name in Egypt, but the one here mentioned
is doubtless that which stands a little to the south of Ahnas on the west bank, and
is now included within the province of Bani Suwaif. In the time of our author
it must have been a place of very little importance, since Yakut does not name it,
that there were 12,000 Christian inhabitants of this district, and that
they slew every year at the feast of the angel Michael 12,000 sheep;
but now, at the end of the year 569, which is equivalent to the year
890 of the Martyrs (a. D. 11 74), only 400 sheep [are slain] at the annual
festival.
and Pure Virgin Mary the church of Saint Claudius the church of
; ;
Michael the church of the glorious martyr Saint George the church
; ;
Old Cairo, and is fully described with a plan in Coptic Churches, i. p. 181 If.
(A.J.B.)
^ Athlidim was just to the south of Al-Ushmunain. It is to be found in the
revenue-list published by De Sacy, who transcribes it in the form Itlidim. See
Yakut, Geogr. Wort, ad voc. ; Ibn Dukmak, v. p. m ; De Sacy, Ahd-Allatif,
p. 693.
•'
See above, fol. 91b.
*
The Coptic ^ItHC. It still exists, under the name of Ahnastjat
al-Madinah, in the district and province of Bani Suwaif, with a population in
VARIOUS CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES. 257
1885 of 2,484, besides 148 Bedouins. In the Roman period the town was named
Heracleopolis Magna. In the time of our author it was in the province of Al-
Bahnasa. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. F.'i ; Al-Idrisi (trans. Jaubert), i. p. 128 ;
'
Or Al-Maraghah, in the singular. There is now a place of this name in
the district of Tahtah, in the province of Jirja, which in 1885 had 8,658 inhabitants.
Our author is probably in error in supposing that there was a place of this
name near Kalusana, although Al-Idrisi mentions a village called Al-Maraghah,
five miles from Ansina. The Al-Maraghat of the revenue-list was in the district
of Ikhmim, and so might be that now existing. See Al-Idrisi (trans. Jaubert),
i.p. 124 De Sacy, Abd-AUatif, p. 701 Rec. de Vtgypte, ii. p. 210. Al-Makrizi
; ;
mentions a Coptic church at Al-Maraghah, meaning the place of that name which
now exists, since he sets it near Tahta.
^ See fol. 17 b. This place is also called Busir al-Mal'ak, and stands at the
entrance to the Fa}'yiam, being included in the district of Zawiyah in the province
of Bani Suwaif, with 1,886 inhabitants in 1885, besides 511 Bedouins. See
Yakijt, Geogr. Wort. i. p. vt . ; Ibn Dukmak, v. p. r ; Amelineau, Ge'ogr. p. 10.
^ An Arabic form of the Coptic Piroou (nipcOOY), the name of a martyr of
the time of Diocletian, who, with his brother Atum (<L0CUJUL), is commemorated
on Abib 8 = July 2. The name also appears in Arabic as Abiru (j);-^J) or
Abiruh (xj^l). See their Coptic Acts in Hyvernat, Actcs des Martyrs, p. 135 ff.
1 1 [II. 7.]
258 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
who has spoken of, came. He was the last of
already been the
Omeyyad and he was pursued by the Khorassanians,
caliphs ; the
followers of As-Saffah, the Abbaside and they caught him, ; and
crucified him, with his head downwards and they also killed ; his
vizier.
§ The town of Al-'Ukab^ This was built by 'Aun 'Abd al-Walid ibn
Dauma', one of the descendants of Kift, the son of Mizraim, the son of
Baisur, the son of Ham, the son of Noah.
Account of the spring which is in the Wadi 'l-'Ain, to the east of
Ikhmim. When the aforesaid spring is touched by a person in a
state of uncleanness, the water ceases to flow into its cistern, until the
latter has been cleansed and the polluted water within it removed.
Story of the cistern which is named the Pure. It is said that
a man saw a cistern which was cut out of a great stone, into which
water was flowing from a spring at the foot of the mountain in this
Fol. 93 a district, near a church. The water flows in a continuous stream and
is sweet in taste and in smell ; but if a man or woman in a state
of uncleanness touches it, it ceases to flow at that moment, as soon
as it reaches the cistern and the people of the place know this,
;
and so they draw out the water which is already there and wash the
cistern with other water and then the water begins to flow again from
;
The Oasis of Al-Bahnasa, to which there is a road from the town after which it is
named, is reckoned a part of the province of the Fayyum, and consists of four
districts: that of Al-Buwiti with 1,675 inhabitants; that of Al-Kasr, the chief
town, with 1,387 inhabitants; that of Mudishah with 1,506 inhabitants; and that
THE OASIS OF AL-BAHNASA. 259
but without the head^ On the festival of his martyrdom, the body
is brought out from the shrine, and a new veil is put over it and it ;
is carriecl in procession all round the town, with candles and crosses
and chanting and then it is carried back to the church. Formerly the
;
people feared lest the Romans might steal it, and take it to their
church and so it was removed to the mountain with great precau-
;
tions, and placed in a cave, which was blocked up with stones and
concealed. But a certain man who had a devotion to Saint George,
saw him in a vision, and he said Why have you imprisoned ^ my:
'
body? Bring me out from this place.' Then the bishop and the
people did not cease to search until they found the body, and they
brought it out and restored it to the church. Ibn al-Khafir, the wall
of the Oases, came here in the caliphate of Al-Hafiz and he sent ; Fol. 93 b
some men who carried off the body of Saint George and brought it
to the wall's house and he said; I will not restore it to the Christians,
:
'
until they pay me a large sum of money.' So the bishop and the chief
men among the Christians brought him money from time to time, but
it did not satisfy him, and he would not restore the body to them.
Then God sent a cloud and a violent wind and rain and lightning and
heavy thunder, during many successive days, such as had never been
witnessed in that country and it was said to the wall
; Perhaps this :
'
misfortune has happened solely because thou hast detained this body.'
Then the wall sent for the bishop, and gave the body up to him and ;
'
Take charge of this ; for I cannot explain or speak of what I have seen.'
of Az-Zabu with 808 inhabitants ; the total being 5,436 inhabitants. See
Amelineau, Ge'ogr. p. 290 f.
^ The principal relics of St. George were, as it is well known, in the famous
church named after him at Lydda see below. ;
1 1 2
26o CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EQFPT.
It is said body were not separated from it, but
that the limbs of this
that it and without any change. It is commonly
was found entire,
reported among men that the body of this martyr is at the town of
Lydda^ in Syria. Some say, however, that the head is there, but that
Fol. 94 a the body was brought to this country [of Egypt], because the governor
of Egypt and the governor of Syria were two brothers, and, as Syria was
filled with troops and marauders, the governor of that country feared that
without the head, was brought to the Oases, because they are free
from the incursions of troops and depredators and the proof of this ;
is that the pilgrims who went to Syria to visit Lydda, that they might
receive a blessing from the body of the martyr Saint George, said that
they saw the head without the body and this was during the Fast ;
Nubia.
At Bujaras, the capital of the province of Al-Maris^, which is a well-
populated city, there is the dwelling-place of Jausar, who wore the
turban and the two horns and the golden bracelet. A certain traveller
•
came to [the caliph] Al-'Aziz bi'llah and informed him that he had
' The church of St. George at Lydda was restored by our own king Richard I.
For an account of the relics of the saint and all information with regard to him
see Acta SS. at April 23.
^ This passage with the following account of Nubia is to be found translated
in substance in Quatremere, Mem. ii. p. 3 iff. Maris (jUL^pHC, 'the South') was
the most northern province of Nubia, bordering upon Egypt. The south wind
was likewise called Marisi. Yakut names Marisah an '
island in Nubia from which
slaves are exported.' See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. c 1 ; AI-Makrizi, Khitat,
i. p. I Sa ; 'Abd al-Latif, p. 12. Al-Mas'udi gives, as the chief divisions of Nubia
Dunkulah (Dongola), Mukurrah, 'Alwah, and Maris ; see Muruj adh-Dhahab
(ed. Barbier), iii. p. 32. It is well known that the northern extremity of Nubia
between Syene (Aswan) and Pselcis (Dakkah), and later up to Hiera-Sycominos
(Muharrakah), was a dependency of Egypt under the Ptolemies and the Roman
Empire, and was called Dodecaschoenus.
NUBIA. 261
appears, with a wall, and a water-wheel going round near the city gate,
and sycamore-trees, and cattle drinking from the cistern fed by the
water-wheel ; and that this lasts for two hours in the day, and the
horses go and drink from that cistern ; then after that the city disappears,
and nothing is seen where it stood and no one can reach it, although ;
it seems close to him while it is far off; and that city is called among Fol. 94 b
the people of that district the city of Alfi and it is not seen again ;
'
The king of Mukurra and Nubia.' At the end of the seventh century of our
era, the Coptic patriarch Isaac is said to have received letters from the king of
Mukurrah (llOTpo It^JULA-KOVpI^), who requested that a bishop might be
sent to him. See the Coptic life of this patriarch, edited by M. Am^lineau.
Vansleb states that there were seven episcopal sees in the province of Mukurrah,
viz. '
Korti, Ibrim, Bucaras, Dongola, Sai, Termus, Suenkur,' and refers for them
to a letter published by the Pere Bonjour, entitled In Monumenta Aegyptiaca Biblio-
thecae Vaitcanae brevis exercitatio. M. Amelineau 'says that Makorrah extended
from the modern Korosko to the ancient Napata (above Korti).
The patriarchal biography in the compilation of Severus of Al-Ushmunain
does not mention any letter from the king of Mukurrah, but states that the
patriarch Isaac himself wrote to the kings of Nubia and Abyssinia (diUj ^^^ dl^
djjJl), bidding them live at peace together, and abstain from conflict with one
another ; and that the wall of Egypt, 'Abd al-'Aziz, suspecting the object of the
letters, caused them to be intercepted (Brit. INIus. MS. Or. 26,100, p. 126, 1. 25
p. 127, 1.5).
^ I. e. the Cataract at Wadi Khalfah. Mukurrah, or Makorrah, extended about
sixty miles to the north of the Second Cataract. (A. B.)
J.
262 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
The monastery of Michael and Cosmas is large and spacious, and
possesses a sycamore-tree, by which the rise and fall of the Nile are
ascertained every year.
There is a monastery called that of Daira, near which there is an
ancient temple, between two great mountains.
A city called the city of Bausaka. This is a large and handsome
city, full of people and of all commodities, and possessing many
churches. Here dwelt the Lord of the Mountain, whose eyes were
put out by George, son of Zacharias Israel. Here is the monastery
of Saint Sinuthius, in which Abu Rakwah al-Walid ibn Hisham^ was
taken prisoner in the month of Rabi' the First, in the year 397 of the
Arabs (a. D. 1006). Near the town there is a gold-mine.
Mountain of Zidan. Here is the monastery of Abu Jaras, in a
town on the west, which possesses a bishop. It is a beautiful town on
the mountain. At night a light as of fire is seen in this town from
a distance, but if the beholder comes near to it he cannot find it yet ;
Fol. 95 a In the land of Nubia, near the cataract, there is a town called the
Upper Maks. No one is allowed to pass by the inhabitants of this
place, without being searched, even if he be a king ; and if any one
^ The surname of Abu Rakwah was given to this man because in earlier life
done by exchange thus they exchange woven stuffs and slaves and
; ;
different from that of other stones, and so those who search for it
recognize it but if they are in doubt, they breathe upon it and then
;
cannot reach the water, but can only look at it, although it seems to be
near to him and when he tries to arrive at it he cannot do so.
;
Town of 'Alwah^. Here there are troops and a large kingdom with
wide districts, in which there are four hundred churches. The town
lies to the east of the large island* between the two rivers, the White
White Nile and Blue Nile (Bahr al-Azrak), for so it is now called. The town
of Khartum stands at the junction of these two branches. The existence of four
264 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Fol. 95 b Nile and the Green Nile. All its inhabitants are Jacobite Christians \
Around it there some at a distance from the stream
are monasteries,
and some upon its banks. In the town there is a very large and
spacious church, skilfully planned and constructed, and larger than
all the other churches in the country ; it is called the church of
Manbali. The crops of this country depend upon the rise of the Nile,
and upon the rain. When they are about to sow their seed, they
hundred churches in the province of 'Alwah seems surprising, but it is clear that
name is John of Syria . . . , that he had been to this country, and that there are in
it a hundred and fifty churches, which still contain crucifixes and effigies of our
Lady and other effigies painted on the walls, and all old. These churches are all
in old ancient castles which are throughout the country; and as many castles,
there are so many churches. While we were in the country of the Prester John,
there came six men from that country to the Prester himself, begging of him
to send them priests and friars to teach them. He did not choose to send them
and it was said that he said to them that he had his Abima [sic but read Abihia, :
i. e. Metropolitan] from the country of the Moors, that is to say from the
patriarch of Alexandria, who is under the rule of the Moors : how then could he
give priests and friars, since another gave them ? They say that in ancient times
these people had everything from Rome, and that it is a very long time ago that
a bishop died whom they got from Rome, and on account of the wars of the
Moors [Saracens in Egypt] ihey could not get another, and so they lost all their
Christianity. These Nubiis border upon Egypt, and they say they have much fine
gold in their country. This country lies in front of Suaquem [Suakin], which is
close to the Red Sea.' (A. J. B.)
^ All the Arab historians and geographers who mention Nubia state that the
natives of the country were Jacobite, i. e. monophysite Christians. See e. g.
trace out furrows in the field and bring the seed and lay it at tlie
side of the field, they place a supply of the drink called
and beside it
inisr'^, and go away; and afterwards they find that the seed has been
from ours.
City of Dongola". Here is the throne of the king. It is a large
city on the banks of the blessed Nile, and contains many churches
and large houses and wide streets. The king's house is lofty, with
several domes built of red brick, and resembles the buildings in
Al-'Irak and this novelty was introduced by Raphael, who was king
;
of Nubia in the year 392 of the Arabs (a. d. 1002). In that year"'
Abu Rakwah, who is also called Al-Walid ibn Hisham al-Khariji,
rebelled against Al-Imam al-Hakim bi-amri 'llah, and attempted to
ravage his country but Al-Hakim defeated the rebel and his troops
; ; Fol. 96 a
wintered at Takhum, in Nubia.
It is said that the Nubians formerly worshipped the stars, and that
the first of them who was converted ^ to the knowledge of the truth
'
Mizr is a kind of beer made by the fermentation of grain. (A. J.
B.)
"^
Yakut says
JvJl J0.L0 |)c d.li.l Jji* j_^j iiaj>.i l^*--! hyA i:^.-u
'
The capital of Nubia is called Dongola (Dumkulah), and this is the residence of
the king. It stands upon the bank of the Nile,' {Geogr. Wort. iv. p. at .) .
Al-Idrisi says that Dongola was five days higher up the river than 'Alwah
(ed. Rome) [p. 29], The town is now called Old Dongola to distinguish it from
New Dongola or Ordi.
^ The words jbjJl dl* are inserted by mistake of the scribe.
* It seems clear from Olympiodorus, Priscus, Procopius, and Barhebraeus that
Christianity was not exclusively accepted among the Nubians before the reign of
Justinian I ; but there were Christians there in the fifth century, as the statement
of Cosmas Indicopleustes would prove, and probably as early as the reign of
Conslantine (Abu '1-P'araj, ed. Pococke, p. 135), and perhaps even from the time
m 111 [11. 7.]
266 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
and the religion of the law of Christ was Bahriya, son of the king's
sister, who was learned in the science of the sphere, and was wise
and skilful. When he was converted to the religion of Christ, all the
blacks of Nubia followed him and he built for them many churches,
;
throughout the land of Nubia, and many monasteries, which are still
flourishing, and some of them are at a distance from the river and some
upon its banks.
In the land of Nubia is the city of Ibrim\ the residence of the
Lord of the Mountain, all the inhabitants of which are of the province
of Maris it is enclosed within a wall.
; Here there is a large and
beautiful church, finely planned, and named after our Lady, the Pure
Virgin Mary, Above it there is a high dome, upon which rises a large
cross 2. When Shams ad-Daulah\ brother of Al-Malik an-Nasir Salah
ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub the Kurd, brother of Shirkuh, marched into
Upper Egypt, in the caliphate of Al-Mustadi, the Abbaside, after the
of the Apostles. See the discussion of this question by Letronne in his Materiaux
pour Vhistoire du Christimiisme en Egyp/e, eti Ntibie et en Abyssinie, p. 42, &c. It
is said that the empress Theodora sent a mission to spread the monophysite
doctrine in Nubia ; see Gibbon, Decline and Fall, ch. 47. (A. J. B.)
'
The Latin and Greek Primis. It stands a few miles above Derr and
Korosko, and must have been near the borders of the province of Maris. In the
sixth century it seems to have formed the southern limit of the country of the
Blemmyes, according to Olympiodorus and the Greek inscription of Silco at
Kalabshah (see Letronne's Memoir quoted above). There are still some Roman
remains there, although it was never part of a Roman province, and can only
have been an advanced post. (A. J.
B.)
- It is only in remote and desert places that the Copts venture even now
to erect a cross over the cupola of a sacred building. Macarius, bishop of
Jerusalem, is said to have been the first to set a cross upon a dome, according
to AI-Makrizi. (A. J.
B.)
^ Al-Malik al-Mu'azzam Shams ad-Daulah Turan Shah, surnamed Fakhr
ad-Din, was an elder brother of Saladin. In a. h.569 he was sent to subdue
a rebellion in Yaman. In a. h. 571 he was appointed Saladin's lieutenant at
Damascus; and in Safar a. h. 576=June a. n. 1180 he died. See Ibn Khallikan
(trans. De Slane), i. p. 284 ff. ; Ibn Shaddad (ed. Schultens), p. 39.
NUBIA. 267
they left the town in ruins, after conquering it and they took the ;
pigs were found here. Shams ad-Daulah commanded that the cross
on the dome of the church should be burnt, and that the call to
prayer should be chanted by the muezzin from its summit. His
troops plundered all that there was in this district, and pillaged the
church throughout and they killed the pigs. And a bishop was found
;
he could give to Shams ad-Daulah, who made him prisoner with the
rest, and he was cast with them
the fortress, which is on a
into
high hill and is exceedingly strong. Shams ad-Daulah left in the
town many horsemen, and placed with them the provisions and the
weapons and ammunition and tools. In the town a quantity of cotton
was found, which he carried off to Kus and sold for a large sum. Before
this time, Muhammad al-Kh^zin had captured Ibrim, in the days of
Kafur al-Ikhshidi, under the dynasty of the Abbasides.
§ In the history of the holy church and in the biographies of the fathers
and patriarchs it is said concerning Anba Kha'il, the forty-sixth patriarch,
that when money was extorted from him, in the caliphate of Marwan
al-Ja'di, the last of the Omeyyad caliphs, by the emir of Egypt, Salah
ad-Din Yusuf the Kurd-, and the patriarch went up to Upper Egypt,
to beg for assistance from the people there, and when Cyriacus, king Fol. 97 a
m in 2
268 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
of Nubia, heard of this, he was angry and filled with indignation
because the was thus humiliated and pressed for money
patriarch ;
patriarch from his obligations and ceased to extort money from him,
and begged him to write to the king of Nubia and bid him return [to
his own country]. So the patriarch wrote to the king as he was
requested, and the king returned, and no longer acted as he had done,
but departed to his own country.
§ According to the history of the church and the biography of
^
This account is borrowed from the biography of the patriarch Kha'il in the
u^U |i ^4-^j^^ ^l^\\ Jj'^5 cuilS ^«::s:^ ijJJl J-JU ^\ iU^si b,*=>.l ^ j^jiLi. jJL!j
'
It was stated to me by one who witnessed it with his own eyes that the horses on
which the Nubians rode used to fight in battle both with their forefeet and with
their hindfeet, just as their riders were fighting upon their backs. They were
small horses, no higher than asses.'
Al-Mas'udi also testifies to the smallness of the horses; see Muriij adh-
DhaJiab, ii. p. 382. Yakut says that the Nubian king had thoroughbred horses
(l?^*^ Jt^*)) but that the commons (a*W1) had slow, heavy horses, of no particular
b/eed (^^)il,)); see Geogr. Worl. iv. p. ai-. .
NUBIA. 269
see him, with great respect, and received his blessing, and asked him to
consecrate an altar for him, that he might carry it to the palace of the
emir where he was lodged. So the patriarch granted the request [of the
king's son] and sent him a consecrated altar'*, and sent bishops and
priests and deacons to him, who celebrated the liturgy upon the altar,
and gave the communion to the king's son and to those who were
'
Or Yusab. He occupied the see from a. d. 83 1-850 (?); see Renaudot,
Hist. Pair. pp. 277-294.
^ From the time of the caliph 'Uthman, the Nubians were allowed to live at
peace with their Muslim neighbours, on condition of paying a yearly tribute (kij)
of 400 or 360 able-bodied slaves to the caliph. In the time of AI-lMa'mun this
custom fell into desuetude, and for that reason Ibrahim demanded the arrears of
fourteen years, which would have deprived Nubia of a considerable number of
men in the prime of life. See the article on the Bakt in Al-Makrizi, Khtfat,
i. pp. (ll-r . r ; cf Al-Mas'udi, Miiruj adh-Dhahab (ed. Barbier), iii. p. 39 ; Yakut,
Geogr. Wdr/. iv. p. Ar. .
' This narrative is taken from the biography of the patriarch Yusab in the
compilation of Severus of Al-Ushmfinain ; see Paris MS., Anc. Fonds Arabe 139,
p. 250 ff.
with him. The governor of Egypt also commanded that the wooden
gong should be struck on the roof of [George's] lodging, that his
friends might assemble at his house for prayers and the liturgy,
as in his own country. This went on until George, the king's son,
returned to his father in safety and with honour.
§ And when the king's son returned to his father, the latter founded
Fol. 98 a a large church, which he caused to be skilfully planned, in thanksgiving
to God for the safe arrival of his son. This church was [afterwards]
consecrated by Anbi George, bishop of Natu^, who was sent by Anba
Christodulus, the sixty-sixth patriarch. This patriarch also asked for
assistance from the king, on account of the exactions from which he
suffered at the hands of the government and of the Lawatis, in the year
737 of the Righteous Martyrs (a. d. 1020-1). At the consecration of
2
the church, the Holy Ghost descended upon one of the vessels of water,
prepared for the ceremony, and the people saw a light shed upon
that water; so the king took that water in his hand, and carried it
to his house and he gave to the bishop money to take to the
;
he still governs among men and that is not swayed by his passions,
;
' Close to the modern Sahrajt, which is in the district of Mit Ghamr, in the
as he proposes to read the word. See his Geogr. pp. 269-70, 409, and 571-5.
^ Incorrect date; see p. 121, note. ^ There is a word omitted in the MS.
*
This is related in the history of the patriarchs ; cf. Renaudot, Hist. Pair,
p. 451 f.
NUBIA, 271
and does not shed blood unjustly, and does not force men to do that
which is not right for them ? The condition of this king was reported
' Pol. 98 b
to the governor of the southern part of Upper Egypt, Sa'd ad-Daulah
al-Kawasi, in the caliphate of Al-Mustansir bi'llah, and the vizierate
of Amir al-Juyush Badr and so the last-named sent men to take the
;
king away from that place, and to bring him to Cairo. And when he
came to the gate, he was received with great honour and state, with
a band of music, and a fine horse which he should mount and [the ;
vizier] ordered the chief men of the state to attend upon him and ;
and glory, with all his heart and mind, renouncing all that men desire.
So when the king had lived here for the space of one year, he died
and was buried in the monastery of Saint George at Al-Khandak\ in
the patriarchate of Cyril, the sixty-seventh patriarch. This king's tomb
is within the wall that encloses the church, and is near the door, on the
right hand as you enter. It is said that among his letters there was
found a letter written in his own hand, and in Nubian characters^, which
proved his learning and his religion and his asceticism and he was ;
leaves a son, and also a nephew, the son of his sister, that the latter
of these is 'Nubian' {^.y), see his Annales, i. p. 55. At the present day,
the
of course, the Nubians employ the Arabic character. (A. J. B.)
272 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
reigns after his uncle, instead of the son ; but if there is no sister's
their liturgy and prayers are in Greek ^. The number of kings in Nubia
is thirteen ^ ; and all these rule the land, under the supremacy of
Cyriacus, the Great King ; and all of them are priests, and celebrate
the liturgy within the sanctuary, as long as they reign without killing
a man with their own hands ; but if a king kills a man, he may no
longer celebrate the liturgy. And this privilege of celebrating the
liturgy is never restored to such a king ; but when he enters within
the veil of the sanctuary, he takes off the royal crown, and stands
bareheaded until all the people have communicated, and not one of
them is left who has not communicated and then the king com-
;
^ This would be a proof that Christianity was introduced among the Nubians
before the translation of the Egyptian liturgy into Coptic. That this liturgy was
originally in Greek is proved by the Greek sentences which are still preserved in
the midst of the Coptic versions, and by the existence of the Greek liturgy of
St. Mark, which is apparently the original of the Coptic St. Cyril. (A. J.
B.)
"^
This and the following passage are probably based upon a confusion of
Nubia with Abyssinia see below, fol. 1 05 b.
; In the same way our author on
fol. 105 a speaks of the king of JMukurrah as an Abyssinian prince. Tiie number
of chieftains under the Negus or supreme king of Abyssinia, on the other hand,
was formerly considerable. In the sixteenth century there were seven kingdoms
under the supremacy of the Negus, besides ten provinces smaller than kingdoms
and in earlier times there are said to have been twenty-eight kings who owned
obedience to the Negus ; see Tellez, Historia geral de Ethiopia a alia, &c., p. 9.
' '
Termus,' in the province of Maracu (i. e. Mukurrah), is named by Vansleb
as the see of one of the bishops of Nubia in former times ; see his Hist, de I'Eg/ise
d' Alex. p. 30.
NUBIA. 2']^
years ;upon his head is the royal crown, set with precious stones, and
surmounted by a golden cross, which has four jewels in its four arms.
In the same town there is an ancient temple of great size, dedicated
to the star of the Sun\ within which there is an idol resembling * * *'^,
which has on its breast the figure of the moon, and is all of one piece.
In this temple there are most wonderful and astonishing pictures and
immense pillars, so that the beholder is filled with wonder and stupe-
faction because men have been able to construct such works of so great
difficulty. In this temple there is also a gigantic hall, which seems
to the spectator to be all of one piece it is roofed with slabs of hard,
;
closely fitted together, that they seem to be one piece. In the same
temple there is a well of great width, which is descended by steps and ;
when he ventures into them, he loses himself, and will perhaps perish, if
he do not quickly return.
§ Near the fourth cataract ^, on the eastern bank, there is a large Fol.lOOa
monastery, upon a high mountain which overlooks the blessed Nile.
Town of Tafah *. It is said that the prophet Moses, before he went
out from the face of Pharaoh, was sent by the latter upon an expedition
into the land of the Soudan, to way to the extremity of it.
make his
Now in this land into which Pharaoh commanded Moses to make his
expedition, there were many adders and noisome beasts. But the
'
The Sun was regarded in ancient times as one of the seven planets.
^ Here there is a lacuna in the text.
^ The fourth cataract of the Nile is a little above Meroe.
* Tafah still exists, on the west bank, seven miles to the south of Jartassi, in
northern Nubia. It must have been in the province of Maris. The ancient
temple here was turned into a church in the reign of Justinian I, like several others
n u [ir. 7.]
274 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
prophet Moses was wise and was assisted by God in all his actions ; so
he marched into the Soudan with his army, accompanied by birds such
as cocks and owls, and entered into the uninhabited deserts where the
ancient and noisome beasts and reptiles dwelt ; and when they heard
the voice of the cocks and of the owls sounding by night and by
day, they fled away and remained no longer in their habitations, but
vanished from the path of Moses and so he marched onwards and
;
saw none of them. Then Moses came to the city of Tafah, and halted
before this city and the;king's daughter saw him, and the birds with
him, and she loved him and so she sent messengers to him offering to
;
open the city to him, and pointing out to him the road which he should
take in order to conquer the city, and thus she made the capture of the
city easy to him. Other writers state that she was the daughter of
the king of Abyssinia. So Moses captured the city by offering general
quarter and he granted immunity to the inhabitants, and they brought
;
him money.
rol.lOOb In this city of Tafah, there is a monastery called the monastery
of Ansun, which is ancient, but so skilfully constructed and beautifully
planned, that its appearance has not changed in spite of the lapse
of ages. Near it, in front of the mountain, there are fifteen hamlets.
There is a church of the glorious angel Michael, which overlooks the
river, and is situated between the land of Nubia and the land of the
has been restored and also a castle which was built as a fortress on the
;
frontier between the Muslims and the Nubians, and is at the extremity
of the Nubian territory.
Island of Philae^. Between the land of Nubia and the land of the
* The Arabic ^J\ preserves the Coptic niX^KP,. The island is mentioned
by Yakfit, Geogr. W'Sr/. i. p. vi . ; by Al-Idrisi (ed.Rome) [p. 37] by Al-Makrizi,
;
i. p. Ill; of. Am^lineau, Geogr. p. 347. We are now returning to Egypt with
our author.
PHILAE AND USWAN. 275
Muslims there are two stones upon a hill in the midst of the blessed
river Nile and the Muslims possess, opposite to them, a strong and
;
lofty fortress called Philae. This was built by Barijba and Saradib,
and contains fortified dwellings, and the ruins of well-built edifices,
the work of the ancients. Philae is five miles distant from Aswdn.
Next to Philae comes Uswan ^, the large frontier-town and the
great caravan-station, and the last post of the Muslims [before you
enter Nubia]. In its neighbourhood are the gold mines ^. In the town
there is an ancient temple, containing the figure of a scorpion, which the
children are brought to touch every year on the 12th of Barmudah ^
and no scorpion will approach a family which includes a child that has
touched that figure of a scorpion. The meaning of the name of
Uswan is 'Swallow,' for it was built by the king for a body of Abyssi- Fol.lOla
nians whom he made a guard for himself, and since they were voracious
in eating, he said to them 'Swallow!' From Uswdn to Al-'Ula'* it is
a distance of eighteen days and to 'Aidhab a distance of four days.
;
is well known among the natives of that district, so that no one now
^ Uswan, Aswan, or Suwan is, as it is well known, the Greek Sdiji/^, the Latin
Syene, and the Coptic COT^It, and is mentioned by the prophet Ezekicl
(xxix. 10; XXX. 6) as HplD. It is now the chief town of a district in the province
of Isna (Esneh), and in 1885 had 6,421 inhabitants. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort.
i. p. ni ; Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome) [p. 21]; Al-Makrizi, i. p. iiv ; Amelineau, Geogr.
p. 467.
'^
See above, fol. 20 a.
^ I. e. April 7.
* On the confines of Arabia and Syria. See YakiU, Geogr. War/, iii. p. vii.
n n 2
276 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Mary, which was founded by the king. It was consecrated by Anba
George, bishop of Natu, when he was sent by the patriarch Christodulus
to Nubia, to ask the king for assistance on account of the extortion
from which he suffered at the hands of [Marwan] al-Ja'di, the last of
the Omeyyad caliphs.
It is Mountains of the Moon ^, where the Nile rises, are
said that the
of a red colour,and are in the land of Al-Karubis and the country ;
Fol.lOlb where these mountains are is burnt up with heat, and supports neither
plant nor beast.
§ In the land of the Soudan there is a river called the White River,
which, when it overflows for a certain length of time, runs into a river
called the Black River, which flows into the Nile from the east ; and when
the White River, which runs into the Nile, rises, then the health of the
people of Egypt improves ; but when it falls, and the Black River flows
[into the Nile], then the people of Egypt fall sick. This Black River
rises in a black mountain, and flows over black stones, in an exceedingly
black stream. Near the Black River there is a Yellow River, which rises
in a mountain as yellow as saffron.
§ The district of Uswan is inhabited by Arabs of the tribe of
Rabfah and others. In this district there are springs of white naphtha
in the mountains, which were found by the son of 'Ain as-Saif, the
governor, when he was at Aswan in the year 400 (a. d. ioio). In this
;
neighbourhood is found also the clay called clay of art ^ and there '
'
* I. e. Elephantine.
PHILAE AND USWAN. 277
[There is also] a church of the Lady and Pure Virgin Mary, which
is exceedingly large ; but it was turned by Al-Hakim into a mosque.
[There is also] a ruined church of the glorious angel Michael outside Fol.l02a
Uswan, to the east, upon the mountain ; and the church of the saint and
glorious martyr George.
[There is also] a monastery of the saint Abu Hadri on the mountain
on the west ; and it is inhabited by monks. The monastery of Saint
Anthony is built of stone. It possessed several gardens, but the Arabs
seized them and wrecked the monastery.
There is here a church, named after Saint Ibsadah ^, which stands in
the citadel of Uswan, upon the bank of the blessed river Nile and it is ;
disengaged [from the quarry], from the time of the giants ^ until now
and it still remains in the form in which they left it.
^ The Coptic Psoti (ncCJO'l"), who was bishop of Ptolemais at the lime of the
persecution of Diocletian, and suffered as a martyr for his faith. Ptolemais is the
Coptic Psoi (HCOl), named in Arabic Absai (t^l-ajl), or, by its modern designa-
tion, Munshiyah, and still exists a little to the north of Jirja. The festival of
St. Psoti or Ibsadah is kept on Kihak 27 = Dec. 23. See Synaxarium at that day ;
Zoega, Cat. p. 237; Amdlineau, Actes des MM. p. 30, and Geogr. pp. 381-383.
^ I. e. the well-known obelisk in the ancient granite quarry near Uswan, which
although partly hewn into shape has never been detached from the rock. Yakut
mentions the same object, and says it was called the Sakalah (illilJl), adding that
there is a narrow part of the Nile near the quarries, and that it was related that
the intention had been to bridge over the river by means of this obelisk, while
others said that it was the fellow to the obelisk of Alexandria. See Yakut, Geogr.
Wor/. i. p. r^^
^ The admiration excited in the minds of the contemporaries of our author by
the works of the ancient Egyptians is well expressed by 'Abd al-Latif, who says :
Isua.
District of Isna ^. The meaning of this word is Tree ^,' and there '
was here a tree from India. There is here a church named after
Matthew, the pious monk. It is said that when he was appointed
bishop of this town of Isna, and came to the district, a certain MusHm
provided a horse to carry him from the outskirts of the town, until he
brought him to the cell where he was to live. And at the weddings and
other rejoicings of the Muslims the Christians are present, and chant ^
Fol.l02b in the Sahidic dialect of Coptic, and walk before the bridegroom through
'
When a man of sense beholds these ruins he finds himself able to excuse in the
vulgar their belief with regard to the ancients that their lives were longer than ours
and their bodies stronger, or that they possessed a magic rod with which when
they struck the stones they leapt towards them. For the modern mind feels itself
The Coptic church tones correspond to some extent to the Greek and Latin
^
tones, and are called respectively the tones of Adam, of Watus, Sanjari, Kthak,
Atribi, the tone of the Great Fast, the tone for the Dead, the tone Istasimun.
The tones most commonly used are that of Adam (h^OC <L2^^JUL, ^^T^) on
the three first days of the week, and that of Watus (h^OC ^UTOC, i.e.
^^OOC, ^jAp\^
J^) on the other days. Cf. Vansleb, Hisl. de VEglise d'Alex.
p. 58.
ARMANT AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD. 279
the market-places and streets ; and this has become a recognized custom
with them, [and has continued] up to our own day. And on the night
of the Feast of the holy Nativity, every year, the Muslims, as well as the
Christians, burn candles, and lamps, and logs of wood in great numbers.
the king, son of Caphtorim, son of Mizraim, son of Baisur, son of Ham,
son of Noah. There is here a church of the Lady and Pure Virgin
Mary; and when an altar was consecrated here in the year 801 of the
Righteous Martyrs (a.D. 1084-5), some fragments of the vessels which
had contained the water of consecration were taken and thrown into the
well within the church and the water rose until it filled half of the
;
well and the priests marked the limit of the rise of the water, and
;
church that, when it was consecrated, the water overflowed from the
vessels, until it overspread the courtyard of the church.
Near Damamil ^ there is a church named after the saint Anba
Michael.
§ Dandarah * in Upper Egypt is a large town ; it was built by one
Coptic epJULOrtX and the Greek Hermonthis, and was, in the early days of
Christianity, a place of importance and the capital of a nome. See Yakut, Geogr.
Wort. i. p. riA ; Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome)
[p. 49]; Amelineau, Geogr. pp. i65-i6'7.
^ This is perhaps a corruption of the Greek Hermonthis.
Yakut and the revenue-list write this name 'Damamin,' but Al-Idrisi
^
employs the same form as our author, and this is the form used at the present
day. Damamil is now in the district of Kiis, in the province of Kana, and had
568 inhabitants in 1885. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. ii. p. oao; Al-Idrisi (ed.
Rome) [p. 49] ; De Sacy, Abd-Allatif, p. 703 ; Rec. de P^gypte, ii. p. 94.
* Yakut gives '
Andara ' as an alternative form. The place is now in the
28o CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
of the daughters of the Copts in the days of Manfa'us. There is here
a well, square in form, the opening of which measures one hundred
cubits on each side ; the entrance into it is by steps, which can be
Fol.lOSa descended by camels, oxen, horses, sheep, and all other beasts which
drink the water of the well. In this district there is a most wonderful
ancient temple, such as has never been seen elsewhere ; and it is said
that the giants who built this temple also planned the construction of
the well.
Kift and Kanah.
§ The town of Kift ^ is the first town that was built in the land of
Egypt it was founded by Kift, the son of Mizraim, who lived 400
;
years, and was buried with his treasures in the Oases. From Kift there
is a road to 'Aidhab 2, and a road to the mine of emeralds, and a road
to the Sea of Na'am ^ There is here a church of the Lady and Pure
Virgin Mary, in which is preserved the body of the saint Abu Shaj.
There is also another church of the Lady and Pure Virgin Mary and ;
after the martyr Saint Victor, and two monasteries named after the
glorious martyr Theodore.
There is a church named after the angel Gabriel at the top of the
mountain in this district. In the middle of [the town] there is a pillar
district and province of Kana, and in 1885 contained 4,492 inhabitants besides
1,383 Bedouins. It is the Coptic niXenTCWpI and the classical Tentyris or
Tentyra. The village of Denderah is well known to tourists, who here meet with
the first great Egyptian temple which is to be seen on the voyage up the Nile,
and which was as celebrated in the time of our author as it is now. See Yakut,
Geogr. Wort. ii. p. >i 1 . ; Al-Idrisi (trans. Jaubert), i. p. 125 ; Al-Makrizi, i. p. rrr,
measure the the Nile, a work of skill, and the result of divine
rise of
guidance. The 26th of Ba'unah^ is the day on which the sun stood
still for Joshua the son of Nun, by God's permission, until he had Fol.lOSb
it is known, from the measure indicated by its rays, to what height the
angel Michael. They were then in ruins but the aforesaid merchant ;
spent a large sum upon them, and set them in excellent order, so that
the monks came and lived there, to the number of fifty and he ;
planted near them many trees and vines, and endowed them with
property in land, irrigated by water-wheels, and producing vegetables,
flax, wheat, and other crops ; and the extent of this property was
marked out by palm-trees, planted in various places. He also
presented forty yoke of oxen for working the water-wheels and ;
his soul
Fan.
§ The district called Fa'u ^ is in the southern part of Upper Egypt.
* This day corresponds to June 20, and the Paris Synaxarium, as well as that
Kanah is now the capital of a province, and in 1885 had 15,402 inhabitants.
^
Its name seems to have been KtoriH, and the Copto-Arabic lists give the
Coptic
corresponding Arabic name as ij^s. The more usual form, however, would
seem to be Lls, Kana; and in English it is generally written Keneh.' In the '
time of our author the place was in the province of Kus. The Greeks appear to
have called the town Kati/ij TrdXtr. See Ame'lineau, Giogr. p. 393 f.
" Yakut names both this place and the monastery of Abu Bakhum which it
O o [II. 7.]
282 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGVPT.
Here there is a monastery and a church named after Saint Pachomius.
This church is large and spacious, being one hundred and fifty cubits
Foi.l04a long and seventy-five cubits broad ^
; but it has now fallen into ruin.
All the pictures in this church were composed of tessellae of glass,
gilded and coloured ^ ; and its pillars were of marble ; but it was
wrecked by Al-Hakim.
KavmlaJi.
and Gabriel. There are also two churches of the two glorious martyrs
Saint George and Saint Victor, son of Romanus. There are also two
churches of the glorious saints Sinuthius and John Ab(a Karkas. There
are also here two monasteries of the glorious martyrs Abd Niib and
Theodore.
possessed. Another Arabic name of the town is Bafu (lylj), which is nearer to
the Coptic cj)^a30'*'. The Coptic life of St. Pachomius describes the foundation of
the great convent here which bore his name. Fa"u is now in the district of Dashna,
in the province of Kana, and in 1885 had, if its northern and southern divisions
are added together, 4,743 inhabitants, besides 990 Bedouins. See Yakiit, Geogr.
Wort. iii. p. At"i ; Amdlineau, Geogr. pp. 331-333; cf. his Hist, de S. PakhSrne,
p. 70 f.
'
These measurements are interesting if they can be relied upon. After so
frequent mention of '
large churches, spacious and nobly planned,' these figures
give at least Abii Salih's idea of a grand building. Taking his cubit at i ft. 6 in.,
the church of St. Pachomius would measure 225 ft. in length by 112 ft. 6 in. in
breadth, — truly noble proportions, surpassing all ancient church buildings now
remaining in Egypt, except possibly the White Monastery. (A. J.
B.)
^ Another instance of glass mosaic. See above, on the mosaics of Al-Kusair,
fol. 50 b. (A. J. B.)
^ The Coptic K<LJULoXl. It was celebrated for its palms and vegetables.
It is now in the district of Kus, in the province of Kana, and in 1885 had 1,020
inhabitants. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. iw; Al-Idrisi (trans. Jaubert), i.
Al- Ushinunaui.
City of Here there are two churches [respectively]
Al-Ushmunain \
of the holy fathers Peter and Mark and two churches [respectively] of
;
the glorious martyrs George and Mercurius and also three churches ;
side of it, there is a church of the Four Living Creatures, beneath which
there is a pool of water and beside this, it is said that Diocletian, the
;
a church of the Lady and Pure Virgin Mary, containing several chapels,
the greater part of which are ruined. There is also a church of the
saint and glorious martyr Theodore.
§ Island of Philae. Here there are many idols and temples. The
island contains two churches, one of which is named after the glorious
angel Michael, and the other after the patriarch Athanasius these ;
dates, of which the kernel is eaten, and makes the most delicious
food, while the outside is thrown away and this is well known, and is ;
Kamulah.
§ At Kamulah - there is a monastery named after the glorious angel
o u 2
284 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Michael, and known as the monastery of the Well, because in its
neighbourhood there is a well of excellent water, from which travellers
drink when they pass through this district. The monastery contains
a keep, and is surrounded by an enclosing wall and it is said to possess ;
Luxor.
§ Luxor ^ Before the gate of this town there are idols standing
like castles^. Some of them have the forms of lions or rams, and are
Fol.lOSa standing upon their feet in two rows, on the right and on the left. They
are [carved] out of hard black stone which is polished. Within the
town there are also great idols of hard black stone without number.
Abyssinia.
The Arabic form Al-Ahmraiti, the dual oi Al-Aksiir ( JJ^l), was often used
'
as the name of the place, e. g. in the Synaxariuvi, and the Copto- Arabic lists
of places. The form Al-Aksur, however, is used by Yakut and Al-Makrizi,
and is now vulgarly pronounced 'l-Ahsiir (Luxor). The Coptic name of the
place is TT^Iie and the modern village, as it is well known, occupies part
;
of the site of the ancient Thebes. See Yakfit, Geogr. Wort. i. p. rrs ; Al-
Makrizi, i. p. r .r; Ibn Dukmak, v. p. r. ; Am^lineau, Geogr. p. 234 f.
'^
The text has 'like that,' apparently referring to the signification of .<4/-ylA;s«r,
which may be taken, as Yakfit remarks {loc. cit,), as a '
plural of paucity ' of the
word hasr (j^) 'a castle.' The following passage is obviously intended for
a description of the avenue of sphinxes which leads to the temple of Karnak.
^ As Tellez remarks :
& assim como este Santo foy mandado de Alexandria por S. Athanasio, assim
ABYSSINIA. 285
When the king of Abyssinia wishes to make the tour of this country,
he spends a whole year in going round it, travelling on all days except
Sundays and the festivals of the Lord, until he returns to his capital
city.
Abyssinia is contiguous to India ^ and the adjacent territory.
A metropolitan is sent from the see of Mark the Evangelist to
Abyssinia ^, from the patriarch of Alexandria in Egypt and this ;
dali per diante todos os mays bispos ou Abunas foram mandados a Ethiopia da
mesma Cadeyra Patriarchal at^ os nossos tempos, em que Roma mandou alguns
Patriarchas como a diante veremos.'
'
Since the Abyssinians have had knowledge of the Faith of Christ, they have
never had more than a single bishop in all Ethiopia, whom they call AbUnd, which
signifies " Our Father." The first of all was Saint Frumentius, of whom we have
spoken above ; and as that Saint was sent from Alexandria by Saint Athanasius,
so, from that time onward, all the other bishops or Abfinas have been sent from
the same patriarchal see, down to our own times, in which Rome despatched
certain patriarchs, as we shall see further.' (^Hist. geral de Ethiopia a alia . . .
composta 71a mesma Ethiopia pelo Padre M. d'Almeyda . . . abreviada pelo Padre
B. Tellez, &c., Coimbra, 1660, p. 93.)
^ Our author here seems to look upon South-west Arabia as identical with or
forming part of Abyssinia or Ethiopia, an error akin to the confusion of Abyssinia
with India which appears lower down. It is true, of course, that the ruling race
of Abyssinia, the Geez, came from Arabia, and brought with them the Ethiopic
alphabet.
Josephus speaks of the queen of Sheba as '
queen of Egypt and Ethiopia
{Ant. viii. 6); and Origen, St. Augustine, and St. Anselm, among others, believed
that she was an Ethiopian sovereign.
^ Compare below, fol. 1 08 b, where it is said that Abyssinia and India are
identical.
^ There are several references to this practice in the patriarchal biographies.
In A. H. 596 = A. D. 1200, and therefore in the lifetime of our author and not long
before the composition of the present work, an envoy came from Abyssinia to
286 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
metropolitan of the Abyssinians ordains priests and deacons for them.
The king of Al-Mukurrah \ who is an Abyssinian, and is an orthodox
king, is the Great King among the kings of his country, because he has
an extensive kingdom, inckiding distant regions in the north of the
country, and has many troops and he is the fourth of the kings of the
;
announce ihe death of the metropolitan, and to request that his successor might
be apj)ointcd. This is related by 'Abd al-Latif, who says
' In the month of Shawwal an envoy arrived from the king of the Abyssinians,
bearing a letter which contained the announcement of the death of their metro-
politan, and requested the appointment of his successor' (ed. While, p. 196).
^ See above, fol. 94 b.
^ The common legend in the East is that the Ark of Noah still exists on Mount
Jflda in Mesopotamia ; see below, fol. 1 1 1 b.
^ This proves the confusion in the mind of our author of Nubia wiih
Abyssinia; see above, fol. 99 a.
•*
Cf above, fol. 8 a and 9 b, with notes.
^ The caliphs and sultans of Islam were never crowned like Christian
sovereigns, but the tradition is that a gold crown was worn by the ancient kings
ABYSSINIA. 287
the church of the angel Michael, or the church of Saint George, beneath
their pictures. After that the king does not wear the crown, but the
metropolitan blesses him, and lays his hand upon his head, and fastens
a band over his head and beneath his chin, and clothes him in a robe of
brocade.
The Abyssinians possess also the Ark of the Covenant \ in which
are the two tables of stone, inscribed by the finger of God with the
commandments which he ordained for the children of Israel. The Ark
of the Covenant is placed upon thealtar, but is not so wide as the
altar ; it is as high as theknee of a man, and is overlaid with gold and Fol.lOGa ;
upon its lid there are crosses of gold and there are five precious stones
;
of South-west Arabia, from the time of Hamyar, the supposed ancestor of the
queen of Sheba; see Wright, Christianity in Arabia, p. 15. (A. J.
B.)
The legend among the Copts and Abyssinians is as follows. On her
^
coming home from the court of king Solomon, the queen of Sheba gave birth
to a son, of whom he was the father. The son, named Menelek, was educated
at home until he reached his twentieth year, when the queen sent him to his
father to be taught the wisdom of Solomon, and besought the latter to anoint and
proclaim his son king of Ethiopia before the Ark of the Covenant, so that hence-
forth there might be a line of kings instead of queens in Sheba. Solomon readily
granted the queen's request, and after adding to the youth's name of Menelek
that of David, and training him in the study of la\A{ and other branches of learning,
resolved to send him home in state with a retinue of princes and noble pages.
Among the rest he ordered Azarias the priest, son of Zadok the high-priest,
to accompany Menelek David to Ethiopia, and Azajias before starting secretly
prepared a counterfeit Ark of the Covenant. This during sacrifice he contrived to
substitute for the original, which he and his companions carried off with them
to Etliiopia. Such is the story told with variations by Alvarez (Lord Stanley's
translation), pp. 78-79 ; by Tellez, Hist, geral de Ethiopia a alta, p. 63 ; by
Zagazabo in Danhauer's Ecclesia Aethiopica, cap. iv; and in the Arabic history
translated by M. Am^lineau in Conies et romatis de V Egypte chre't. i. pp. 144-164.
Zagazabo's account makes the young prince carry off not the Ark itself, but only
the Two Tables of Stone. With the Ark or the Tables, the rights of sovereignly
of the house of David were held to have passed to the royal family of Abyssinia.
(A. J.
B.)
288 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
upon it, one at each of the four corners, and one in the middle. The
Hturgy is celebrated upon the Ark four times in the year, within the
palace of the king ; and a canopy is spread over it when it is taken out
from own] church to the church which is in the palace of the king
[its
namely on the feast of the great Nativity, on the feast of the glorious
Baptism, on the feast of the holy Resurrection, and on the feast of the
illuminating Cross. And the Ark is attended and carried by a large
number of Israelites descended from the family of the prophet David ^,
who are white and red in complexion, with red hair. In every town
of Abyssinia there is one church, as spacious as it can possibly be.
It is said that the Negus ^ was white and red of complexion, with
red hair, and so are all his family to the present day and it is said that ;
in the modern (1886) Cairo edition of the Coptic Liturgy in the rubric before
intinction. Round the central design of the wafer are the words Holy, Holy,
Holy Lord (^.VIOC A.VIOC ^.VIOC KYpIOC) or the like. See Vansleb, Hist,
de I'Eglise d'Alex. p. 99 f .
; BuUer, Coptic Churches, ii. p. 278 seq.
Tellez says of the Abyssinians :
'
Detraz da Igreja para a banda do Oriente esta sempre hua cazinha, a qual
he a casa das hostias, & nella ha apparelho para se fazerem ; & vem a ser a
ABYSSINIA. 289
hostia hum bolo fermentado, o qual se nam guarda d' hum dia pera o outro,
& se espantam de nos nam fazermos as hostias pera cada dia.'
'
Behind the church, at the east end, there is always a chamber which is the
bakehouse for the eucharistic loaves, and in it there is the apparatus for making
them ; and the eucharistic loaf when it is made is a leavened cake, but is not kept
from one day to another ; and they are scandalized at our not making fresh hosts
every day.' {Hi'sL geral de Ethiopia a alia, p. 97.)
The cazinha of which Tellez speaks corresponds to the bakehouse {^;v^ o^^j)
attached to the Coptic churches, as we have seen above, fol. 30 b, &c. (A. J.
B.)
^ Tellez says
'
O vinho que preparam pera a missa vem a ser d' esta maneyra ; trazem
quatro ou sinco passas como
que tem guardadas, as quays desfazem,
ja toquey,
quebrando as com os dedos em hum pucaro de agoa, mayor ou menor, conforme
a quantidade da gente que ha de commungar; porque todos commungam sub
tdraqiie specie ; & o mays certo he que sub neutra, porque evidentissimo he que
a materia aqui nam he vinho, senam agoa, poys hum pucaro de agoa nam se
pode tornar em vinho so com sinco ou seys passas.'
'
The wine which they prepare for the Mass is made in the following manner
they bring four or five raisins, as I have already mentioned, which they keep
in store, and these they crush by squeezing them with the fingers in a cup of
water, larger or smaller according to the number of communicants ; for they all
communicate sub uiraque specie, or more probably siib neutra^ for it is abundantly
clear that the element here used is not wine but water, since a cup of water
cannot be changed into wine by the mere addition of five or six raisins.' {Hist,
geral de Ethiopia a alta, p. 97.)
Alvarez states the same fact; see Lord Stanley's translation, pp. 25, 28, and
412. The statement of Tellez is repeated by Ludolphus; see his History of
Ethiopia made English by J. P. Ge7it, Bk. III. ch. 6. Danhauer also states that the
Abyssinians used a chalice of raisin wine (vinum ex uvis, defectu vini ex recenti-
bus uvis expressi, passis mira arte expressum), quoting Zagazabo as his authority.
Our author agrees with Tellez that such a chalice is in reality one of water,
not wine. (A. J.
B.)
[IT-
P P 7]
2^0 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
In Abyssinia there are many Muslims, each of whom pays a tax of
three afikhalis ^ of iron, and these are like a broad spit, and have at the
end the impression of the king's seal.
Fol.lOSb The king possesses, among his treasures, the throne of king David,
upon which he sat to give judgment ; and upon it, all round it, and upon
all its sides, there are crosses of gold.
he bids the patriarch write a reply to the letter, with all the respect and
reverence due from Christians, and all the compliments which are cus-
tomary among them. The patriarch charges the king of Abyssinia to avoid
association with the Muslims, who are under his government. Formerly
it was customary with all the kings of Abyssinia as well as their subjects
politan to bring them back from this mode of life to the mode of life
existing among the Christians of Egypt and Syria, and not to authorize
§ 3). Alvarez (Lord Stanley's trans, 45) seems to say that in places polygamy
p.
was common, and was not forbidden by the king or magistrates,' but only by the
'
&c.), who ordained Severus metropolitan of Abyssinia; and it was this Severus
who by exhortation and threats put down polygamy. See Renaudot, Hist. Pair.
p. 453. The date referred to is about a. d. 1086. Sinuthius (Sanutius), the
ABVSSINIA. 291
the king and his subjects to do as they were then doing ; and after this
the Abyssinians refrained from following their former custom, and began
to have each of them one wife only.
[This patriarch] also established that in the rite of consecration of
churches the same customs should be followed as in all the churches of
Egypt and he bade the metropolitan direct the Abyssinians to slay at
;
the completion of the building of a church twelve beasts \ namely four Fol.l07a
oxen, four sheep, and four goats, three at each side of the church and ;
that they should distribute [the flesh] of all [of them] on the day when
they ceased from the building of the church, as a gift to God who had
helped them to complete a house in which offerings should be made
to him and in which his name should be commemorated, and supplica-
tions and prayers and praises should be offered.
sixty-fifth patriarch, occupied the see in the first half of the eleventh century.
(A.J.B.)
^ This custom of sacrificing animals at the consecration or completion of
a church is quite unexampled in Coptic church history and quite against the
Coptic canons. It can only mean, I think, that the patriarch sanctioned the
maintenance of a purely Abyssinian practice. From the earliest times there were
large Jewish settlements in Abyssinia, and it is probable that the custom of
religious sacrifice derived from the Jews remained after the conversion of the
people to Christianity, just as it remained and remains among the Arabs after
their conversion to Islam. It must be admitted, however, that the Copts also
retained the custom of slaying if not of sacrificing animals on certain solemn
occasions. Lane instances the killing of a sheep or lamb at the bridegroom's
house on the evening of a wedding, when the animal is slaughtered at the door
and the bride steps over its blood ; and he mentions that at Christmas, Epiphany,
and Easter, when the Copts pay regular visits to the tombs of their relatives,
a buffalo or sheep is commonly slain and given to the poor as an act rather
of charity than sacrifice. {Mod. Egyptians, ii. pp. 292, 296.) But the Muslim
sacrifices are far more numerous and more distinctly ritual in character [op.
cit. i. pp. 67, 116, 302; ii. 221, 259, 268). The present writer has seen
Muslim sacrifices with a propitiatory purpose both in Egypt and in Asia Minor.
(A.J.B.)
P P 2
292 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OE EGYPT.
Saint Thomas.
§ The church of Thomas the Disciple and his holy hand, with which
he touched the Lord's side, and which is still living, as a witness to
the resurrection of the living Christ from the dead, and of his ascension
into heaven. This hand is part of the body of Saint Thomas, which
lies in a church upon one of the Indian ^ islands in the salt sea, which
has been described by travellers among those things that are cele-
brated among men down to our own day.
North-zvesteru Africa.
town, and at the time of the monsoons the place becomes almost an island ; see
Germann, Kirche der Tho?naschnste7t, 1877, p. 272 fF. It has of course been much
disputed whether St. Thomas was buried in India or at Edessa. Assemani says
that all old Syriac and Arabic writers agree that St. Thomas was buried at
Calamina and translated to Edessa; see Bib. Or. ii. pp. 387-391. The question
is fully discussed in Germann, op. cit. This author suggests as an explanation of
the name Calamina, that it arose from the answer to the question, '
Where was
St. Thomas martyred ? ' to which the reply in the Malayalim language was
'
Mailapur Calurmina,' i. e. '
On a rock near Mailapur ' {pp. cit. p. 43).
'^
The statement that St. Philip preached in north-western Africa, especially at
Carthage, is in agreement with some of the apocryphal Acts of that Apostle ; see
Acta SS. at May i ; Lipsius, Die apocr. Apostelgeschichte, iii. p. 32 flf. ; Wright,
Apocr. Acts 0/ the App. ; Hatur 18 = Nov. 14; Conflicts
Coptic Synaxarium at
of the Holy App., translated from the Ethiopic by Malan, pp. 66-76. The Greek
accounts make St. Philip die at Hierapolis in Syria, and the Syriac account
merely describes his mission to Carthage and says nothing of his death there.
The Coptic Synaxarium., however, is more explicit, and states that the Apostle
was put to death in Africa, and that an angel carried his body away to Jerusalem
but that subsequently the people all became Christians, and prayed to God that
he would restore the sacred relics to them, which was miraculously accomplished.
SPAIN. 293
this country] the church of Saint John, and a church named after the
Lady and Pure Virgin Mary, which was founded by a travelHng
merchant in the year 931 of Alexander (a. D. 618-619). The country
still further west is inhabited by Romans and much snow and hail falls
;
Spain.
Spain is the seat of the dominion of the Muslim Berbers of the Fol.l07b
west ; and at its extremity is the seat of the kingdom of the Roman
Franks.
§ The book of Al-KJiitat bi-Misr ^ relates that when 'Amr ibn
al -'Asi 2, the emir of Egypt, captured the fortress of Toledo in Spain, in
the month of Rajab of the year 93 of the Arab dominion (a. D. 712),
through the agency of Musa, he found there a crown ^ which was said
to be the crown of Solomon the son of David, and also his table which
was of gold encircled with gems, and was worth alone 200,000 dinars
and besides this he found money and valuable treasures and precious
jewels and vessels and arms beyond all price.
'
By Al-Kindi.
^ This is an error, probably of the copyist and abbreviator, Musa was not
despatched to Spain by 'Amr, who had
more than fifty years earlier.
in fact died
has them pressed and they supply the church with sufficient oil for
;
lighting the lamps during the whole year. This [story which has
been related] was written by the sheikh Abii '1-Barakdt Mauhub ibn
Mansur ibn Mufarraj, the Alexandrian deacon, in the biography of
Anba Christodulus, the sixty-sixth patriarch.
North-ivestern Africa.
The City of Darkness. Between this and the town of Al-Ikran
there is a river called the Jarjar, the width of which is 300 miles [or]
100 parasangs*.
^ I. e. '
Most remarkable and most wonderful.' The (_> has been omitted
before ^iail.
^ Marea (Mapei'a) is well known from the Greek and Latin geograj^hers as
a town near Lake Mareotis. It existed for some time after the Arab conquest,
^ This story may be compared with the English legend of the '
holy thorn,'
which blossoms at Christmastide. (A. J.
B.)
* We seem here to be in the region of pure legend. The statement is taken
by our author from the Book of Cleinent (see below), which speaks of the river
Jarjar near the City of Darkness, and says that it was 100 parasangs in width ;
§ The town
called Al-Luzariku ^ is in North-western Africa, near
Carthage and PauP the Apostle preached and founded several churches
;
there. One of the latter is a church named after the Pure Lady it is ;
3.000 great cubits in length, and 1,153 cubits in breadth. The river
[Jarjar] was divided at this [town of Al-Luzariku], and thirteen different
paths were made through it. This [town] was seen by Peter, chief of
the apostles, when he visited it, according to the testimony of the Fol.lOSb
Book of Clement. The people of this town used to keep the feast of the
idols on the 1 2th of lyar, every year and on this day they wove roses ;
into garlands and placed them on the heads of their idols, and offered
them fresh honey ^ dsi^ farik as-sabil from among their stores.
There was in the town of Al-Luzarikun a talisman ^ upon the walls,
which warned the people of the approach of a stranger, and then they
forbad him to enter. That river [Jarjar], at the prayer of Paul, was
^ This name is apparently so written in the MS., but the copy of the Book
of Clement at the Bodleian Library writes the name jw^i^l, and says that this
city is upon the shores of the Sea of Darkness (Atlantic) and near the confines
of the world; see MS. Bodl, Or. 294, p. 302.
^ The Bodleian MS. just cited relates the mission of St. Paul to this city in
similar terms, only at greater length.
^ I suppose J-ajt!l to be written for J->-sll , as ^yo is frequently written by our
scribe for .j.*,. The copy of the Book of Clement in the Bodleian puts the fol-
lowing words into the mouth of St. Paul, who is describmg his mission to this city
jjofc Ja^I ^vJl (*)lii (.i jjOj \i\ ji)^ ^jA o.^^ aJlJ wJUi LJ^ l^Jl ^Ulco ooo«
i^jJJ \>jS\ ^jUj^ ^jjJyiJj (•^-9^1 u-'jj (J* Myr^j ^j^^ s-^ uj*^^- J-!^ '^ ajljaU
(^^ ^J^
'
I arrived there month of lyar, and on that day the people
on the 12th of the
of that city were keeping a great festival, on which they made wreaths of roses
and placed them on the heads of the images and they offered to the idols young
leeks from their stores.' (MS. Bodl. Or. 294, p. 303.)
* This is described in the Book of Clement, which states that it roared with
a voice like thunder, saying
'
Here is a stranger who is come to you !
' {loc. cit)
Z()6 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
divided by thirteen paths, and he baptized in it 1 8,000 men of the city,
and they built several large churches and Paul broke the talisman of ;
which we have spoken and at his prayer God planted the olive-tree
;
from which the oil is pressed which serves for lighting the lamps of
the churches in this city.
India.
India.
§ In this country there is neither heat nor cold, because
it on the equator. It is the land of Abyssinia ^, which is also called
is
Al-Hindah. All its inhabitants worship the Buddhas ^ and the sun and
the fire. It is the land of India, and its shores are far from Egypt it is ;
by the seas and the expanse of waters, over which ships pass from the
coasts of Egypt and, on land, India lies next to the frontiers of Persia.
;
Fol.l09a India lay in ancient times in the darkness of idolatry; and Thomas ^
the greatest of the twelve, who was sent thither, announced to the
people the message of salvation. This glorious apostle converted them
from the worship of idols to the knowledge of the truth and the way of
salvation and he baptized them in the name of the Father, the Son,
;
and the Holy Ghost and they received from him the orthodox faith and
;
religious worship, and the consecration of the holy mysteries, and the
rite of offering incense during their prayers and liturgies. So he led
them to the knowledge of God. He also performed startling signs and
extraordinary wonders before them, such as they had never seen or
heard of, and confirmed their faith, until they abandoned the worship
of idols and the offering of sacrifices to them, and learnt from the
Source of intelligence the extent of their errors and of the falsity of
their beliefs. Thus when the minds and hearts of these people were
enlightened, they set themselves to build a church to the great Thomas,
who had been their guide and in this church which they erected to the
;
great apostle Thomas, from whom they had received the orthodox faith,
God manifested a great sign to them for, when the building of the
;
church was completed, God sent the sea which covered the road leading
to the church. And when this apostle was martyred, and had finished rol.l09b
his fight, and obtained the crown of martyrdom, his body was carried
to this church and they placed it in a chest of skilful workmanship, and
;
overlaid it with gold. And when they saw this other wonder after his
martyrdom, namely that his right hand was not changed from its former
appearance during life, they marvelled, and their faith was strengthened ;
so they made an opening in the chest through which his holy hand
came out, as a manifest sign to all who saw it. Now the sea which had
covered the road to the church went back from it every year for ;
God sent a wind which drove the sea back from the road, which was
Lipsius, Die Apocr. Aposlelgeschichle, i. pp. 225-347. On the Coptic Acts of the
Apostles see Prof. Ignazio Guidi in Rendiconti della ReaJe Accademia dei lincei,
vols. iii. and iv.
q q [n. 7-J
298 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
thus laid open for the assembling of the congregation at the festival of
Thomas. For men came thither from all parts and walked along the
road to the church, as the children of Israel walked, when the Red
Sea was divided for them, under the guidance of the prophet Moses, who
prayed for them before the Lord. So God showed a similar sign in
our own time, through the prayers of this great apostle and his great
dignity in the sight of the Lord, who confirmed his teaching by so mighty
a miracle, which has never ceased. Thus the people who assemble at
this great festival, celebrate it and receive blessings ; and the priests
Fol.llOa celebrate the liturgy and take the holy mysteries, and dip the holy body
in the pure blood, and place it in that pure hand ^ Then all the people
^
This story of the communion of St. Thomas is to be found related by an
oriental prelate who visited Pope Calixtus I at Rome in a. d. 1122, and who is
according to the testimony of the Indian prelate, that the church of St. Thomas
was surrounded by a river, but that eight days before and eight days after the
festival of the apostle the water retreated so that the church could be reached on
foot over dry land body of the saint was seated upon the bishop's chair, and
; the
received in its open hand the offerings that were made, unless a heretic approached,
when the hand at once closed. Albericus, whose account varies somewhat from
Oddo's, adds that the host was handed to the apostle during the mass, and
that the people received the communion from his open hand, which, however,
closed on the approach of a misbeliever. See Germann, op. cit. p. 165 ff.
John of Hesse, who appears to have travelled in the fifteenth century, but who
places the relics in the city of Hulna, four days from Edessa. Ulna is also the
name given by Albericus to the episcopal city of John of India. The Itinerary'
'
states that Prester John dwelt at Edessa. The body of St. Thomas was placed in
the episcopal throne, and the communion is thus described
'
Missa igitur finita Presbyter Joannes, archiepiscopi et ceteri praelati religiosi
receive the holy mysteries out of the palm of that pure hand, and they
continue to communicate in this manner one after the other until the
hand grasps one of the congregation then they all glorify God, and ;
the priests communicate the rest of the people. Afterwards the priests
carry that chest in their hands with chanting and with great rejoicing,
and set it again in its it and been
place, after the people have kissed
blessed by it. When and as the people
this religious service is over,
are about to disperse, they are blessed by that man, whom God has
chosen out of the people to remain for a year in the service of that
pure body, to keep the candles lighted before it night and day. The
people also leave with him all that he can need, and all depart to their
own homes. And when they reach the shore, and not one of them
is left behind, then the sea returns as it was before, and covers the road
to the church. This custom has continued without interruption for ages.
When the people return the following year, they find that that man, who
was left to serve the body of Saint Thomas, has died at that very hour
and is still warm ^. Praise to God, who is great and glorious in his
saints, and works miracles for their sakes. To him be glory !
Town of Kulam ^. All the Christians who live here are Nestorians. Fol.llOb
q a 2
300 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
There is here a church of the Lady and Pure Virgin Mary ; and a church
of the glorious saint and great martyr Saint George.
Fahsur ^. Here there are several churches ; and all the Christians
here are Nestorians ; and that is the condition of things here. It is
from this place that camphor comes ; and this commodity [is a gum
which] oozes from the trees. In this town there is one church named
after our Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary.
Arabia.
San'a ^ in Al-Yaman. Here
is the church called Al-Kalis, which was
and in his article on China {^j^\), i. pp. I'l't'-i'OA. The Portuguese discovered a
;
church Coulam
at ' 'built by disciples of'
St. Thomas ' see Barros, op. cit. p. 235.
^
So the word is written in the MS. I can only conjecture that it may be
a clerical error for Mansur ( .^^1.0) or Mansurah, a country in north-west India at
the mouth of the Indus. This country was particularly famous among the Arabs
for camphor. See Al-Mas'udi (ed. Barbier), i. pp. 207, 377-379, and iii. p. 49.
^ The Yemen (Al-Yaman). See Yakfit, Geogr. Worf.
capital of p. fr.. iii.
Yemen was conquered before the birth of Mahomet by the Christians of Abyssinia
see the account given by Gibbon in chap, xlii and Johannsen's Historia Yejjimtae,
Praef The story is clearly told in Thos. Wright's Early Christianity in Arabia.,
p. 89. (A.J.B.)
^ Generally called Abrahah by the Arab historians ; see At-Tabari, Tcirikh
ar-Rusul tva'l-Miduk (ed. De Goeje and others), prima series, pp. "iri-lfr. He is
famous as the general who attacked Mecca 570) in which the in the year (a.d.
prophet Mahomet was born, the year called, from the elephant which accom-
panied the army of Yemen, the Year of the Elephant. Our author's description
of the church of Al-Kalis is much fuller than that given by At-Tabari, op. cit.
'
p. irf ff. (A. J. B.)
* '
The scarred ' or '
mutilated.'
* At-Tabari says
(*^'b *U~J.^s.«>..a.!l^ cli^b uJI^Lj dJi ^^s- J djj-jill ii_U.~»j lAfjjj lji..jl
ij^l l-«
ARABIA. 301
and paved it with coloured marble and [set up] marble pillars
and all ;
the time he was living and sleeping in the church. adorned it with He
the most beautiful ornaments of gold and silver and gilded and coloured
glass, and he overlaid the doors vvith plates of gold studded with silver
nails, and silver studded with massive gold nails; and on the doors Fol.llla
leading to the altars he put broad plates of gold, and he set them with
precious stones, and in the midst of each plate he set a golden cross,
in the centre of which was a red, transparent carbuncle ; and around
these jewels were flowers of open work in various colours, so that
spectators were astonished at it. And Abraha bid men make pil-
grimages ^ and so they flocked thither from all parts.
to that church,
And he made for it a screen of skilful workmanship, composed of ebony
and sasam-vjood, inlaid with pure white ivory, beautifully carved ^. So
the fame of this church spread over that country, and those who had
not seen it heard of it, and multitudes made pilgrimages thither, and
brought votive offerings and many men lodged in the church and spent
;
day and night there and the king provided for those that lodged there,
;
and built chambers for them to dwell in, and erected houses which
he made the property of the church. This king was a wise man,
learned, loving God and doing good to men, just in his judgments,
good in his life, honoured by all kings, w'ithout enemies who feared him,
on account of the goodness of his life; according to the testimony of Fol.lllb
the history of At-Tabari.
'
He built this church in marvellous fashion, such as had never before been
seen, with gold and wonderful paintings ; and he wrote to Caesar to tell him
that he intended to build a church at San'a, to be a monument of lasting fame
and he begged Caesar to help him in the work ; and so Caesar sent him work-
men and mosaics and marble '
(p. sro).
'
Caesar '
was the emperor Justinian I.
Thamdnin.
The Thamanin^.
village The mountain of Karda^ is in
called
this neighbourhood, and here the ark rested in the time of Noah, and
went up from the mountain called Al-Juda. It is very high, so that
there is no higher mountain on earth than it and from it there is ;
a view of the four corners of the earth. The Pentateuch bears witness
that God, to whom be praise, sent a wind upon the earth
and the waters ;
decreased, and the fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were
stopped, and the waters were abated after 150 days and the ship or ark ;
*
I. e. '
Burial-place of the Wise men.'
^ In Mesopotamia near Mount Ararat, See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. 01
" A part of Mount Ararat. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. 01 ; Eulychius,
Annates, i. p. 20.
* A fortress in Yemen between San'a and Taiwah. Some said it was built by
demons at the command of Solomon. It was destroyed by the caliph 'Uthman.
See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iii. p. Air.
® See Ibn Hisham, Sir ah Sayyidind Muhammad, i. p. rA ; At-Tabari, op. cit.,
prima series, p. in .
COPFISrS NOTE. 303
Tadmor^, and made wonderful things there, and named it City of the
Sun ; and that he built Durrah""^, which is in the midst of the sea; and
built a great altar near the city of Kirun.
The city of Aukir was built by Kirun of stones overlaid with gold ;
and among the stones of the mountains of that country there are some
that shine like gold, like golden and copper marcasite. When the
building of this city was finished, it presented a wonderful sight when
the sun shone upon it, unlike any other on the earth.
City of Khauliya. This was built by a king called Jiyul, and he
made its structures lofty. It became a great city, and was inhabited
by the women, to the time of Solomon, son of the prophet David, upon
whom be peace !
Fol.ll2b
Copyist's Note.
Here ends the work of the author of this history. For he was
unable to make his work complete on account of the extent of the surface
^ The town which occupied the site of the ancient Persepolis. Many legends
were told of its foundation. Perhaps the most popular account among the
Muslims was that it was founded by Solomon, who spent the day there and the
night at Tiberias or Tadmor ; see Al-Istakhri, /rt'.fx/V;/ / Al-Mas'udi, iv. p. 76 ;
Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i.p. ni . The first mention of the remains of Persepolis
in modern European literature is to be found in the report of Giosafat Barbaro, the
Venetian envoy in 1471 ; see Ramusio, Vtaggi (ed. 1606), vol. i. f. 107: and the
first full accounts were given by the Augustinian friar Antonio de Gouvea, see his
Relagao (161 1), fol. 30 ; and by Don Garcia de Silva y Figueroa, De rebus Persarum
Epistola (1620). pp. 6-12, translated in Purchas, Pilgrims (1625), ii. p. 1533 f.
^ Tadmor was said, like Istakhr and Ghumdan, to have been built by demons
for Solomon; see Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. ata. The passage of Al-Manbaji
may be found in the Bodleian MS. Hunt 4178, fol, 102 b.
'
There was a Darrah off the coast of Persia.
304 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
of the earth in the east and in the west yet he collected matter
;
which no other has collected, and he devoted extreme care to his work.
Nevertheless he was concise in his exposition, because he shunned in
his narrative all amplification that was not necessary.
§ That poor, wretched, feeble slave, the copyist, has copied what he
found in his copy, without addition or subtraction, according to the
direction of the Shaikh ^ Ar-Ra'is al-Akram Abu '1-Faraj, son of the
Shaikh Raphael, son of the priest Abusurnamed Sanduk
'1-Farabi,
al-'Ilm. This priest was the chief of the priests at the church of
Al-Mu'allakah in the Fort of Ash-Shama' in the city of Misr. This
book describes how the priest Abu '1-Ma'abi, son of the priest As-Sabi
Abu '1-Fada'il, son of the priest Al-Muhdab, celebrated the liturgy on the
Feast of the Cross, in the church of Al-Mu'allakah, on the 17th of Tut,
and placed his finger in the chalice, and it was immediately dyed with
natural blood ^. When the priest saw this great miracle, he was serving
Fol.ll3a as a scribe in the Divan of the frontier-district of Alexandria, but he
gave up his work and lived in his cell at the said church, with a covering
always over his finger, and thus he lived until he died. May the Lord
rest his soul, and have mercy upon us by his prayers
§ That poor slave the copyist has attempted to abbreviate the book,
as it has been said, without diminishing from the sense, but the task
has been too great for him. He prays all those who read the book
to accept the excuse from him who offers it. May God, who assists
the right, help us all towards the salvation of our souls, and support
us in temptation and in the trials of this life, and preserve us in the
orthodox faith, and bring us in safety to the harbour of salvation.
Amen. Praise to God for ever and ever !
monks, and Al-Kantsah (church) is among them the place of assembly of the
people for prayer.
1. Al'Killdyah''- , the Cell at Misr^. This Killdyah stands beside the Mu'allakah
in the Kasr ash-Shama' in the city of Misr, and is the place of assembly of aged
monks and learned Christians, and its rules are followed by all the monasteries,
2. The Monastery of Turd is also known as the Monastery of Abfl Jurj, and
stands on the bank of the Nile*This Abfi Jurj is the same as Saint George, and
is one of those whom the emperor Diocletian persecuted that he might renounce
Christianity ; but as various tortures, such as scourging and burning with fire, did
not bring about his perversion, his head was cut off on the 3rd of Tishri, which
is equivalent to the 7th of Babah.
3.Monastery of Shdrdn. This monastery stands at the boundary of the
district of Tura, and is built of stone and brick there are palm-trees here
; and ;
many monks are to be found here. It is also called the Monastery of Shahrdn,
^ Al-Makrizi, like Abfi Salih, also uses the plurals 'ij>l\ and ^\j6^.
^ Wiistenfeld remarks that the commoner form is Killiyah, i-Jii, which is
f r [II. 7-]
3o6 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
and Shahran is said to have been one of the learned Christians or else a king.
Formerly this monastery was known under the name of Mercurius, who is also
called INIarkurah or Abu Markfirah ; but afterwards, when Earsuma ibn at-Tabban
lived was called the IMonastery of Barsuma.
here, it A festival is kept here
in the week of the Great Fast, at which the patriarch and the principal
fifth
Christians assemble, and large sums are expended upon it. That IMercurius
[whom we have mentioned] is one of those whom Diocletian caused to be put
of Christ, and invited others to adopt his religion so the emperor Nero put him ;
and sailors call the place Jaza'ir ad-Dair (Islands of the Monastery), and it is
Kaman, and when the persecution of Diocletian was over, and he had escaped
martyrdom, wished to substitute for it a discipline which should lead to a similar
reward. So Anthony consecrated himself to the service of God, and was the first
camels, and is among the eastern mountains; between it and the Sea of Al-Kulzum
(Red Sea) there is a full day's ride almost all kinds of fruits are cultivated there,
;
and it has three ^\ells of running water. It was founded by the afore-mentioned
Saint Anthony. The monks of this monastery fast all their lives, but their fast
only lasts till the afternoon, when they take food, except at the Great Fast
and the £an7iuldt^, when their fast lasts till the stars come out. Al-Barvuddi
means in their language a fast of this kind.
8. The Monastery of Saint PaiiP, also called Monastery of the Sons of Paul,
or Monastery oS. An-Nanmrah. This monastery lies in the country west of At-Tiir
(Sinai), near a spring of water where travellers halt. They have a legend that
Miriam, the sister of Moses, when he encamped with the Israelites in the neigh-
bourhood of Al-Kulzum, Saint Paul was a native
purified herself at this spring.
of Alexandria, and his father him and his brother a large fortune; but when
left to
his brother quarrelled over it he left him in his anger. Then he saw a corpse
about to be buried and this made him ponder, and he went forward meditating
;
upon it through the country, until he settled beside this spring and here he ;
^ This is the famous Monastery of St. Paul, near that of St. Anthony.
r r 2
3o8 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
hermit who lives there. The monastery rises above the village of Shahran, and
above the plain and the Nile ; the former is a large and populous village on the bank
of the river, and IMoses is said to have been born there, and placed by his mother
in an ark in the water ; but there is another monastery which is called Monastery
of Shahran. This Monastery of Al-Kusair is one of the monasteries which are
much visited, and is one of the favourite pleasure-resorts on account of its fine
position, and because it overlooks Misr and its environs.' Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam
says in hxi, Book of the Conquest of Egypt ; 'There are different opinions about
Al-Kusair; according to Ibn Lahfah it is not the fortress of Mtisa (Moses) the
prophet, but of Mftsa the magician ; but on the other hand Al-Mufaddal Fadalah
gives a tradition from his father, who says :
" We came to Ka'b al-Ahbar, who
asked us, Whence are you? We answered, From Egypt. He said, What do
you say about Al-Kusair } We answered, It is the casde of Moses. He answered.
It is not the castle of Moses, but the castle of the 'Aziz ^
of Egypt, who, when
and therefore the place from
the Nile rose, betook himself to this elevated spot,
the mountain to the river is holy," Others on the contrary say that a fire was
kindled here for Pharaoh, when he travelled from IMemphis to 'Ain-Shams
(Heliopolis), and on the Mukattam hills there was another fire ; so when the
people saw the fire they knew that he was travelling, and kept in readiness
whatever he stood in need of; and similarly when he made the return journey
from 'Ain-Shams, God knows The learned Christian historians say that
best!'
Arcadius, emperor of the Romans, summoned Arsenius to teach his son but ;
Arsenius thought that the emperor wished to kill him, and therefore fled to
Egypt and entered the monastery ; the emperor then sent a man to say
that he had only required him to instruct his son ; but Arsenius begged
to be spared, wandered over the country as far as the Mukattam hills, east of
I'ura, and remained three days in a cave until he died, Arcadius, when Arsenius
was dead, sent and caused a church to be built over his tomb, and this is the
place known by the name of the Monastery of Al-Kusair, and is now called
the Monastery of the Mule, because a mule supplies it with water. When the
inule leaves the monastery, way to the w-ater, and there a man
it goes its
stands who fills the vessel with water, and when he has done that, lets the mule
loose and it returns to the monastery. In the month of Ramadan of the year
400, Al-Hakim bi-amri 'Hah ordered that the Monastery of Al-Kusair should be
destroyed ; and the destruction and plundering of it lasted several days.
green and flourishing ; it is much resorted to by the people, who amuse themselves
here. Poets have sung of the beauty and charm of this district ; and this
sequel.
12. The Monastery of the Cave of ShahalkiP is a small monastery, hanging on
the mountain and hewn of stone, on a rock below which there is a steep precipice
so that it can neither be reached from above nor below. There are no steps,
but there are incisions cut in the mountain-side; and if any one wishes to ascend
a long pole is let down to him, which he grasps with both hands, and by placing
his feet in the incisions so ascends. The monastery contains a mill driven by
an ass. The monastery, which rises above the Nile in view of Manfalut and
Umm al-Kusur, stands opposite to an island surrounded by water called Shakalkil,
on which are two villages, one called Shakalkil, the other Bani Shakir, The
monastery keeps a festival, at which Christians assemble, and bears the name
of Saint Mennas, one of the soldiers persecuted by Diocletian, in order that he
might abjure Christianity and worship idols ; but as he remained constant in his
faith, Diocletian caused him to be put to death on the roth of Haziran or
i6lh of Babah.
13. Monastery of Saint Victor, on the dam of Abnub, east of Bani Murr^,
below the mountain, at a distance of about 1,250 ells. It is a large monastery,
* This is the monastery of St. John described by Abu Salili on fol. 40 a, ff.
the emperor tried to turn him to idolatry by promises and threats, and on his
refusal had him put to death on the 22nd of Nisan or 27th of Barmudah,
14. The Monastery 0/ Bukturshti^, north of Abnub, is a small monastery, but
deserted,and has long been visited by the Christians only once in the year.
Bukturshu was one of those who were tortured by order of Diocletian, that he
might fall away from Christianity; he refused, however, and was put to death on
the 20th of Hatur. He was a soldier.
15. Monastery of Ahu 's-Sari, built in the name of Saint George, near
Al-Ma'sarah, in the district east of Bant Murr. At times it is deserted by the
monks, and at times inhabited by them ; and at a certain season a feast is
celebrated.
Monastery 0/ Saint George of Khamds. Khamas is the name of a town,
16.
north of which the monastery stands two festivals are kept there yearly, in which
;
a large, populous monastery, which is visited from all parts, in the neighbourhood
of a mountain called Mountain of Al-Kahf (the Cave). in the mountain At a place
there is and on the festival of the monaster}^ no Abukir bird remains in
a cleft,
the neighbourhood without coming to this place; and from their numbers, their
assemblage, and their cries, a great tumult arises beside the cleft. Without ceasing,
one after another puts his head into the cleft and cries and comes away, until one
of them sdcks fast in the cleft, and he beats with his wings until he dies ; and then
the rest depart, so that no bird remains there.' The Cadi Abu Ja'far al-Kuda'i says :
'Among the noteworthy features of Egypt is the ravine of the Abukirs nearUshmum
in Upper Egypt. This is a ravine on a mountain, in which there is a cleft at
which the Abukirs on a certain day of the year assemble, and betake themselves
'
I. e. St. Victor of Shu, Vansleb {Rel. d'Egypte, p. 366) speaks of une eglise
'
dedi^e a Mari Poctor Sciu, qui a pris ce nom de la ville de Sciu, laquelle est
aupres d'Abnub, et aujourd'hui ruinee '
(Wiistenfeld).
APPENDIX. 311
to the cleft ; and as soon as one of the Abiikirs has stuck his bill into the cleft
he goes away ; and this does not cease until the cleft has held one of them fast,
whereupon they all depart ; but the bird that is caught in the cleft remains
hanging until he falls to pieces/ The author, upon whom may God have mercy,
adds :
'
This is one of the things that have long ceased to happen.'
18. The Monastery of Bit Harminah is north of Ka'u al-Kharab ; and to the
north of it lies the ancient temple of Ka'u, full of wise inscriptions. Between the
Monastery of At-Tair and this monastery there is a journey of about two days
and a half. This BA Harminah was one of the earlier monks, famous among
the Christians.
19. Monaste>y of the Seven Mountains, near Ikhmim. This monastery stands
at the entry of seven valleys, and stands high between high mountains ; and the
sun rises upon it two hours later than generally on account of the height of the
mountain, at the foot of which it stands ; and when there are yet two hours before
sunset the inhabitants think that the sun has already set and the night has begun,
and they kindle lights. Near this monastery there is a spring of water at the
exit overshadowed by a willow, and this spot where the Monastery of the Willow
stands is called Wadi '1-Muluk (Valley of the Kings), because there a plant grows
called Mulukah, like the radish, by which water is coloured of a deep red, and
it is used by chemists. Above this monastery stands
20. The Monastery of Al-Karkas, on a mountain, and hewn in its side; and
there is no approach to it, but the ascent is by incisions cut in the rock, and by
them alone can it be reached. Between the Monastery of the Willow- Spring and
the Monastery of Al-Karkas there is a journey of three hours, and below the
Monastery of Al-Karkas is a well of fresh water surrounded by Ban-trees.
21. The Monastery of Sahrah, east of Ikhmim, is named after an Arab tribe
named the Sabrah, and dedicated to the angel Michael; but there is only one
monk there.
22. The Monastery of Abti Ahshddah (Psoti), the bishop, near the district of
Atfah, stands on the dam and opposite to IMunshat Ikhmim, in the west. This
Abu Abshadah was one of the learned Christians.
The Monastery of Saint Or, the monk, also called Monastery of Sawadah.
23.
The Sawadah were a tribe of Arabs who settled here. The monastery stood
opposite to Munyah Bant Khasib, and was destroyed by Arabs.
All these monasteries stand to the east of the Nile, and belong to the Jacobites,
and besides them there are no others on the eastern side of the Nile ; but on the
western bank there are many monasteries, because it is very populous.
312 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
24. The Monastery of DannVi, in the province of Al-Jizah, also called Damuh
as-Saba', is built in the name of Saints Cosmas and Damian, and is a small
monastery. The Christians state that a wise man called Sab' lived at Damuh,
and that the church of Damiahj which is now in the hands of the Jews, was one
of the monasteries of the Christians, which, in a state of great need, they sold to
the Jews. The church of Damuh has already been mentioned. Cosmas and
Damian were among the learned Christians and pious monks, and many things
are related of both of them.
25. Monastery of Nahyd. Ash-Shabushti says: *
Nahya is in the province of
Al-Jizah. The monastery there is one of the finest, most charming, and best-
situated monasteries of Egypt, and one of the most beautiful spots inhabited by
monks; it commands a wonderful view of the Nile, which surrounds it on all
sides. When the water sinks, and the seed is sown, the earth brings forth rare
flowers and different sorts of blossom. Nahya is one of the favourite resorts for
pleasure, and has a canal at which all kinds of birds assemble, and many fish are
caught. Poets have described it, and sung of its beauty and charm.' I remark,
however, that this monastery has been destroyed.
26. Monastery of Tamwaih. Yakut gives this pronunciation, and adds
'
There are two places of this name in Egypt one is in the province of ;
is on the west bank, and stands opposite to Hulwan, and the monastery com-
mands a view of the river, and is surrounded by vineyards, gardens, palms and
trees, forming a populous pleasure-resort. It has a fine view of the Nile ; and
when the earth grows green, it lies between two carpets — the water and the crops.
It is one of the best-known places of pleasure and resorts for refreshment in Egypt.'
Ibn Abi 'Asim al-Misri has the following verses in the metre of Al-Basit
'
O that I could drink at Tamwaih of the bright juice,
which brings into contempt the wines of Hit and 'Anat \
In flowery meadows
where the brooks flow between gardens
The clusters of the red anemone which bloom there
seem to be cups of wine appearing in close succession;
The flowers of the narcissus there, from their beauty,
seem to be eyes secretly communicating by signs ;
^ Two towns on the Euphrates. Hit is the Is of Herodotus ; and 'Anat is the
Anatho, Anathan, or Bethauna of classical writers.
APPENDIX. 313
I remark : this monastery bears among the Christians the name of Saint George,
and the Christians of the neighbourhood assemble there.
There isa festival here on the 25th of Bashans. On the night of this day a spring
there, bearing the name of Jesus' Spring, is closed ; and at the sixth hour of the
day people collect and take away the stone from the well, and then they find that
the water within it has risen and now begins to sink again ; and from this they
reckon how high the Nile will be that year, counting from the point to which the
water of the well rose to the level to which it sinks.
^ I. e. the wooden gongs of the church to call the monks to the morning
service.
S s [II. 7.]
314 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Monastery of Sadmant. At the festival celebrated in this monastery, the Christians
of the Fayyflm and other places assemble ; and it lies on the road leading to the
Fayyum, which, however, is only followed by few travellers.
only found here its fruit is of the size of a lemon (malum citrinum), its taste
; is
sweet like the Rdnij (nux Indica), and its kernel is used for many purposes.
Abti Hanifah says in Book of Plants : 'The Labakh only grows at Ans'na.
\}cit
It is a tree from which ships' planks are sawn it sometimes excites nose-bleeding
;
in the man who saws it and if two planks of it are fastened closely together and
;
placed for a year in water, they join themselves together and become one plank.'
In this monastery there are two towers built of stone, both high, large, and
brilliantly white ; and within it there is also a well of running water, and outside
another well. In this valley there are a number of old praying-places, one
of which is the valley of Umailih, where there is a running spring and fruitful
palms, the fruit of which is gathered by the Arabs. Outside this monastery there
is a salt-marsh, the salt of which is sold by the monks of the monastery, so
that these districts are provided with salt therefrom.
35. The Monastery of the Virgin Maiy outside Tunhudhd contains only one
monk, and does not stand on a frequented road. In the district of Al-Bahnasa
there were many monasteries now destroyed.
36. Monastery of £il Fdnd, north of Bani Khalid, built of stone, and of fine
architecture. It belongs to the district of Al-Munyah, and formerly there were
a thousand monks here, but now only two ; it lies on the dam below the
mountain.
37. The Monastery of Bdidjah, at a short distance from Al-Manhi, belongs
to the inhabitants of Daljah, and was one of the largest monasteries, but is now
ruined, so that it only contains one or two monks. It stands opposite to Daljah,
at about two hours' distance.
38. Monastery of Saint Mercurius or Abii MarMrah. This monastery stands
below Daljah, at the exit from this place towards the east. No one now
remains there.
39. The Monastery 0/ Sanabit. at the exit from this place towards the north,
bears the name of the Virgin Mary ; it is now deserted.
40. The Monastery of Saint Theodore, to the south of Sanabu, has entirely
fallen into decay on account of the poverty of the Christians there.
41.The Monastery of Ar-Rairamtln, in the eastern part of the district of this
place, which lies to the east of Mallawi and to the west of Ansina ; and it bears
the name of the angel Gabriel.
42. The Mo7iastery of Al-Miiharrah. The Christians state that Christ stayed
at this place six months and some days. A great festival is kept here, called
the feast of Olives, besides the feast of Pentecost, at which a great multitude
assembles.
43. The IMonastery named Dair Bani Kalb is so called because the tribe of
the Banu Kalb settled around it. It bears the name of Gabriel, but no monk
remains therein ; for it is now only a church for the Christians of Manfalut, to the
west of which city it stands.
44. Monastery of Al-fdwaliyah. This monastery stands at the extremity of
the district of Al-Jawaliyah, towards the south, and bears the name of the martyr
Mercurius, also called INIarkurah. It has revenues from land, and votive
offerings and gifts are brought to it ; every year two festivals are kept there.
45. Monastery of the Seveti Mountains. This stands on the summit of the
mountain which rises to the west of Usyut on the banks of the Nile ; it is also
called theMonastery of Saint John the Dwarf. Several festivals are kept here ;
but the monastery was destroyed in a. h. 821 by a mob which fell upon it by
night. Saint John the Dwarf was a monk and an abbot, of whom many stories
are told ; among others, that he at the bidding of his teacher planted a dry
stick in the ground, and watered it for a time, and then it became a fruit-tree, of
which the monks ate ; and it was called the Tree of Obedience. He is buried
in his monastery.
46. The Monastery of Al-Mutill. This bears the name of the Virgin Mary,
and stands beside the mountain, below the Monastery of the Seven Mountains,
opposite to Suyut. A festival is kept there, to which the inhabitants of the district
in their religion and in expounding the Coptic language and they possess many ;
S s 2
3i6 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
monasteries outside the city towards the east, beside the mountains; but most
of these are destroyed. Among those still existing is
Virgin. Severus was a respected monk, who was made patriarch ; and at his
death a miracle took place. He had foretold to the monks, when he went to
Upper Egypt, that when he should die the mountain would split, and a great piece
of it fall upon the church, without injuring it ; and one day a piece of the mountain
fell, as he had said, and then the monks of the monastery knew that Severus was
dead ; and when they reckoned up they found that that event corresponded to
the time of his death ; and they called the monastery from that time after his
name.
51. Monastery of Saint Theodore, below the Monastery of Saint Severus.
Severus and Theodore were two soldiers of Diocletian : one was called the slayer
of the dragon, the other was commander of the troops ; both were put to death as
others were put to death.
52. Monastery of Minshdk or Minsdk or Bant Sdk or Isdk, which bore the
name of the Virgin Mariham, e. Mar Maryam (Saint Mary) and afterwards was
i. ;
known by the name of Minsak, who was an old monk celebrated among them.
Below this monastery there is a well on the dam of which the monks drink and ;
when the Nile rises they drink the water out of it.
53. The Monastery of the Apostles below that of Minsak is also called the
Monastery of Tamarisks. It belongs to the district of Butij while the Monastery ;
IMunsha'at ash-Shaikh (new building of the Shaikh), because the Shaikh Abii
Bakr ash-Shadah' laid the foundation of it; and he also laid out a large garden, on
the site of which he had found a well, containing a treasure. An eye-witness
told me that, among the gold, four-cornered dinars were found, having a cross
represented on one of their sides, and the weight of each dinar was \\ mithkal.
The above-mentioned INIonasteries of Udrunkah stand near to one another, and
between them are numerous caves in which there are tablets painted with characters
in the old style, as in the ancient temples, adorned with different bright colours,
and containing manifold learning. The Monastery of the Seven Mountains, that of
Al-IMutill, and that of the Scribe stood outside Suyfit among the caves, and on
both the dams there are said to have been 360 monasteries, and the traveller
went from Al-Badrashain to Asfim, continually in the shade of the gardens.
Now this part is laid waste, and deserted by its inhabitants.
gardens in the neighbourhood of Rifah. When the Nile rises, it can only be
reached by boat. It has several festivals. The Christians of these monasteries
generally understand the Sahidic dialect of Coptic, which is the chief branch
of the Coptic language ; after it follows the Buhairic (INIemphitic) dialect. The
Christian women of Upper Egypt and their children can hardly speak anything
but the Sahidic dialect of Coptic ; they have, however, also a perfect knowledge
of the Greek language.
55. JMonastery of Saint Macrohiiis. AbiJ Makrufah is the name of the place
where this monastery stands. It is hewn out at the foot of the mountain, and
there are many caves in it ; it the name of the Virgin.
bears Among the
Christians of iMakrufah there are many shepherds and herdsmen, who however
are usually savages, and few among them ca,n read or write. The monastery
lacks water.
56. Monastoy of Bil Bagham, before Tima, the inhabitants of which are
Christians, and were formerly learned men.
57. The JMonastery of Saint Sinuthiiis, also called the White Monastery, stands
to the west of the district of Suhaj. It is built of stone, but is now in ruins, and
only the church remains. It is said to have possessed land to the extent of 4f
feddans, of which only one feddan is left. It is an ancient monastery.
58. The Red Monastery, also called that of Abij Bisha'i, stands to the north
of the White Monastery, at a distance of about three hours, and is a small
monastery built of red brick. This Abii Bisha'i was a monk and contemporary
31 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
of Sinuthius, who was his pupil, and under him were 3,000 monks; he had
another monastery also in the desert of Shihat.
59. The Monastery of Bu Misds or Bfi Musis (Maxr/j?), i. e. INIoses. This
monastery stands below Al-Bulyana, and is a large monastery. This Saint Moses
was a monk, born at Al-Bulyana, and is revered there, and counted a saint ;
After this there remain only the scandly-inhabited monasteries on the Dam of
Isna and Nakadah. At Asfun there was a large monastery and Asfun itself was
;
one of the finest towns of Egypt and the most fruitful district of Upper Egypt
;
and the monks of the monastery there were famous for their learning and
intelligence. With Asfiin, its monastery also was destroyed ; and this was the
most remote of the monasteries of Upper Egypt ; but they are all destroyed and
forgotten, though in former times they were so populous and their monks so
numerous, their estates so large, and the made to them so valuable.
offerings
As for the northern provinces, there were many monasteries there which have
been destroyed; but some still remain. Near Al-Maks, outside Cairo, towards
the north, there were several churches which Al-Hakim bi-amri 'llah Abu 'All
al-Mansur caused to be destroyed on the 19th of Dhu 393 and he
'1-Hijjah, a.h. ;
gave away all that was in them, and thus much was plundered from them, after
he had, in the month of Rabi' the First of the same year, already destroyed
the churches of Rashidah, east of the city of Misr, and instead of them had built
a mosque which is known as Rashidah. Then he destroyed in a.h. 394, two
churches in the same place, and forced the Christians to wear black garments and
a girdle, took away the possessions of the churches and monasteries and gave them
to the Divan of the government, burnt a number of crosses, forbad the Christians
to decorate the churches on Palm-Sunday, oppressed them and had many of them
scourged. In the island of Raudah there was a church near the Nilometer, which
was destroyed by As-Salih Nijm ad-Din Ayyub in a. h. 638. In the district of Abu
'n-Numrus there was a church, the destruction of which was suggested by a man
from Az-Ziyali'ah, because he had heard the sound of the wooden gongs with which
on the Friday night announcement was made in that church. During the reign
of Al-Malik al-Ashraf Sha'ban ibn Husain he had been able to do nothing against
this on account of the respect in which the Copts were held ; then he allied
himself with the great Emir Barkuk, who was administrator of the government,
until he destroyed the church with the help of the Cadi Jamal ad-Din Muhammad
al-'Ajami, superintendent of the market at Cairo, on the 8th of Ramadan in the
year 780. It was turned into a mosque.
APPENDIX. 319
60. The Monastery of Al-Khandak (the IMoat), beyond Cairo, towards the
north, wasbuilt by the commander Jauhar instead of a monastery which he had
disease, the superior, after strewing upon it some of the ashes of a pig which had
already been employed for a similar operation, anointed the man with the oil from
the church-lamp, and thus he was healed. Then the pig which had eaten the
tumours of the sick man was taken, slain, and burnt, and its ashes were prepared
for a similar treatment. The monastery therefore was much visited by those who
suffered from this complaint, and it contained a large number of Christians.
62. The Mojiastery of Atrib, also called by the name of the Lady Mary, keeps
a festival on the 21st of Ba'unah and Ash-Shabushti relates that on this festival
;
a white dove comes and flies into the sanctuary ; they do not know whence it
comes, and only see it on that day of the year. I remark that this monastery has
been desti^yed so that only three monks are left, but the people still assemble on
that festival ; the monastery lies on the bank of the Nile, near Banha al-'Asal.
6.3. Monastery of Al-Maghtas (the Tank) is beside the saline marshes, near
the lake of Al-Burlus, and hither Christians make pilgrimages from the north and
south of Egypt, as to the Church of the Resurrection. This takes place on
a festival kept in the month of Bashans, which they call the Festival of the
Appearance, because they state that upon this day the Virgin appeared, and they
many things which are to be accounted lies. Beyond this monastery there
relate
are no buildings except a small building towards the south-east and in the ;
neighbourhood is the salt-marsh from which the Rashidic (i. e. of Rosetta) salt is
obtained. This monastery was destroyed in Ramadan, a. h. 841, during a rising
of some fakirs who joined together for the purpose.
320 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
64. The Monas/eiy of Al-Askar (the Troops) is in the salt district, at a day's
distance from the Monastery of Al-Maghtas, under the name of the Apostles ; in
its neighbourhood is the salt-marsh from which the Rashidic salt comes ; only
one monk remains.
65. The JMonastcry of Ja??ijdnah, named after Saint George, is near the
Monastery of Al-'Askar, at three hours' distance ; the festival there falls closely
after that of the Monastery of Al-Maghtas ; no one now lives there.
then the soldiers settled there and it was rebuilt. Besides these four monasteries
there is no other in the salt district.
As for Wadi Habib, also called Wadi 'n-Natrun, or the desert of Shihat,
or the desert of Askit, or Mizan al-Kulub, there were formerly there loo
monasteries ; but afterwards only seven remained, spread out towards the west of
the plain lying between the province of Al-Buhairah and the Fayyum, where
sandy flats alternate with salt-marshes, waterless deserts, and dangerous rocks.
The monks took their drinking-water from cisterns, and the Christians brought
them presents and alms. At the present day the monasteries are in ruins.
Christian historians relate that 70,000 monks from these monasteries met 'Amr
ibn al-'Asi, each carrying a staff; when they had declared their submission to
him, he wrote to them a letter which still exists among them. One of them is
67. The Monastery of Sawt Macarius, the elder, a famous monastery among
them, and near it lie four ruined monasteries. This was formerly the monastery
of the pious monks, and a patriarch was not recognized by them until they had
made him take his seat in this monastery, after he had sat upon the throne in
Alexandria. It is said that there were 1,500 monks here, but now there are few.
There are three saints named Macarius : the greatest, who was abbot of this
monastery, Saint Macarius of Alexandria, and Saint Macarius the bishop ; and
their bones are kept in three hollow pieces of wood, and are visited by
the Christians of the monastery. Here is also the letter, written by 'Amr ibn
al-'Asi to the monks of Wadi Habib, about the treasurership of the northern
districts, as it has been related to me by one who had heard it from a man who
had seen it there. Saint Macarius the elder received the monastic rule from
Anthony, the first among them who wore the monkish cap and the Askim, which
is a band of leather with which the monks alone gird themselves, and upon which
there is a cross. He met Anthony on the eastern mountain-range, where the
APPENDIX. 321
Monastery of Al-'Arabah is, and remained for some time with him ; and then
Anthony clothed him with the monastic habit Wadi 'n-Natrun
and bid him go to
and there take up his abode. He did this, and a great number of monks assembled
around him. They relate of him many noble deeds, among others that he
fasted during the whole of the forty days, without tasting food or drink, and also
watched through the nights; moreover he prepared palm-leaves and fed upon
them, and never ate fresh bread, but he took old shoes, softened them in a mess
of palm-leaves, and ate of them, together with his monks, so long as his breath
remained, without anything more; this was their food during their whole life
until they died. Saint Macarius the Alexandrian wandered from Alexandria
to the aforesaid Macarius, and became a monk through him. Next was Saint
Macarius the third, who became a bishop.
68. The Monastery of Saint John the Dwarf is said to have been built in
the time of Constantine, son of Helena. This Saint John possessed notable
and was one of the most famous monks.
qualities, The circumstances of this
monastery were very favourable, and many monks lived there; but now only
three monks are left there.
Jacobites, but for 300 years has been in the possession of the Syrian monks, and
is now in their hands. The place where these monasteries are is called
t t [II. 7-]
322 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
also called Baramus ; this monastery is dedicated to the Virgin of Baramfis,
so thatBaramus is the name of the monastery. A story is told of it as follows
IMaxiraus and Domitius were the sons of the emperor of the Romans, and
had a teacher, called Arsenius the teacher betook himself from the land of
;
the Romans to Egypt, crossed this desert of Shihat, there adopted the monastic
life, and remained there till he died. He was an excellent man, and both the
aforesaid sons of the emperor came to him during his life, and became monks
at his hands. When they died their father sent and had the church of Baramiis
built in their name. — Saint Moses the Black was a bold robber, who had
murdered loo men ; then he adopted Christianity, became a monk, and wrote
many books. He is one of those who kept the Forty Days' Fast entirely
without food, and he was a Berber by race.
78. Monastery of Az-ZaJdJ (Glass). This stands outside Alexandria, and
is also called Al-Hdbatihi (sic), and bears the name of Saint George the Great.
Formerly it was the invariable custom for the patriarchs [at their election] to
betake themselves from the Mu'allakah at Misr to this monastery of Az-Zajaj,
but now this is not done. — The above named are the monasteries of the
Jacobites.
79. The women have also special convents, as the Convent of Nuns in the
Harah Zawilah at Cairo, which is inhabited by virgins leading the religious life,
Dair al-Kusair (' Monastery of the Small Fort '), as if it were a diminutive of ^asr,
*
castle ; ' but originally, as we have said, it was Dair al-Kasir, '
Monastery of the
Dwarf,' the opposite of tawil, '
tall,' and it is also called the INIonastery of
Heraclius, and that of the Mule. It has already been described above. It
was one of the largest monasteries of the Christians, but now there is only
one man in it to guard it, and it is in the hands of the Melkites.
85. Monastery 0/ At-Tur. Ibn Sidah says: At-Tur means 'the Mountain,'
and is Tur Sind (Sinai), the mountain in Syria. In Syriac it is
especially used of
Jia^ tUrd, and in derivation we say Tiiri or Ttird'i, 'a Turian.' Yakut says:
There are seven places named Ttlr : (i) THr Zaitd, in pronunciation like Zait,
'
oil,' with final d : the name of a mountain near Ras 'Ain (2) Tur ZaiVd, likewise ;
near Ailah, or a mountain in S}Tia; and Svid is said to mean stones or trees
there (6) Tur 'Abdh, name of a mountain in the province of Nisibis, among the
;
mountains which rise above this city, and are connected with mount Juda ;
is correct. 'Umar ibn Shaibah says : 'Abd al-'Aziz told me, [quoting] from Abu
Ma'shar, from Sa'id ibn Abi Said, from his father, from Abu Hurairah, that the
Apostle of God said : There are four rivers in Paradise and four mountains and
four battles ; the rivers are Saihan, Jaihan, the^ Nile, and the Euphrates ; and the
mountains are Sinai (At-'Tur), Lebanon, Uhud, and Warikan; as to the battles,
he was silent. According to Ka'b al-Ahbar, the Muslims have three places of
defence ; their Romans is Damascus that against Ad-Dajjal
defence against the ;
Arta'ah ibn al-Mundhir When Yajuj and Majiaj marched forth, God declared to
:
Jesus, son of Mary See, I have caused one of my creatures to march forth, over
:
whom none except me has any power therefore go now with thy companions ;
'Abdallah ibn 'Umar and told him this ; whereupon he repeated : To three
t t 2
324 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT,
mosques the journey is difficult, to the Mosque of the Apostle of God (Medina),
to the holy Mosque (Mecca), and to the most distant Mosque (Jerusalem)
therefore now give up Sinai, for thou canst not reach it. The Cadi Abii —
'Abdallah Muhammad ibn Salamah al-Kuda'i says, after describing the districts
of Egypt To the southern region
: belong the localities of the Hedjaz, namely,
the district of Sinai and Faran, the district of Raya and Al-Kulzum, the district
of Ailah and its neighbourhood, Midian and its neighbourhood, Al-'Uwaid and
Al-Haura and their neighbourhoods, and next the district of Bada and Shaghb.
I remark : It is not disputed among Christian and Jewish writers that this
Mount Sinai is that upon which or near which God instructed his prophet
Moses. There is still there a monastery in the possession of the Melkites,
peopled by monks, and owning a large garden with palms, vines, and other
fruits. — Ash-Shabushti says : Tilr Sina is the mountain upon which the light
seven cubits, and it has three iron doors, and on the west side there is a small
door, before which a stone is erected which they can raise at pleasure; and
when any visitor approaches they let it down, and the place is covered by it
so that the position of the door is not detected. Within the monastery there
is a spring, and without it another spring. The Christians state that there is
a fire in the monastery like that fire which was at Jerusalem, of which every
evening an equal quantity consumed; it is white, small, of no great heat so
is
that it burns nothing, but it grows stronger when a lamp is kindled at it.
The monastery is inhabited by monks, is visited by the people, and is one of
the monasteries which have been celebrated by poets. Ibn 'Amir says of it
'
O monk of the monastery ! whence the brightness and the light ?
Does perchance the sun dwell there, forgetting his zodiacal signs,
or has the moon removed and hidden herself therein t
time of this emperor the fifth council of the Christians assembled. Between this
APPENDIX. '>^%i^
place [Sinai] and Al-Kulzum, which was a town, there are two ways, one by land
and the other by sea, both leading to the town of Faran, one of the towns
of the Amalekites, from which to At-T(ir there are two days' journeys : and from
the city of Misr to Al-Kulzum there are three days' journeys. The mountain
of At-Tur is reached by 6,666 steps ; in the midst of the mountain there was
a church of the prophet Elias, and on the top a church bearing the name of
Moses with pillars of marble and gates of brass ; this is the place where God
spoke with Moses, and the latter broke the tables. There was here only one
monk for the service, and they state that none could pass the night here, but
a place was prepared for him outside, where he passed the night. Nothing
is now left of these two churches.
86. The Nuns Convent in the Kasr ash-Shama', at Misr, bears the name
of Saint George ; here, before Islam, was the Kilometer, of which there are
traces to this day.
These are all the monasteries possessed by the Christians, Jacobites, and
Melkites, men and women, in Egypt; their number reaches the sum of eighty-
six, of which eighty-two belong to the Jacobites and four to the Melkites.
^26 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
the plural Kand'is, is an Arabicised form, and the original form is Kunisht \ Even
the more ancient Arabs mention churches in their poems ; thus Al-'Abbas ibn
after the angel Gabriel; the other after Mercurius and also after Ruwais, the
well-known monk who lived after a. h. 800. Near both of these churches the
Christians buried their dead, and the place is called the Burial-place of Al-
Khandak. Both of these churches were built in the time of Islam to take the
place of the churches of Al-Maks.
2. The Church in the Hdrah Zawilah in Cairo, a church revered by the
Jacobite Christians, bears the name of the Virgin it is stated that it was formerly
;
known by the name of the physician Zabilun, who lived about 270 years before
the appearance of the Islamitic religion, was learned in many sciences, and
event was the Christians offered a petition to Al- Malik an-Nasir Muhammad
ibn Kala'un, in which they begged for permission to restore that part of this
church which had been ruined; he gave them permission, and they built the
church so that it became more beautiful than it was before. This angered
'
As Wiistenfeld pointed out, Kunisht is the Persian word; but the true
original of the Arabic Kamsah, i-u-JiS', is the Aramaic N'J^f*33=' synagogue' or
'meeting-house,' from K'J^ 'to assemble.' (Syr. )li^j».car>; late Hebrew ^033).
APPENDIX. 3^1
a number of Muslims, who represented to the Sultan that the Christians had
erected anew building beside this church, which had not been there before.
He therefore charged the Emir and Treasurer 'Ilm ad-Din Sanjar, Wall of Cairo,
to destroy the newly-erected building; and the latter rode thither and found
a crowd of Muslims assembled, who hastened to destroy the church altogether,
as speedily as possible ; they erected in its place a Mihrab, announced the
hours of prayer, and recited the Koran, all of their own accord, and they were
not hindered for fear of an insurrection. After this the Christians were heavily
oppressed; and they complained to the Cadi Karim ad-Din, Keeper of the
Sultan's Privy Purse, who stood up as the champion of the religion of his
forefathers, and brought the matter constantly to the Sultan's notice, until the
latter ordered the destruction of the Mihrab, which was thrown down, so that
the placebecame a rubbish-heap, and so it has remained.
Church of Saint Menjias.
4. This stands near the dam between the
mounds of earth on the road from Misr it consists of three churches adjacent
;
to one another; one of the Jacobites, one of the Syrians, and the third of the
Armenians. A festival is kept there every year, at which the Christians assemble
in this church.
5. The Church of Al-Miiallakah, in the city of Misr, in the quarter of Kasr
ash-Shama', named after the Virgin; it is highly revered among them, and is
6. The Church of Saint Sinuthius in Misr, named after the ancient monk
Sinuthius, of whom many things are related ; among others, that he was one
of those who entirely abstained from food during the Forty Days' Fast under
;
him there were 6,ooo monks, who fed, as he did himself, on a mess of palm-
leaves ; he wrote many books.
Church of Mary, near the Church of Sinuthius. This was destroyed by
7.
'All ibn Sulaiman ibn 'Ali ibn 'Abdallah ibn 'Abbas, Emir of Egypt, when he
received the government from the Prince of the Faithful, Al-Hadi Musa, in a.h. 169;
he also destroyed the churches of the Ward of Constantine, for the preservation
of which the Christians offered him 50,000 dinars as a bribe, but he refused it.
When he was removed, however, and Musa ibn 'Isa ibn Musa ibn Muhammad
ibn 'All ibn 'Abdallah ibn 'Abbas took his place in the caliphate of Harun
ar-Rashid, the new governor allowed the Christians to rebuild the churches
which 'All ibn Sulaiman had destroyed ; then they were all rebuilt in consequence
of a decree of Al-Laith ibn Sa'd and 'Abdallah ibn Lahi'ah, who both declared
that it was for the advantage of the town, and bore witness that the churches
328 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
at Misr had first been built under Islam in the time of the companions of the
prophet and his first successors.
8. Church of Saint George of Ath-Thikat. This church stands in an alley
of the quarter of Kasr ash-Shama' at Misr, which is called Alley of Ath-Thikat
not far from it is the Church of the Virgin of Saint George.
9.The Church of Barbara in Misr is large, and is celebrated among them
it is named after Saint Barbara, a nun. In her time two other nuns were
living, Isa and Thakla; a great festival is kept in their honour at this church,
Both these churches are closed, on account of the ruins which surround them.
14. Church of Saint Mennas in the Hamra; the Hamra is now called
the quarter of Kanatir as-Saba', between Cairo and Misr. This church was
restored in a. h. 177 by permission of the Emir of Egypt, Al-Walid ibn Rufa'ah
thereupon Wuhaib al-Yahsubi was angry, rebelled against the Sultan, and came
to Ibn Rufaah to assassinate him, but was seized and put to death; Wuhaib
was a traveller from Yemen, and had come to Egypt. Then the Kara, in
order to avenge Wuhaib, rose against Al-Walid ibn Rufa'ah, and fought against
him. Ma'finah, the wife of Wuhaib, went round at night to the setdements
of the Kara to rouse them to avenge his blood ; she had shorn her head, and
was an eloquent woman. Then Ibn Rufa ah seized Abu 'Isa Marwan ibn 'Abd
ar-Rahman al-Yahsubi from among the Kara; he asked for mercy, and Ibn
Rufa'ah set him free and subsequently the rebellion was put down after a great
;
number had been slain. The church in the Hamra remained standing until
the destruction of the churches took place in the days of Al-Malik an-Nasir
Muhammad ibn Kala un, as it will be related, if it be God's will.
is, in the neighbourhood of Kanatir as-Saba', on the western bank of the canal,
west of Al-Lawak ; many events have taken place in connexion with this church.
For when Al-Malik an-Nasir Muhammad ibn Kala'un had in a. h. 720 built
the hippodrome of the Mahari Camels near Kanatir as-Saba , he wished also to
erect an embankment on the chief branch of the Nile not far from the Mosque
of Taibars ; he therefore commanded that a rubbish-heap which lay there should
be carried away, and that the earth beneath it should be dug out for the sake of
the embankment, and he caused the water to flow into the excavated place, which
is therefore called to this day the pool of An-Nasir, The excavation of this pool
was begun on the last day of the month of Rabf I, a.h. 721 ; and when they
brought it near to the Church of Az-Zuhri at which many Christians had always
dwelt, and beside which several other churches stood, on the spot now called
Hakar Akbugha, between and the Bridge of the Dam outside
the Seven Wells
the city of Misr, then the workmen began to dig round the Church of Az-Zuhri,
so that the latter remained standing in the middle of the spot which the Sultan
had appointed for excavation and which is now the Pool of An-Nasir, and they
continued to dig, until the church, as it were, hung in the air. The intention
was that the church should fall without a direct attempt to destroy it. The
general body of the slaves of the Emirs, who were working at the excavation,
and the other workmen demanded, with incessant cries, permission to destroy
the church, but the Emirs did not listen to them until Friday the 9th Rabi' II
of the same year, while the people were performing the Friday prayers, when
the work of excavation was and a body of the common people,
interrupted,
without leave from the Sultan, crying out 'God is Great!' attacked the Church
of Az-Zuhri with axes and other tools, destroyed it and made a rubbish-heap
of it, plundered the Christians who were there, and carried off all thatwas
within it. Then they destroyed the Church of Saint Mennas in the Hamra,
which had from ancient times been much revered by the Christians ; a number
of Christians dwelt there, who had established themselves there, and to whom
the Christians of Misr brought all that was needed for the church ; they also
sent there costly offerings and many alms, so that there was there a large
treasure of coined money, golden vessels, and other valuables. The people
climbed the walls, opened the gates, and took money, vessels, and wine-jars out
of the church it was a terrible occurrence.
;
Thereupon they went from the church in the Hamra, after they had
destroyed it, to the two churches near the Seven Wells, one of which was
called the Church of the Maidens, and was inhabited by a number of Christian
U u [TI. 7.]
330 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
girls and by monks ; they broke in the doors of the two churches, took captive
the girls, of whom there were more than sixty, took off their clothes, plundered
all that they could find, and burnt and entirely destroyed these churches.
All this took place while the people were making their Friday prayers; and
when they came out of the mosques, they beheld with horror the clouds of
dust, the smoke of the fire, the tumult of the mob, and the hurrying throngs
of those who were carrying off the plundered objects, so that this horror could
only be compared with that of the day of resurrection. The news of it spread,
and quickly came to the sandy ground under the Castle on the Mountain;
the Sultan heard a great tumult and noise which horrified him, and he sent
to enquire into the cause of it. When he was told what had happened, he
was much excited, and was angry that the people had undertaken to do the
deed without his command. He ordered the Emir Aidughmish Amir-Akhur to
ride to the spot with a detachment of pages, to put a stop to this disorder,
and to seize those who had done the deed. While Aidughmish was making
preparations to ride down, the news was brought from Cairo that the people
of Cairo had risen and had destroyed a church in the quarter of the Romans
and one in the quarter of Zawilah and at the same time it was announced
;
from Misr that the people of Misr had risen in great numbers and had marched
to the Church of Al-Mu'allakah in the Kasr ash-Shama', which had then been shut
up by the Christians who were besieged within it, but it was on the point of
being taken. Now the anger of the Sultan increased, and he wished to ride
down in person to attack the people, but he refrained when the Emir Aidughmish
dissuaded him from the attempt. The latter went from the Castle with four
Emirs two Chamberlains, the Emir Baibars and the Emir Alamas, rode
to Misr; the
to the place which had been excavated and the Emir Tinal rode to Cairo, each
;
accompanied by a numerous troop. The Sultan had commanded that all whom
they should capture among the people were to be slain, and none was to be
pardoned ; so Cairo and Misr fell upon their knees, and the plunderers fled,
so that the Emirs only caught those who were unable to move because they
were overcome by the wine which they had drunk in the churches. The Emir
Aidughmish now entered into Misr. The Wall had already ridden to the
Mu'allakah to drive away those engaged in plunder from the street of the
Mu'allakah, but, being received by a shower of stones, he had fled from them,
and the gate of the church was on the point of being set fire to. Now the
Emir Aidughmish and his followers drew their swords that they might fall upon
the people, but when he found that there was an innumerable multitude and
APPENDIX. 331
a narrow way of escape, he refrained from slaughter, bid his followers disperse
the crowd without shedding blood, and proclaimed that any one who stayed
behind should forfeit his life. Then the assembled crowd turned to flight and
dispersed, but Aidughmish, fearing lest the people should return, remained there
until the evening-prayer was proclaimed ; then he marched away, having ordered
the Wall of Misr with his soldiers, to whom he added fifty of the pages,
to pass the night on the spot. As for the Emir Alamas, he came to the
churches in the Hamra and
Church of Az-Zuhri to defend them, butthe
only rubbish-heaps were left of them, not a wall was standing; he returned
therefore, and the other Emirs also returned and informed the Sultan, whose
anger continued to increase but they did not leave him until he was pacified.
;
Ruins of the Tartars in the citadel, where a newly-built church stood, there
were people employed in destroying it,and they had not finished their work
when the news of the attack upon the churches in the Hamra and at Cairo
arrived. Then the Sultan wondered yet more at that fakir, and caused search
to be made for him, but no trace of him was found. In the Mosque of Al-Azhar
too it happened that when the people were assembled that day for the Friday
prayers, one of the fakirs fell into a sort of trembling, and when the hour of
prayer was announced, before the preacher appeared, he stepped forward and
said :
'
Destroy the churches of the enemies and unbelievers ! God is great !God
grant victory and help !
' Then he began again to tremble, and cried out :
' Down
to the ground! Down to the ground!' The people looked at him and did
not know what he meant; they were of various opinions regarding him, some
saying, '
He is mad ;
' and others, '
This means something.' When the preacher
came forward the fakir ceased shouting, and at the end of the prayers he was
sought for but could not be found; and when the people came out of the door
of the mosque they saw the plunderers with the woodwork of the churches,
the garments of the Christians, and other plunder, and when they asked about
these things they were answered that the Sultan had proclaimed that the churches
U u 2
333 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
should be destroyed ; and the people believed this until they heard soon afterwards
that all had happened without orders from the Sultan. The churches destroyed
that day at Cairo were that in the quarter of the Romans, that by the Archers,
and two churches in the street of Zawilah.
On Sunday, the 3rd day after the Friday on which the destruction of the
churches had taken place at Cairo and Misr, the news came from the Emir
Badr ad-Din Bilbag al-Muhsani, Wait of Alexandria, that on Friday the 9th
Rabi' II, after the Friday prayers, a tumult had arisen among the people, and
when they had quitted the mosque, the cry arose : 'The churches are destroyed!'
and that the INIameluke had at once ridden to the spot but had found the churches,
four in number, already reduced to heaps ; that he had also received by the
pigeon-post a letter from the Wali of Al-Buhairah, announcing that at the town
of Damanhur, while the people on that day were making their Friday prayers,
two churches had been destroyed. The astonishment increased over these matters
untilon Friday, the i6th, news was brought from the town of Kus that while
the people on the 9th Rabi' II had finished their Friday prayers, one of the
fakirs had risen, and had said :
'
O fakirs ! come out to the destruction of the
churches
!
' but when they went out, followed by a crowd of others, they had
found the churches already destroyed; and that at Kus and in its immediate
neighbourhood six churches had been wrecked. Gradually information arrived
from the southern and northern provinces, announcing the destruction of many
churches and monasteries in all the districts of Egypt between Kus, Alexandria,
and Damietta, which had taken place on the same day during and after the
Friday prayers. The anger of the Sultan against the people reached its highest
point, because he feared that even worse things would be done. The Emirs
tried to soothe his anger, saying that matters of this sort could not have
happened through human power, and that if the Sultan himself wished to under-
take anything of the sort he would not be in a position to do so; but that
it was a decree and ordinance of God, who knew the great corruption of the
Christians and their increasing pride, so that that which had happened might
serve as a punishment for them.
While therefore the people of Cairo and Misr had become much afraid
of the Sultan, because they had heard that he had threatened them with death,
and many of the lowest people had taken to flight, the Cadi and Army-
Inspector Fakhr ad-Din tried to dissuade the Sultan from his intended attack
on the people, and to reconcile him with them again, while Karim ad-Din
al-Kabir, Keeper of the Privy Purse, incited the Sultan against the people,
APPENDIX. 333
until the Sultan ordered him to travel to Alexandria for the purpose of raising
money and of enquiring what churches were there destroyed.
Scarcely a month had passed by since the destruction of the churches when
in Cairo and Misr fire broke out in many places, at which horrors occurred
equal to those which followed the destruction of the churches. In a house
of the Roast-meat- Vendors' Street in Cairo fire broke out on Saturday the
loth Jumada I, and spread among the surrounding dwellings and lasted until
the evening of Sunday; many buildings were destroyed. When this fire was
extinguished, another arose in the quarter of Ad-Dailam in the street of Al-'Arishah,
near the dwelling of Karim ad-Din, Keeper of the Privy Purse, on the 25th
Jumada I ; it was a windy night, and the fire spread on all sides, until it reached
the house of Karim ad-Din. When the Sultan heard of this, he was much
vexed, because a part of the Sultan's treasures was kept there, and he sent
several of the Emirs to put it out, and they took with them a crowd of people
which continually grew in numbers. From the night of Monday to that of
Tuesday the had continually increased, and the Emirs with their followers
fire
could not extinguish it, because there was a strong wind by which lofty palms
were overthrown and boats were dashed to pieces, and so the fire spread on
all sides. The people were already convinced that the whole of Cairo would
be burnt, and they mounted the minarets in order to call to prayer. The
and pious men appeared and began to pray with the cry God is great !
fakirs :
'
but it was in vain, and the screams and weeping of men grew louder on all
sides. The Sultan went up to the roof of the castle, but could not stay there
on account of the strong wind; the fire lasted, and the Sultan repeated his
the Emir and Cupbearer Baktimur also went down it was a terrible day ;
none more terrible has ever been seen. At the gates of Cairo guards were
set to bring back the water-carriers if they tried to leave Cairo, in order to
extinguish the fire ; not one of the water-carriers of the Emirs and of the city
was spared, work and they brought the water from the academies and
all had to ;
baths ; all and attendants of the baths were taken to pull down the
the carpenters
houses, and in this time of necessity many lofty buildings and great houses were
pulled down. At this fire twenty-four of the principal Emirs were working, besides
an equal number of the Emirs of the band, the Decurions and the Mamelukes
and the Emirs themselves set their hands to the work. The water stood from
the Gate of Zawilah to the quarter of Ad-Dailam like a lake in the street on
334 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
account of the crowd of men and camels which brought water. The Emir
and Cupbearer Bal^timur and the Emir and Deputy Arghiln were employed in
carrying the Sultan's treasure from the house of Karim ad-Din to the house
of his son in the Lead-workers' Street ; sixteen houses which partly touched the
house or stood opposite to it had to be destroyed before they could rescue the
treasure.
The fire was not yet fully extinguished, the treasure was scarcely carried
away, when a fresh fire broke out at the dwelling of Az-Zahir before the Zawilah
Gate, which destroyed 1 20 houses ; among which was a hall known as the
Hall of the Fakirs. During the fire a strong wind blew ; then the Chamberlain
and the Wali rode down to extinguish the fire, and caused a number of the
surrounding houses to be pulled down until the fire was extinguished. Two
days later a fire broke out in the house of the Emir Salar in the street between
the two castles; it began in the air-passage which had been constructed 100
cubits above the ground ; but this was all destroyed before the fire was put out.
Then the Sultan commanded the Emir and Treasurer 'Ilm ad-Din Sanjar,
Wall of Cairo, and the Emir and Chamberlain Baibars to keep guard and
to be watchful ; it was proclaimed that in every shop a barrel or jar of water
should stand, and a similar one in all streets, by-ways, and alleys. Through
this the price of a barrel rose from one dirham to five, and the price of a jar
to eight dirham s.
A fire also broke out in the quarter of the Romans and in many places, so
that no day passed without a fire in some place. The people now took heed
to that which was befalling them, and came to the conjecture that the Christians
were the cause of it, because the fire appeared in the pulpits of the mosques
and the walls of oratories and schools they were therefore prepared at a certain
;
fire, and they followed up the track of it until they found that it arose from
naphtha rolled up in cloths steeped in oil and pitch. One Friday night in the
middle of Jumada, two monks were captured coming out of the Academy of
Al-Hakkariyah, and fire had just been set to the academy, and the smell of sulphur
was still on their hands; they were brought to the Emir and Treasurer 'Ilm
ad-Din, Wali of Cairo, who sent word to the Sultan, who ordered that they should
be tortured. He had not come down from the castle before people met him, who
had seized a Christian caught in the Mosque of Az-Zahir with rags in the
form of an annular biscuit full within of pitch and naphtha; he had already
thrown one of them down by the pulpit, and had stood by it until smoke rose
from it then he went to depart from the mosque some one, however, had noticed
; ;
APPENDIX. 335
him, and watched him from a place where the Christian could not see him
then he seized him, and the people came up in crowds and dragged him to
the Wall's house ; Muslims. He was then
he had dressed himself like the
tortured before theEmir and Chamberlain Rukn ad-Din Baibars, and he confessed
that a multitude of Christians had bound themselves to prepare naphtha and
to spread it about by means of several of their followers, of whom he was one,
and that he had been told to place it beside the pulpit of the Mosque of
Az-Zahir. Thereupon it was ordered that the two monks should be tortured, and
they confessed that they were among the inhabitants of the Monastery of the
Mule, and had set fire to the places already described, out of hatred to the
Muslims and to take revenge upon them for the destruction of the churches
and that many Christians had joined together, and had collected a considerable
sum to prepare this naphtha.
Meanwhile Karim ad-Din, Keeper of the Privy Purse, had returned from
Alexandria and the Sultan informed him of the capture of the Christians, where-
;
upon he answered The Christians have a patriarch with whom they consult, and
:
*
who knows their dispositions.' Then the Sultan commanded to bring the patriarch
to the dwelling of Karim ad-Din that he might speak with him of the fire, and the
share of the Christians in kindling it. The patriarch came therefore under the
guard of the Wall of Cairo by night through fear of the people, and when he
had entered the house of Karim ad-Din, in the quarter of Ad-Dailam, and the
three Christians had been brought from the dwelling of the Wali, they repeated
to Karim ad-Din in the presence of the patriarch and Wall all that they had
before confessed. When the patriarch heard the confession, he began to weep,
and said These are fanatical Christians, who wished to avenge themselves
:
'
Next morning Karim ad-Din wished to ride, according to his custom, to the
Castle, and when he came out of doors as usual, the people cried to him in
the streets :
'
It is not allowed, O Cadi, that thou shouldest take under thy
protection the Christians who have burnt down the houses of IMuslims, and
shouldest let them upon mules.' These words angered him and increased
ride
his desire to do injuries, and when he came before the Sultan he tried to
^^6 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
represent the crime of the Christianswho had been captured as slight, saying
that they were fanatics and fools; but the Sultan bade the Wall increase the
tortures. So the Wall went down and caused them to be severely tortured,
so that they confessed that fourteen monks had conspired together in the
Monastery of the Mule to burn down all the dwellings of the Muslims, and
that among them there was a monk who prepared the naphtha that they ;
had partitioned Cairo and Misr among themselves, so that eight came to
Cairo and six to Misr. Then the Wall had the Monastery of the Mule
surrounded and all its inmates seized; four of them were burnt at the cross-
ways by the Mosque of Ibn TfiKin on Friday, where a great crowd had
assembled to see them. From this time the common people were enraged
against the Christians, and began to insult them and tore their garments off
them, so that every form of outrage was allowed, and such as exceeded all
measure. Thereupon the Sultan grew angry, and formed the plan of making
an attack upon the people. It happened that when he was riding on a Saturday
from the citadel to go to the great hippodrome, he saw a great crowd of
people who were filling the streets and shouting :
'
God protect Islam ! Protect
the religion of Muhammad ibn 'Abdallah !
' He rode aside to avoid them, and
when he reached the hippodrome, the Treasurer brought two Christians to him
who had just been caught in the attempt to set fire to the houses; he com-
manded that they should be burnt, whereupon they were led away, a ditch was
dug, and they were burnt in the sight of the people. While they were yet
employed in burning the two Christians, the Chamberlain of the Divan of the
Emir and Cupbearer Baktimur, who was a Christian, came by, to reach the
house of the Emir Baktimur. When the people saw him, they threw him from
his beast, dragged off all his clothes, and carried him off to throw him into
the fire ; then he repeated in a loud voice the two formulas of belief, confessed
Islam, and was Meanwhile Karim ad-Din, clothed with a robe of
set at liberty.
honour, passed by the hippodrome but they drove him away with stones, and
;
cried out How long wilt thou protect and defend the Christians ? They mocked
:
'
'
at him, so that he saw no way of escape except to return to the Sultan, who
was still in the hippodrome; the cries of the people were so loud in their
anger that the Sultan could hear them. When Karim ad-Din came to him
and informed him of what had passed, he was full of wrath, and asked the
advice of the Emirs who were with him, such as the Emir Jamal ad-Din,
deputy-governor of Al-Kark, the Emir Saif ad-Din al-Bubakri, the Cham-
berlain Baktimur, and several others ; Al-Bijbakri thought that the people
APPENDIX. 337
* * * and that it was best for the Chamberlain to go and ask. them what
they wanted before any step was taken. This view, however, did not please the
Sultan, w'ho turned away from him. Thereupon the Deputy-governor of Al-Kark
said :
'
comes from the Christian secretaries, for the people hate them,
All this
and my advice is that the Sultan should take no step against the people, but
should remove the Christians from the Divan.' This advice also displeased the
Sultan, who said to the Emir and Chamberlain Alamas Go and take four of :
'
the Emirs with thee, and cut the people down from the place where thou leavest
the hippodrome until thou comest to the Gate of Zawilah, and strike with the
sword among them from the Gate of Zawilah to the Gate of Victory, without
;
sparing any and to the Wall of Cairo he said
' Ride to the Gate of :
'
Al-Lawak and the neighbourhood of the river, and let none pass without seizing
him and bringing him to*the Castle, and if thou dost not bring those who have
stoned my deputy (he meant Karim ad-Din), by my head I will hang thee instead
of them and he sent with him a detachment of his body-Mamelukes. After
;
'
a hesitation on the part of the Emirs to carry out the command, so that the
matter became known, and they met no one, especially no slaves or attendants
of the Emirs, then at last they set out the news was spread in Cairo, all the ;
bazaars were shut, and an unheard-of sorrow fell upon the people. The Emirs
went forth, but found on their long march not a single person until they
reached the Gate of Victory; but the Wait at the Gate of Al-Lawak in the
neighbourhood of Bulak and at the Water-Gate seized a crowd of rabble, sailors,
and low people, by which action such fear was spread that a great number
removed to the province of Al-Jizah on "the western bank. The Sultan returned
from the hippodrome and found on his way, until he reached the Castle, not one
of the people; as soon as he arrived Castle he sent to the Wali, and
at the
told him to hasten to come to him ; and the sun was not yet set when he
appeared with about 200 people whom he had seized. Then the Sultan made
a division of them, and ordered that some should be hanged, others cut in two,
others of their hands
deprived then they all cried O Lord, that is not
; :
'
lawful, was not we who stoned him.' The Emir and Cupbearer Baktimur
it
and the other Emirs present wept out of sympathy with them, and did not
quit the Sultan until he
said to the Wali Divide off a part of them and :
'
had made a white cross upon them, and when they saw the Sultan they cried
with loud and united voices There is no religion except that of Islam
:
'
Christians ' The earth trembled with their terrible voices, and God filled the
heart of the Sultan and the hearts of the Emirs with fear they continued ;
their way, while he was deeply sunk in thought, until he came to the hippodrome.
As meanwhile the shouts of the people did not cease, he held it best to act
cautiously, and he bid the Chamberlain go out and proclaim that he who should
find a Chrisdan should demand money and blood from him. The Chamberlain
went out and made this proclamation, and the people cried :
*
God protect thee !
and gave him their congratulations. The Christians then used to wear white
turbans, so it was proclaimed at Cairo and Misr that any one who should
find a Christian in a white turban should be allowed to kill him and to seize
his goods ; and a similar permission was granted to any one who should meet
a Christian on horseback. A decree was issued that the Christians should wear
APPENDIX. 339
blue turbans, and that none of them should ride a horse or a mule, but that
they might ride asses with their heads to the tail; thatno Christian might
enter a bath without a bell round his neck ; and that none of them might
wear the dress of the Muslims. The Emirs were forbidden to take Christians
into their service ; the latter were removed from the Sultan's Divan, and it was
commanded in all the provinces that all Christians holding office should be
dismissed. The attacks of the Muslims upon the Christians increased so that
the latter no longer walked in the streets, and a large number of them accepted
Islam.
Nothing had been said at this time of the Jews, and so the Christians
began, when they wished to leave their dwellings, to borrow a yellow turban
from one of the Jews, and to wear it so as to be safe from the people. Then
it happened that one of the Christians in the Divans was owed 4,000 dirhams
by a Jew, so he came by night in disguise to the Jew's house to demand the
money ; then the Jew seized him and cried :
'
Help from God and the Muslims I
and shouted so that people ran together to seize the Christian ; but he fled
into the inner part of the Jew's house and hid himself with the wife of the
latter ; he was, however, obliged to write a receipt stating that the Jew had
paid him his debt, and then he was set free.
Several Christians of the Monastery of AI-Khandak were accused of having
prepared naphtha to set fire to the they were captured and nailed up,
houses ;
A decree was issued that the people might safely be present when the Sultan
rode to the hippodrome according to their custom ; this took place because
they stood in fear of their lives on account of their having too frequently
attacked the Christians and overstepped all bounds. Now they became bold,
came as usually to the neighbourhood of the hippodrome, offered good wishes
to the Sultan, and began to cry :
'
God protect thee, Ruler of the land ! we
are spared, we are spared
!
1 7. Church of Mary, in the Gardens of the Vizier to the south of the Lake
18. The Church of Mary, in the district of Al-'Adawiyah towards the south, is
19. The Church of Atiihony, in the district of Bayad, north of Itfih, has
been renewed. In the district of Sharnub there were many churches now
destroyed ; one of them is in the district of Ihrit on the mountain, two days
to the south of Bavad, and still exists.
APPENDIX. 341
gate stands a tower built of large bricks, which is said to be the place where
INIusa ibn 'Imran (the prophet Moses) was born.
21. Church of Mary, in the district of Al-Khusus ; it is a house of which
they have made a church, which, however, is neglected.
22. Church of Mary, Church of Al-Kanr, and Church of Gabriel ; these
three churches stand in the district of Abnub.
23. Church of Asutir, which means [o-a)r7;/3 = ] the Saviour; this stands
in the city ofIkhmim, and is much revered among the Christians it bears ;
the name of the Martyrs, and there is a well there, the water of which, if it be
put into a lamp, becomes of a deep-red colour like blood.
24. Church of Michael, also at Ikhmim. There is a custom among the
Christians at these two churches that when they are keeping the Feast of Palms,
also called the Feast of Hosanna, the priests and deacons go in procession
with censers, incense, crosses, the gospels, and lighted candles, and stand before
the door of the Cadi, and then before the doors of the most respectable Muslims,
where they burn incense, read a passage of the Gospel, and sing a hymn, that
is to say, praise him.
The Church of Saint Pachomius, in the district of Atfah,
25. is the last
church on the eastern bank. Bakhum or Pachomius was a monk at the time
of Saint Sinuthius ; he is called the Father of the Community, because he
increased the number of the monks and gave a teacher to every two monks.
He did not allow wine or meat to be brought into his monastery, and he com-
manded that the fast should be kept until the end of the ninth hour of the
day; he gave his monks roasted chickpeas to eat, and they called them chick-
peas of scarcit3^ His monastery has long been destroyed, but this church of
his still exists at Atfa, to the south of Ikhmim.
26. Tlie Church of the Evangelist Mark, at Al-Jizah, was ruined after
A. H. 800 and then rebuilt. This Mark was one of the Disciples of Christ, and
founder of the patriarchal see of Egypt and Abyssinia.
27. The Church of Saint George, in the district of Bu 'n-Numrus in [the
province of] Al-Jizah, was destroyed in a.h. 780, as it has been related above,
but afterwards restored.
28. The Church in the district of Bu. Fdrd, on the farthest limit of the
province of Al-Jizah.
29. Church of Sinuthius, in the district of Harabshant.
30. Church of Saint George, in the district of Bana, is celebrated among
342 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
them; they bring thither votive offerings, and swear by it, and relate many
remarkable stories of it.
kept in a chest in the monastery of Bit Bishai on the plain of Shihat, and
are visited even now.
32. Church of Mary at Al-Bahnasa. It is said that there were 360 churches
at AI-Bahnasa, which have all been destroyed, so that this church alone remains.
33. The Church of the Mojik Samuel, in the district of Shinarah.
34. The Church of Mary, in the district of Tunbuda, is old.
35. The Church of Michael, in the district of Tunbuda, is large and old. There
were here many churches now destroyed the greater part of the inhabitants of
;
of Ishnin. In this district there were 160 churches, which have all been destroyed
with the exception of the four above mentioned ; the greater part of the inhabi-
tants of Ishnin are Christians, and they maintain themselves by keeping watch
over the palm-trees. Further on there are still remains of churches in which they
keep their festivals, as the Church of Saint George, that of Mdruid, that of
Barbara, and that of Gafril, i.e. fabril (Gabriel).
40. In Munyat ibn Khasib there are six churches, that o{ Al-Mu'allahah, i.e.
the Church of the Virgin, that and Paul, that of Michael, that of
of Peter
Saint George, that of Saint Paul of Tamwaih, and that of the three youths,
namely, Ananias, Azarias, and Misael, who were warriors in the time of Bukht
Nasr (Nabuchadnezzar) and worshipped God in secret when they were dis-
;
covered Bukht Nasr wished to bring them back to the worship of idols, and
when they refused this he had them thrown into prison for a long time that
they might be perverted but they would not, and so he had them brought out
;
and cast into the fire, which, however, did not burn them. The Christians hold
them in great honour, although they lived long before the time of Christ.
41. Church in the district of Taha in the name of the Disciples of Christ, who
are called by them Apostles,
42. Church of Mary, also in the district of Taha.
43. The C/lurch of the Two Wise Men, in the district of Manhari, keeps a great
festival in the month of Bashans at which the bishop is present, and a great
APPENDIX. 343
fair is held at the festival. These two wise men are Cosmas and Damian,
the two monks.
44. The Church of the Virgin, in the district of Bu Karkas, is old and large.
45. In the district of Mallawi there is the Church of the Apostles, and two ruined
churches, one named after Saint George and the other after the angel Michael.
46. In the district of Daljah there were many churches of which only three
are left; the Church of the Virgin which is large, that of Sinuthius, and that of
Saint Mercurius ; they (the others) are entirely destroyed.
47. In the district of Sanabu is the Church of Saint Paul and that of
Saint George ; Sanatm numbers many Christians.
48. In the district of Bibla'u, to the north of Sanabu, there is an old church
on the western side of the city named after George; there are many Christians
who practise agriculture.
49. In the district of Darut there is a church near the town, like a monastery,
and named after the Monk Serapion who lived in the time of Sinuthius and was
elected bishop ; many things are told of him.
50. In the district of Bijk Bani Zaid there is a large church named after
the Apostles, in which a festival is kept.
51. In the province of Kus is the Church of Mary and that of Gabriel.
52. In the district of Damshir is the Church of the 3fartyr Mercurius; it is old
and there are many Christians there.
53. In the district of Umm al-Kusur is the Church of Saint fohn the Dwarf
which is old.
56. In the district of Shakalkil are three large old churches, named respec-
tively after the Apostles, Michael and Saint Mennas.
57. In the district of Munsha'at an-Nasara is a church Q){ Michael.
58. In the town of Suyut Church of BU SaJrah (i. e. St. Theodore)
is the
and that of the Apostles ; and before the town is the Church of Saint Mennas.
59. In the district of Udrunkah there is a very old church named after the three
youths Ananias, Azarias, and Misael ; it is a school for poor Christians. The
inhabitants of Durunkah are Christians, and understand the Coptic language,
which is the means of communication there both for children and adults, and
they are able to explain it in Arabic.
344 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
GO. In the district of Rifah al-Gharbi is the Church of Saint Coluthus, who was
a physician and monk, and performed wonderful cures of inflammation of the eye
a festival is held in his honour at this church. There is also a Church of Michael here.
Worms have already gnawed away one side of [the church at] Rifah al-Gharbi.
61. In the district of Mushah there is a church built over a bath, in
the name of the martyr Victor; it was built in the time of Constantine, son
of Helena, and has a terrace ten cubits wide, and three domes, each of which
is about eighty cubits high ; the whole is built of white stone ; but the western
half is already fallen. It is said that this church stands over a treasure which
lies beneath it; and it is said that there was a passage under the earth from
Suyut to this town of Mushah.
62. In the district of Bukur, at the border of Butij, there is an old Church
dedicated to the martyr Claudius, who stands among them on a par with
Mercurius, Georgius i. e. B(i Jurj, the commander Theodoras, and Mina'us.
The father of Claudius was one of and he was himself
the prefects of Diocletian,
celebrated for his bravery. When he became a Christian, the emperor had him
seized and tortured that he might return to the worship of idols, but he remained
steadfast until he was killed. Many things are related of him.
63. In the district of Al-Kati'ah there is a Church named after the Virgin,
where there was a bishop named Alduwin, who had a quarrel with his own party,
so that they buried him alive they are among the worst Christians, and are
;
notorious for their wickedness. There was among them a Christian named
George, son of the Nun, who all bounds, so that the Emir and
overstepped
Majordomo Jamal ad-Din cut off his head in the reign of Al-Malik an-Nasir
Faraj ibn Barkuk.
64. In the district of Butij there are several ruined churches ; and the Christians
are accustomed to say their prayers secretly in one of their houses, and when day
breaks, they go out to the ruins of a church, there erect an altar of palm-stems in
the form of a cage, and perform their devotions.
65. In the district of Bu Makrufah there is an old Church dedicated to Michael,
where two festivals are The inhabitants of that district are Christians,
kept yearly.
chiefly shepherds, and are people of a low class.
66. In the district of Duwainah there is a Church named after Saint John
theDwarf, who is much revered among them ; there lived there a man named
Jonas, who was elected bishop, and was celebrated for his knowledge, in several
sciences; they were irritated against him for envy of his knowledge, and they
buried him alive, but his body had already ascended to heaven.
APPENDIX. 345
67. In Al-INIaraghah, between Tahta and Tima, ihere is a church, and in the
district of lyilfa'u a large church. The Christians of this place are celebrated
for their knowledge of magic and kindred sciences, and there was there, in
the reign of Al- Malik az-Zahir Barkfik, a deacon named Absaltis, who possessed
great skill in them, and stories are told of him which I prefer not to repeat
Isna a Church of Mary, a Church of Michael, and a Church offohn the Baptist,
i. e. Yaliyd ibn Zakariyd.
71. At Nakadah there is a Church of the Virgin, a Church offohn the Baptist,
a Church of Gabriel, and a Church offohn the Compassionate. The last was a rich
man of Antioch, who became a monk, divided all his goods among the poor, and
travelled through the world : and he confessed the Christian religion. His father
consoled himself on his son's account, and it was believed that he was dead.
Afterwards he came back to Antioch in such a condition that no one knew him
he lived in a cell on a dunghill, and fed upon that which was thrown upon the
dunghill until he died. At his funeral his father was present and recognized
the cover of his book of the gospels, and on further examination found that
it was his son; so he buried him, and built in his name the Church of Antioch
in the town of Kus also there were many monasteries and churches which were
destroyed with the town, so that only one Church of the Virgin is now remaining.
Besides the churches hitherto mentioned by us therenone remaining in the is
the district of Cairo a Church of the Virgin Mary, which is famous among them
in the district of Sanduwah a new church named after Saint George ; at Marsafa
a restored church also named Samannud a church named
after Saint George ; at
after the Apostles, built in a house at Sanbat a church celebrated among them
;
and named after the Apostles ; at Sandafa a church revered among them and named
after Saint George ; at Ar-Raidaniyah a Church of the Virgin, highly revered
among them. At Damietta there are four Churches, of the Virgin, Michael,
fohn the Baptist, and St. George, which are celebrated among them. In the district
y y [n. 7.]
346 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
of Subk al-'Abid there is a church in a hidden house, named after the Virgin
a Church of Saint John the Divaf-f; at Damanhilr there is a new church in a hidden
house, named after Michael. At Alexandria is the Church of Al-Mii allakah named
after the Virgin, the Church of Saint George, the Church ofJohn the Baptist, and
that of the Apostles.
These are the churches of the Jacobites in Egypt and they have also at Gaza
;
a Church of Mary and at Jerusalem the Ktimdmah (i. e. Church of the Holy
Sepulchre, or rather a chapel in dnd the Church of Zion.
it)
As for the Melkites, they possess at Cairo the Church of Saint Nicholas near
the Archers, and at Misr the Church of the Angel Gabriel in the quarter of Kasr
ash-Shama', where the cell of their patriarch is, the Church of the Virgin also in the
Kasr ash-Shama', the Church of the Angel Michael near the Church of Barbara
at Misr, and the Church of Saint John in the quarter of the Monastery of At-Tin.
I.
N'o. of No. of
Place.
Churches. Monasteries. Fo/io of MS.
Abtujah
Abu 'n-Numrus,
.... see Bunumrus
4 ... 73 b
Al-'Adawiyah .
3 44 a, 46 b, 48 a
Aflah az-Zaitun
Ahnas
Akfahs
....
....
7
2
6
72 b
92 a
80 a, 91a
Alexandria 80 a
Andariba, Mount,
Ansina .... see Atribah
5 5 79 b, 86 b, 87 a, 92 a
Al-'Arish ....
Anthony, Monastery of Saint
....
I
2
I 54 a ff.
56 b
Armant
Ashrubah
Asiout, see
....
Usyut
8
I ...
...
102 b
75 a
Assouan,
Athlidim
Atribah,
see
Mount
....
Uswan
5
]
92 a
82 b
Bahjurah
Al-Bahnasa
.... I
15 •
81 a
73 b, 74 b, 75 a
Al-Bahnasa, Oasis of 3 ] 75 a, 93 a &b, 94 a
Bahumalis 5 73 b
Bakik, Island of 2 . 104 a
y y 2
348 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
No. of No. of
Place. Folio of MS.
Churches. Monasteries.
Bamjah
Bana Busir
.... 5
I 56 a
18 a, 69 a
Bardanuhah
Barjanus
Al-Barnil
....
....
8
2
I I
74a
86 a
56 a
Al-Basatin 2 I I b, 2 a, 3 a, 4 b, 5a
Bisus ....
Bilak, see Philae
I
I
I
76 a
73 a
Bu Haruk . .
'
. I I 104 b
Bulyana ....
Bulak [Dakrur]
I
I
60 b
8ia
60 b
Busir Bana [or Wana] 2 17 b, 68 b
Busir Kiiridus . I I 92 b
Bfitij ....
Al-Bustan, see Al-Basatin .
I 91a
Cairo ....
Cairo, Old, see Fustat Misr
4 I 5 a, 23 b
Dahshur .... I I 53 b
Dalas ....
Dair at-Tinadah I
I
I
I
90 a
91 a
Damamil ....
Daljah, District of 24
I
78 a, 91 b
102 b
Damanhiar
Damuh ....
Darwat as-Sarabam . 2
I
I ...
45 b
66 b
77 b
Dogs, Mon. of
....
Devils, IMon. of the, see
Dimnu
the, see
Torch
Vine-
5 4 86 a
dresser
No. of No. of
Place. Churches. JMonastcries.
Folio of MS.
Fayyum, the .
35 18 b, 70 a
(under Omeyyads)
Fayyum, City of the, see Madi-
Funkus ....
nat al-Fayyum
5
77a
23 b ff., 29 b ff.
Ibkaii I I loi a
Ibsha'i, IMon. of, see Usyut
Ibsidiya . I I 90 a
Idfak I 74 b
Idrijah I 18 a, 69 b
Ikhmim (at or near) ,
70 3 86 a
(before a.h. 552)
Iknu I 82 a
Ishnin 12 91 a
Isna I 102 a
itfih 20 56 a
itillendofi2thceiit.)
Al-Jizah, Province of 50 ,
50 65 a
Al-Jummaizah . I I 55b
Kanah ....
Al-Kantarah, see Fustat Misr
2 2 103b
Karfunah, Mon. of 1 I 89 a
Kasr Khakan, see Bunumrus
Al-Khaizaraniyah I 60 a & b
Khazarah
Al-Khusus
....
Al-Khandak, see Fustat Misr
25
I
I
102 b
88 b
.
Kift
Kufadah
Al-Kufur
....
....
I I
5
I
8 103 a
73 t>
74 a
Al-Kulzum
Kus
Al-Kusair,
....
Mon. of .
12
8
I I
I
58a
80 a
13 b, 44 a, 49 a ff.
Al-Kusair al-Hakkani I I 50 a
Kusakam, see Kus Kam
Ivfis Kam I I 78a& b
Lahun ....
Leper, Mon. of the, see AI-
2 I 73a & b
Bahnasa, Oasis of
Light, Mon. of, see Ahnas
Mallawi ....
Madinat al-Fayyum
Mansarah 3 80 a
IMaraghat I 92 b
Mareotis, see Al-Mariyah
Al-Mariyah (Marea) . I 107 b
Memphis
]\Iir
....
Maryut, see Al-Mariyah
.... I
3
68a&
80 a
b
I
61 a
60 b
A^o. of N'o. of
Place. Churches. Monasteries. Folio of MS.
Munyat Andunah 2 60 b
Munyah Bani Khasib 77 b, 78 a, a & b
Munyat al-Ka'id 2 17 b, 69 a
Munyat ash-Shammas I 65 b
Munyat as- Sudan, see Hulvvan
Nahya
Najaj
....
.... 61 a
74 b
ff.
Nakalifah,
Naklun ....see Fanu
71 a & b
Ranah I 58 a
Red Monastery, see Al-Jtzah
Rifah and Udrunkah 2 74 b, 89 a
Tamha ....
.... I 60 b
Tamwaih
Tansa ....
Torch, Mon. of the,,y(f Munyat
6
4
I 67a
i8a, 69b
ash-Shammas
Tunbudha
Tura
Tuifah
....
....
2
^
o
I
I
I
31
47b
74b
a, 90 a
Wadab al-Kiim I 60 b
Wad? Habib . 2 2 44a,47b,53b,63b,8ob
Wana Busir,
Wasim ....sec Bana
I
(once 366 ?)
60 b
Water, Church of
the, see
Ansina
W^ell,Mon.of the, see Kamulah
White Monastery, see Atribah
II.
-
—
Jesus Christ at, 78 a. al-Wusta, 29a&b, 32 a — Jabal al-'Atash, j^^AI-'Atash.
Fiawah, Province of, 8 a. & b. — al-Kabsh, Al-Kabsh. see
Harah Zawilah, see Zawilah, — Al-Kaff.
al-Kaff, see
Gates of Usyiit, 87 b. Harah Zuwailah,«'t' Zawilah. — al-Kahf, Al-Kahf. see
Al-Ghanam, Well of, atMisr, Harat al-Arman, see Arme- — At-Tair.
at-Tair, see
41 b. nians, quarter of. — Yashkur (ibn Adwan ibn
Al-Gharbiyah, Province of, — ar-Riim, see Romans, Lakhm), see Yashkur.
8 a. quarter of. Al-Jadidiyah,Provinceof,8a.
Ibn Ghawatah, Land of, 49a Harran, 64 b. Janan ar-Rihan, 21 a.
{see Baraghwatah). Hauf Ramsis, 8 a. 108 a.
Jarjar, the river,
Ghizeh, see Jizah, Hawi, gardens of, 32 b. Jaubah, name of the Fayyum,
Ghumdan, nib. Heliopolis, 23 b. 18 b, 70 a.
Z z 2
35^ CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Jazirah Bani Nasr, Province Karfin, Pool of, 26 a, 32 b. Libyan Mountains, 65 a.
of, 8 a, Kasr ash-Shama', 21 a, 44 a, Al-Luniyah, name of Egyp-
— Kusaniya, Province of, 60 b, 112 b. tian Babylon, 21b.
8 a. Al-Khaimat al-Kibliyah, 4 6b. Luxor, 104 b, 105 a.
— al-Ushmiinain, 76 b. Al-Khalij, see Canal. Luzarikun, town of, near
Jerusalem, 58
2 b, 3 a, a. Khalij Amir al-Muminin, Carthage, 108 a & b.
— capture 'by Augustus,'
of, see Canal of Prince of Lydda, relics of Saint George
the Faithful. at, 93 b.
— Armenian church of St. Al-Khaluk, Mosque of, 32b.
Sergius at, 3 a. Khams Mudun, 21a. Madinat al-Hajar, 17 a.
— Armenian monastery of AI-Khandak, 45 b, 98 b. Madinat al-Kuhhan (i.e.
St. James at, 3 b. Al-Kharibah, at Usyut, 88 a. Manbaj or Hierapolis),
Jew, conversion of, to Chris- Kharij, 17 b. 22 b.
tianity, 44 b, 45 a. Khaukhah, see Passage. Madinat ash - Shams, see
Jewish cemetery, 43 b, 44 a. Khauliya, City of, 112 a. Heliopolis.
Jews, 9 b, 15 a. Khorassanians fought a- Maghir ath-Thilj, church so
— none at Usyut, 87 b. gainst Marwan II, 60 a, called at Darwah, 77 b.
Jibt (Ai-yuTrros), name of 92 b. Al-Maghrib, j-f?^ West Africa.
capital of Egypt, 23 b. Kift, 7 b. Al-Maja'iz, 32 b.
Jisr al-'Ajuz, see 'Wall of the Kirun, City of, 112 a. Al-]Majnunah, aqueduct of,
Old Woman.' Kubbat al-Hawa, 52 a. 24 a.
Al-Jizah, 59 a & b, 60 a. Kulam, nob. Al-Maks, 95 a.
Al-Jiziyah, Province of, 8 b,Al-Kulzum, 19 b, 24 a. Manafah, original name of
44b,46b,53b, 59 a, 63b, —
canal from Cairo ends at, Memphis, 68 a.
64 65 a.
a, 58 a. Manbaj (Mabug, Hierapo-
Al-Juda, Mount, 1 1 1 b. — desert of, 54 a. lis), 22 b,
9 a. Al-Ushmunain, 23 b, 74 a, 3^a, 5 a.
Syrian Sea, 58 a. 76 a & b, 90 b, 92 a. Zidan, Mount of, 94 b.
—
restored by Belshazzar, Az-Zuhri, 3 b, 5 a & b, 24 b.
Tadmor, 112a. 23 b, 80 a. Zukak, see Alley.
Tafah, 100 a. —
Province of, 8 b. Zuwailah, see Zawilah.
INDEX III. 359
III.
Gabriel, son of Caliph Al- George, Saint, Church of, Gregory, Armenian Patri-
Hafiz, see Jabi il. adjoiningChurch of St. arch, 47 b.
George, Saint, altars of. 45a, Mennas, 30 b. — Saint, Church of, above
64 b. — attached to Church that of St.George at Tura,
appearance of, 82 a, of St. Mercurius in Al- 48 b.
93 a. Hamra, 37 b.
body of, 93 a & b. at Munyah Bani Habib ibn Mughafifal, 22 a.
Church of, in Abyssi- Khasib, 78 a. Hadhil ibn Madrakah, 32 b.
nia, 105 b. at Shinara, 91b. Abu Hadr of Ushmfinain,
Ansina, 87 a.
at at Taha al-I\Ia- Church of, at Munyah
at Ashrubah, 75b. dinah, 74 a. Bani Khasib, 88 b.
at Bahjurah, 81 a. at Tura, 47 b. Abij Hadri, Saint, body of,
at Al-Bahnasa,73b. at Tamwaih, 67 b. loi b.
in Oasis of Al- atUshmunain,io4a. Church of, in Island
Bahnasa, 93 a. at Uswan, 102 a. of Elephantine, loi b;
at Bardanuhah, near Usyut 90 b. Monastery of, 102 a.
.?
^ a 2
3^4 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Ilaman, officer of Pharaoh, Iklfidah, see Claudius. James,Saint,sonofZebedee,
23 a. Ikludiyas, see Claudius. the Apostle, Armenian
Harminah, see Armenius, '11m as-Sarf Abu '1-Ma- Church of, at Al-Bustan,
Saint. karim, 60 b. I b, 2 a.
52 a. Alexandria, 53 a. Monastery 76 a.
of,
Abu'l-Hasan ibn al-Amahh, — body
Saint, Al-Kais, — — sojourn
of, at Egypt,
of, in
quarter of Zuwailah, 2 a, John, seventy- fourth Patri- Ibn al-Kanbar, see Mark ibn
3 a, 5 a. arch of Alexandria, 28 a, Mauhfib.
John Baptist, Saint, Church 38 a, 45 b, 59 b, 66 b. Karbil, Church of, at Al-
of, rock-hewn at the Mon- Jonas, bishop of Damsis, Bahnasa, 75 a.
astery of Al-Kusair, 49 a, 14 a (cf. 9 a). Karim ad-Daulah ibn'Ubaid
51 a. — bishop of Damietta, 63 b. ibn Kurrus, 31a.
Misr over
at — monk, 47 b. Abu Karkar, Monastery of,
tank, overlooking Pool of — seventy-second Patriarch, j^^ Gregory, Monastery of,
the Abyssinians, 39 a. see John. at Hulwan.
above Church of Joseph, the Patriarch, i8a & Karun (Korah), officer of
St. George, at Tura, 48 b. b, 19 b, 28 b, 68 a. Pharaoh, 23 a.
INIelkite Monastery prison of, 17 b, 20 b. Al-Kasim ibn 'Ubaid Allah,
of, near Lake of the Abys- set the Fayyum in wall of Egypt, disastrous
sinians, 39 b, 40 a. order, i8a, 69b, 70a, 71 b. visit of, to White Monas-
— bishop of Atrib,
37 b. Joseph, Saint, in Egypt, 20b, tery, 83 a & b, 84 a.
Tamwaih, 44 a, 75 b, 78 b, 81 b. Abu '1-Kasim Khalil, physi-
— martyr of Uswan, 44415 a, b.
b. death of, 78 b. cian and philosopher of
body of, removed from — fifty-second Patriarch of Ascalon, 3 b, 4 b.
Damanhur to Al-Adawi- Alexandria, 97 a & b. Kasra, see Chosroes.
yah, 45 b. — Melkite bishop of Misr, Ibn Katib al-Farghani,
Church of, at Aflali 40 b. 33 b.
az-Zaitun, 72 b. — Nestorian
43 a. priest, Ibn al-Khafir, wall of Oases,
at Al-Bahnasa, Joshua, son of Nun, 21a, 93 a.
73 b, 75 a. 103 b. Kha'il, see Michael.
at Kus, 81 b. Judas Iscariot, 12 a. Abu '1-Khair, called Ibn al-
at Ishnin, 91a. Judham, 22 a. Amadi, 38 a.
Alexandria, 53 a. 96 b. • Fada'il, 31 b.
— Patriarch of
forty-eighth Al-Kahhal, Kadi, 9 a. Khush, king of Persians, see
Alexandria, 23 b. Abii Kais, Church of, at Artaxerxes Ochus.
— seventy-second Patriarch Muriyah, 78 a. Kift, son of Mizraim, 18 a,
of Alexandria, 9 a, 1 2 b, Al-Kais, son of Al-Harith, 68 a, 69 b, 76 b, 78 a,
14 b, 30 b, 31a, 36 b, 91b. 81 a, 86 b, 92 b, 103 a.
37 b, 45 a, 48 b. Ibn Kamil, 104 b. Kilkili, son of Kharaba, son
366 CHURCHES AND MOXASTERIES OF EGYPT.
of Malik, son of Baisur, Al-Maghafir ibnYa'far, 22 a. Manbali, Church of, at 'Al-
son of Ham, 52 a. Mah, son of Baisur, son of wah, 95 b.
Ban(i Kinanah ibn 'Umar Ham, 68 a. Manfa'us, son of 'Adim, and
ibn al-Kibr ibn Fahm, Abu '1-Mahajir, 32 b. king of Egypt, 68a, 87 b,
32 b. Malibub ibn Kustantin al- 102 b.
Al-Kindi, historian, 29 a, Manbaji, historian, 22 b, built Kais, 91 b. —
55 a, 112 a. Mansur ibn Salim, 31 a.
Kirun, built Aukir, 112 a. Al-AIahdi ibn al-Mansur, Abu IMansur, metwalli (built
Korah, see Karun. Caliph, 23 b. walls of Cairo), 48 b.
Kuhtan, son of Falik, 19 a. Mahomet, 29 a. 86 b. ibn Bulus, 43 b. —
Kullutus, see Coluthus. — words of, in reference to — ibn Abu '1-YamanWazir,
Abu Kultah, see Coluthus. Copts, 28 b, 29 a. 44 b, 67 a.
Marwan II, Caliph, death of, Mary, B.V., Church of, in Church
IVIary, B. V., of, near
92 b. Monastery of Abu Ishak, Tamwaih, 67 b.
— prophecy of death of, 7 7 a. at Tansa, 69 b.
Mary, B.V., birth of, 64 a. —
at Ishnin, 91a. at Udrunkah, 74 b.
in Egypt, 44 a, 75 b, —
at Itfih, 56 a. at Ushmunain,
78b, 79b; (atKus), 8 lb. —
at Jalfah, 74 a. 76 a, 77 a.
altar of, in church at in Monastery of near Uswan, loi b.
Saft INIaidum, 64 b. Kalamun, 7 i b. Churches of, near
Church of, at Abtujah, at Al-Kantarah, 52a. Usyut 90 b.
73 b. at Kufadah, 73 b. — — Church
-
?,
of, at Wana
near 'Adawiyah at Kulam, nob. Busir, 18 a, 69 a.
(Al-Martuii), 44 a, 46 a, at Al-Khusus, 89 a. at Wasim, 60 b.
48 a. Churches of, at Kift, in West Africa,
—
near Aflah az-Zai- 103 a. 108 a.
tun, 72 b. Church of, in Monas- in quarter of Zu-
—
at Akfahs, 91a. tery of Al-Kusair, 50 b. wailah, in Cairo, 2 a, 3 a,
at Anzar wa-A'jab, Church of, at Luzari- 45 a.
of the 56 a.
Pillar), in monastery of at Kamulah, 104 a.
56 b.
at Itfih, Tamwaih, 67 a. at Kufadah, 73 b.
Saladin, Sultan, 4 b, 5 a & b, Abu Shaj, body of, at Kiffc, Sinuthius, Saint, Monastery
6 a, 7 a, II a, 25 a, 31a, 103 a. of, in Nubia, 94 b.
37a, 38a, 39a, 42b, 46b, Shaja'ah ibn Mandaghan ibn — — —
at Udrunkah,
67 b, 70 b, 96 a & b. Malik ibn Ka'b ibn al- 74 b.
Salah ad-Din, see Saladin. Harith ibn Ka'b, 22 b. —
sixty-fifth Patriarch of
Salah ibn Ruzzik, see Tala'i'. Abu Shakir, scribe, 39 b. Alexandria, 41b, 106 b.
Salib ibn Mikhail, son of Shams ad-Daulah, brother Sirbaduwil, see Baldwin.
the Hegumen, 30 b, 31 a of Saladin, 96 a & b. Sirin, sister of Mary the
& b. Abu Shanudah, see Sinu- Egyptian, 29 a.
Abu Salimah (incorrectly for thius. Abu Sirjah, see Sergius.
Umm Salimah), 28 b. Sharkis, see Sergius. Khu. 's-Sirri ?, Monastery of,
Samuel, Superior of Monas- Shawar as-Sa'di (Sa'idi), vi- near Usyut, 88 a.
tery of Kalamun, 71b, zier, 25 a & b, 30 a, 31a, Abu Siyun, Church of, at
72 b. 33 b, 34 a, 36 b. Akfahs, 91a.
Sandal al-Muzaffari, 60 b. when wall of Kus Solomon, king of Israel,
Anba Sanhut, bishop of made vow to Church, 105 a, 112 b.
Misr, 80 a. 81 b. crown of, 107 b.
Sani'at al-Mulk Abu '1-Faraj Shirkuh, 37b, 76a, 82a&b. table of, 107 b.
ibn 'Ilm as-Su'ada Abu Ash-Shubramurayyiki, 45 a. —
king of Nubia, 98 a,
'1-Yaman, 34 a. Simon, Saint, Apostle, body Sophia, Saint, see Agia
Sapor, king of Persia, of, 82 b. Sophia.
—
forty-second Patriarch of Stephen, Saint, 20 b.
Saradib, built fortress of Phi- Alexandria, 53 a. Church of, near Al-
lae, 100 b. —
bishop of Al-Bahnasa, Bahnasa, 75 a.
Saru', 68 a. 45 b. at Kus, 81 b.
Sarur al-Jullal, 24 a & b, —
monk and bishop, 88 b. at Al-Kusair, 50 b.
25 b. Sinuthius, Saint, altar of, 66 a. at Sakiyah Mah-
Abu Sawaris, see Severus. body of, 82 b. fuz, 74 b.
Sayyid al-Ahl ibn Tumas, chest made by, 83 b. at Taha al-Madi-
Usyut, 89 a. Ash-Shama', 66 a.
Severus, Emperor, 68 b. Monastery of, on Mt. At-Tabari, History of, 1 1 1 b.
3 b 2
?,T^ CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Taj ad-Daulah Bahram, 6 a, Theodore, Saint, Church of, Thomas, Saint, Apostle, Fes-
84 a. at Ishnin, 91a. tival of, 109 b.
ibn Sabil, called Anf at Itfih, 56 a. hand of, preserved
adh-Dhahab, 41b. — at Al-Kalandimun, alive, 109 b.
Taj al-Muluk Buri, the Kurd, 92 a. — the archdeacon, 45 b.
brother of Saladin, 42 a, at Kamiilah, 104 a. Timothy, the monk, Church
yob. at Al-Kufur, 74 a. of, in the Monastery of
Tajib Umm
'Adi, 22 a. at Kus, 81 b. the Vinedresser, 65 a.
Taki ad-Din 'Umar ibn near Abu Mina Turfah, 33 a.
Shahanshah, al-Malik al- (mosque), 32 a. Tuwah, horse of Pharaoh,
Muzaffar, nephew of Sa- atSaftMaidum,64b. 91b.
ladin, 5 a, 6 b, 70 b. at Saft Rashin, 75 b.
Tala'i' ibn Ruzzik, al-Malik at Sakiyah Mahffiz, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, Ca-
as-Salih, vizier, 7 a, 42 a, 74 b. liph, 21 b, 22 a, 24 a,
45 a. at Saul, 56 a. 58 b.
prophecy uttered at Tamha, 60 b. Ushmun, son of Kift, son of
to him by monk of Abia near Monastery Mizraim, 68 a, 76 b.
Sawaris, 89 b. of the Torch, 66 b. Utis, son ofKhartaba and
Bu Talihah, Church of, at at Udrunkah, 74 b. king of Egypt, 57 a & b
Jalfah, 74 a. martyrdom of, 72 b. (cf. Aftfitis).
Abu '1-Wafa ibn Abi '1-Ba- Abi '1-Yaman ibn Zanbur, YQnus, seventy-second Pa-
shar, priest, 5 a. 5 b. triarch, see John.
Wa'il, 42 a. Abu '1-Yaman Kuzman ibn Yustiyanfls, see Justinian.
Al-Walid ibn Hisham al- Mina, scribe, 35 b. Yusuf, see Joseph.
Khariji, 94 b, 95 b. Surus ibn Makrawah — ibn Ayyub al-Malik an-
— ibn Mus'ab, Pharaoh in ibn Zanbur, 33 a. Nasir, see Saladin.
time of Moses, 23 a, 53 a, al-Bazzaz, 60 b.
70 a. Al-Yasal, brother of Taj Zacharias, king of Nubia,
— ibn Rufa'ah,\valtofMisr, ad-Daulah Bahram, 4 a, 94 b, 97 b.
29 b. 50 a. — sixty-fourth Patriarch of
— ibn Zuwa'ah, 26 b. Banu Yashkur, 32 b. Alexandria, 43 b, 47 b,
Wardan ar-Rumi, 22 b. Yashkur ibn Jazilah ibn 106 b.
Lakhm (street of), 32 b. Az-Zafir, son of Caliph Al-
Ya'fur, ass of IVIahomet, Yashkur ibn 'Udwan ibn Hafiz, 46 b.
29 a. Lakhm, 32 b. Abu Zakari, Shaikh, 71a.
Yahya ibn al-'Ubaidi, scribe, Yasib, Saint, Church of, ibn Bu Nasr, adminis-
39 t>. near Ansina, 87 a. trator of Ushmiinain, 79 a.
Ya'ii ub ibn Yusuf (ibn Killis), tomb of, 87 a. as-Sairafi, 30 b.
23 a. Abu Yasir ibn Abu Sa'd ibn Ibn Zanbur, 34 a.
Abu '1-Yaman Wazir, met- al-Kustal, priest and here- Zawin the Mu'allim, 39 a.
walli of Diwan Asfal al- tic, 44 b, 45 a, 46 a, 48 a Az-Zubair ibn al-'Awwam,
Ard, 44 b, 45 b, 67 a 6 b. 21 b.
&b. Yuhanna, see John. Ibn Zulak, see An-Nasr ibn
ibn Abu '1-Faraj ibn Yuhannus, see John. Zulak.
374 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
IV.
63 b. —
sole inhabitants of Taha, 24 at Shinara, 92 b. —
Biiriulah, see Cap. 77 a. 7 at Shinara, 91 b. —
376 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Churches, 360 atTaha, 77a. Consecration of churches, Dalldl al-A'ydd, see Guide
— 60 89
at Usyflt, a. form of, given by Jesus to the Festivals.
— 366 Wasim, 60
at b. Christ and the Apostles, Ddmm of Kalyub, 12 b.
— turned mosques,
into 2 b, 78 b, 79 a. — Misr, 39 a.
6 b, 32 a, 41 a, 46 a, 53 b, water used at, 78 b, Death of the Blessed Virgin,
75b, 76a, 77b. 98 a, 102 b. Festival of the, 76 a.
Circumcision condemned Consecration-crosses on pil- Decorations of the church at
by Ibn al-Kanbar, 9 b, lars, 59 b. San'a, no b, in a.
15 a. Conversion of India to Chris- — of house, 98 b.
Ibn Kustal, 46 a. tianity, 109 a. Dedication Festival, 38 b.
Cistern, 51 b, 61 a, 89 a; — of a Jew to Christianity, Destructionof churches, 23b,
called the Pure,' 92 b.
'
44 b. 27a&b, 31a, 36 b, 57 a,
Clay called Tin al-Hikmah, — of Christians to Islam, 59 a, 61 a, 69 a, 104 a.
20 a, loi b. 39 b, 40 b, 47 a & b. Devils, appearance of, 65 b,
— of Uswan, 20 a. Cooks, royal, at Shutb, 72 a.
— yellow, 41b; quarries of, 87 b. — possession by, 83 b, 87 a.
46 b. Corn sent from Egypt to Disciples, Churches of, 56 a,
Coinage of Saladin, 25 a. Mecca by 'Amr ibn al- J74b, 75 a, 90 b.
Collyrium, miraculous, 75 b. 'Asi, 58 b. Diwdn Asfal al-Ard, 44 b,
Commentaries on ecclesias- Coronation of king of Abys- 67 a.
tical books, composed by sinia, 105 b. — al-Khdss, 42 b.
Ibn al-Kanbar, 9 a, 14 b. Cotton, 96 b. — al- Majlis, 33 b.
Common land in the Fay- Courtyard of church, 28 a, — al-Mukdtabdt, 66 b.
yum, 18 b, 69 b. 30 a, 38 a. — as- Said, 40 a.
Communion,annual,miracu- Cross, Church of the, at — ash-Shdmi, 40 a.
louslygiven bySt.Thomas, Ashrubah, 75 a. — as-Sultdni, 34 a.
1 10 a. — Festival of the, 53 b, 73 a,— at-Tahkik, 51a.
— of chalice, 12 a. 106 a. 'Dome of the Air,' 52 a.
— early, in Lent, allowed by — Monastery of the, in Domes, 2 a, 27 b, 30 b,
Ibn al-Kanbar, 12 a. FanQ, 73 a. 37a& b, 42 a, 44 a, 45 a,
Confession over incense, — in cemetery, 43 b. 48 a, 50 a & b, 5 1 a, 60 b,
9 a. — on dome, 96 a. 65 b, 96 a & b, loi a.
in Abyssinia, 105 b. Crosses on pillars, 59 b. Domes in houses, 95 b.
— to priest enjoined by Ibn — on Jabal at-Tair, 76 a. Dromedaries turned into
al-Kanbar, 9 a & b, 15 a. — processional, 3 b, 67 b. stone, 76 b.
Confessionary, 50 a, 61 b. Crown, Abyssinian, 105 b. Duwairah, 27 b, 48 a.
Conquest of Egypt by Ma- — of king of Nubia, 99 b.
—
•
b, 106 a.
Epiphany, 41 a, 53 Egypt, Book of. Ham/, see Hunafa.
Episcopal Church of Misr, Hegumen, 30 b, 34 a.
30a, 34a, Heresy, 9 a flf., 46 a, 55 b,
Gardens, 2 a, 26 a,
3 c [XL 7.]
378 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Inspiration of Old Testament 91 b; see Conquest of Madhbah-='azncX.n2iXy, 37 "
b,
said to be denied by Ibn Egypt. 61 b.
al-Kanbar, 1 6 a. Koran quoted, 64 b. Magic, 17b, 19 a, 22 b, 69 a,
108 a & b. b.
— 35 35
a,
Abyssinia, 105 a.
;
—
price of, at INIemphis, Ibn al-Kanbar, 17 a.
JtiyiisMyah, 26 a, 54 a. 68 b. Manzarah, 24 a, 31 b, 37 b,
Lands, church, 7 a, 50 a, 40a, 42b, 46b, 48a, 49b,
Kaisdriyah, 77 b. 54 b, 62 a, 67 b, 71 b, 51b, 61 b, 64 a, 66 a.
Kaisdnyai al-Jamdl^ 34 b. 88 a, 91 b, 103 b. called As-Salukiyah, 44 b. —
Kanbarites, 52 a. Landscape, beauties of, 2 a, called As-Sukkarah, 24 a. —
Kdnun al-A'ydd, see Canon 26 a, 31a, 39 b, 41a, 46 b, Marble, 56 b, 57 a.
of the Festivals. 47a, 49b, 64 b, 67a, 87 b. pillars, 30 a, 37 a, 61 b, —
Karaites, 67 a. Lectionary, Coptic, 4 b. 77a, nob.
—
1
by Ash-Sha-
of, Negus of Abyssinia, 106 a, Bashawah, 104 b.
bushti, see Book. nob, nib. Palm Sunday, see Sunday
— 35 in the Fayyum, 70 a. Nestorian burying -places, of Olives.
— 50 in Lahf al-Jabal, 44 a. Paper, 20 a.
^ C 2
38o CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
Paten, 67 b. Plans of Cairo and its gates Relics, stand for, 30 a, 88 a.
tft)-*iD !<3 ^4*^ cko o^IaD (Jft3\^ ^\j>^\ 'l^^jiJJ cJtiL oA.xiv4^«
Cy^ (^yo jJUj^S. ^\jjj}\ ^9 5.a)ji11 '^AMAA^i (_^aLo31 <>aC (__^ Lh^jJ*
Fol.ll3a 5.ju*aa5JL> SJii!^ ^_^9 r*^U (Jji^i evo 2Uui3 (JJaJ JOU S^^.jc>^^Si^'^\
,^\u\0 ^-->1 ^AJtiJl j^OjVJi lie.,
(Juoi (^^^wJaJ! ^5^ *^4>-? t>4^ Ui' ^3y>w>* t^^-A.jjo OAUsO vUiLaEO Fol. Ill b
^^-.^ ^^>^|
(_^ ^^y^ o>iiiw I^aAc jkJLUAAy ^^« ^,t>Jl^*^ ^JiU
j^ 2Uv Nj)j:1
o4;^1 J^'^^ (^* c:>^^. j^ iae- J^^ yN (^o-^sdJI
GV' S^^ CcUsui ^^15^ (J-o!^w\ ^_^ (Jkc XU! sJ ^^ir ^^\
^^•^-? ^HS^^ 5.-A->c>^ (Sj::i9 ^Jja3 »J^.<>^ ^jlsvo [•s>vjac ^^o^^ U^«
tfyblLJ! Li)<>«3l tf(>AjuJJ "2W^N.-> 14^4 tf;.L>lxu3 ^_5^lxaA3l (^v^ \^^ (^yC
cJ\-sJ!« tf^LlxiO (^IjOa)! (jvO ^4-? e^O ^A^ri.4 ^A^ tfc>£ l^AJ^^jxa^i
(^^ ^a;^. (JUxaJl ^i>d>* ^•.*l5C3\ l^X^ l)»>«2J'. (_5^i (^^ ^jy \^y<9
^^§4 cA^^j c^aX-vs 1^3(3 (^1^ '^.-SVAao (J»r Ja.w4 ^e* (Jv3l^4 '5.>3^^\
(j^U3i (^yo (^^aXT 14a31 ^^^^9 ^^U-?. (^ o^ W-^ <5*''^5 0^3 1 i^Cb
pLiii U-^^^ isTUa L^.La- (_>wU3l evo ^aa.S^ jjo^\ 1^3 i A^.::^.
S 2
jo.lx;.^ ^j-*'^^^^ ^^^^^^ ^ cjiuixil U (J^]^.a*j1 (__^ ^yi^ U.5' jUaJI
'5^i-J^ e^o ^AJi^cvill ^^]^JuJl cJAjj^j^ -^j^jL^j] (^yo i^.^ (JS ci^iUi .
J»^*A^^ >A31 L^^SVO <5XJcJ <>aJI» c>-S»-i« (^X.jmJ\ O-O <><>" i^luA^JJ (^1
^j^U3i sJ^iLs ^^\ {>*? 2ol5C^ tfyxxi^^ cvs^^ (__53i *.>v-^31 p.yUL
S-C^Xs. c>-*^.5 ^^UaJl (>Awi^Jl lt>A ^<_).ckO 2^ax«j «cM' (•>6-*^. (c/'
0*m!Ji
i<jU '5Ji/sJl Oti^ia Uac« S^aXc (^ir U ^^-s^A3\ olc <>i2w! [••^^ ^•^?'.
^A4^ jj^i" jkA^tV-^ t>s^U sJ (•-^^b) '-^^^illi)^ ^\~^ 5.A-<jtOj.i» ^ Fol. 110 b
(jfU* j»«s\a5i
f«^^=^'-^
(^^ ^-^*^. ^r^^^ c>^ y^j vxo^ ^__^. 1.4-^ c>»w
Fol. 109 a jJa£^l Uoyi j^^Jl cj<-«>^l L/^ l^xjii* pU^o^l ffoUc JCa* C»-?.<>>
Fol.l09b tfol^jiJl cW^l cJ^ Tfol^:^. (J^U ^<^^\ cJh'^j^^ M>^ O-^^^]
e^ib' Ui' ij\<As:J^ xA=> (^c ^axXJS /J ^^yA4-^3i V<>?. L/^ JOiol^JO
cyobJl ^^9 UAxssvi (^Uj>J o^yi^ *^t3 ciko ly^>^=^ ([[5^^ y^ SSj^
^^^.-SvJi OUU Ia|, O^ (JX3 tf\ibUi) 20J 5.x»^4>ii41 Vt^Jl >.«;.S;\3 X^yO
aJkJl (Ja^ *"^ (J^ (^* 5.aaJ! tf<>43 jkLoU^ o^^i cv^ eit>31
[II. 7.] s
l^/Jl ^Xs\U (_^v.3iA3! ^^^^^L^i* l^l>oUji 2fJ^ cN-^-Ji^ Vj.j£lX^i {.<
l^^i ^^^ '>-»Ai i^^^.^Si.! (_;uiASU5' 7fc>^ ^-^ LikiL ^*.A^Ji 0^5-?
0»^^ (^ (fl"^ C_J^^
'Swi^i ^•>^^ (^t>3^ V^yls^ iKs&UaJi tf(>AuJ\
cVac j^^aA>. tA^3^ ^(J-^ (J>-*^ ^y^^ U«uw^U^ L^\X^ ljv4^ ,j.^Fol.l08b
jkA* ^_^*.4jiA>, j»3 2i.Axo (_ir (^> ^WJ c:vo ^^^c (^^^ (^' [•4^^-^-^b)
^uuxXbJl yJ>J>J^ (^Ua£ (_>*oU3 9c)sC I»^XiL cj^^^ lJ^\ jxLs. jLv.iL*.i
$>!iO (3^ y* ^:2w 5U.* Oa*a3 lXa431 5-l>,c>-li ^O^ (_^Ia.C3! -<^AAJ«a^
^aj i^yc (JS^ ^t>A43\ «U^1 5.AAs\3i o"^ J_y^4 !*;w^\ ia=>-
ev** it>-AAi jLaA.vo cv>43^ c>-^-> *^5 ^^^ {^jju^jiuj]^ Otij^\ •^•lv-^*-?.
e:>l*^^l e>A-? (j>^ (_5^^ ^-^^ jj^UJiJ woL^ '».>v=*- id^^ ^^M
(•-Alic 0>.-?^ viV^ ^'^ W<V* ^A>^ ^4^CaO (-•^r^^ W"? ^i^*-^ ^^d^
c>^ (c/^
HjAjuJ) ey^A^jo'i ^s^yo (^J,4>x5^ tfybUrJl iJ<_VAxu3l '2i.3iA-> I-^a^
f«V?. <c/^ *)v>!is*. N*^* ^^* O--^ L/V^-) ^^^^ j^Ji/yJl ^(jjfc
^W
*.^*A4>5:^ (^jLwUJu W^^EVjaJI V<3jfc jJkis^ji (_ju(jk4-«iJi ^ %-^i^ <>^ ^C>AC
^^yOj^i ^^ W^^ ^^H^ ^*i^^ (^^^ l^blAacl ^oULi3* Ia.^Aj;
cmI*^: (J.^ j-4.ikJl p»c>C cy^ i^ci U*^5 sUol^i- ''UW^ 'UU (J>sJU
(jvA^AxU^ ^«V^5' ^L>-fi 2U«JU.S>J! O^^ C?'^ Cl>^* LJiXuJ\ (y.Z lAkijIo
(^j><uy 'ijKii^Oj\ ^^ i^jX\ c>aC« <^JX\ *.X2w JS^J^L ^_»« l34-uxy0 oJUo
i^y^ (^4^1X>. 'iSj[L^]\ L>;n]1 e>3l5^ 5uil»^ (5^v*^ (^^ i_>.A j foi. loe b
«»r^^^^kJl ^! pc>~*-i
^J^JJi^ J""^^^
juLaJs.s:J1 ^1 (^4-^ (J^ oUlT
Uo t^UA (^^UX31 j;-?^^ (_5» iJ.4J^* (S^9 ^C>^^^ *'^?) (^-^ <J^
jUaJ! cyl^r^ (j>^ 5.^£i. (JX) )k^j\ yt[] ijy^j '».x:^^\ ^loJl ev^Fol.l07a
bU^ »..A>vJi 5^Ux o^ (fly^^ py?- C5' (^-^*^W <-^cV>ia^ 2U^
j^(>^j »JJ t>^-?|^ V^ ^^*^ oA^ «,Uc cJ^ e/^ 5^^^^ Li<>5! sJJ
^^^^ 5'<>J» (**^-?.^ C/j/^ll »^^?. (J*-? p-^^ (^ 0**^5 U.*;^ 0*-S\lS
oVaS 5UuAi« jyi-osi-l ^^\ 5.Ay}^ (^^ e>^ (J-?.<>^^ 2fX;s\J-.« JCa^J^
(^^uoUoiJ^ cVA^ (•-A^'^i <^^i5>6l^ c>^ (_5* 1^3 j* i^-Ul _/-«^ Cf^^
<^^ ev^ cA-? (J^ (_5^ ^iLt ^;-4'^^ U>^^ (^ t_5^^ O^io (J.xu3
jj^« (J^><^ clxiO^l (^yv^ U^-?- ^ yr^ c5* ^t>^=^^ NajuaaT "y.»V>A*>fc.
C^lwiL '^ilajt^* (^^^^oLo V(j.£. TSoJ^ ^^ C5^J"^^^ J^ L-5'
Ojuaa.^
JLaasCVC '^AsO ^A*5 (J^-O-J C>-?'^ ^_;^lXux^ tJaLua^ ^^» (j\ (J^4 (J^x^
^^».Cj; L^ O^^l vi^ (J^^V?. J"«^^ p".)^ W-^^ ^^(3^ L^ijvo X*.^ L\>
j^.L>^ LJy^.^ (J^^-svA'^ (J^vW^^ *^^U j*-^^ (^-^ ^.o l^>? '»J*.^i»
^^^^ '2^^lj» (^^^ ^ji»Uja cUao^*-AO [^-^^ Z^^iVii <£j^ <J^-<' -.Iaa^j^
2U.!vA^L 5.XC^*-^
t_5-^^ L5^^ ^^•?. v:/^ c_<r^^
'»~?.c>AuJ! oIac^L oUa^^l
(^>uJy<» (^j;^y Cy^^ cV-4-5^ <-!>5)--? (_5V. ^^ (-V-^-^i <-^i^i^ jU.-:i>.Ul4
2{.«!il«^s\3i liJlX-o* (J^Atfii >.o j^^aA^ Wi^^ L/^-*-? (_5* ^^>>Ai:« jCC-OaUt-e Fol. 105 b
in ^Xao (c^.i f'^^^' J^y/'
roi.i04a ij>il5' l^Af j^xJl .»jo31 ^a4^* v.:>^juu:i 4>j (^^1 j^,;*^ m>(3 e^>^*-^^*'5
vJsA ^ic i^l5^ jj.r>-Jl v<jjb j__^ ^^)AA.r *!c>4^ ^'^^ XsLu ^1^1
Fol.l04b o]^ JlJ^sl-o ^^^U-f ij<>£ \^» j»,^^^,f:iyo iJ^AlLJl C_^t>^^ 7J<>A4JiJJ
R 2
^^y^\ v3^ '^^\^ \^SicJ\ U^l \y^ i^.3^\ ^j^W^^ L/^ ^^^^ '^'*'
*sSUj<a-9 (_y->l Im IaU-> ^jks^ O^^ ey^^ 's-^.cM* cJ^^ ^^^^ s^.cV
^__^i ij\S \j\J (^-^^ 5^-^^ e>^ '^}i>^^ '»,4^isy^ C>*^^ c)J' cJ^iW^
<^d (jyo (^ A^ Jb^^ cS^^ J^ lAc).ai. ^__^4X.il4 OyoWl \<jJi ^^^ic ijyJWj
^A£wU3l ?ft>A «Uf (J^AsJi Jic 2M-uJl j^CJcs' ^i .^^Ull (J^i J^.^"->
^ls\^^l ev* j^J {^_^^jS. U-^aJ Cju^i* ^^> (^4-UM.2w U^^aJ Cy-Cw^
r*J3 \(j\ s^\ jfij cS-?^*^^ 0^*]P^ Ls^y^-o (^-^\ (_^^ >-*^ W-?J c>-^4'^
lAloAf
\^J^.^
(^LoaJ^ LydsO. i^^Cwj^sU OA^ixa],^ Omjj;^^ (^«*
Fol. 102b (XV^ '»>W (_^5 (>s\i ^^^^;-*2ii ^^^^^ »^JLaaju/o «l>U:* O^ j»J>t>A£
C^ l ar^ ^v^^Ua<«
H.^*X«,1 ^'Ni.LJ^
cs*-"^ oi\>r* ol-o^,! ^vfvv^^ 2^1*.^5:\.^ i l »
(O^^* e>>l [V^SvAj4.^ *,>^iaij» o^l iXA-U \-5fcU^ 2^LyO jbiii Ub^yyuxiJJ
iJt>AjLu)J '^.AA.3 l^ p.fti ^^^ 1"*^^^ <-^'^' ^^^<v-? o^^ *JU.o^ ev^i
«o\.A^ ^_;^*^ W'^ ^rfy^ '2^.lM> c>->>a^W ^(J^O (J>a/oL-o>3 (.y-v ^"^
(ijlyb i;j^<3 2^^^ J^s^Xi l^J^ (?t/^ ^"^ ^-^ O^^li^o p«oj ^^ Ja\i3l
Pol. 103 a (^vJ; jJ ^c>—»• J^-'S^-C ^/^ ^A-!wU31 tft>-^.>* ^^1 lt>A i^^sAC (^4„>^jio
[TI. 7-] R
*l-^> L>4.Ajo tf;\~S\,^2fc. /5->>£ lM«^.5 0^_uj1 (J^->^ C>^ ^.^j-^SXi Ol^.xv»b)^
(>A4jiJl Iaa/0 *.^1 ZW^n.^ c>iVj l4>^ j^XuOk. iJ vAaT ji.3lAA]L oUsw '5.^.b^>
^jiA^ (J^A^sx)! ^^ L5^5 oKa*. L^aJ^ evo \ji^ii>\.\^ (J^Lsaaa> Fol. 102 a
«€»Wi' (J^^^ ^-s^-? (^^^Li ^^^^ ^J/l4,v^ NJtli ^^_^ eoLuol (.juu^.^viLJi
(Jj^Jb 2kxw (J.r S^a)^ (•-^'i^^. <r:^ic 5^*-*o 5yS* ^^^ W^^l C>^t>"^i
L/^ (J<y-3^ *^ »-^ L_£/^^. Lit>3! ^^s3i (JwA^ e/^ ^^3 ^S^ '^{i^\
'2J.JlA3^X/^ 2i*k* (^•j^v£4 ».A«x4s^ [^^(J-^^ 2^-ux*.^ l^X^-A^* '2^*u^>^
(^likjLj '».AAi»i <>==^. >v»lV'^^1 (Jl W'iV'^ c>>^^' cJy^ ^j^^ ^jujX-0 yfc*
U.>^« ^AJ^J; (Ja^c)-^! ^» g'^^?^ i^^^ J-^^ ^"^ ^^lV-?. ^-^ j^jlblsvo
jJ ^U dCUi^ t>J^ e/^<-> ^3^2.. cv*^ i^lUwAi c>^^ (y-^\ 5J e/^ t>3*
(^^l-^
c_5^^ c_5*J
»-?vi3^ 0^3 ?ft>*^ Vij^j '^4^. oii^^ o-?^ 5J e>0
tj>s:u ^3L^s^A <S^^^\ (j>Ala>Ui is) A IXL-c j.j»ivc '^.^ii 2J.^^i i*r4.Lo
QjLw^c)-* 3^ cjio j^3 Jjc.9 Ijli tf<j-A-? J^i>. [J j*.^^ »^1U,^ .••\o U>
C_->l-SVis.- ^1 (Js^O \(j]j Uoolc)-* ^,^!V»-? ^-^i ^_^^ <^(^ cJ^j^. (^^
1^3 'i.^y}\ (S^^ CkC O-u^O 2^a^.<>.'0 C-^AaJ* (^\ o]^| Ij) (^AjiJl
'ijya '5.AAO l^A* vSvJl /^^ ji-Aia^ (^-*^V^ '».A u^ -s.^(jJl)1 J^-W^ »-*<^-^
^^\ (^3-^ ^__y.-> [^Aiai: l->^ '^.A^.cAl V(jJt> ^9j (Js>ai ^d>Lj^ ^ij\
U! 1* j^jtA^l j^^aJ (>£l lJJJI 'U^ '»^v^^ cSi^l (_5^£ (j.K.<_>-*3l ^Aj
(^Ua p,Ol WwjLia£ iJ^^AjAvO (^l*.j>jo\ (JMV^* L^aA>« ^OJ 2^i]N)Ji «_j.A^UA^
^^>iaA;<^\ bi.i;N3.^ (^9 ^^^\yi}\ '^J<J^\ t>.»^ j-^ "3^^^ <_V<S*-*^i (^UfoI. 98 b
^^/<v^-^ v^^ ^ a^Av Oc>-=s=o* e>*j (J^ (_5* 5-;Vr?. y^ tfc>-=^U 's-^-va^
^1 S^X-O (_>AL>4 JUoJCsJ; O^Jt> *J* SjtLK>\ CJliL>l t^j t>"^Jli »^c>^
t^j (J^-? <^U (^i c,>^^ ^ *r^J^^- V^^-?-^
2^-?4-^! t^i.-o (_^l5o:
Fol.97b JJ3^ ^^xvUsiJi {jyoW^ *jL,\ [HVAJ^^I (^1 ^^ft.^4Js^3U ^"ilAJj C>C>a:>\
ffi>3^
^=^J^ ^^ 5^^ '^t} ^__5-*^^c>JP. jJ U 20U 2^Aw v-w: y.A^j^
(_>s\£ *i SLa^ Ci:! iSiy^ O^'?. (•<3 L-^<>3l ?ft>3* j^J^ 5^^ O^^ ^.J
r»|/y^ '2^-?.^^
^5* ^*^ 2^<V^^ 2^y^ ,£j:ij^\ LJ:^\ i,U/, ?J<>3j c)'-'^^
2^3 C-^;jO^. ^\ j^^ ^^L iJ ^U SA^ O-^ i^^lUl o?^ ^i^*^-? ^?<^^
l^f o-«j!c>i3U *j^ «^>£i3J 5^iUsvv3^ ^^XsvaJ 2J\x-«> aAc ^^9 (juu4jU3l
IJll^ 4.A4 s^i^ (^^31 i*CXU o>^ 2>.=i^^^^ 5^y^ cJ^ ^^^3^? (^* (J^*i^.
Fol. 98 a (->A.'iU ^^^^-^^ ^JtA-> l-^i^i 2*^?^ ilCU! e>>l (J^-^J U^ C-l'*=^
Co«jC^
Q 2
^.vSCv=> 2!;ja^4^U v5lu)c3t5Vj '^.A^i-UJ^ TiijJti (J.j^ S\jS^\^ jjl}\ 2J.3*L> ^^
j^AA-Jl ^-voli:^ ^5^'^? ji.A^5i-^^ '^(>4^ ^-^ ^^^^ ^y^^^ VaAc ^^Xc
j»^c)-<£ (JkAr^a (J^sOl ^^ TJc>-£ ^-^ s^^^ !c>^ jUvv-OiSw ^U: (J^v^
jslLj (^^ls^3i <>4J5C\^ l^sxX-i (^VS' t)^^ ^^^aT 5.l4-s^^ J^UL O^t'
(^L>^Wi (^w*J; e>^.<>3l pw^s3.,AO ^j-O.-0 »>yo) 4>A^ '5.>yoi ^^^ *liii». j=i^\ Fol. 87 a
^AAo (*-43* jjd.'O _^A4s*. ^\-S (J^Ao ^ixaii ^.3*^1 (J^rLa (J^^^ lJl3i
^)-aXj i^-^^^^ )^Xa.9« W-^-^-^ j~o^ (_J^4sc1 ^1 laXv^A L4* (^xaJi ^__J^
^^9 cy, tj^ ^](yo\ ]»(y^sXA3 \y^i4^*
^Sj^ Wl>aC !^a=^.4 c:^2=v3l
^If U--0 C_Jj^A3i 'i^:>\ ^^rLsO> j.4>iii.^^ L^JaJU j^aaa^ Bc>£ C^IaAj
Pol, 96a Lily 2i.,>^3l ^1 >^t3^ N^»-i3l c>^-> f^-^so ^^^j* v^Ijavc e>^^A suiii
^V*^ e5^^ r^-^ (J^ixjl (j>-^ (_L! (^U ;_A^U.13l t;/«|c>AA-?. j^c>«31 ^
(J^^ e/l5j5 ^i>il e>^i o^i ^;^=*-? ^^S-*^^ '»-a^/^ lj^C^^ LJLs\3|
j^^UX/^) yfc \/0 \^X^9 '^.iifc] tf^^li: (^^1 (.y**^ ^<V-^ <-^i)W.<->^ N-?^^'
I^aJx* (^jmOw^ 1^,3 (^s^ ^>V4^* (JkAsJl (_^>i:^lAO oSlw (_<;^^ 1*^"^
\XXkx) ^~kxj\ (c^ ^AifcJ) ji.AjuA£j»- W^^aaJ '^AaAt^ 2^a3 •>L^^*^)(_> (j>jOaw
ysSj^t, ».^\ ^C>^\ CJ*^3 O-?^ (JUvO C>?.i>3i ^^^5^A^ ^^U31 XU!
i^^^U '».A4>L\ji3i ^i^sv3i cJU*j <>*? (^_5wUjl3\ ^__,j>dXvc41 M;^]^ ^^^
[II. -/.] Q
»(^A.AO (C"?l ^6*^' T^S^^ * "*
(^ Ji« (J<A£^ (__jXc ^^4 '»-^-^- N-^.C)"^ (^^ (»i.iUvl l^Jtj ^^_/*^^ (__5*
(,,j^\ (^9 C>\i^Ju^ i^_^ i^oS^ 'i^Iac (JAJU/O 14^ ^;/\y j»il^L>
l^A* o*.> ^3-*^. ^ ^b5^ 0^iJ»^ (^^xuj> jLb.cVO (JoUsJi o^ '^.^yOi Fol. 95 a
(JjG (^l:i.j ^U^ eM** iiJ^^ ev^ kXU> {J\S J* Tf4.«ikXib ^1 lc>^
^yiiAii »^<>5* jfc.>a^\jt^ j»^l)>-^£ ]^^U ^f>^^^ '^aX^^U ^;/4j<n^\Jb*
lc>A jlc (Jl c)J»^ ol U^J ^^^ Vc>JtJ (JasJI li>A ^i *U\
tJtVcUXo e^j^Uo \-^34jau4 's.^LsO. Li^ljOi 14^ ev^ ^A.*^* ^^:i.^U Fol. 95 b
\(yc^ j^Wix nxuaXS' I43* wsxJl (c^ y^ ^ ^-^5 *.^^^3I CX
^^ (^'^i <,^>aJU.W1 /*a4.^ O/^ ^XT) Lv\3L ('^'^^y^ '2^4«^sv<» jt.JUiuX-o
Fol. 94a /^ic (^\yX3 ^JyJ>\S (^y^:ss}\^ (^V,\ji}\ ^li oJ»*.c^| .-•UilJi i^X-o*
r*j-f^\ ^__5* L/^ y*>5 J.AJ1 (Jwic c_j*i^. Uasxc Usvx L-^|^» ^A^i (J^-*^j
's-^y^\ 1^1^ c_fv<i^^-?.cM O/*^. ^.'^ tf^iU iS^^i ^5^ c)-''^^ * r«yy^
JJp <• JLImj (JJ" ^i jC>l>aJL3» (J^^ ^t>U/) L^^ (_f/*^ j<>*^ tij=s\j^
(^^ L>^lf j-<^^ '>.As^ l^ Jt>\±i)\ if(_yjji\s^ {^\ S(j (^jutAii^:^ lJ^^^
jkJilLl L<> cJUa tyt>AC v^jjLW 'S-^!^J\^\o ^^\ N*aa31 (_yv-o sXssi^ ^_y^Fol. 93b
5-^1 (J..«ijU j^a31 (*^_^. (Jj >a;«->. [^•^ (^j^ 8^a31 1^4.^^. 5.a3I
j(y.%\ l^ sJO.j^ (^<j-31 e/^i 1<>A (»>Lil Ijo ^^45^31 l>x,*,xu.jlU <JUa
C>«j]/3l kJ^ J^^^ ^^\ 0«5^^ (^ c>3 "2^^.4>^> t>A4AiJl ^t>* t>AJu::i.
Ilv « ^d^ ^^1 ^vAjiJl ^^^
j»^12a31 <>A4«iJl g/^ ^-^^ '»-»'^? C>5^(J-*^i tf<>6^i r»cVAjcil Z^A^Swb
(jyliuL Cma^sw CAxAj^r^ 8^** i^^U cJW^^ (•>^^ (^_^ 2*-^^-?^ (J^^
(^j^ 06*3l l5c>U (_5* ^^\ (j>A*3l ^l) p^y* e>-?^ p^ o^^ _^<v-?
*U! L>»jt>. (J e>^Ui? l^XuA !<3l i>yc>ll oa5i31 ^__5Aci L^iU (•-A^.a^!
(•-Aiac ^^jsvr^ (y^ ,yXX^ (_^»j2w c)^^ (^UMii (^l J^ ^ybUaJ) ^^^jxo
C_A^^Syo C-a4^^! l<j-4-? L^=^ (J^vdI (^* o^C o^ ^^--o ^aJ (J^*lO
Pol. 93 a »*A*v^ \t3U zCsoj^;^ OA^a *J,^. *L^ ll^ilO O^Aa^ (jAxui zuuAAi"
\ysxjdXyJ L/e^^Njl <^^ (J>*1 »^3j C3;J»A* *^<j O^vsJ! ^^i (J^aOc*.
^__yLi 0:c>JU ^^/IXxiO* CJIajo^:^ 5^«UsO« (^VaA^J^ (jvo ^cV^ S-6-*^
"»Xao^c>-51 (^^ssJJl (^A^JO cMtlxaw sJliJdi 1^3 ^IT* jJIaJI ^j.yls^^ Fol.91b
o*j<i> (Joaj (^J^ c-s'^y^ cJ-^*-?. L/^ C^J^ Ou<j*l.ivo IaU^ (^^^jlkaJlJI
(_y» o,lsv3! e>^l e>^'!S» ^ cJ>-^ u^-iv*-^^ l/^ ^,-*2/o p^yii oLx^
V4J jj.sOt).^ '».*jyil^ 2^ri.UJ\ ».^ OAA^uuuJ (^_^l.Sl)l (_y^! ^^C JO.^*
(^AAJlA>« (J^SlsVA/^ ^i^U^ (»>-«j1 ;_5^ (^^^•^^ <->U^b5' V*^^ Z^Xl*^ ^c*
t>A4jiJJ ».J«A->« <J-<y0b^^ Wl^^ f*"^^ (_y^ 5>*<V-? |-«5^y ^-^^ C>M-*^^ (_5^
(^^^^ (^ ^L-o [•~A.ii«31 c><v4-^i (^^^ (__5^ 2^-*^^ i^l^m l)^^ '»-*<V-?^
Fol. 81a (s^ S^'iS-? (fi* 06-*5-^*'-^ (_5* JUwA-w cVAJurs*.* 20»,cu3 »^ o-xu^ ^'^^'^
OLsXxol A^! c>uxa^ \.^™^ '2^<V-? ^<V* ^t**^^ U**'^*-^^ Z^.cM' ^VV^V?
^*A^ ^yv..^
(^;^ ^^^ t^^4^ (J-^^ ^/-^^ C.5^ C_5*5 ^i>^ "^J^
s.\.:ssJiS\ 4>A4jjl»i3 2WtA^4 jOw^"i^ tf^lk3\ L_^>c>*3l tfc)>AAu3l LiXxuJ
Vjj9j.yO yi\ <J.^jui*.\j '2^.*A^ (^AiVi^; isT^sUJj jWtAi ^>0 2L>Uo ^^-i.U
*
In margin a.)^j.j;5^^1 J.a1
^^.
P 2
-tfvAAo (C'?' ^yv^i ^^^ I If
(^.cS>V*>^^ (^^ e^o '^?^3 '^^^ <^^^ ^^>^ C?"*^ 5^b^^ *^-^
j^lJL> t>«jur^* L4./yxu3 tfjJiO (__y> y(j uc% . ijjb ^a4^1 0^^t*5
(J^^^sJ^ ^_^ L^wAJwvi (^y^ (,_^>.«rtsOU ^_;iaft^ 4^! ^O jJ* (>A4jJ*3i
(j>aJ.. '^ij^i (>>0 yfc* L>^>uoU cjux?. r?'^^ _yt>lia3l 7!(j. >.urv 2UJ*
^_yt»o o>^* jf^v*''*^^ !c>-^JiA yi\ zw^v-? (J.;oi3^ yi\ o^aJl^] l^i^U.c
O^W Cjji^U LJjJ^ e>->^ \-wo L-^/3 *.M 1l>'UlA IaOlV.^ »J«c>3j
(^>/0 ^s5^^. 2^-^i» ^-*^^ (Jw4.s<-^ ^v.^^Ao 5^i« CJLo*^ 2Ui <J^^>a=Jl eK<>
[II. 7.] P
(^f oLT^^ jJi'l i_yc^\ S^aAc ^k.Xwl olcS^ 0^/-*i»^ o\tf.^ O'iV^ L^cS*
Vc>4-AiaJL-o Avo (W« c:^Ls) 2^xtJ^ t^X> (ff*5 LJU*j 4.rs\J] ^J c>^^^^5
^_^.t>i^ '2^J^V-? '^•'2^*6-? ^)-»ivC >-*;^l W-? U/^ ^t3 _^^-=*- 0^.*j «^>£iJt-o*
JOU^ (J^^ ev^ L/^;^^ ^Xllso I4J.* w^^-^-o (J^A^sO 20L>^j5ji> ^^^If.
(•-^1 (jM** <^-Nyi tfjjk^ c>-wi (J^lo exy^A^* c>lJ^ P^^^ L^aasa^* Fol. 89 a
Sic!
III * \\S
j^Aa,S
.^\^<s ,,->1
e>l
c5t' ^svaAxJ)
.^aajxJi
f'W-"**''
^i,0
^i.Vi
f'^'V
•«-
^a2/o o«5^1 5^* ^^^ e>G |J 5sil cJ^Ji^ e:>l^o^\ C-fLUsl ^^^a^
(^ LjJ^ ^!o e>^^ ^6-^ OL^L ^Ac ^^ L^^t^^. U-? ^•^. b)^
L^U (_5-9/Ai^ (_>vo.o^« (_^L> (^_5.Ui» (J-^.sv3^ c^U (_5^^ jU-^^w l^-iloL
(>jju£ii.» (>A4ji.!»3l ^A.^^1 QjLKj^«L>40 (^juuOx>-«3i c>-«J^i^ 5wA.i (^_£;-uJi ».^1 ^.L>
^
An unintentional repetition.
•> -AAAO (<?' ?^^-**^' ?^>J
4>::k.l» (^-^ "wJio. *J ^Jes».^Ab3^ (^<^-*^ j-^. <^3 c>-^a^ <>^v^. (^y^-^^
'S-^.X< 06-? (J^A:s\J W»-^.V3« cM..s\i ^>V»ju!i V^i ^jOaJ JS-aLaJl)) 20.^L-o
iaif 0^*i ^1.4.-^1 (.^v^ [.a^jI *^« UxaiU 's^9ajs]J\ '^sJ\jJ\ * ic>-sxxuA>
[».^1 ^-ic J^A/O lloJ»! UjOjL 0.c>3! \iJJb ^_f 7fc>AAxrsw« TJoL^^l Fol. 87 a
(_>il.s:v>Jt5l W^,-aaJ Ijjjfc c^'iVJ^. >->* (5^ '"^J^^ Uli!vvo 4t.xK>) (J^ t5^'
(^IT* 5J\» 5.3ls^3^ sJJl Vyi^ 3^^w^ (>.< J!*-^ (>At>i! (^«3^-o
C_5*^
Fol. 86 a rJ4-^^l O^ul^O vAJO e>-*-^ Ui' i^i<>fi j/^-? ^ajuxII ^1 (J^j^xJ
5JN-lc (.A-i^si.! le^^j^ joLvi-Sw 4.^^ ^O Ls\b (_Jl^ t>^ (ju»j»,ii^ wA.>
r»v?. L/^ ^c3^* <wivi. (J-;.s\M ev^ ^yc ^J^ c_i.^^3l (J-^s\> c>5^^
c>-=»-U^ cJK-?. ;n) [»i cjti^J! 1^3(3 cm^^ j^^cUjCa^L j^^^^^-Uas^ ^/aUI
(w^lL
(_^
^liU) ^-^a^.^ cji4i»3^ ^ 2kvo|^ (JcLt>o. cj-rii.^ Ji <.>-«^ (^-^
C>>S=>- (_55l (J.31J l^ (J^-*^ W^H^ ^_5SX^ g.^;»sx^ ^"^y^ L^==*-^^ (^*
.b 0)
I . A
^^IX^ ^i ^^j\ <^_5^<^ 2)J e>3liLJ i^Ci-o l:>«^^-?. (^_5-i^-sx^l e*-^ l>-^=^^
L-0 CJL:^! 1^3 e>iJLi o>t>ji cs^»^ 2t.^>^ e>3lj ^A.-^><a31 ?fjsjt> *.^3
C>-=cOl ^^_^L-0 t_AA.oo 5^A-0 t^\j \A.s:Uol c>-ii-) »-vlj *5j^^0.s>^ ^J^
[»^ V^Ji^ c:>^^i|* W-^5^ (^c>-*3^ '^(j-^ cyJ-s^i SJLw. <->t=^^ C^i^P^
cr«
e^t>*-s^3^ Kj\^j< \j^^ Jt-Aib]^ l:>^^ o^^O-^ L^j^<j-£ 0>bUA, 2UJ
Pol. 84 b W^LuJuJi *.A« 0*wuaa3^ (J>Ai ^cC£->-'^-^^ <>* J^--^^ (c^^ AjlLsw w~!^l A.A4
e>i\>54 ^A.i«v^i j^^AxO '^\(jyS. 2Lv>A-vo /.^aX^:^ (j>^ L^*^ '^V^^-^ ^.cVi
OV^5 O^-^ *-^b^ ljb^.4X« ^.c>3l lc>* (_jJi e>A:i.(3 ^UuJl (_y^ Tft>A
tfj./JLr <_Jl4^^ (^.LjiO j^iac Jl-uAi S^cl (^'-^^^ ^J<i^ C>?J (^4^ c>3l»
^^li J^AJ .^Ai^ (^cv3^ ^.c>3i (_^» L5^^>^ C5^^ ^^^^ ci*^^^^
LiU\ ^^ jJ c>3li» '5.4A.laC (J)\y<i\ i^^^^UiO. JL>^ (_5>^' L_^c>31 JajJ\ yfc
Fol. 85a*.3 j»^.>L>l e.>-c ^ti^5 3"^ r^"^ L/^ OAXSli^ ^l^sui ^U.^i:5>. \y>lj
v<>A S(y^9\ (^^^ c^.t^ (^^^ (__5^.<-^»5 ;_5^>«j ej^^ l/^ ^<3
O 2
^^^i jk^ (J^*?. (o'^ o->;->. (»J^ >^*]y^ ^yyj^^ jjiL^i ^_<;*'-<' cv-*'*
^__^x31 jJKJi v<j>^ oc ^ jdJ\ j-AiX^xo (^1 ^A^l l^jij <^^^ sJJi
aJ ^J l^JLV J^Jb. jji 5^]^1 ^^\ JyV>-vv ^« O-^-."^ 2>-^^ J*"^ ^c>*
(__5* C.>AA.vO /^-^-VA^ C>-*'^ ^<y' y>*-i^ (•-A.4-2*.) '^/-i.cM' /e* J^^VAAiOAlajJjJL) 1
io^^l.
Fol.83a (c;\^ jm^Jl ^/JLf y^ibUi. ^\S jXi^ ^^\» sJJ! t>AAC i^A j».wli31 ^^^l
Fol. 83 b j».^Vii3i l^L l4Xs^S lJ<>5^ (_>A^;i31 e:>l.-(»4 V^aJjJ e>^^_5 Oejb)^ ;_5^
c)~>M (__5>^^^ jJa^svi j^^^*xsO (^ILaw ->.« , JLaAs (_Jv^9 ^».04.^ cr'T^
^^^/JPI ^AjiJl (jvO 0^ ^-^ JO 4X3. V^wl:SO /j^C ,*<>** sJjli L-O *4.A^
(_^4X3 o-vlLiL^
l"*V^^
^-^^ ^ <^^*5 0^6^ r^^ Icl)-^^^ j»ij 8L^ W^^ l^
[II. 7.] o
j^vXvO (-?' J*=^-»*^' ?^^^ I .f
^_^> ^y^^ ^A^ <J''*^ ^^^^ ^^j^ r^l^b <-^|^^b)^ >*^^ lyx^
5.x»AAA.r |»JJLc]S^l jjseJ! (Jc^awljco (__^ Ubl_»io! C_^;-«Jl o-^ j/-^ ^UaJ»\
(^u« jJUo ^^v-o (^juukTs*^^^ ^y^-0 cVo4^^ (J«^-W^^ O^.c^Ji^i |K»uo! ^Xs.
c>-oj* tfc>Ai« o-^y» (_5^U *^y' c>~^_^^^ ^4-^ Lmj;^ cv^U! y<j-^^
(^vo ^^^.aaT j^U-srv-i i^\jCi^\ ?r«c)-cLjo* viV'^ S^^ ^^ (^y^.:^ SvlXf
»^* 5.iL suLlso* 5.a31 ^^zs:o. ^ir sJliXcl (J\.=^ f,9 P^/^ ^^
^x(x> '»^w^ IJ^ ^^^^ 2U.aI2£ 2W»Ai ^^^cm jJ-.J-J^ ^<>4-?5 (*^'*"^W
Fol. 81b UliUv.^ iJ4>laO yAi (^ajsX\ ^.iJ-^\ jjLs^.s^Jl ^L O^^U __;^1
^^J^ »^* *^ v4.S^ Wyblia)! i^j(j~^^\ V(J^A.xu^\ jKwl (__^ »-^6-?5 ^-i*
--Xc ^«a3 K-Xii *^1 0^>.<>*-^^ (»>^^ (__5^ J^^'iV? ^^ ^Ls\a31 cJIax/O
»>*^
»-^,c>4^ r^-^^^ 0*^v?5 Ly^j^^ (>^vsW=^^ cy-M-^v^^' c>?.<->"^4^i
i^D4\ , ^ikxa^ ^vyi^^ (^^ iili^ii yc i^V^\ ^AjiJl L^U^ o3»^
Fol.82a iV^s:^^^ (»5* ^^•^•^ '^UAis^J^ 2^1 0^.<>-5 c)«'*o^*3l *jhj i^Xo* ?f<>j<aii
.sT^vLaJJ ^ajaJI j^IiAA* (^L-o^l jjusx^vb ^ cJy^. y^^ JUJui ^A-i-^irJ^
U^j yk* Xlc3 c>~*-? ^4^^ ^^^^\ ijXyo^-Ci^ ^-^b}^ (^^ ^\-^^^ \,j^
C:>^ jUaaj
(_5*5 r*5j^^
i^-^-o
(J^-^ v.*^ '>.>olAJi^ JM.xuJl ^9 (3<JJlJ\
*.3i^.L> ^ 5^«1 0->aa31 ijJS (^l5^ Jyvi tV-*^^ UuJl31 L^4.JUJ». C-^^
(^.t>-«J^*Ai^ O'*' 0^<V>* L^<-^^V^ ^j-^.cV^^ Cv-0 V^5 5^-?j/^ (yXs. ^\jL-o Tol.Ql
c>AJU<aJl O^A^ (J^<yJ^ h^-? (c?r^ IaaXJI 2^J:^^ IS\.>^j ^Lv=> lt>*^
ZkiAla,-? ^IjLvo <_>.^.^).Ji». S^^U* «Jl(J^A-AO JSi-vii* l^)jvc ^j^Uio j».J tfjl^c
(_^jjJa£« 'yjlAAV L^Af UaAxU^ 'i3^^\ '^.A^^k-LOi 'J* /^A-? '-i*^ W^*^<V-^
-*aAX>lIiU4 (JkJXaJ ^A3 2J.A\i ^A* tfwXUA4«-? J^f«v3l!tl ji-ACi-UJl •<• 2WlA->
(J^Lkv.-yO (J>aLs\)1 4^^U ^'^\ i^J^ j^.C> i^:)^y4^'^\ Owi^i l-^^ ^;Xc
Pol. 80b (^^^ 4__5N [•>4XiV^\ Uc)-^^:?^^: jJ« Bt>J(cV-^ '^^»jiao j^a,-o (^IaSuJ^
<>J;c>.sOi« 2C<,-o^^ ftXi>^9 t>Ao (jj (c/'^M ^l-^i C_AaaC j^-y Olw»^
(_^j^. jj* ^Aolxtl (J.x«3 Usvo tj^f^ «5^j ^6-^-^ S3^'^ 5J ^Ujs^l
^!j.->]N5i ^<j.4-.iJJ '^Sl^.;^* (j^axuaj* cv^swi jwo (^-0 ^jdxj] t>AC ^f (j^l
>-j^.'
IS -aAwAO ie-^\ ^^A.xiJ] ^^O
i^A iaM (^1 u^^^ IaU^ »^A3ljiAa]J Aiis\3L> oiO^ .-•U (.ju^yj
Fol. 78b (>A£^l.s^A3i cJLaj^4^. ^Ia31 ^^L c>-*j»j^^sv.3U SJitj}]^ *^j^jyo tf^lkJ^
^^f ^IaSjI <>>yo^s3jol* 5^i ^va4jw4^ l3c>-N..vw (_j4As\> nyjiX'ji U^^^ lS^>-U
(^Ij^ )t>J^ ^AaLJ J^AaJI tfijjfc* p»lj (^j^yJL^ (Ufy-^ 'b^X.A^}\ ^(jjb*
2i.3lA»* l^i O*'^^ CI^l/V c>'%-^5 jd^Jli 5.xo]^ e>-s^ j-^:^^^^ <J^*-==^.
Fol. 79 a W^^ U*^^ j^aJI vo^ J^J^ L5* cJ^^-l^ ^l>^ L/^ |;..4^ >^3(3
N ^
,^>X»tD ^j.y\ ^a4aJ) ^ijO •:•
u
LWo »S\ ^jm\ ij^ '•6(J.sJ\^ 'i.JM.A^S i^yKx, *.^J ^—*->•?. (^5 ^*M>^
^Ia^.<J> CJb^J 2^^!^)^ iJt>^^^¥^^ '^XaJ] tfc>^ ^iJi^l (^C _j/*^ c)-A4*iJ!
(t** ojJvJUlio (>j« c>-A4-»iJ^ (J^.c>"-> ^-^ (^^' (__5-*^ 2^*^-? ^^<yi^^5 vX^i
^^l^-Ob S-^.cAl vjjfc Ux^il C^cV' C^<y<i^^ (_5'^-? 2^^'<' iJ-^ ^6^U
j^aXo (^1 j-^5 oj^U*-^^ ^<^^ W? ^-M ^-^ <3^-^. ev^ 2i^i 'sxL*^*
[^^^ (^^^ 1^-? '^j^ LJ(J^\ pyi3] (^xvl I^aIc c^it oxA^arL ^>
O^JtJ (_>>yaiw (Jji H.aA."^'* [>^<>sx> (J^aac* ^5^^ (*^ 5 '^rfyy 2w:u>r^ Fol. 78 a
C^aXavO ^a^ iJcVC ^?j {_5-?7*^^ j->^^ (^' t_yN L>^-^* ^-^ '5-^W.-? W.c>J>
Cif^ ^jj ^.y^^ ^-^ L5*-'t^-^ ^-^^"^ O^ob cVA^XiJi jKwi ^^is
(j).^] Jai* (^3) 0*kJi,J>AJl 0^<S^ ^-J '>.AA4.-? Cf;-*^ (_AA,0:=»- ^U^ ji.AA-0
(?)
'^.Aaao '^.^l^Jsii «^VSvJl Tft^A
C_5*5
'»"*t*^^ *v-^J>C>-£ tfj\.svr^
5J^
UtV^sXco 14^* ^»^;^\ <-r'W^^ C>^ W'^^ ^yV-**»4^ licJ-Aw <_J*.:2^0 ^/^
v4J« ^-^Lw vLasv^ '•iyz^v^ l^a^ <L2w* <_).ajua31 j.J[ wi) J(yv*5 ".J^*^
c).AjjuJl I43 "yi \Jt 1:^(3-^5 ^rr^ C'^'*' 2^->^ C5^5 »-4-s».l I^Lasiv^
pt>Ji3^ ^ 14^ ^^ly '^a^cnU <' ^^sxL i(>4jiJi (_;v^ iy=J\ ^jj\ f^^J)^
^___^A
roi.77b Li<>A:sJi \J^^y> '»-*b3>^ ev^ (__5* L/^ ^^ '2^-? cy-^v'^^ j^Sl^jUi 14^
[II. 7.] N
(^v^ ev^^^jivx3L ^_5oUsv3l ^ 1^3 c>AX>j (».r^^ tf^jbUaJl (^1(3-*)!
(Jkilii (J>ASx)i ^t>A« ^>iV^ Zkcl,*^ ^6^^ A^JCsxJ* V^ACwLo -.4^. ^.-i^ia Fol.76a
l^.^^ J ^s a.v ^\.aaX*o (Ju..seO) ](jJb ^_J j^lJ ^^)-;vIa)) (Jc^^sxi (i^4
tf^UJl L^^(3«Jt)l iJc)>A-«jw^ '»J^y? ^^K^J*-^ ^•^'•^* ^^^^^ ^^==^=»- ^^-swl
^^i
^y^ ^ ^^^ <^^ J^<^J ^^'^^ »^^ L5* '^^ ^ <^^^
licv-A.**,
(J^^ ^-^ ^-^^i^*^^
'^'^ ^*^^^^. osx^ii ^-j^sxi ,^^.<j}\ jiuc^,
JoyUJl iSJ'^l (Kwl (__5ic 5.Aa^ (_5^^ ^^^ jLav<UA3\ ^^^^ Pol. 74b
Uu^^Jl C^^t^
<>A4jiJ\ *l.'^ V? j»«w\ (__5Xc 5.*A>* tjbcMaJ^ cJUo4.a3
's.ijOJ^';^] ^^J<s: \^j^J^ ^Us lc>A* jJlyil ^-uo* ju3l ^^b o^
L^^<jjt)i tf<>A*u31 |».a*j1
^_^ '^ji^vJU OIsXawI A^l^.O 2U (^yk^l J.3SA.
Fol. 73 b jj.i/^lal '^atAi uiij JUJ* (^4,A«3l j.iO Jw^y? (JJ'lji^ S-^cV^JL *Ua3|
tjT^l [».xol ^__5)wC ^Xo 2U>li (Jl^C i^lSUl (•-wl ^_^Xc \l<i>3 5.Ajy>
Fol. 74 a « *>> v4^ w^ tf^lia)! L4j(3ji3i iJ4>A-«^ ^'•^V-? W? 2^*^ Lvi;¥*^¥?.^ *J«a->
* (J^\-s\A/< t^^S^JJ Z^JiA-? <J Jaju«J L>\ 5.-*A^ ^A^ ^i>C W^ ^f^f^y^
<>4«iOuvU r«^6J^^ ev^ yt> ^c>* (jL«,ob^ L/y^^^ ^bMW ^5^'^^ L5^
5j)w51.w ^aXc S^reO*
^
(_
k Us^ 'iXs\£. ^__^ tf<>AU^ cj-*-^^ c><V*^^
jUa-? t^fvi* ^-4^ y^ ^_5X)1 ^ACwU31 ?f<>A ^\ JU ^^-Ajuxi (Jys jj«
(^^(jJtJ! tf(>A*«D 5.31^^ ^>y> TJt>c 14^ <• l4> yc» "*'
^j su.wi ^_J<e.
5.JLJO « (,>**2w^ L-£^^ (J-V^^s=*-^1 0*^.tM-^^ >-*6-? (*^ ^<>fi l.4^Fol. 73a
JLft.Xc j^\c> oxaacv^ Ctfisl ^.c>3l ^<>A5 <S^ 2Uc LUJJ l^ ^^l--e\31 (^yo
(^ 'iSjj)\ 7foJ> ^ *U^ ^y^2^^ OyxA,] jOJj OJ^i^ *A^ 3^^ (JS'yi,
^Uit> siUo <jm evc 5Jt\» e/l5^ tf^.,*A^ ^^J^A.^ (J^s:C3 »3^\jue (Jy=^^
Pol.72b^.c>31 lc>J^ ol^ <J.oi (Ja^w 2U31 ]j<>=^. tiJj »-4^W^ w^-?^^ sJ
M 2
« CjLKj^^xi«.i iJfjj3Ll\ sJ^.O^] LjVi evo '>-^^* »-*^l V<>*^ lW^
(J-A^AU JW«A-?« 2U?.<>li ^^^ |*'i^-*^i/*'
^y^^^ (wi;<3-«^i 7J<_).AJUjJJ ».JtO
L^A*« (Ju\,^Us\A/-0 liT^l [».Av! ^__yU: 5.JtjO ^.C>3! Uw4^> ».*• Jtli
1<>4-?J
L^Li l^AjOii. (J^4^ <_Jl^^ «^|sUl j^wl ^__^ 2i.AA3 5^*LsAi4 (_^^\
sJJ e>>o^^ ^ ^J^^ 2«^i ji^oUc o>^l5^ .-.b)-^^ (^^^ j»aA^1 Pol. 71 b
5.X4.xjr4 ^^.LuJi c^AA^j/-?^ e*^ 2oUKj L_5<>31 'yXill eA-^ o-?l ]j%^
OO^l Cjt3i^ jj.5^ j;^W ^ 2^^^ (J^ (^ W-^ (Jw-Mn-srO CH^li^^s)^ sJ*
J'il.
1^1^ sJ ^<^^ 3^^ ^J«iiLl pUll 3J jMx3 U> (>;c* v]^ LicJvJ^ p»Uil
^_^ ?fD»J»j^ 2Uc j^A^J JO^^IUm^ ^A^t>:> S-aJI i^lvvj y<>J! (j^ i^i\X\
Pol. 70b ^i;*jM »^^i c>AUi V4X9 Coo. e>AJUw:> ^^ SJtAAS^ iX3<3« jUa,^ 5.rsJ
^ (Juwo IA).4^1 2U>cV<» (J^U (Jxai Uvv.^ sjisfc. c^'y *U\ evo
*UU O^b)^ u-^^ (»^ W? <c{^^ '^^ o^lT (^1 (^yk^ j^Ui, ,-^^>Ni3l
vjO^^ (JuyOl o^li cko (Jy (.JLa>4J>4 zUwcM^jI (j>i^ >X^« U^Ia*
i/*0-l^ ^;iuJJ 9J<sJi (^^U vLici4>Li e>i| ^^^ o>t)Jl c.y^ c>*^i
1 ^^LkjL). 2 dSp.*.
[11. 7.] M
cViSi-l j^wl p^*^^ l43UxL .-•^>S»^i 'S-^.cV^ * ^^Ua3i i^j^yad] tT^^aamJI
L^aJI \jk\jUi e>,-svi sJ jU-i)^ IaIx> Vt>^ |»Jj^,j£a/<» (^y liiii O^sJJ
0»aa; U-^ P:W^^ <>>^ W^ o^'^v^^^^ o^=?=^^ cy-^ i<>^j ^X'c} ^^-uXc
L/' ^^<^.' ^^^^ (_/^lx)l oil ^^^^.^x <>A-> ^^jO^ p.*X> L^lxT 5.^ c^^
jLiw e>Ai^ (-i-w^. j4^ (^15^ (Ju^ * 2tA3i J^-^^ ^>^ lJl>->^1
(JjOii '> sXij^j ^] <J^j^\ f^ u^^^ y^j (J^W^^ (•"iv^^ icf^y^^
Uj vaj«oa^ « ji.^ vjkiiL^ ^Ij:<_>.3U ^^^^iJl s^v^i <^3 o-^ lloJil ^c>Aav«
Fol. 69 a l^jtA4^ U>iV^ (5^^ '^^^A^uii! tJvA^SJ^ i:C*>vJ^ 9(>-^3i ^t>4^1 5^^>^W
jj^ '5-AA^ ^-^J <^(_>-^5 jkA^J \-=5=0^ '$J^>5..s:vJi ^^ IAOcS^ (^vv^AT (jKil
L^jlIajL ^rsvJl W'iv^ LSo^^ 'i(j^^ vjyk^lflj i^Uv (JvAaJI vs\^ ^^bUi
'^^ )^
-aaa3 (£^f 5**yy**-'i i ,\.i
j*^-^ '>
OA'-iUi* jLiUjtvvv^ «^>-^ p-y* o-*! j-*^ e>-?^ _/-*^-? W^^ Ljtvo (J^
(^^^io^^Jtv SJOtO* SJ^ 5JuLo* (*ir^ 'Jc>^=^U J^Ji^ A*X\» XiU? ^^^jtfi^l
(^lAl 5^^ (J^»J W^ (^ICc ^f ^::>oS=^ ^*A-> W-?5 (Jj*a* _^^tyo:=>- Pol. 68 b
Vc>A ^jUsU* Juoi t-^UiO 2oU.-> ^^Ji W-^^ C>^ (^^yJ*^ <^^ "^^
^\j^ 's.^UjH'^i ^^-^^ (v4^^ Jt^ J^^ *~^b)^ (.y^ pjy^b)^ tfc)-M^
Pol. 67b TJ^jjiikC iUw (jy (_^ cJ^^ <-:>-V-? (J^ l)^^'^^'^- ^ '^•^
.^^^^S ^^
l^il^/c <_,-vij^^ sJ* (^'X)^!* Ot>Ji3l 5.X*X^ ^.c>-5i 0>^:i^^ cl=>-^(-> (jv<»
5)*jU^ 2U* Jlo^fc-*^ 3-tV^5 cV^JtX/o 5.a:2wU3| VO^. Oa-^/JJ* ^Juw4l Fol. 67a
^\J^ 1^3 L)JL> 2kAi ^^i^ i^W^^ oo\-5^ ^^1;-^ L5*l5 ^'^ ^Ua^I
<>* L/^S' 1<>A voyXx^j ^'^\ I^aIc yb ^^x3l '^iAoJl Vt>A ^^_^^Ui.
(^1 s^AJ ^i jXiJ «^.4^ «t>i5^U '^i^O jssji^*^ L/^5 »^>_»ol^ ^iLi
t^^ V/^jU
l"*'^^*
LJUslfi \-sO, jJJi (JwA^j^li 2LAi4X 2^lil/0 ^».0
L 2
(^jju^.jO] JC>^ l)^'5 cJ^^ ?yc>«^»^« ^^4js;x5i (^'^^ U^^l '9>xX.^^ ^Xs
^yb. 1-^>U> cJ^^ ^^^^^ (-^^ v-T^^^^ cVA^W ^^iS^ O^^i^^ S^^
5>|^ (_j^-?. b^^^ U.4^ C^ ^^4 blcV^ ^^Ac Uji^ U^X-o (JT^LXJl
LJ^)\ j^^O {^>^\:s:>^ Vy4.xx>Ji. J\j^l\ j^,cy> (J^^S^. ^.O Tf^.V^V. L/^
j^c)-5l 's.JU-v-0 "^AjLa. {j\ytD j7rv.cw (^5'^ SAiUo U^«0 CvO ,-^A«rol. eSa
3JJ1 (^vo c_>^5 (^,5^ (..5^ f^cJ-'P. .-•j^ O^^ SLX^liSw e>AjdJ» jDL-01
Pol. 64 a ^^/i oIac^I <J^t> c>-4^5 U^^ ^:>^ O'* W<V^^ t^*-* NAAAk;ku»,iiJL>
(Jcxai * iJi>A^^ ^^ (_5^ Ws4^ ^.^ J^J^ '^^ J-^^ cJb5<^ >.acujui
Ui! j^.O^^ ^t>A O^l ^^^j<a^ ij^^yii-j '^..s^^^AzsJl (JuUw^ A(J^^ \l>^ t;^
SjJkc v>lc>^i (,>xa.sO! W>UkC OcJ-ibi.* TJvlol^ j^\i Uivi!4 JC^i «v^.5
^A*;b> *i aUxw (jr ev^ '»-?y=' ^^^jivc evoli ^_^ 1^3 cVAJo.^jjljLli
Fol. e4bj^U! (_5» U-w» 1l)^ ^^?^ V^JixX^j l^AysL ^^^0^5 eyj^U.L> (^. u cnI
^^J ¥*^ L/y^V^'^. 2i^^ (j>wU3l ^*4Xso ^yv^ >^5 ^-^Ja^S (J^^
0-9 v><>)l ^c>4^ ^6^s^Ji. 4*5^1^3,1 (_>AA3i *Ls»* XMjJyc i^4.Ax> c^>v<a>«
[II. 70 L
^^\jO L/^r-^l jCauwJ r'^' ^^<j JS^-* L>^lcV' ^L3^vA)J (^<j.3i ^_XaA.3)
f^_J^ (J^«^^ ^is^ L^c>6-? O^-?. (^ 2^'^^ (^^ *^U ^^.^ (wJi^^U
)p\jU^\ j^jiaa)! (J^2».i<J> (_y..-o jj^^^* UJl LJtiUi (oliuL O'^ 5.Af*
C_->iS)l j^-uol
^^_^ J^«A-? 2^-^
.u/*5 (J^^* ttUiJi «jUj: <-^<->-^^ (Jjl^l Fol. 63 b
Lo^j (j-A-*^^ ^(j-^ *-AAli '».aaa3L »->.c>-3l lj>A (_^1-ua:L1 (^ac e>)».Xuo^ (j^
(J^oJ •>
W^J^ ^ (^^ ^-^ <^->-*^ c.y>^ (j>sx> \Xi3j
^^ j-?.t>3i it>A
e>-?.c>3i W^^^ ^j^J (*~t^ i>?v-*^. Js>-M^ {JS i^ ^^^f? o^ ^''^v?. cy^i^
(,:>s\'i ^^ir* jUiAii3! jUaa)^ iaSU:*. JJ.5U5 (^>^s\3l (J^^O (>/<» ^>
P»IjoA lJlaJ.'s*. c,>aL. iAc*. v^aJI it>A *Uo ^iL ^f^W '^.Ai ^l.>^^.*
>^.c>3\ lc>A JJ.JIA3 (^\ 2i;.X^c! <jJ» c>a5'* ^-SV-Jl \^^ (J*»\-*-> cJ^*^ cJ^-^*
Fol. 63a^i>^ (^^AaO^i j^a3^ \c>^ (J-?\.i-o ^/ICo ^^ ^Ul lJjV (j\ i^iJ^\
'ij^jr^ s^9 (J^yS ij\ i^i^\ Li4>3^ e/Vm ^t>A 55^U i^J o^ ^y>«i^i
waaJI 1 jjb 4>s». ^3l ^S(j.\\ {j\SX\ \(j.it> (jK«> o-«A» .*».i> c:^^ j (c-^-^^^
^
J-^1
<Jli^ vV>jl9 (^jjJt)\ LJyj ^\Sir9 ^\ J^^j}\ o-^'^ (J^^ c^^'^^
(Jlj« L>»Aii31 (^ICo ci.5»j j;> ji-^li Qj^l^uiJl Li^*5 ^^».^ (^j
^Oj« tJiJLo^^ ij>3i (J..j6Jt}\ t^^\ ^aA3! \.4i«-;i ^^Jy-U (^\ \-^^>/o c>.*->^.a
Vt>^ (_53^ e>34.X.ool ^ SMo^^l c>^^ <->flc>-»^*^ (c/b)^ (_^Ia3L JvXs> L^A3iFol. 62 a
(j>AA^ ^Uo ^^ si-AiAi)! 5.A»^jiJi s^^-?^^^ (^9 (^i^xssvJi cJ^=>-io eK«> »-?.C)~^^
Fol. 61 a ^y^ ^y<^-^^ j^^Ujii. 5.>* yfyS^pA jU-viac 2WtA.^ •> (^jj^^w^^ ^AXJ> >.»^sxl^
5>a31 i^^yClC:^ cy^ ^64^ lI^^ C^'^* (_->^^y^^ P"^-==^ O-?^ CjuoU^Jl
y^J
2kvut>.A4) (J>AA*X*>S\3 1 (JJ^S. 1-9 "y>.>l4.<.U4,aw> (J>aX*j,j* ^XuS JLUjv^ (_Ji*.aX» ^e*
Cjuuc).iill ^.c>3i !c>A e/i (^3^ t^y>^^ e5* '-**? ^^ ^'^ *^* ^b^itU
J,AJ» C-^^i evo ^>^^^ ^O-^ jjCiS:^ 1^3 L^^jscv^j lA4-?yL>4 ^l-?c>3l
^(jjfc *yis\3l c-f^L ^t>~*A/* j-<v^^ cJv^^ ^^ *~^* ^-j^-?. [^^ 't>^
Pol. 61 b O^^ L/^^^ jCi^Uc c>c>^ (»i U^b^W J-^ L/^ (^^ ^y^M j^.(y^\
i^AA 2^^*j5 (^uaJJ 5'ls\3l otxLL jo\.As\3l i^^o *^-«jo« (J^^fcl i^^
^.f »>• isT^kJi (Juoli*. Ia^I^Vas 1-^a3L (J^joi LcJ^ j ^^^-^ixc 5^1^
^1 <Jv^. L/^^ ^^J-*'^^ A^'^?:^^ ^r^^ C>w^^ i^^ 0^5^ ^^-J c5c>-^l ^ol' 60 ^
jkAO lj\^y^L>^ {j\-'<>y9 (A»jO '^AA-?* i^uU (Jk^yOl ^JS\3 ^bLi» (^_5^
(^^4.^ «iaA:i. <^j^ (_^j»ik^ ^kiv l^J. (JuljLiJU e/hv^^ ["V^^^ t^^
(Jk4£ ji.AAA)l tfc>^^ ci^litAJl (jv< (*-^^/^^5 ?f*<jji>^ 0?.c>^^ (^6-^vl^
(^\ j:ssjd\ ^^i^ sIa50\ 'js. ^AjiJi c^IaaJi jkAfi^ wsvJi ^ '^^y) W^
^45c>*AJ« 5.JL-0 (_y^ ^r6-^^ 5..M^ i^c3 L5^ C3/-^^ (_>3lX3^ (^U^aXw
(»J.i 2UAla£ i.>\ ^]^ lJ^"^ 5^^ ^4^^* W-*^"? U-^cS^ <->^ t>^^^^^
^^wlAilJl p^sjjb <_j*jJlU j-«2^ (JU e>-?.4>3l j:sS^ CS^U (w^-«i^i (^vV
•sJ^sj^U sJ Oi>Ai 1^3 w*^^ (^UloJl *.wj L^aIc. 04^U: vJtikC z^iL^i
c5l>^5 (j>xui!b. (_>Aiy> ^-5 c^^-^^^ ov^'-^'^ 2M.xiv2». «^L*£ ubj^c« K<y^
j.s^a3i ^^LIaS* ;__5a£ ^'y^V^^W U^j^^ L-^^"" '2^<V-? (J^J^* <• Oc>-»3l
K 2
0>^-?. (^ L/^^ <J^ ^^^-J y^ ^ W'^ \J9\.9j jiLz \JJ>\
^ JSJ^ O^vvJi
yb*
CJUvIa^ (_y»>i 4>AAjoo
^J^ O-^^ (S^^^ <•
C^ •.ajU ».S\^ *jfc<_)jt>l.Ai<
jU^Ia)! KaxuJ! ^-i ic>^5 i^^^ ^>iVo ^yyo^ L_^t>£ e>^i (^_;olx3i i:)S\ j^z
ev-f (J^UJ» O^ljtil O?^^'*-^ 2U.31 e>«->» oliis\Ji (j>.^^^,.4>C Ni^Nj.^ i^y^
^a3i (_y^ ^v^iui (Jk*AJ; tfJoAf ,^UA* j^Aj^.i;»!ik3 1 (_y«^ OcSWl 7jL^Xa-04 yci^>
^X9 (_yXz IA4aCw j»^4 '^j^^^ O-^ '2^-W'>* c_y*^ b'^<->^4^ iS*-^^ ^^s:^-^
^X3 \(jJti^
{*^J^^
i^lLo ^;-«<aAf (^>JLaxu£«! (^kO UjOSCO JOjc)~^-^»^^i (^^
.^CIa» (JO'*ol>^;.Aou (c/^ (J-*^ '^"O^J (^\ W-^ 0«-^A^l (J^-*^^ (•><V-^^5^
W^IjxOL>
^^-^ C_P^ cJv^'^y^ e5^ (^yj Wl>-^^ ^-^^-^ '^'-^^
2u^^ csX*i»U 1^a31 8J4.V0* (^v^ (^IaJI
fy:)^ (_5* ^^ 0«^uJ l^^l*-\3
Uil aUixAATjCi y^> 2U.AOC.U C-^v^^ »^AM^. t_ic>3l ^vjXK-lLl (_|as?-> Ubl.i..jo«
^JLSO 4»r4Ail O'^^ («^5 S^-W^ r**^. ^Ajjlv-O V;Ai3L 1.^0^1 (j>/s-> I/O
jljsNjsvJl ^__^
l^Aijuo pj^pi L(>«Aij» ^\ (^Usvi ^|^.s\aJ1 ^^»xLo I.44AVO
\ Juoi ^\^ (^j V^v?^ ^^-^ ^^'^'^^ j^^'^ c>^^ ^^ 1/0^*3 L J.>oi
[II. 7.] K
CJtb^l ^^\yi}\ r*^^-^i^\ ^^oJLo
^^J^
C<i>j
^r^=*^^^ C>^^ ^/^=^1 L^aIsFoI. 57 a
B^.oU (_^U5' ijc>£ l^^ (^l5^ N6-?^-? %4-* L,K^-?b)^ f'^'^V^^
^«i:2Jt"0*
•^
tc/b)^ (J^ ^^-^ '^-^.cAl t>«=i^ L/^ ^13^ ^^\^ e>^l W-t>-^^
(_f^. $5^l£ 0"**AAJJ 'j-A^.c)-*-? t/^ L/^ ^>a^ (J^iUni oUT cS^^i (J.xni
UyiJl ^ji^\
^^i)^ ^^y^ iiW*^*- r*^-?- Cy-^ ^J\ S^^-J j^.L>X\ C>A-?
*Si\Si4^ L-iA^ \jlA4J5i. CjuuLO^ (y.r9 ^* i^yX\ e>-^ c>-=^^ 5^ 0^*>^. f>^
^^/^Xaj tf^l^ji)! |»«43 OcKso jJJb o^x-o^^ liJlill ^'•y^. Uili J^j
z^-i*^! (J^Xsxii *^j^ii 'i\y>\ 'ij^'jjj o>*>^^ l3<>^^ W-i/^ '^^ Ly^<^^
Add ^,
t^A^jiJl ^j^\ (^^ 2Ua^ <• tf^UaJi ^j^^j^ L-^c>*3^ 'ii>'^\ ^^S
Fol. 56 b (J.4.s\3* jO^ii V^aIc* OyoW)] SsxoUyS.:} )}Jjjs\,\ Uvyo *.^\ c>M-"^
(^:i>»l 2^A-?^ 5^A^ U'^^c>-*^. (J^^aA l^^ naS1UA3« tf^/^^^i ^aJI
;__5^1^^.c>3! ^<3-A ev^ j;A3i^^s\^ e^A-^^. 2^;-^3! ^ ^A3i (J,^. {j\ (^^
^J\
^U ^31U c-^^^ c>^ L-^4>31 c>-3^^
-i>^
e->-s\b Ux>^ ^31
l_^.iiiS/0 ^^;-0^^ (__5a31 cS-^^ .*^s^| ^c^-*^ u^ J^<^ (J-*^ ^'L/b)^
OijfcJc)-? ^•?j 2Wt-o^ Sjo (J^'? (c^^yA' e>>AbAkiAMJ (^3) Oy^svo ^. >^
W"-^^ CM;-*li ^.cS^^ L/^ L^^ ^'->*ij L/y>^ OisO \-AXf^ ^1 J^AJ^
e:>U»i* vao*.^ 5.3* (juwc)-«.U (J^^rJl *.l£ ^^Ic JUxol (__5i£ juaa^ 5.a-Ic
-rvlAjS^l-sXAiu 'i j-^Xao (JkAJsO 5vA*« vAaj (^VXuO sJ^ (_y-*ias\3l (J^IO*
O/C* ^j\a.^}] C^J^jio \-^A^* ^^/IXauaJ] I^aA* UlAoi. li^ilo (^_^S^'i TSi^
(«J* (j>a5Ux0 4 v^'^s^! V^dsj ^aAL\.3 aJ* ^IxxuajI (^Vc zUkt/c (^Uifcyi
(^_^^^U '»35<_>^1 ^>\ jy^ b'^^ cl>^ ,^IaA^3^ (^v<» jfcAslA/Jl 4>A>>
Pol. 55 a V;/Ux.Iaju (J-uxi e^o cl-?\"> O-?^ j-^'^^ o--?^ ^^-?^-^ '^Xiw*^ e>A)J,l
8^^ (^.^jii \~^ jLs\^ o-vAj ^i |-*t>3) 5.aaX. ts^^j N^^A* (wi-Jtvui
<-5* d^*^ '>-^i^5-i «»^>^ t>^*^.c>J^^ "^y^ ^y^jr^^- ^^ L4^l-*«a>0l
X)j ^^^ ^5<3-^^ O^j^^ e^c I4.43 (J^aasco Uj»/o jU*3L oA,ji3\
W^aU231 (^(j-^] *^43^ ^(J-aj***-^^ (^'^i i^J^ 2W»A^ 3^AA4.r^ ^^.isxJ 1 Pol. 54 a
^^_^ |Jaa.U (JasJI (^^1 (J^s\3^ (J^io L/v^c ev^ *VU \-4a3^
Fol. 53 a ^A^i. ^^Jxs:. J^'^kYs U>« JIU (^^^^ ^a* -s.^-Xs^a^ 2^^ (Jj;-^ .-^^Ji^
^1.:s^x3L C_JLxv^U ^UAr^3U (Jib-UJ! (J^*Ai. ^^^ O^U (>>y^ J.1 ^a,-o\
(^jr^ ^.O (J^A^J (^^ As^^ <JIU OA3 ^l5^ i3liaxui3l J.Lx^ 1^a3!
(^;lw4-> ,4^ wC^ *..^1 O/o CJlX«ic^ ^*/* ^ j^-^ LJf/^r'J O**^-*-^^
VAxi {J\ (^U^-o (j)v?l v?j^^^ '^'^^ (*"^^5 '^'^<-^ cJ^ oc>ai. (__5^^i j-?.(3
'^ •Jt) l^iVT* ^Aj^Li3i jUvvAA^^ (__f^5i3« 'maL3 jw(aa3^ 15 c^^ oil5«
(^<v->3^ c:>«^ C3"^5 ^' f*^-^ (c-wy-0 2^A^ <• j^xLo ^_;>A.^;;^j^A3l (^_^\_/iiA3i
jL\^ i^T^VaU lIaa31 w^i ^L>l.Ai/ (c^ 5^l-iJi3i ^-» jwixivxU jU^la*3)
Fol. 53 b Ua3\ ^ [»5lsx^ ^^-^^31 ^Uc^NJl eM» 4^* \>43 ^ *ls»Jl^ ^.L>3^ (Jv-*!^^^
I 2
j^Ai^L ^.SL*juuS jUajo ^^Jixic-ol Ci*^ O^^/iii^U ciAJ*^-^M ^^9 ji.A3lA3l Fol. 52 a
tf^Af '^cUs^ [•^A• ».AJl-ib> <>A-i (j^^l yb^ ^]/-?b5^ ^l4>^j.iJJ (^ijJ^A
^;/ir« (J^-tfii c^_l. cj^^ 2U;-A»^ j;-^^. ^-^ (J^-sxJU (^^.aJI «^ JlA-U
(^. ,1a <_).Aw;Jl 0^\ 3^)J1 cS^ Ji/yt'U^ cvN^j/* W-^;^^ Oc)-^ (^\.AaJi
(^LoAJi \y^», jJoii-U <J^->^ (_^ l^Lixb^ LiJJi *J^-^1 '»«->* ev^ ^''^?^
p.l^^\ cJy> 2Uri.U3i T^c>-4^ ^^^i ^O^ ^^\ L/^y^=*-^ l^A^xAj ^AAo^i Fol. 52 b
5.iUjt3^L ^^^C c>-^^^ '»-^ cJ^^ (_5* '^^(3 ^''-5^ ^c>^ ^-^V?. ^^
2ic>U cJ'/vOl A\ C-ov/lAi^^ jUjaow ^1-4^ j^jy*^ '^'>^ ^<^'* W-? ^^^S
^^\^J\c^ C>Y^ ^^J^
(_}yks\/o j.s><s:», l^juiw tfj\-i-0 ^ CJI^UaJI
OaA-o ^Uo ^Xi 2W (^IT* ^Ia\\ o»^ (^* (J^t^^ C>^ *><V^^ "'U^ (J>^.
(^Uo-j
^ ^aM ^^s?^. e/^i"^^ 0I4X «^^]a^^ *^\Sy^\ ^i\ \jbLiol
[11. 7.] I
^^ C^^^ <^^-? ^^f-^^\yf'^^ l<>4-(iJ,3 's.iU^. C^MVXmi* V_ic)-^2i-l 'y-Xjuu
i^jOJt}\ w^aUJI ^j.4:Sy<) iJ(>Axu)l Ux^ (».^1 ^Xc ji.XA-> ^^J^ ^ii Fol.SOb
^y^\ TfoJt> tj^ (-i-i?. t/V^y^ C>?^ c)"-*^^! O^l JL^^U^ ij\S\ 'tfJiJ^j
^xuXU tf^liu/o ^.^i 1(3-* ^^» UiCii 20l ^^^^x^a*. c^<>*3l ij<>/u**3^ 't>y^
j*.wi ;__5AC ^A>0 i^j (JA^ l^X-O Ot>S^ /•i tf^^JSV-^ 20l.*JL>il JUaa>
4-\* L^kuo* (^« 2i.A» »>aXc* c>^2k.U ^t>-'^ W-JV*5 0*3v?j C>*i,rW
^AvO •> (^jAkTiij^:^ L_^^ 0*^.(>i)l *.Ax/l (^_y^ *2WtiV? * O^]^-^^ (_5^ O-^
iJcVs^^ jU» l^k^w** ^<341 CJ*i sJAa} 9.Af 1^aIc4 (>=^U ^tV«
'
Read »^l;^l.
&Ai« tf^iaX^ S'-iS*^ ^lc> e>-«<a:::w *^aXc* ^juyJl^ na^I^ ^?.tvi ^<y^
4>AC j».aJU oj^V^ ^-5 '^-^Ji^^ sosAc |sUj! (^UaPI c>i=>-^ >J*^ cJ>^.
^^\ tfo^jU> (^^U ^.oJl (_^1 P:lv^^ e5* '^^j-^ J^]^ ^^•^^^
l^iailb (^m^lI! ^_^»^^! (J^^i *e/5)^ e>sx> Ux*« ^^1 ^a* VJ^j^av^
ev^ J^l (^ilU p^^ e>-?l plj:*- ^\ j^n^ o^i |»i2^.A-L< (^\ ^^
^* (.,5^ (*\r^
t^Xo ^AA^i U^^<>^ C>?^ j^^^ O^v?.'^^^ vLikil
tSAX^ ^/>y<=iAi ^.4>J1 ijjfc O;^ 2u>> <>>*^ (J^^^ ^o^ (^^ (Jio!
(J^sJl ^^^^ 5«X*A-> OVSvS* ^^aX L-iLi. JLaJI A4JC2EO4 *~Aiac <>Ai: sJ
jJuL Tf^S^i ^^* Zp.^i ^_5* '5.sAaX^ zUXsX^ ^aXvs '^Xa*^ ^ »,vs SLaJ^
Pol,48a UOcy^* lAyo<>A* '»-*^^ ^O^ \j^yi^\J \jl=> evOj^ <^]9 'iAflAAJ^
(^Xyo j».wl
ur^ ^^W* '^O-*-? '^JUjxvo «^>v^r 5.*uaa5' l^Aoy:
'^JL^^
%i^L> (.yjOi^ L^aXc* J^AiV^^ cJ^l(^ O^ 5-^^-? OIav^j:^ UbAc« i^jmS^^^^s^
jjii «^;JivC J^vjsC UI>V^ <S*^ ^J^ ^^ ^^^ 0«=>^b)^ 2>^J C_5-^
^Ui
^^! .^LiaJI \c>^ j-''^^^^ ^<>^^ 'i^s^as ji.4Ai \J^\ y^• XJ<3 ^A^^.
(_>3L4iJL jU^SOU j^Ailvx^^l ew '^fiV.*::^
^ yiisxi ^Ji^ '5-«A\3l rrJvA
p»^)-uJ) >.aAc (^-^Ji (^Ajoyo (^_5-^
C^-^* j/^ '^aXJuI tKa^svJI (.2«5COi
Jki ^1 (»i'V:a=vJl (^ir (^c>3^ ^W-*3^ ^^ys*^^ W-*-^ <>*? o-wJUSOl ^vx»
s^i vyjOj^ ^.c>3i ic>4^ \^3! fj:^ jJUsJl .-.Uo^s)! ^l^ '».£i^jj
e"j ^vAaS ^c^^ ^VA.jiJl ^^o
Cjjult)-* OiS-sx?. (Jw> iyc>-?. Cy^ ^^*^- ^ LAwjpl (_5^="^ ^y^iJ! C_f Jcss^
j»J* ^•iO Wc>X 8w\Ac t^ <3 J^^ OA,4ai*i> JOtAAi! (•-•^ij SUuJLO ^^l^
tfolA^l (^>A>1 JlJI >hAs=J cJ^-^^ (_5-*=^^ 20!^ cnc e54^^.
(^ <?^^^^-
Pol. 46 b O-?' (J-^^ ^hVb)^ (^lXa«A3\ 1<>A i^l^ ^^3 r»c>i> <>f« (^IXaO
Jiu^ OoLjuaJ) Ixvu* (_^ JWIaaJI ;fi>A* j-^.cVl j^vJlL (jvo J^Jl (J^.^X>
y.4Sij i^C>jS3\ LJyi} O-?^ C-*-<^V?. 0?.<>31 p^^i)-^ »^J41 ^^1 C^a^^^^aAIs
PoL47a ias^l L5i^*^^ ^y*^^ C^^^ J^by'^ '^^ C_5* *-i^?=^ t^ (J>>^^
H 2
OA.jsUc>'^ l^^ Ia^« jU-uA^. (_^.>! !io>.
i jj-Af j^ii31 (^_5^ U'*^^ Uy"^^*!
L^aJI (>a£^ Xlj c>A£^ 5^\ l^A* v.:yL;X ,^j6\ '9^^\ ^! ^3 e>**AJ^
jUaI^ '^ijjl^
^^.^^5 ^* j^-«i»3i v^/lCo (Jji^ jcjI J^ v;/^! (^1 2^v*W
5.i^»)j=\3^
^^ >^3<3« eHvAuxi! 1^aC*j v^/Ua^ vjy^lT c:>»a-> vy>\c>^
Fol.44b
^^J ^^yiJ.\\J} oJy: W*^ ^^ tJcVaa**^! (•^*.o\ ^_5X£ iaxiJl lAlji^L
jUJ^).^)! sJW^W (j>A*A^ e/^ >"^ o^iV?^ (_5* '^(jj (•'4*^ pv^:5
^cL«a^ zJ.Ai) (Jk^jo (»-XaL cJ\-AblL> zUjii^l* O^J^aT jkA5^^1a> ^»
J.4X4 Jk«<VA3) S^lXsEVS Lv«^a,sVa3u (^Uviij) *.A*^ S.X^IT j^saaJ! vo-^
cj^^yo. Uk^l^ (^biuo 144.^^ (^\i^ oii]^« c-f A.A2W 7J(j.£ \jb4.ic
<>a3! jtA^c cyJiAoy* s;^ i<>.d>lAX» LJ>V\)\^ >-*<V-^31 (J^\t> evo ^A^^
ft,il (^_y*>'>^. V.^^-4^. ^^^43^3 (J3 {Ji^Sa (J^j£i9 I^aC >-y^^ '^AiUolAiJ!
(^jduUlJ\« 20|VSSEvJl (jv-o 20.4^ CAAxAjl ^-^^^•-?. ^'-^^ ^cM-C* '>'*6^'^ Vfj-A
^^^^i pW.^! (^* <-r:>*-l^ o-^ cy^As. ».|^c)^ l4*.wl w]^l> c_>^
pc>-*Ji i__5*
eA>^ 2^* zdiLlo ^*3^U '».*^^^i (»^^.*:j^-c» tfyblLJl
LjaJfflt. pLiJi ev<» ^Usv;3! (Juo4j> _^U3l ^vAjiJL tf^lLJi l_5 ic>Jt3i
5.3
f*^U 5-»jui:> sJJi ^Ai V(j^\^ ^UjofclT 5.J (»^4^ is'j-Jti b-cv^j ^^^
y.^y(^)
(JiU o?^ c_i^y. cjH^ 0^-==^^ ^y^-? c_>/*^ '».ij^ji31 Vfj^Aj y&yo
^.cM Cj>5j-*U y^^ j^.^ ^J«i?J ia:s^3l ^4>A (^_5*^ cJU^ ev< ^/aa^ all*^
Vc>Aj OAfflrsxJ! ^^^ e>^ ^.O-^ ^-^ '^i^j-U (^5^j^l ^.c)J^ ^cM-'j
LowO C^L<» P.O o^ *-^?;>* O-i^ iaAjLU (^jm,:^.^^:^ (wi;^ OJ^.c>ji3)
^y>\ I4) lJU3 (J,* V^vJx ^a=U>3l ^(^.3L9 !c>=^- ^AA^' O^^ ^!j>^^
Pol. 41b (JJa3l ^^AjLkX^ ^KS^^ >iV*^ (J«-*^^ ^^^^^ r^>J'-^^ ^"^"^^ ;ji»As\3) (u^^
^^3^1 g-^i (yi\ j^.)j^ iJ^ <^o ^<y*e- L/' ^tVj c^c>3l cJbU
/>. .jJl ^^« tjivAr^ (^^^o,L> ^taii yi\ c)>A4-«i»^ >>*>v? cJ»/=^3l jl;^ (J^J^
_^yo3i Oy<aIS
^O^ C5^•^•*^^ 2^*^^ '^<>^ ^^ (_5* Oa^OCs* (J-s^*
t^l53l ».A>lx5' c>?i eyir^3l 4^1 oaAI ^AJtiJl Ia^U j»JCAi c>M^l
j^Av] ^__^ )f.JUJ.{jS \jk,*Ls\/0 ^*r<>l\ ^<->^^ JOlV^i '^i^J^acJi
^
Fol.42a *V^ ^/1> W'iV*^ »Jl^u.tK »j?w 4 (>A.JtAAju4 0>^ z^A^ U>yo 4^1 cVA^jiJl
».*]^ vlAil (^ly Li<3"3! cv==u«4l 5^Uji3 Iacm^c la^3Jl> i>^W '^•j;
JiJLscv.)! r»l^;sy '5.4^ 5-A>*
cV^^ ^.c)>3i cJljl^L iJ.s^4JLx,\» L^Jji:^.*
(^1 (_>s\J; L<* j^yaJl ^A-AO* cLmuJ wLiAiDl c>^« SJCJblL (>^ ^riV'^'
OA*Uxi31 i>A£ pO (^Vi ^ SOv* l)-aj4. ^^.U »r».oJ^ ic>^^ S^A* Jk^jt^. Fol. 41 a
•.A* tM>£ ^__jic o*J.s^^ sla** jJJU v^^^^ %^i (•>v^ ^>-^b5^ vLikil
^j*w3iil
c,y^^ r^^ S^^-*-? 5 ^ i?^^^ '^JCMaJL ^Ua)! *Xsv^ <*^^^ C>uw^
^«.4XsX3 e^AS\i> (JJb \-^3* IcWi. '•6Ui\S 'tKa-*^ ^a-^^ l^W^ >^-^
\-^ C_>;i> tfcvx ^__^l \^X^ {y^<sy^, ^^x3l TJ^ku31 tf^yjvJl^ 'iy^4^ss}i\
ev« sJ *^ 'i^A^)>\^ jji,o^\ evo t>^l cv* j»^l:sJl ^IT* (Ju«a* ^II)-^
Pol. 40 a (^^ (J^cvl^ O^ »«^ <:/l5' c_$i>3^ cJ'Uyi ^^^'^^'U ^s.^'^ ''\y<=^^ j^.C^"^.
C_j.w4.isv.3i
^^J^^
^*.X«j!* ji>\iiil.s=Ji 2^i;N3.sv)l ^^ i^j* 2^.31 (Jwi^cA^
p,LiJl e/^¥?.^ ijy^ LMjic)-*3i oA.> c->/*?. l^<>->£ e>^^ ^^^--^ %^|^
Pol.40b^l.^VAX<^l (^yo ^X^ c\yi\A (_i>Axo^i4 ^^/l/^L ^^.^liil (Juvs:VA3i evo ^A^
^^1 «U4 oubU w^^ ^^i jjjiwj X4.SSJ: ;s3 t< «^4-\31 ^As^ouJli
».a.4% li^A-Ul 4^1 o.>l cyl5^3i 4..il e>.a>-i eiob^ (^L>^lji3i >.^i ^^^i
G 2
(JoyLs\3^ tsTlsU^ ^\ (..5^ (J^<S^ W'^-^-* LJ^U (Jfy^^ 0>^
0>c>3^ P*-I^s3^-^
^3«0 f^ jJ<:uO CJliUv^ ^L^C Ui^ ^yA? (J^^^-=s^>yo
j%v^l
^^_^ (J>^aA IAjaIsO* C_J;»?UU OA-^ 2^A^« L^C>^d cJUoO
cJ^aIsvJ^ LiisU^ '»-*A-? \-^^<3 f*LMi4^ NXI* *.^ 2WlA^ OA->^ ^^-^Ai iJ(J.A*tJ^
(^K^ y5« U:^4J» i^X^j~^.0 (^lXu04 (J^a3) v,^^j* (^_^A-s\3) 2^^ ^JsC
t>c>*3^ (^» (_y,^Axu3i (_^\X3i i^C^ e>«^! cxcUo )s3«*31 »^L> (^^yLi^
^^i cy^*^ C5^'^- b)^ <^j-^- ^ t*? c^^^ <>*^ V^ Juic »^3j>
I^-J * ^J'-^ /Pl ^yy!wJi ^^^
jjjl^ ^xixxU N^UJ! 5.AuJ! ^ jou5}.L33 cJ^l ^_^» ^r,UaJl U;s51 ot>£
ji.xtVAAi' l^^^^^l y4.a>.l O-ua)) f^^^ W^*^ '5.AAu3l v^lo ^^9^ (^jjjJSm.^
e/Jkc e>->l ^^;.Aju\-> *->l ev?l 'i}j(j^\ (.3*^ ^yyi^^ W^'t^^? C~^^^
(j^t>b> c\-y u'Jl t)-^4«i»^ jf^t^^ C^-iV^^ (_5^^ sJyLo (yXs. cVa-^1
[II. 7.] G
Uiiwl o^«b>;s)^i Ui! ijli* e>A:2>- ^^i iLajuuajI i^^ilT zwtA^l vc^^^
(J^aaT (^1 ^-i^^v?. cJ^xii^i A.-?! ^yyi*3^ Ub^.*^! 2^/JIji31 j^aa)] c:^! j ;^^^
l^kl^ W-*^<Vr5 CM^^ &^J^ ^^^ J^iLoiil ^1 i^\ I4J J.4^ Ulv^^i
Ui! aLvJ;^^^ ^ '^jj zCaJUUw^I c>U3 oc cJt^ sUuaASOI tso^ j.ks:\3 Pol. 38 a
^Aa^ ^c* ^»-XCo S^a4^ 15^5(3 v-^* W^ C>-«Jk** ^'^ P''^^^ ^^' (_5*
e>AXw* (^t'^ 2^^^*** ^)-*-^ >4-*^ C_5* '^<3^ ^^^ ^b?? JOicJ-vilit)!
Pol. 37 a (•-vv^ t;^ (^1 L-^JCoA^ W^ (^>w!c>-*3^ ^^5 tc/'cM^' ^~^^=^v?. 2U)Uaaj
jUJDL (_aA~». ^LiU Cfi^i! 5^A^ (J^^^5 ^^Uaw J! ^c>l^ (^_5>>i^ (_^AJiiokJi
SjU^ C>-i^ (^>.a:2w ^1 J'.iatJb l-^Af aJ (..^xi^xXJi (;>^ ^v*^. SJ»^ c><S**U
«Loiu 5.x340 c_f|;-»i'U v?/r*3i ^•jozscv^ t^(j^ \jLiJU jl^v^ jtli L_5c>3i
5;^<>> ^bl eJc>31 5jVsVA^ jJJ^ ^^! ^li sJ J^<>aX^ <Jlil oUlj
-,c>i> c>-* 'i-^j^'^\ 'i.i^ssS\ ^i «c3yl-o '2j.xuaa5' v^^ilf 's.xli »^1 '^ajo
oi^ lo^ 0^\ p;lAl <_5->^ ^A]J ^yi J^a^^^yi 0>1 g.yi3i ^\
<j:^y^i ^s:ui e:>4.;4S3i esxu^ ^a:^ CLU ^^l5^ ^Jx^^l zCaX^ J^|Fol.34b
4^1 aUuAAi' Ajt}\ >'t ydyO 'ij^jSi^ ji.<juAAO ^.^i=»- i^\ ^.j^ o?^ v^koLll
C>->^*«*3i Cy-?^
*^-i>^ T^ ^"^^
lsXV< (j>^l 2U*cvl t>-AJUv ^vA^l IA^-^^C Ua/0
F Z
i^\j\^.4^s\}\ i^\ Lao?.! {^(jjS^ i3Ia:s^3^ oUT <>4<i« J^^^iii * J^AJi^ e>^^^
^\ i^yjJ^\ <>s:u«^ (J^-?^-i^ Wi<>5^ ];-4.s^3l (_y.-^ (_5^*^ O-?^ «ol4.w Fol. 32 b
IkwJi |;.4-s\3i c>^ 2J5^cV^ O^^ cJ^.c>^ jda^ Uo Ia^>s^« i^j^\ ^jLaJUo
C-J*AsOl (>^sx«j^v^5 ^-5^^=^ L/^^-^^ L_:5;-^sx^ (•'^^ ^•*-* e_r^ ^y^-^ L/^
(JaaJI i^yo TiSjy L-c* 1^.4.3:01 j^^Ut i^yo j^lf U^ L/V^ C_>5^wj ^\ Fol. 33 a
L^i^l^^ 0<j>is>. cV:=».4;cll fS\jM^\ (_fjjJi,Ch^\ jJl:> y^\ 'i-«A-? ^^>^J j/^-^i^Wj
\jfc;«Usv.i. ^I5]j ju^ ^<v3i Lu»a31 ^»^o e;\-5l {J^\ (>^ c>^^ ^./^'^
Fol.Slb 2^.3 *c)J! 2Usl-2*. ^j^JIk>\ jX-s.^ cJj<a5 "J'l^Ai Lnwc>-N ^~^^rS ^^^^ C>i^^^
t>.AJl>uJl 4iy\j>iJi (_^3! iJZ>\Sj^y\ »Ji\ jJti.' »-Aii».0 (_>^mju* (J.4.V. (^5 ^^5^3
Ia^5^ ."•<>ill ^*>NA-5^ '-iX^s. <>>,c>-s\3 <Jl=w (^_5i^ JL>4A<Sw o^l^^-sviil ^^\
(J^ c3/^]^ e>^U ev^ c_5^=^ ^^'^ c^*^ c5t>3^ ^^j pt>#
Pol. 32 a (.^iJa (J-^.^ (^lvA (yX j->^^ (JliLu! o*xf^ Uil j»^L>U o]^s\3i
(_>."^l.sJl o-v L^-aAc jJ>\(jJ\ OAsasvJl (Js^lo c>^ HxaJI L_f Jl2w
(_>*Oc)Jt3i
^^^^ jUuA-iT sJjir^* VOji]^ (^^i4^^1 o?^ ^Ajl-srvA/O (^1
^^a) ^^^ J! 2U-CU.2*. (j>A"iUjuA31 (^A^ 2btAA3l yt>^5 '2^^3i ^^Lats^ Fol. 31 a
^> p,Uai-Pl tM-*^! evo tvsy: t/^U 2^*^ vW* c>^^^ U^-o
(_,a.a)sao cS*-^b^l ^yyi*3^ »^c>-? (KXAL^ftUi 5^h^^ KJic>>Aolji3i ji.i^s=Ji
_jL^l.
Fol. 30 a i^SjM^ ,^3X\ <^6 ^<S^>^ e/^ NA*^ O^r^'? 2U** ^bUu^« »^^! tft>-c
jLuv^yy^! (J^iXjL zj.aaJI V<3^ j^c jjsxJl LJc)-** ^^^^ (_^^ V^^cS-?
O-?^ L^^ V?^ ^c)-?.c)-sxX> *;CAi !<_>^ zuUlo} '5.AA^* tJ^aOI 2i.AAA3l
^__^ ^4.4.jsvo CJIaaX* j.^:i^\ isJfSS {jS/0 p^^ cj^*-^^ i^/iV^l '2^<J^
rol. 30 b (^^l (^>w4J>,Jk/o c>a4j<j*3! *ouo\.^ (_^,ma>. ^3«Lit< J^aXc* ^<3-^ C_5vS\a31
5^4 2^ JLvO (^IajU^ ^^ CylilAAJl (jy< iJ(_)X J^Ai* C>vi--0 (_->Va^ J^.lS^^
{^yfi^^ ^^) yi^ ^yyi»3i JkS^U^* JLvsyia tevisxJ *JOt>^ (xv*^ *^ j-^-?
tvJisJ! o*^i 5-^1 (JaI '5J«c>3! Job! (_^ jJJl 5w3Jl \t>5yc» cm^sx^
^AjyCiXS^ FoI. 29 b
C5c>3! e/^^ ^^ tf;iaAi3L> j^,.^^!
<-?/*t^ (^^^^ j^-^^l
(^^ 1^341 cMc o^l j^LoiA >.j^s^ ^_^ UfcU^ Ocs^ ^»Ay> '^jjuaaT
j^^AKm ^-* 2kXA4^ '^j^ (c^s^-^^ (_->**^^ 2Luv-oL*uiJU QjLAj^_«jjJlJl
'^ajuaaS' UaJ»l iassOl ^<>4-i« OtMtJl ^^i (_j>,AJtw»* (^-^V^ ^^5 ^-^^=^v?. ^-i^
Pol. 28 b vjjiaC Ouu^lsEvJ! 4Jfc« ^^>>\a.«j.j^a)| 'liLsaJl (>^ cV-^JCatLl iJ»Axo c:>cV4jki«
^l^Aoi vjo^ Jda]* ^! e:>L?J4 1 tfcvc (^ vj<a^ (Jolxdi olxT c>«4*i'* (J^j^*
[|»i^4>c] ^_^lc t/^fc^b^^ (^-^ |^c>-^ (»Xili ^^.xa/o LaA^ l*,v=>yOuul juc
i*-*^
j^4 v^IaX-oo *Xili ^,j«a\> iaAi^ *Xaa3«1 sJJl jJJi ^Ij |»i C_n3t51 ^^j;^ o^
j»4s:uuooU j»^U^j)! p^l JLajJI (J\J <>^»sx^ ^1 (..^IjlI^ e>-?^ j-*-^ o-?^
(JLlxJL l-w^l ^^>>o (^^1 ^1 '»-A*^-? OAJi^ l4> (•JC^^. o-» Jl (_^» Fol. 27 b
\-^A.3l ci^yi ^o^ 2w«aa31 p^cwJ (^i '^A-LuJI ^jX^\j i^:^'^\ p.^
{J\ jjci^ (Jol^d* olxT c>-^-*i' (J-^ *-^5-^c3-l^ lasOU JaSlacJl
^^
(jv^ i^Jj) '».I*^ L/^ ia\ii3l (jv^ cMv ;^il4.*u4.^ W^* W-^ 2^^
iLi^ (JlLi- j^\ (^^^ ijyo ^-jr^^. i^^ (^^ tfjU^ ^ »<iXV^^ olj^sJi
1^15'* jtf^AAull c>->C P^b)^ ^^^•^ ^-^^ c>-*^l (^yv^ JiaXi) \cySi^ 'j^lc
E 2
Uaxw vAJLi SvaAc >^U T^jj^-^^^ ^_y^^^l
^ ^c>l I
»^^*aI^ l>-?^ _;-<V^^^
^^lia31 i_^O.St}\ tf(>Ax»Jl UXoo *.^1 (__^X£ 2WtA.3 Wv4^U ^^^V-^-? C>-^^
eKP ^-?y^ c>-^b5^ y*>j c)"^^)^ py. L5* |-*^<S*31 (JliLol Ou^j-Ioi U.ilFol. 26 a
TJ(>A JaX-<»« L/^i^ '^^ (_5^ ^"^ C.3;-^. J^JtyyJi ?f(>^ v^^ 2uU.»ju^a^4
l.4->
LM^b)^ '^j<y^^ **^i/r^ (J^iy3' (^^'^^'^^ c_5^
s^y'^ sj:i>~jjCi> /^^^
<J^ji3! Uip-t^ «^l-5:Ji ^'^r:^^ cJ^*3l -•t>-«^ ^••^ |;-*.sJl iy^ CJyi}V^
(^]y*jj e>A.a/^ _^U1 l^j LiioL L^iy^w* e/^v?.c>3^ c>^ j-x=^ (^^U
Fol. 25 a (^_^\ ^^^\ p-b5^^^ 1*"^^ ^Ir^b)^ !4>4AU 'sJUwA^i* (j>>v»ajul>« ^^
^v<^l (^\ {^XXKS^}\ ^^\ SJs^Jl ^VAjiiJl 'SjA,^] jkAA^i (jV** (-->;.i3l^
'^Ajj^ _^ A,^ai> jef (^^y^ 'ijjiiXjj ^Ju\ i^lL\> (_j4^c)-? (xv^*ii j-fy^\
e:^l5^! A.^U iJ».A4ju> (^il ^sxiJi (^^1 i^lUl c>^.<_vw (>a3u«J1 ^y>«^i
Pol. 25 b iLUiAl^ c>?^-^ e>4^^ o>^j e>^^ s^^^ ^^^^ (^^ c>*-^!n5U "^o^^
(^U^ ^^J^
o>LLa3U O^Ukill I43 ^^^,*>Xw!« \jt>yij^ <^t>>=?^ ^-^
^_^31 \^ 'i^iW «/0 pj-ill cJbJ^^^^jj^^ j*^^ ^i/i? ^J'*^ iJolxJi
[II. ;.] E
VJJLil* JLs^Jlft^w ^^ydij»* JkA^C A^kO* SJ^ L^J^iAi KCa^JXL^ ^^W3 ^j
tf^JoiiJi B-Jjb (Jy^ (j\S OS^ jC>*-isxlL> j^ .^1 «[;-sxl! ju.f * [.jjiAiLl! Fol. 24 b
Cf»j (^^U:^ * * *
^^ yb* jlaIc 2^4jikX-o 'jAIalL »Aa.s:J1 (J^.cM-*-?
^\y^ (J^^ ^t>A t_^^ tf^lii31 (__^1 J0>04^« V04JLV3 ^^yJU^ ^__^ 2U^U
o*.s:0> aaIu 2^* (^^ 2^/^ i^^^-*"*^ JUiijU) (•-^^ 5^^. U^ c>.^wi (jy
^<>3* jjoJi.Uai.Jj (J^ *(c;W*^-? i**^^ c>-^^ {,J^ J-"^^ i}-^'^ LJj^\
l^UxU vjO^ O^^ (__5ic 2^A*L*j^ |KU»J t>< c3^^ (J.^*^ * OiV^J-*-^b^^
ia^iJi ;^CU» *.xwW •.l^A^-oo (^_54x;s)^ i^^ O-i^ ^yi (j>^^ pVa*. c>?^
5^l.^:u ^^4.-ux:>« tfjli:*. iav«j* (^» e>^^ j^2Ev3i tjl^^u*!) (_>ua^^ L^"^
tf^UJL j>a^^ i^j^\ i^Uc (^\ l^^lii^^ W?^ d^^^j W-^ t^^^
Fol. 24 ao**r*C>-«3^ '5.JtO <'{jy4^f^ cJ^^ l^A^-wj '5^1^ I'V^'^^
L>^ ^<V* t_5-*^
^^U S^^AsJl (_5^^i ^/^'l^il j»~AJajC j^Ajai OA.AJ0I C5c>^ o-?i O-^^"*^^
^Ui.(3 cJlJ! cJD! ^^pik£ Uil (^^^^^ (>AAi! juxx» ^^^^U?.c> (Jl31 (JlII
0;s)! y.av».^ (iM-U^ o^^ o-'^^\ o-^. (^_5^ (j^Ux5! ^^^ ^.LsJ
^^y^
(^1 c:>^-Xi|^ Ul3l cJ^! 's-jo^l (JUov?. Cy-?^ ^rV^*r». <>?. c_5^ '-^^^
^\jb,| ^yAXt^^ ^\(yi ui3i (Jl)! e/^^ ^J^ J^i 24^^^: U^ ^^1
CV (^ (^-^ <J^ (^5^ ^->^^ C>*^ L-J^i Ob5^ ^'^^ j»As\3! ^iUj>
(JX^ (>ijUJ>0 fh^^ ^j.^A\ (__5^1 C5^J (-5^5 0^/^5 '»J<w 5.AW
(^^£^ evs> (_Jy4>ssX\ ^J\Sj jo^ <>-^ cJX? ^^ V^i^ ^^^ I^lv^^
l^JL^L ^xs^^ c>y^^\ i^^y:^ t>c la^UL^Ui.c> (JiJl {^\ jJi^ Uil
Pol. 22 b (^ol* (_^£wUo (Jjii/<' c>>\ 0>V>^ vkssJU tf^laAJjiL ^A^zkJl (^jS.
o*^ o^! otjljsJl (^\ c^^sS' (yji\ i^Clo (>.>! (^li j-A,-** e>->i jCcLsv^
o^«3L o-='Ia31 e>-?\^i: i^\ 'sSjMzA.}] bNj5^^Ui*.U j>.jiaa3^ ^a-^ c^IaT
(^UsX> (_j;-»^. ^AD*^ >.<l^ L/^5 2^^==^ jJii^ jkJUwJi JS.A00 ^c*
j^aXc iallxtjuiJl (J^l t_J4>A:^ c>J5 «/* (^_5^-»^-?. ^?^c>'^^b)^ ^^-^^^-^ Tol. 21 b
JUi«* '^^(3 (^^^ C_5^ ^"^^^ O^i^ 8*A* V./0 pwUX^L W^AC Jk^^^a
^^pa^o Cy-^ Cjr^'^^ ..«>"*^ *^S ».IaA£w obj^l ^^"^^ (^,Ia>c>.^ jUajo
^^^^ e>->i c>-A*w c>?! sJJ^ <>>£ U>Ua^^lA?.o (JL51 ^_yl5i V^Xi^ai^
OAAoa 'ij^ O^^'*^^ C>?^ ^Z-*^ '>"?.^ i^c)-'^ J^ W.t> c_a31 cJ!^)^ 2^^^
^^\ U-^>^ U e>A,4A*m ^^j^o^ o^Xaw ?^<>-^ 2^^ 0'>.cj^j4^ '»-*^^U
^UJl Li^i>*3! 53<jJUj ^-V^^ c>A^i J-^^^^ r»^S "^ cJj-*^ L/^
1.4^ A*X.yfc i^v>'-^ O^* (Jv-"^^ * i,>aXaajo ^ IsvA) ! lJUvaJi JI'Va'! ^>yiJi*
^VAoUxll /S;^AiO lbt>AJU^ (_JyXs^ *-a)\J9'^\ j^\.j^ oa> l-A^i C5^ jj£^
(-JLo*Ji CJL><>>iaJ^ ^A^i* *.>^,*3^ tf^lk)! tJ(>AxiJi« ;>uvs\J\-> ^4^
^A«jyo c>^=^^^ (.^^^ l^vjiJl ^yl yc> iurs . (Jwii* ^-J ^iV^ rl^l?
Pol. 21 a cJ^^i^ U-^i O?^ ^^ (*^^^ L5^^ ^^^ "^y ^^-^ ^^^ cJ^'^
D 2
evo '^ysi^\ JaSlsi. 14^ ^^P^ JWilaib ^^^Xa^ c<>joJl S^C) e*-^
(J^asvA3« j^cUx/ ^IcV*-^ »^c3 O-*^^ ?Jc>-^^ (_-^;lixnJ; j^l ^^C> v\»3
(;/l<>U3^ o^ tA^ (^9 U^Uix?. o**a3* L-o^U v^til e>A-? '>>-W ^^'UJk/o
jjCuo (JwA^^aC 1^1^ (>^sva3^ lSaac \-4AAi (J5b <>^^ Ws^c>^l (__5* Cm*>J*
Pol. 19a (Jyv.^UL Ia'^! ^L<iLi* ».ju!vc '^.^AaiJI 2i.AAA3i w»-aaj.j ey^j^ jOlCm-^
^4^jiJL eM.iuJJ s;.^Luii.« ^sjCUJj j»Ac 2(J jJJj r^W^W l**^ <*?]^^ y**^
^__^xJl jou^ evo (JOL.UJI (_^s\3C>* joUiksw* >^3Jl}] fSs. ^^9 l^xT
^4^ tflxac (^t3U ^^^y** sJ^^l |jy^4iJb4 ^^^jivo ^j^\ evc ^5CooU
[II. 7.] D
'^Jt^Aji ff(>^3^AlkJi yc)-»tv'>^ U^v^JSO *^1 ^c-*.-^.^ o»»A''^4^. cJ~<s4-«J*^
^J^ '5.*A-? I^xkaL (^jjukii^^^ L_£,»^ [»-iV^^l cy^V^-ii^ »-*^ U^V? C_£;-'
c^Jlso (^1 LJtvv/O (J^» c>i^ W^^ UbljUi d^^-srvi jJ '^A^N^ IaLi>
L^^ j-^^ c?-^-^^ ^^^^-^ .y^5 *^^ ^>^ (_5^^y^ c^i^U '^-syixJU
jUauJ! p,\j-i oc>£ i^j^ oaXo.^* ^Xw« jj.iL*.xAi 2w ^^^^Sh.!^! 'io^^ jjclto
l^A^J^i (^^ cJ^b)^ Wc>Aj^Wt> cJtJi W^ir^ py. J^^ jy j^^ Pol. 18 b
V^X^^^ 1^,<L» S^JU^ • e/^«^^ »^*-U^ l^-^fa.f (JJ^j^. SJi^S O^Ij 5JM)4
^;>aX\w tf^^^c>J> ^/4>^ 2^b5^ 5.AxkJl i^i ^^ L^iU ^aJ l^il JLU>
Fol. 17b ^vjL (>>0 L^ i^L<^3l> ^_4.ajuO JtAo*.^ '-J^V^ tfj\'5\"s. )~^ii^ (J^xa*
tft>AJuJl *.vjo!
^__^ L^3 ^^y^S'Us^Ji ^i;sJ.s>Jl ^__^ U>Uj l>3^ eviv*-^ (^i
t>A4jiJl j^^;^!
^^_^ Ma^ ^^-jyo4.^ b* ^^^-sv^il ^^^ic (^y*>j L_^<3-*^1
Fol. 18 a «c>AxiJJ tfcV^-U j-^\ OaXAjO* ^^^y.^i (^^lwOjaJ^ cUsv-jiJ! *-Alax)i
l^iJl (^_yd! 3u;»;r ^_^* ^->"jj^ H^,jioi3L> aujii* 5Ji3l olxf i^^^-^j
l-^t^i
oL^l 2UiU>i e>4^X>. t>A4JsX3U [JjiU C->U5o 2COl>» \i)l C^lxT lIo^JFol.l7a
5^4,A34 ^L-c» (34.^! ..Z^*-^*' ^<^* ^-*^ J^-lUI VO^ ^:svs\31 J^-i^.tM*
f^jL> jmjS. >.Aaj^ 0^1^5^ O-^ ^^^^^ r*^-^ '>.i!4^x^^ <.y*^5 ^yj«a^
CyyS^yO LJAs\^ cXl/^ ^^^-^ '^'3^ ^/^W. ^ (^^^^- L.^cSaM ^^JJ
Pol. 16 a vU^l C^b)^^"^^^ (.>«J»i3l ^.^ <^^ v*' ^_s^ (J'^j ».'aX^ Lj'^\j^^ o^b)^
^^3 U^A^ oJyo (Jyi. [J Cd^J yt> e>-?^U *^l>-^1 ^*^ s-^ cjlaaa^ (Jyi.
;s)! f^ jj^ ^U poT ^cv3 (jvo 4>^1 ^^. b) L/^ cvi^]^ u^csii3!
(J zUsUsw ^yS^^ c>->Jic^ (^U ey^ll l4> (^svXjuO. JUkck. ^.x ](j\
cJ^ 8^-?^ (JV* <3«^^ "^^ ^-^ <-^yii ^ C,>^y^-^. »^^ L^J^.
^ JS.AV (Jy^c>^]j »:i\^j^ ^\^'^\ ^.^^jAJ> 0-=*^^ <-^^ ^^
UjjuCi. sd^ p«L>\ i; *-vs ^ ^ l)^J L>=^ ^HS*^ S)^^ r*0\ uiXs^
C^«J;* ?^c)»^ oA\X3^ ^^J^-^ O-^^^^ |-«y. 2^nAc 0«^t)--«-?. ^(J-^\ i^^=^^
^_^y. ^^^i^^ l^A* (J^v?. {J\ u^v^A> Ji.JU^ (J^ 's-A^l '^.iilL |».w^
(JU^\ c>^ (•^'^ (J^ '^^^l 5.i^ ouut>Jill ci^UJl ^/l suxT^ ^«Ai4
^_^ JO*]^ C,>^^. ^'^ 4_5^ cJo-?. Lic>^^ <lJb5<->^^ ^-*^^ 0*yv4ju^0 2>.*uAAr
suixjb yt> <J^*=^5 '^^cvil^ s^a^a)! oj>x5^ (J^^i-b^^ cJy^* ev<» p*^. (J^
Fol,
^__yAjici ^Ja^ l^iLIxv cJ^i* ^A^ sJ '^-^/^ ^ <-^^ JoUaax/ (^» 2S.JLUA;,r
^aaJ w^l JoU-Uv. ^^Ma^ <c^^ (c/^J^i lc>^ /*^ sJ L_5>^3 [•-^•^. *J Pol. 13 b
C)>i^i Ji/U OjjUI {JfyjS^ C5*"?5 ^-^^3! p*'/^^ SUx/J^ ^1 ?fc)->. (J"^^
(^•^SVO
r^/^5 TfJ"-*^ C>^ l"*^ <w^<3^ >A-*-? Jil'ijl* L-0 t>A4^1 (_5^^^^
Juls^-VsU yb JO r%\J»U ^Jaii3! w>.0 S^yyi; '^/jTjJti i^r^ L/i (»^ l^<3
l^U^^ J^sv^. L/^ J-> b5 W? jy^ O^^ L^J ^J^\ ^Jj^ o^Oi
j»Xuxa3 2u3l 5^V^ b'iv?.^ 1^*^ 5^U '2^.>)<>-i^iN)i ev« '2i.A^l iSJ^ia-?
sJlsw ljCA»il Ijl sjOUU ^^^. ^-^^s*"^ »j«^* z^^sJ^Li s-^i^j;* 5-^y^
[II. 7.] c
^Jl *^r^ y.^cJ'i-l^ Ji\j'<^\ cJjUxi. e;^ J^i Wy^^ uuiiAL
*J4l;j> ^ jj ^-"juf i^\ c)-x^ Uu>jU3i (.ivo (^s^nXuO jj* sJJl ^.y^ (_isx> Fol. 12
i^<>J* ^>^^S^^ 3^^ suui-o (^b o^^r^ ^5*^^ ic>^^ Liw i<>4^ r^^^5
Id -*\Xaci (C-?' ^^^' ^^
sJ*^** jxjjiiJ 5J^=>- ^* 5^31 ju>o ^^> 'i:iA±>] j».Alaji3l (^,;Aojji31 c)»*jw^^
5.joi» (_>;^ (.y^^^ (^-^ y^ L^c>3^ (^Uoa)^ '^.a^^^ ^_5> ^a3^ o^=^ ^
Fol
(»^ b)^ (^^-'^^ (^ji^ 5./oc>.ii:> ^^9 cj^xs ^j (^^^ ;s3j )k^'Sj
(^4,53 (^1 l/ol 7J^^ ^^^^sX>_ Iac^ LoAsrv^ i^) t>JUt> {j\ ^^\ *.4Aa3
evC cJ^^ eio\-*
i*"^
^^=^^-=^ L/^ L/^ ^1^ (^*3\-s:v*i ^ j^^-o
*
In the margin u-i^-J xl* L« s.::-^* ^JLc J^liJ! ^UJl t,^^- ^
J^.-».
* -J^vAmAO («?' '*^<v.«aOi ifti , \.i •> If
e^^
t_5c>^^ U/^^^ (^^ ^o^ <j^yo ^^^'^ j^-O-^^ L>«*aS^^ C->^ (^^^^
^VAMjb ^(j O^^ 2^-*r* L/^ ^^'-^ ^-fy^ (J^**^. t>^-*^. ^ 5^^ ^--^^^y?.
(Jo«ai Js^l l4>4^ ^(^^ (^\ <^^* 5.iiiL.L iijOj J^atii s^iOyz ^ jJ
^^(j4^ j^i Ja^^ 1^4-?! c>-"juri.4 o^cS-^^ (Juvs\i^ I j_^Xc sJ^SJcsxXw^ Pol. 10 b
5^U^1 c>-^5^ cJ^^^ cj^^^ '5.xu4^ yt,\jji_ L-0 l<>a. ^^^r ^^ o^3L
NAjLo^ ,£ji:uS\ caXO («^jJ'. (J^ si^sj^j joLyiL ^^ oljj* ^W* (J^
y^ \J\ «c>5Vl\ p.*jjs^3U sjJaJj o>.s:o l^-s ^_^^ e>«^^y*^^ jJCUj^JS I/O* Pol- 11a
^ Effaced.
*.^yO V-MJlXuik4) /•v^aaajo (^y^ (C*^ (C* IAa^JU Oa-^JO l*.^J.^aijO [j]
jkiLttl zUuaASo J0.^i3^ ^^^ SLaJI ^iki 2u)ia>. S.3 ^,yyuO. ^^1 t^^,^^^3!
jA»i 2U-V^1
d^'^^ ^^^ CS'*^ ^-^ ^^ ^^ l*"^^^
'^ (J^^ '»-^j^bJU
oil l-^ e>^ <^^ *^ 1*^ jP^^l 2Ua3 i^y^-^svS 3^U si^N^wiko (_>jui»3l
^vaaLI i^yo Uj.^ 2oyol Uil ^.L> ^^\ ^:i.j£LjS\ 'i-^s^ ev^ ^s)>r*
^
crX?.^ t;U>|^b3^ lt>44iJJ joU-ui* oAJuui jUaa> ^^yyik/*! ^^4;»i, ^ i^<3^
JLjtu3i (^1^ (_^jjjj\ ^*li* OtoJcViJ* Ua** isl-yccN lJiAjouI sSac^ (J3
(_^>AJlAjjo4 (^^-^31 4.A4 ^.i^5»-*^. Uil ^.>jJaJ^ Vb^'^ ^y*^ C_54^^ 2Uv-c>-*l^
jUaa31 c^^JCy j>.JLiuix3 JLtujb (_jy£^ [»S SJiki* jLstv-o* «^^li 0(JJl3i
^^
yj] (__,;iKjU)i»}] ^Ji *i
rt^^ <-^ VlVaC l-*JL^ JuXf ^Alli (^v^ Ub^AC*
5JCAk.^O Cyl/O (_y^l.53J (^^y^c! v<S*^ ei^Lo (^L ^^l^j3i cJ^^-^. L/^ ^
^^/ly. «^Lu3\ (jv^ HxU-ss. s^\ ^^Xr^L 3J4J lyuuo^* sla31 (.^aa.^^ UL^
(^4 ^IaX4^ ^yv*^^ y^ (JIa)J A^ lJc>3^ l/^ ^^ C^y^:^ |^^<^W^.
Jti/o* jLaXAI^ cJ>.vo *^*jtw J^»^ /<* (_>jL«iJj ^vuki* jw:U^ |».^^< Fol. 9b
(^^Lo^U (J^aaJi. jjj UAsJL 43*^^3^ '5.ilXs\3i Uil (J^^ '^ilXscJi (.y^
II -svXao (e-?l ^^JuJ) ^^Xi
Pol. 8 a (^sAujix*.:^ 4 jWt*jUL>4 lJu! 2oL-o 2LXA>j^»,ir4 cy-JV^-^^ KjOWi «-ai.l4> {^)J^jl<^^
Pol. 8b "i^l»«t»»'s. ^^_^i3^ ^^^^ cv^=^U y^5 'i^\^ (^juiyvux.^ t_J4^Sh.^Lb.c> »-«iuc
B 2
-a-Vao (c-?' ^ajjUi j*=^^i •>
iyy<s}\ ijyo i^C>S}\ C_->*^j o->i cJLw4^. (>>.l)-3^ ^'^^i^ 2iXU^« 5.1)1 j^V>
lJl31 e>>vXw yl>« i^j o^^cvalU ^^>tf2^ yfcl^ (^^pUa^s=J! ^^^ iJolii*
J^Lo.o eNi^jLJjL U3l oA.*^L li3! (^yi3i (^sAiUi* c)«^l 5.iUx.vK; ^•jiS'
^. ^ ^UJi. ^>..
OlAcli juJi ^i>ii31 (Juo3 Uv-o 2wolj<all j^^lz*. ^^^Xc ISyi j*4^ (_>w>^|«
-.o vi^i ^1 r*"^ W-?W r*'^^ ^6^^ j^aiuaaOI c>>4"> i>A-? oaXuxaaWI
Li<3Jl (__5^b)^
fl/^ 9^j(J^\ ^^ ols^A^l e^o !^\ j^Oj (^y^l (^U-uil
^Oi »J*c>Ji ^U5 '^U e>ft> ^^/ITs^^^jj iiil:sv.)l j^l^^ V^.jj {j\S
Fol. 6 b jOi (J^^ ^ <5*"^- (^ ^_^r4^^ ^^j<a2w joL (^J^^l jUu^A^l ^^*^ J'<3J,1
C^i^Uo U-cvijC^
Fol. 7 a
5^J LS^J^'^ ^^i«>^ L5'4^
'5.::i-\.-^
Oe^b^^ (•.3
'
^JS:^\.
^ Effaced.
[II. 7] B
cJ-^^i p»v?. ;_5> C:/^ U^ cU^ a^xujb M ^vO e,£^jPU ol^bjl jUuaaT
tj^nJjl:^* V:;UisvJi jl> ^l> (_.aaL oO/j 5^* \^^ U4Xa^v.a,s« ^^*j O^^
^_^i.ikA»c)Jl
J^ o?.<>3l l^ ^Aii31 Jl cju>j|^,.s^3l \ycu3 Ua^^^ j»^Uic^
wA^^! I^Ia/o c>(J^^ \-aJ1 j(.iiAX3i3l tf^>>v^! zwiaJI voJi auiir (_<*]/-^
^/« »JUcs31 (^yU= ^wuiJI (J<4^ iDj cy^b)^ c*^) f*W? '»^c>3^ c>A*^
Fol. 5 a ^_y e>.A*AxiJL (^UJl yfc* O-u»/0 ^il i^-^^^ioJl C->^^ V^aJ! ^;j«n:^
2^U>:^« (Juols\A/S> W^^ J^xuO (Jl*AjoU 5^.*-*>^ L-iijkJoi V.^^^wO l-^U C>c)Jt)\
Fol. 5 b r*^\^ ^iS^ c5y> J t^cj cy^ es'^^^^ s^iilj i^Si^, ^ ^j) ^^-^^^
(Jlj« jc>*4.^ (j>£ UiA^ j<.4>x5'i (^-^^ sJ cyAiJ (_5iVA3\ e;»5j> i.:>>l* <>^=»-U
OLo (J« 2JJUo^L> p,c>^ c>* Tfj^O o^-iV*^ oo3/* cJlsvJl lt>A^^;j0^1
\<>A <Ji>li j7s.jLs\3! bl ^U-X2i.l t/^ *-? 2CSU4* |-,UiJ! ^^1 M^^
'^
Ur^fcji jUuaaT ^^ ^^^5^ j_5* c:>lA>j\c>-i3U e:^! Ju^aJl j^U^ (.>ui3i
»^»-^ ^(j-S^S U> ^^c zU^.^*) 5j^s^^ «yl>lia3| rio-fiJM}\ swto ^ (^^cMJlLI
^.c)^U Iaua3U JUsi^l (^vK> (;>^5)^ zUilia (j>^ 2«:U::^ 1^3 ^**JCsv3* '^\
Pol. 3 b jU^!*-; ^__53i ^>y^5 'is^JUo 2Mi*A£ ^^ t<l^j p»li^ *i (J^j^ i*^xJ)*^ls\\L
lt>^ jd3i (Jk44^, [J* e^U^ rrliwU yc> '»*"^ zU^a^.^^ (_Jljos\3i j^i^ \Jt
vbCO V«c)-uxi:^ l^Ji*' (^ir^ l^ \jjjiJLrC 2^.43^1 (_,A;<X3l-i UaaS^ \-l\-c \jJb\S'
(J*.i3! ic>^ L/^^ Lux;31^^l.so sCi\ sue IJlii (jlwU3\ (j>a^ (J^.*.sv3^
(_^y\^.tH 2a3.;N3i
(^ pW.b3^ u^ ^^yM <fyj^^ ^cy^ c^^
v^J\j» Jsa)! L^a^ajo^ 2M~>.«% iJjLsx^ eyblLJ! tfcSAxiJl jwt/o .Ac (^^c>-*Jttl
uuL^r (^IT jsT^ vLxJi i<3>-*5 (^y>^9 'soWAu^rs.* <>aXuu« JwLij!^ z^Aju ^-i
^iUs 3U^' \J^^Uo ^^!' JailsJl sJ^sw ^ J^xsvi (.i ^aAJSI Fol. 2 b
»^<3 (J^ ^_^ 5^ A^JCsOa O^Ol yoiJ -J! 5wA.3) ^aosx^: e>(yo4>-8->Ll!
cVaC *.S^Ui- (JVC j-?.C>3i lc>^^^W^*-*5 0"^ "gJl-^.UV »J^« (_;>AJL>^L *>_,!
4^^^ 5^:^-^ C/^ (J^^ C5-^t^ UuL.ft.iU=. l^Xsvii- '^^] f^C 143^ Uc-
[jL^ 'iJuoKf^yX^ i^y« JUs, (.jLAA/olsJi c>->^l r*y>. (c* ^JV^J^^ cJ-ssJt! 3^3 Pol. 3 a
[•-Ax/l (_ysC *.aXwj«^ />'-'^ zUuA-ii' itAJ* ji^O'^ l_«iol 20\ ^^^5 t>Mb)i
OSVi (^\j I/O ^^^y^^ '^^3l (>4>^2k. * K^ voo a^l A^ i^jAKfSj^^ {jM>(SjJ^
'
Prefix ^ ^ Perhaps icu-a. jo o^ J.»y '
va-i*!
[II. 7.] A 2
PRINTED AT THE CLARENDON PRESS
BY HORACE HART, PRINTER TO THE UNIVERSITY
J^ ^\ ^iV^-^' '^p
/^a^jjI
«I0^"
26
.^il^"' i(M\/i!/ ^s
ifli/d^
^ AlKharyat
^ GtesLt Oasis ^