The drive to the beautiful Galala Plateau
is the start of a very interesting culture trip from your accommodation in
Makadi. Together, with our
Sempre Travel Egypt tour guide, you drive to 2 of the most beautiful
Coptic Monastery in Egypt,
Egypt Monastery St. Antony and Monastery St Paul Egypt.
The history of these two hermit monasteries dates back to the 4th century. Enjoy the drive along the
Red Sea towards the
Galala Al Qibla Mountains, on whose rocky
Galala Plateau our first destination waits for us, the
Egypt Monastery St. Antony
Egypt Monastery St. Antony is one of the oldest monasteries in the world, along with the world-famous
Monastery St Catherine Sinai. The Monastery got its name from
Saint Anthony, who was born near the city of
Beni Suef to Christian parents and died in 250 AD. Already as a child, the words of God fascinated him in church. At 19, he was drawn to the desert, where he lived on the rocky plateau until his death. In this place, his successors built the Monastery on the
Galala Plateau in 356 AD.
We visit the church where
St. Anthony is buried and the cave above, where
St. Anthony lived until his death. Follow us 1200 steps up to the cave, from where you will be rewarded with a beautiful view over the mountains, the desert landscape and the
Red Sea. You won't regret it! With these impressions and hopefully a beautiful souvenir photo of the
Egypt Monastery St. Antony, we set off for the next highlight of our
Makadi Bay trips, the
Monastery St Paul Egypt
Monastery St Paul Egypt had its prime from the 12th to the 15th century. At that time, monks used the Monastery to translate theological texts into Arabic. The
Monastery St Paul Egypt is also located in the
Galala Mountain and separated from the
Egypt Monastery St. Antony by the southern part of the
Galala Plateau.
St. Paul escaped the Roman persecution from
Alexandria and was with 16 years the youngest hermit. In the 4th century, the
Monastery St Paul Egypt was built by hermits. Also, four churches have been built on this site, including the cave church where
St. Paul bones are held to this day. This is also the place where
St. Paul lived from 251 to 325 AD. The walls of
Monastery St Paul Egypt are adorned with beautiful frescoes.
After Bedouins destroyed the interior of the monastery including the library with all manuscripts in 1483, restoration work began from 1997 to 2005 under the supervision of ARCE (American Research Center
Egypt).
Enjoy once more the view over the beautiful
Galala Plateau before we start our return trip from the
Egypt Monastery St. Antony - Monastery St Paul Egypt – Makadi Bay trips to your accommodation in
Makadi.