Evetts & Butler – The Churches and Monasteries of Egypt attributed to Abû Ṣâliḥ (Oxford 1895) — archive.org text layer

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Attribution: Evetts & Butler – The Churches and Monasteries of Egypt attributed to Abû Ṣâliḥ (Oxford 1895); public domain in Canada (death years verified: Evetts d.1919 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q93252584) or 1929 (http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/nr95022016) — both ≤1971; Butler d.1936 (LC heading 1850-1936 in https://archive.org/metadata/churchesmonaster00abusuoft; https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15856323) — staged at corpus/incoming/histories/historians/abu-salih-churches-monasteries/churchesmonaster00abusuoft.pdf from https://archive.org/details/churchesmonaster00abusuoft (HIST-1, 2026-09-29)); OCR text by the Kemetic project, Yousef Hanna 2026.

Licence: public domain in Canada (author died ≤ 1971, verified; LICENCES.md §7) — US position (recorded, does not gate the class; PD-CA 2026-09-26): PD-US (published ≤1930)

Jurisdiction note: this text is public domain under Canadian law (the project is published from Canada; LICENCES.md §7: author died in or before 1971). It may still be in copyright elsewhere — in countries with a life + 70 term, or where a later edition claims its own rights. The licence line above says what was verified. If you are outside Canada, check your own law before re-using it.

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ref	L0 witness
p. 1
1	^-;
2	\jn\v,
3	o\
p. 2
p. 3
4	r-^
5	gltur(l0tii
6	#^0itii?Jtf5ia
7	THE
8	Churches and Monasteries of Egypt
9	AND
10	Some Neighbouring Countries
11	ATTRIBUTED
12	TO
13	ABU
14	SALIH, THE ARMENIAN
15	EDITED ANDflRANSIATED
16	I4V
17	B.
18	T.
19	A.
20	EVETTS,
21	M.A.
22	TRINITY COLLEGE, OXFORD
23	WITH ADDED NOTES
24	ALFRED
25	J. BUTLER,
26	M.A,
27	ES.A.
28	FELLOW OF BRASENOSE COLLEGE, OXFORD
29	(J^.vfortr
30	AT THE CLARENDON PRESS
31	1895
p. 4
32	;Sonlion
33	HENRY FROWDE
34	Oxford University Tress Warehouse
35	Amen Corner, IvC.
36	(Jlew
37	?)orft
38	MACMII.I.AN
39	*.-
40	CO., 66 FIFTH AVENUE
p. 5
41	CONTENTS.
42	PAGE
43	Preface
44	.
45	v-viii
46	Introduction
47	ix-xxv
48	English Translation
49	1-304
50	Appendix
51	305-346
52	Indexes
53	:
54	I.
55	Index of Churches and Monasteries in Egypt
56	.
57	.
58	347-352
59	II. Supplementary Geographical Index
60	353-358
61	III.
62	Index of Personal Names
63	359-373
64	IV.
65	Index of General Names
66	374-382
67	Arabic Text
68	i-ifr
69	a
70	2
71	[IT. 7]
p. 6
72	Digitized by the Internet Archive
73	in 2007 with funding from
74	Microsoft Corporation
75	http://www.archive.org/details/churchesmonasterOOabusuoft
p. 7
76	TREFACE.
77	The History attributed to Abu
78	Salih
79	the Armenian
80	is here edited
81	for
82	the
83	first
84	time, by
85	the
86	kind
87	permission
88	of
89	the
90	Minister
91	of Pubhc
92	Instruction and of the Administrator of the National Library in
93	Paris,
94	from
95	the
96	unique MS. purchased by Vansleb
97	in Egypt
98	in
99	the
100	seven-
101	teenth
102	century, and now preserved
103	in
104	that
105	Institution.
106	The
107	present
108	edition
109	is
110	based
111	upon a copy made by the
112	editor from
113	the
114	original,
115	which
116	he
117	afterwards
118	had
119	the
120	advantage
121	of
122	comparing
123	with
124	another
125	copy most
126	liberally
127	placed
128	at
129	his
130	disposal
131	by M.
132	I'Abbe
133	Hyvernat,
134	together
135	with
136	the
137	results
138	of
139	a
140	collation
141	by
142	Professor
143	Ignazio
144	Guidi.
145	To these eminent
146	scholars,
147	therefore,
148	the
149	editor
150	begs
151	to express
152	his
153	deepest
154	gratitude.
155	Professor Margoliouth
156	has
157	also had
158	the
159	goodness
160	to
161	look through
162	both
163	the copy of the
164	text and
165	the
166	translation, and
167	to
168	elucidate many points of difficulty.
169	Mr. Alfred
170	Butler, whose book
171	on
172	the
173	Coptic
174	Churches
175	forms
176	the
177	only work
178	of importance
179	existing
180	on
181	that
182	subject, has
183	generously 'consented
184	to
185	aid
186	in the
187	interpretation
188	of
189	an
190	obscure
191	author
192	by
193	his
194	knowledge
195	of
196	Coptic
197	history
198	and
199	archaeology
200	;
201	and
202	his
203	contributions
204	to
205	the
206	work
207	are
208	by no
209	means
210	limited
211	to
212	the
213	notes
214	which
215	bear
216	his
217	initials.
218	The
219	system
220	adopted
221	in
222	the
223	transcription
224	of
225	Arabic
226	names
227	is
228	similar
229	to
230	that
231	used
232	in
233	Mr.
234	Butler's
235	Coptic
236	Chiii-chcs.
237	It
238	does
239	not
240	pretend
241	to
242	be
243	perfect,
p. 8
244	vi
245	PREFA CE.
246	and amonp:
247	othcM- defects does
248	not express
249	the
250	J
251	of the
252	article before
253	the
254	' solar
255	letters,'
256	or the shortening of the long
257	final vowel
258	in y\ and
259	other words
260	before
261	the
262	article,
263	or
264	the Hamzah
265	except
266	in
267	the
268	middle
269	of
270	a word
271	;
272	nor are
273	the
274	miauces
275	in
276	the
277	pronunciation
278	of
279	the vowels
280	indicated
281	;
282	but
283	perhaps no
284	other system
285	is
286	preferable
287	to
288	this.
289	The
290	vocalization
291	of the Arabic forms of names
292	of places
293	is, where possible,
294	that
295	of Yakut,
296	as being
297	in
298	use
299	at
300	the time of our author.
301	In
302	the
303	transcription
304	of
305	the
306	text
307	the
308	original
309	has
310	been
311	closely-
312	followed,
313	the
314	diacritical
315	points
316	alone
317	being
318	added
319	where
320	they were
321	wanting.
322	Some
323	of
324	the
325	deviations,
326	however,
327	from
328	classical
329	ortho-
330	graphy and grammar are indicated by foot-notes on the
331	first few pages
332	of the
333	text.
334	The
335	existence
336	of
337	the work
338	has
339	long
340	been
341	known
342	to
343	scholars
344	through the references made
345	to 'Abu
346	Selah,' and the passages quoted
347	from him by Eusebe
348	Renaudot and £tienne
349	Quatremere.
350	Recently
351	also, M. Amelineau,
352	in
353	his Geographie de
354	I^gypte a
355	tepoque
356	copte,
357	has
358	made some
359	little use of the history of Abu
360	Salih, although he has by
361	no means extracted
362	all the information which the book affords on the
363	subject of Egyptian geography.
364	M. Amelineau seems
365	to be
366	fully aware of
367	the value of
368	the work
369	of Abu
370	Salih,
371	at
372	least
373	in
374	certain
375	portions.
376	On
377	the
378	other
379	hand,
380	he
381	seems
382	to
383	have
384	an
385	exaggerated
386	idea of
387	the
388	difficulties
389	presented
390	by
391	the MS.
392	'It
393	is
394	very badly written
395	in
396	point
397	of
398	language,' he
399	says,
400	' and most
401	of the
402	diacritical points are wanting
403	;
404	yet
405	I have translated
406	' the whole of
407	it,
408	in spite of the difficulties which
409	it presents.
410	I believe
411	' that
412	the
413	MS.
414	is
415	incomplete
416	in
417	several
418	parts,
419	and
420	has
421	been
422	badly
423	'bound
424	together.
425	The
426	possessor of
427	the
428	MS.
429	has
430	erased
431	the
432	Coptic
433	'numerical
434	figures
435	at
436	the
437	top
438	of
439	each
440	leaf,
441	in
442	order, no
443	doubt,
444	that
445	'the absence of
446	part of the MS. might
447	escape
448	notice.
449	Nevertheless,
450	'the
451	figures
452	arc
453	still
454	visible,
455	and
456	enable me
457	to
458	conclude
459	that
460	a con-
p. 9
461	PREFACE.
462	vii
463	'siderable
464	part
465	of
466	the MS.
467	is
468	wanting, and
469	that
470	the
471	leaves
472	are
473	not
474	' arranged
475	in
476	their
477	proper
478	order.
479	Moreover,
480	it
481	is
482	often
483	impossible
484	to
485	' translate, because the sense cannot be
486	completed.'
487	The French
488	scholar
489	here
490	seems
491	to
492	overstate the
493	case.
494	From
495	an
496	examination
497	of
498	the MS.
499	made
500	by
501	the
502	authorities
503	of
504	the
505	National
506	Library, the
507	editor
508	is
509	able
510	to
511	say
512	that,
513	while
514	it
515	is
516	true
517	that
518	no
519	less
520	than twenty-two
521	leaves are wanting at the beginning of the book, the
522	rest of
523	the
524	leaves
525	are bound
526	in
527	their proper order, according
528	to the
529	Coptic
530	ciphers, which
531	are
532	still
533	visible,
534	as M. Amelineau
535	states
536	;
537	with
538	the
539	single
540	exception
541	of
542	the
543	leaf which formed
544	the
545	thirtieth
546	folio
547	of
548	the MS.
549	in
550	its
551	original
552	state, but which
553	is now wanting.
554	The reader,
555	therefore, will understand that there
556	is a lacuna between
557	fol.
558	8, accord-
559	ing
560	to
561	t.ie new
562	or Arabic
563	pagination, and
564	fol.
565	9, which
566	bears
567	in
568	the
569	MS.
570	the Coptic
571	number
572	31
573	;
574	and
575	that
576	the words
577	at
578	the
579	beginning
580	of
581	fol.
582	9,
583	'This
584	revenue,'
585	&c., do not
586	refer
587	to
588	the preceding
589	estimate
590	of
591	the
592	revenues
593	of
594	Egypt.
595	The
596	owner
597	of
598	the MS. seems
599	to
600	have
601	supplied
602	the
603	first
604	folio
605	himself, and
606	to have
607	given
608	a new
609	pagination
610	in Arabic
611	figures
612	to
613	the remaining
614	portion
615	of
616	the
617	original
618	book,
619	so
620	that
621	folio 23 became
622	folio
623	2, and so
624	on.
625	It should be added that the
626	Coptic
627	figures
628	are
629	wanting on
630	fol.
631	38, which
632	formed
633	fol. 60
634	of
635	the
636	complete MS., and
637	also on the
638	last two
639	folios.
640	The
641	word
642	l^j
643	on
644	fol.
645	12a
646	is
647	translated
648	as
649	'Extreme
650	Unction,'
651	a meaning which the word
652	bears
653	at
654	least
655	in
656	Africa.
657	In
658	late Arabic,
659	however,
660	i-s^
661	is
662	also a nomen
663	vcrbi of
664	J^j
665	, and
666	signifies
667	' to marry
668	' or
669	' marriage,' so that our author may perhaps
670	here
671	refer
672	to a practice of
673	marrying within the prohibited degrees then existing among the Copts.
674	The statements of the
675	Coptic Synaxaruim,
676	occasionally quoted
677	in
678	the
679	notes
680	to
681	the
682	present
683	edition
684	of Abu
685	Salih,
686	are
687	not
688	guaranteed
689	as
690	being
691	always
692	historically
693	accurate.
694	For
695	instance,
696	the
697	Emperor
698	Diocletian
699	is usually represented, without reference to
700	his colleagues
701	in
p. 10
702	viit
703	PREFACE.
704	the
705	empire,
706	as himself carrying on
707	the persecution which goes by
708	his
709	name, although
710	in reality he abdicated two years after the promulgation
711	of the
712	edict which sanctioned and originated
713	it
714	:
715	and, to take another
716	example,
717	St.
718	Theodore
719	is
720	called
721	' magister
722	militum,'
723	although
724	this
725	office was not
726	histituted
727	until the reign of Constantine,
728	Nevertheless
729	valuable
730	traditions
731	of
732	early Church
733	history, and
734	in
735	particular
736	of
737	the
738	great persecution
739	itself, are embodied both
740	in
741	the Synaxarimn and
742	in
743	the Coptic Acts of
744	tJie Martyrs, on which
745	it
746	is partly founded.
p. 11
747	INTRODUCTION.
748	The
749	sole indication which we possess of the name of our author is
750	to be found
751	in the
752	title
753	inscribed on the
754	first page of the MS.
755	This
756	title^
757	however, was
758	supplied,
759	as
760	it
761	has
762	already been
763	said, by a
764	later
765	hand
766	;
767	and
768	it
769	is, moreover, obviously incomplete.
770	No name
771	is
772	there
773	given
774	to the work,
775	beyond
776	the meagre designation
777	of
778	' chronicle
779	'
780	or
781	' history
782	;
783	' and this
784	is so contrary to the rule of Arabic literature that
785	it
786	is enough by itself to prove that the original
787	title had been
788	lost.
789	The
790	author is designated by his praenomen only, as 'Abu Salih the Armenian.'
791	It
792	is a recognized fact in Arabic orthography that the proper name Salih
793	(^y^) is one of those which may by common custom be written defectively
794	without the
795	1
796	; see Vernier, Grammaire arabe,
797	i. p. 91.
798	Hence there
799	is no
800	reason to adopt the form 'Abu
801	Selah,' used by Renaudot, Ouatremere,
802	Amelineau, and
803	others.
804	It must,
805	in the absence of further proof,
806	re-
807	main doubtful whether
808	' Abii Salih
809	' can be taken as the true praenomen
810	{kniiyaJi)
811	of the author of the present work.
812	His
813	nationality, on
814	the
815	other hand, may be
816	inferred, not only from the
817	title, but also from the
818	internal evidence of the book, for the lengthy description of the Armenian
819	churches, and
820	of the
821	affairs of the Armenian
822	patriarch, would tend
823	to
824	show that the writer had a special connexion with the Armenian nation
825	;
826	and, although he
827	often speaks as though
828	his sympathies and
829	interests
830	were bound up with those of the Copts, we must remember that this very
831	Armenian patriarch, of whom we 'have spoken, was consecrated
832	in the
833	presence of Gabriel, the seventieth patriarch of the Copts (Renaudot, Hist.
834	Pair. pp. 507-509)
835	; and there are many other proofs of friendly intercourse
836	between the two races.
837	Moreover, on
838	fol. 3 a, the Armenian form of the
839	name
840	Sergius
841	(\|Ja/^/^^i/,
842	Sarkis)
843	\?>, as Mr. F. C. Conybeare recognizes,
844	correctly transcribed in Arabic as u-^, Sharkfs, and explained as being
845	equivalent to ia^, Sirjah.
846	It may be maintained, therefore, as a proba-
847	^
848	[n.
849	7-]
850	It
p. 12
851	X
852	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
853	bility, that the author of the work was Armenian by nationality.
854	It
855	is
856	surprising, however, that M. Amelineau says that
857	' Abou Selah (sic) visited
858	Egypt at the moment when
859	the Armenians were all-powerful
860	in
861	that
862	country.'
863	It
864	is surely much more probable that Abu S^lih,
865	if that was
866	his name, was not a mere visitor to Egypt, but rather a member of the
867	Armenian colony, the ancestors of which had settled there at the end of
868	the eleventh century of our era, under the protection of Badr al-Jamali, the
869	Armenian vizier to the caliph Al-Mustansir
870	; and that our author had been
871	born and bred in the country.
872	This would explain his Arabic name, the
873	fact of his writing in Arabic, and his familiarity with the history of Egypt.
874	As for his being in Egypt at a time ofArmenian preponderance in the state,
875	the facts are precisely the contrary.
876	There is no proof that the Armenians
877	were
878	in special favour under the three
879	last of the Fatimide caliphs, and
880	the greater part of our author's life must have been passed during a time
881	when the Armenians in Egypt had succumbed to the misfortunes which
882	overtook them at the time of the Kurdish invasion, and had been much
883	reduced in numbers.
884	Of these misfortunes our author was an eye-witness.
885	The work
886	itself affords sufficient
887	internal evidence of the date of
888	its
889	composition, for the author constantly
890	refers
891	to
892	events which, he says,
893	happened
894	in
895	his own time, and to incidents in his own
896	life, of which he
897	gives us the date.
898	Thus on fol. 4 b he tells us of an interview which he
899	had at Cairo with the physician Abu '1-Kasim al-'Askalani, in A. H. 568
900	= A. D. 1173.
901	Again on
902	fol. 61 a he mentions a visit which he paid
903	in
904	A. H. 569 = A. D. 1174
905	to the monastery of Nahya.
906	But the
907	latest date
908	given
909	in
910	the book
911	is that of the death
912	of Mark ibn al-Kanbar
913	in the
914	month of Amshir A.M.
915	924=:Jan.-Feb.,
916	A. D.
917	1208.
918	The composition
919	of the
920	work, therefore, may confidently be assigned
921	to the
922	first years
923	of
924	the
925	thirteenth
926	century
927	of
928	our
929	era, when
930	the writer had
931	probably
932	reached a considerable age.
933	In spite of these distinct indications of date, however, M. Amelineau
934	speaks
935	as
936	if
937	the work had
938	been
939	composed
940	at
941	a much
942	later
943	period,
944	for
945	he
946	begins
947	his
948	account
949	of Abu
950	Salih
951	as
952	follows
953	:
954	' I
955	must
956	also
957	' speak of an author who wrote in Arabic, and who has
958	left us a history
959	'of the churches and monasteries of Egypt, written
960	in the year 1054 of
961	'the Martyrs, that
962	is to say in the year 133H of our era.
963	He was called
p. 13
964	INTR ODUC TION.
965	xi
966	' Abou Selah (sic), and was an Armenian by nationality' {Gt^ogr. p. xxiv).
967	The fact
968	is that M. Amelineau
969	is here speaking of the date at which the
970	copy, now
971	in
972	the National
973	Library, was made
974	;
975	but
976	his
977	readers may
978	certainly be pardoned
979	if they understand him to be giving the date of
980	the composition of the work.
981	It is quite true that the copy was finished
982	on Ba'unah 2, A.M. 1054 = Dhu '1-Ka'dah 8, A. H. 738 = May 27, A.D. 1348,
983	as the copyist himself informs us in his note at the end of the book.
984	The
985	title supplied by a later hand on
986	fol.
987	i b of the MS. describes
988	the book as a
989	' history, containing an account of the districts and
990	fiefs of
991	' Egypt.'
992	As,
993	however,
994	the
995	principal
996	part
997	of
998	the work
999	is taken up
1000	with an account
1001	of churches and
1002	monasteries, with regard
1003	to which
1004	it
1005	supplies us with much
1006	original
1007	information,
1008	I have furnished
1009	the new
1010	title
1011	of
1012	' Churches and
1013	Monasteries
1014	of Egypt.'
1015	This new
1016	title
1017	is
1018	in
1019	accordance with
1020	the
1021	description
1022	of
1023	the MS.
1024	in the
1025	catalogue
1026	of
1027	the
1028	National
1029	Library,
1030	where
1031	it
1032	is
1033	called
1034	'Histoire
1035	des
1036	eglises
1037	et
1038	des
1039	' monasteres de
1040	I'^gypte.'
1041	The
1042	object
1043	of
1044	the
1045	author would seem
1046	to
1047	have
1048	been
1049	to
1050	collect
1051	information
1052	of
1053	all
1054	sorts
1055	about Egypt and
1056	the
1057	neighbouring countries
1058	; but he evidently desired above
1059	all
1060	to describe
1061	the churches and monasteries, and to narrate incidents of ecclesiastical
1062	history.
1063	It
1064	is to those concerned with
1065	this last-named branch of study
1066	that the work of Abu Salih should be of special interest.
1067	The only work now existing
1068	in Arabic of a similar character to the
1069	present work
1070	is that portion of the Khitat of Al-Makrizi which contains
1071	an account of the Coptic churches and monasteries, and which
1072	is affixed
1073	as an appendix
1074	to
1075	this
1076	volume.
1077	Other Mahometan
1078	writers, however,
1079	besides Al-Makrizi, composed works, which are now lost, on the subject
1080	of the Christian monasteries, and the most celebrated of them was Ash-
1081	Shabushti, who is quoted by our author and also by Al-Kazwini, Yakut,
1082	Al-Makrizi, and
1083	others.
1084	Indeed, one
1085	of the
1086	most
1087	interesting
1088	features
1089	of
1090	the
1091	present work
1092	is the constant reference which
1093	it makes
1094	to the
1095	relations between
1096	the
1097	Christians of Egypt and
1098	their Mahometan fellow-countrymen.
1099	These
1100	relations, naturally, varied
1101	in their character from time to time.
1102	There
1103	were
1104	periods
1105	of
1106	disturbance, marked by outrages
1107	committed by
1108	the
1109	stronger race upon the weaker, by riots, incendiarism, murders, or oven
1110	b 2
p. 14
1111	xii
1112	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
1113	by systematic persecution, as in the reign of the caHph Al- Hakim.
1114	But
1115	there were also periods when the two races lived peacefully side by side,
1116	and the adherents of the two creeds were on the best of terms with one
1117	another.
1118	Sometimes the Muslim governors would authorize and even
1119	assist
1120	in
1121	the
1122	restoration of the
1123	churches, contrary as
1124	this was
1125	to
1126	the
1127	written law of Islam.
1128	Mahometans were
1129	in some places allowed to be
1130	present at the celebration of the Christian
1131	liturgy, although the stricter
1132	among the Copts regarded this as a profanation.
1133	One of the most wealthy
1134	and magnificent princes that have ever ruled Egypt, Khamarawaih, the son
1135	of Ahmad ibn Tulun, used to spend hours in silent admiration before the
1136	mosaics, representing
1137	the Virgin and
1138	Child,
1139	attended by Angels, and
1140	surrounded
1141	by the
1142	Twelve
1143	Apostles,
1144	in
1145	the
1146	Melkite
1147	church
1148	at
1149	the
1150	monastery of Al-Kusair, where, moreover, he built a loggia in order that
1151	he might
1152	sit there with his friends to enjoy the scenery, and,
1153	it must be
1154	confessed, also to quaff the good wine, prepared by the monks and fully
1155	appreciated by the laxer followers of the Arabian prophet.
1156	The
1157	present work
1158	in
1159	its
1160	existing form
1161	is
1162	an
1163	abridgment
1164	of
1165	the
1166	original, as the copyist himself informs
1167	us
1168	in
1169	his
1170	final
1171	note.
1172	He adds
1173	that
1174	his
1175	abridgment
1176	has
1177	been
1178	unsuccessfully
1179	carried
1180	out, and while
1181	we may admire
1182	his modesty, we must
1183	of necessity agree with him on
1184	this point.
1185	Nothing could be worse than the present form of the work,
1186	which resembles rather a collection of undigested notes than a deliberate
1187	composition in
1188	its finished shape.
1189	That feature of the book which
1190	it
1191	is
1192	most
1193	difficult to understand
1194	is the
1195	repetition of passages on the same
1196	subject,
1197	and
1198	sometimes
1199	almost
1200	in
1201	the
1202	same words.
1203	We
1204	meet with
1205	a
1206	short account of some place, which
1207	is then dropped, and the history
1208	proceeds
1209	to the
1210	discussion of other
1211	matters, only to recur some pages
1212	further on to the subject which
1213	it had apparently left.
1214	Thus, for instance,
1215	the passage on the Fayyum on
1216	fol. iH
1217	is repeated
1218	in
1219	slightly different
1220	terms on
1221	fol.
1222	70
1223	;
1224	the description
1225	of Busir Bana and
1226	other places
1227	on
1228	fol.
1229	J'/ occurs again, almost word
1230	for word, on
1231	fol. 68; and
1232	often
1233	after
1234	leaving a place, we are brought back to
1235	it and receive further information
1236	about
1237	it.
1238	There appears to be no arrangement or order in the work at all.
1239	We do not know what may have been the subjects which occupied the
1240	first score of leaves, now
1241	lost
1242	to
1243	us.
1244	It may, perhaps, be conjectured
p. 15
1245	INTRODUCTION.
1246	xiii
1247	that they were filled with an account of the churches of Lower Egypt and
1248	Cairo, and of the monasteries of the Wadi Habib, which could hardly be
1249	neglected
1250	in
1251	such
1252	a
1253	work.
1254	Probably
1255	also we
1256	have
1257	lost
1258	part
1259	of the
1260	history of the Armenians
1261	in Egypt.
1262	The book, as we have
1263	it at
1264	present, opens with an account
1265	of the
1266	Armenian monastery and churches at Al-Basatin, a little to the south of
1267	Cairo. The latter buildings consisted of a
1268	' Great Church,' or main building,
1269	to which a smaller church
1270	or chapel was attached
1271	after the manner of
1272	churches
1273	in Egypt.
1274	Sometimes these dependent churches were on the
1275	same floor as the principal edifice, and sometimes they formed an upper
1276	story to
1277	it.
1278	The mention of the Armenian monastery and churches leads
1279	our author to a digression on the recent history of the Armenians in Egypt,
1280	and on the misfortunes which had befallen them during his own lifetime.
1281	He then starts
1282	off upon quite a different matter, namely the revenues of
1283	the Coptic church and of the Egyptian
1284	rulers
1285	; but
1286	this
1287	is a subject to
1288	which he recurs quite unexpectedly in one or two subsequent paragraphs.
1289	Then comes what
1290	is almost the only uninterrupted narrative or descrip-
1291	tion
1292	in the book, that
1293	is the account of the so-called heretic Mark ibn
1294	al-Kanbar.
1295	Next follows a list of certain remarkable features of Egypt
1296	and of distinguished men who have
1297	lived
1298	in
1299	that country
1300	;
1301	but
1302	in the
1303	middle of this is inserted a note on the churches of Busir Bana and other
1304	places. Then, after a note on the boundaries of Egypt, comes an account of
1305	the city of Al-Fustat and its churches, which would seem to be fairly system-
1306	atic and complete were
1307	it not for notes on king Aftutis, the revenues of
1308	Egypt, Nebuchadnezzar and the patriarch Demetrius, inserted in the middle
1309	of it without any apparent occasion for them. After describing the churches
1310	of Al-Fustat, our author proceeds up the Nile, noticing the churches and
1311	monasteries
1312	in
1313	the towns and
1314	villages,
1315	principally,
1316	of
1317	course, on
1318	the
1319	more populous western bank
1320	;
1321	bu^
1322	he
1323	does not go
1324	straight on
1325	in
1326	his
1327	journey; he frequently dashes from south to north, and then again from
1328	north to south
1329	in a manner which would horrify us in a modern guide to
1330	the Nile
1331	; and he still keeps up his trick of inserting notes from time to
1332	time on perfectly irrelevant
1333	matters.
1334	After reaching Nubia, our author
1335	returns again down the Nile for a short visit to certain places
1336	in Egypt
1337	which he had passed over
1338	; and then he suddenly takes us to Abyssinia,
p. 16
1339	xlv
1340	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
1341	to
1342	India,
1343	to
1344	North-Africa, and
1345	even
1346	to
1347	Spain, and
1348	the
1349	shores
1350	of the
1351	Atlantic, ending up with south-western Arabia, and with the mention
1352	of
1353	certain
1354	ancient
1355	cities,
1356	the
1357	foundation
1358	of which
1359	is
1360	referred
1361	to
1362	the
1363	remotest
1364	antiquity.
1365	The
1366	most valuable part of the present work
1367	is probably that
1368	part
1369	which the author based upon
1370	his own experience, and did not borrow
1371	from other writers.
1372	Much of the information with which he supplies us
1373	on the churches and monasteries of Egypt seems to be of this character.
1374	Thus he himself tells us that great part of his account of the Monastery
1375	of Nahya
1376	is derived from what he saw and heard during a visit which
1377	he paid
1378	there
1379	for devotional purposes
1380	in
1381	the year 569 of the
1382	Hegira.
1383	A young monk whom he met
1384	in the monastery on
1385	this occasion seems
1386	to have been questioned by him, and to have discoursed to him at some
1387	length on the history of the
1388	place.
1389	It may be taken for granted that
1390	our author had also visited
1391	in person the churches and monasteries of
1392	Cairo and
1393	its
1394	neighbourhood, and had made
1395	similar
1396	enquiries
1397	of the
1398	priests and monks as to the foundation and restoration of these buildings
1399	and other matters of interest concerning them.
1400	But how far our author
1401	had travelled up the Nile
1402	is doubtful
1403	; and perhaps he had not himself
1404	seen the great White Monastery of Saint Sinuthius, opposite to Ikhmim.
1405	If he had been in that neighbourhood, he would surely also have spoken
1406	of the
1407	' Red Monastery.'
1408	Similarly,
1409	it
1410	is probable that he had not paid
1411	a personal
1412	visit to the Monastery of Saint Anthony near the Red Sea,
1413	for
1414	if he had, he would have given a fuller account of the neighbouring
1415	Monastery of Saint Paul.
1416	Some
1417	of our
1418	author's
1419	statements
1420	with
1421	regard
1422	to
1423	these
1424	churches
1425	and
1426	monasteries which he had
1427	not
1428	himself seen, probably
1429	rest upon
1430	the
1431	testimony
1432	of some
1433	of
1434	his
1435	friends
1436	and
1437	acquaintances whom
1438	he
1439	questioned
1440	on
1441	the
1442	subject.
1443	Part,
1444	however,
1445	of what
1446	he
1447	tells
1448	us
1449	is
1450	borrowed from
1451	the Book of the Monasteries of Ash-Shabushti, a work
1452	in prose and verse much read
1453	at the time.
1454	The author, Abu '1-Husain
1455	'All
1456	ibn Muhammad
1457	ash-Shabushti, was
1458	a Mahometan, and
1459	his work
1460	is
1461	a proof of the constant practice on
1462	the
1463	part of Muslims
1464	of
1465	resort-
1466	ing
1467	to
1468	the
1469	Christian
1470	monasteries,
1471	for
1472	the
1473	purpose
1474	of
1475	sauntering
1476	in
1477	their gardens,
1478	sitting
1479	in
1480	their
1481	galleries and
1482	loggias, and
1483	drinking
1484	their
p. 17
1485	INTRODUCTION.
1486	xv
1487	wines.
1488	Besides
1489	Ash-Shabushti,
1490	other
1491	writers,
1492	such
1493	as
1494	Abu
1495	Bakr
1496	Muhammad al-Khahdi, Abu 'Uthman Sa'd al-Khalidi, and Abu '1-Faraj
1497	al- Isfahan!, composed works on
1498	the monasteries
1499	in the course
1500	of
1501	the
1502	tenth century of our
1503	era, and
1504	Ibn KhaUikan
1505	tells
1506	us that many other,
1507	books were written
1508	in the Arabic language on the same subject.
1509	The
1510	work of Ash-Shabushti contained an account of all the monasteries of
1511	Al-'Irak, Al-Mausil, Mesopotamia, Syria, and Egypt, with all the poems
1512	composed on them, and a history of the events which concerned them.
1513	It
1514	is unfortunate that this work
1515	is
1516	lost, and only known to us through
1517	quotations made from
1518	it by other writers.
1519	Ash-Shabushti, who
1520	is said
1521	to have died at Al-Fustat or 'Old Cairo
1522	' in A.H. 388 or 390, was private
1523	librarian and reader to the Fatimide caliph Al-'Aziz, and his agreeable
1524	manners and conversation
1525	led the sovereign to make him
1526	his constant
1527	boon-companion.
1528	It
1529	is
1530	in accordance with this character that he wrote
1531	of the monasteries
1532	chiefly as
1533	places for enjoying pleasant
1534	social
1535	inter-
1536	course and drinking wine.
1537	The surname Ash-Shabushti
1538	is
1539	difficult to
1540	explain, and Ibn Khallikan says that he
1541	' repeatedly made researches to
1542	' discover the origin of the surname, but that all his pains were
1543	fruitless,
1544	' until he found that the chamberlain to the Dailamite prince Washmaghir
1545	' ibn Ziyar was also
1546	called Ash-Shabushti, from which
1547	it appears that
1548	' this is a Dailamite family name.'
1549	Part
1550	of our
1551	author's information with
1552	regard
1553	to the churches and
1554	monasteries of Egypt, and to the ecclesiastical history of that country,
1555	is derived from the Biographies of the Patriarchs, compiled
1556	in the ninth
1557	century by Severus, bishop of Al-Ushmunain, and from the continuation
1558	of
1559	the
1560	Biographies
1561	by
1562	a
1563	later
1564	writer.
1565	The name
1566	of
1567	this work
1568	is
1569	well known
1570	to
1571	scholars, because Renaudot based upon
1572	it
1573	the greater
1574	part
1575	of
1576	his
1577	Historia
1578	PaU'iarcharum
1579	Alcxandriiiorum
1580	Jacobitarum ;
1581	but
1582	the
1583	w^ork
1584	itself has never been
1585	published,
1586	either
1587	in
1588	the
1589	original
1590	Arabic
1591	or
1592	in
1593	a
1594	translation, although
1595	copies
1596	of
1597	it are
1598	to be
1599	found
1600	in
1601	European libraries.
1602	The publication of this work
1603	is much to be desired,
1604	as it affords a great mass of information on the ecclesiastical history of
1605	Egypt,
1606	since the schism of Dioscorus, which
1607	is not supplied from any
1608	other
1609	source
1610	;
1611	and
1612	although
1613	Renaudot
1614	has
1615	revealed
1616	to
1617	the
1618	learned
1619	world part of
1620	its contents, there
1621	is a very large part only to be known
p. 18
1622	xvi
1623	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
1624	at
1625	present through a study of the
1626	original Arabic MSS.
1627	It
1628	is
1629	from
1630	these patriarchal biographies that our author borrows the greater part
1631	of what he tells us on the subject of the history of the Coptic patriarchs,
1632	and part of what he says on the churches and monasteries.
1633	It
1634	is thence
1635	that he takes, for instance, his account of the
1636	visit of Al-Kasim
1637	to the
1638	White Monastery.
1639	The Patriarchal Biographies of Severus of Al-Ushmunain are based
1640	in
1641	their
1642	earlier
1643	portion,
1644	as he
1645	himself
1646	tells
1647	us, on Greek and
1648	Coptic
1649	documents preserved in the ancient Monastery of Saint Macarius in the
1650	Nitrian Valley.
1651	In the later part the compiler has inserted the works of
1652	certain
1653	writers
1654	almost
1655	without
1656	change, such
1657	as the biography
1658	of the
1659	patriarch Kha'il or Michael by John the deacon, a contemporary and
1660	acquaintance of that
1661	patriarch, and a considerable
1662	portion of the series
1663	written by George, archdeacon and secretary of the patriarch Simon.
1664	Many of our author's quotations are taken from the
1665	life of the patriarch
1666	Michael.
1667	Another
1668	writer,
1669	to whom
1670	our
1671	author
1672	is
1673	considerably
1674	indebted,
1675	is
1676	better known
1677	to European
1678	readers, since
1679	his
1680	history was published
1681	in
1682	1654-6 by Pococke, at Oxford.
1683	This is Sa'id ibn al-Batrik, the Melkite
1684	patriarch of Alexandria, whose name was translated
1685	into Greek
1686	in the
1687	form Eutychius.
1688	He was a famous
1689	physician, as well as a
1690	priest, and
1691	composed a medical work
1692	in
1693	addition
1694	to
1695	his
1696	historical
1697	labours.
1698	His
1699	chief work, however, was that from which our author quotes, namely the
1700	Nazm al-Jaiihar or Row of Jezvels, to which the European
1701	editor has
1702	given the Latin
1703	title
1704	of Eutychii Annales.
1705	It
1706	is a
1707	history, beginning
1708	with the
1709	earliest events narrated
1710	in the Bible, and continued down to
1711	the author's own time
1712	; but
1713	its most valuable part
1714	is the
1715	ecclesiastical
1716	chronicle of Egypt which
1717	it contains.
1718	The author was born
1719	at Al-Fustat
1720	in
1721	A. Fl,
1722	263rr:A. D.
1723	877,
1724	bccamc
1725	Melkite
1726	patriarch
1727	of Alexandria
1728	in
1729	A. H. 321 = A. D. 932, and-died in the latter city in A. H. 328 = A. D. 940,
1730	Our author makes more references than one
1731	to
1732	a writer whom he
1733	calls Mahbub ibn Kustantin al-Manbaji,
1734	that
1735	is
1736	' Mahbub, son of Con-
1737	' stantine, a native of the city of Manbaj.'
1738	This writer also bore the Greek
1739	name Agapius, corresponding to his Arabic appellation.
1740	He composed
1741	a history of the world
1742	in two
1743	parts, of which a copy of the
1744	first part
1745	is
p. 19
1746	INTR OD UC TION.
1747	x vi i
1748	preserved at Oxford, and a copy of the second part, relating events from
1749	the Incarnation onwards, exists
1750	at Florence.
1751	The latter work, however?
1752	has been carried on by a continuator down to the year A. D. 1312, and
1753	this
1754	has
1755	occasioned the erroneous
1756	belief that Mahbub himself lived
1757	in
1758	the fourteenth
1759	century.
1760	Mahbub
1761	is a writer several times quoted by
1762	Al-Makin
1763	in the first part of his history.
1764	According to the Florentine
1765	MS., Mahbub
1766	or Agapius was
1767	a Jacobite
1768	or monophysite
1769	bishop
1770	of
1771	Manbaj.
1772	Use was
1773	also made
1774	in
1775	the work now
1776	edited
1777	of a
1778	History of the
1779	Coujicils, of the homilies of the patriarch Theophilus, and of a Guide to
1780	the Festivals.
1781	It seems that there were
1782	several of such Guides
1783	in
1784	the
1785	ecclesiastical
1786	literature of Egypt, and the Synaxaria were partly based
1787	upon them.
1788	Our author was, moreover, acquainted with some at
1789	least of
1790	the biblical books, and he quotes from the Pentateuch, the Prophets, and
1791	the Gospels.
1792	He would seem to have read the romance of Aura, which
1793	still exists
1794	in Arabic, and was probably translated from the Coptic.
1795	The curious work called the Book of Clement or Apocalypse of Peter
1796	is also quoted by our author at the end of his
1797	history.
1798	Copies
1799	of this
1800	work exist in Europe, as, for instance, in Paris and at Oxford.
1801	Our author does not tell us whence he derived his accounts of Nubia,
1802	of Abyssinia, and
1803	of the
1804	Indian
1805	Christians.
1806	Of Nubia he may have
1807	read
1808	in the work
1809	of 'Abd
1810	Allah
1811	ibn Ahmad
1812	ibn
1813	Sula'im, quoted by
1814	Al-Makrizi.
1815	Of Abyssinia
1816	he may
1817	have
1818	learnt
1819	something
1820	from
1821	the
1822	envoys who frequently arrived
1823	in Egypt from that country, as bearers
1824	of despatches
1825	addressed
1826	to
1827	the
1828	Coptic
1829	patriarch.
1830	Of India he may
1831	have
1832	received information from
1833	the mouths
1834	of Christian
1835	travellers
1836	;
1837	or
1838	perhaps
1839	those
1840	Indian
1841	priests who
1842	at
1843	the end
1844	of
1845	the
1846	seventh
1847	century
1848	came to Egypt,
1849	to beg the
1850	Coptic
1851	' patriarch
1852	to send out a bishop
1853	to
1854	their fellow-countrymen, may have
1855	left behind them some account of
1856	the
1857	state
1858	of Christianity
1859	in
1860	India.
1861	In
1862	those
1863	parts
1864	of
1865	his work which
1866	treat
1867	of the
1868	general
1869	history of
1870	Egypt, our author chiefly follows Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam and Al-Kindi.
1871	Copies of the Futiih Misr or History of the
1872	Conquest of Egypt by the
1873	Muslims, composed by the former of these two writers, exist
1874	in
1875	Paris.
1876	c
1877	[II. 7.J
p. 20
1878	xviii
1879	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
1880	The author, 'Abd ar-Rahman 'Abd Alldh ibn 'Abd al-Hakam, seems to
1881	have written
1882	at the end
1883	of the second century of the Hegira, but the
1884	work was continued by
1885	his
1886	disciples, and
1887	in the Paris MSS. goes down
1888	to the end
1889	of the
1890	third
1891	century.
1892	There
1893	is
1894	little
1895	legend
1896	in the work,
1897	which
1898	consists
1899	chiefly
1900	of
1901	pure
1902	history, and
1903	in
1904	this
1905	respect compares
1906	favourably with
1907	later
1908	histories, such as those
1909	of Al-Makrizi and As-
1910	Suyuti.
1911	Al-Kindi, who is called by Haji Khalfah the first Arab historian
1912	of Egypt, died in A. H. 247 = a. D, 860, or according to others in A. H. 350 =
1913	A. D. 961.
1914	The
1915	title of his great work was Khitat Misr or Topography
1916	and History of Mi^r, its object being to describe the foundation of the
1917	city of Misr and
1918	its subsequent alterations.
1919	This work seems
1920	to have
1921	been the basis and model of the later works named Khitat, such as that
1922	of Al-Makrizi.
1923	Two other works of Al-Kindi exist in manuscript at the
1924	British Museum, namely
1925	a
1926	History of the Governors of Egypt and a
1927	History of the Cadis.
1928	Al-Kindi also wrote a book called FaddHl Misr
1929	or
1930	Excellences
1931	of Egypt, which
1932	is
1933	quoted
1934	by
1935	our
1936	author more
1937	than
1938	once.
1939	The
1940	full name of Al-Kindi
1941	is Abu 'Umar Muhammad ibn Yiisuf
1942	al-Kindi.
1943	Some
1944	of
1945	his works
1946	were
1947	continued
1948	by Abu Muhammad
1949	al-Hasan
1950	ibn
1951	Ibrahim
1952	ibn
1953	Zulak, who
1954	died
1955	A. H. 387 = A. D.
1956	997, and
1957	who
1958	is once quoted by our author, through a copyist's error, as An-Nasr
1959	ibn Zdlak.
1960	The great history of At-Tabari had
1961	also formed the subject of our
1962	author's studies, as he shows by his reference towards the end of the
1963	work.
1964	Finally, our author, although a Christian, shows on more than one
1965	occasion that he
1966	is not unacquainted with the Koran
1967	itself, thus giving
1968	a
1969	fresh proof of the
1970	friendly feeling which
1971	existed between
1972	Christians
1973	and Muslims at the beginning of the thirteenth century of our era.
1974	From the account given above of the plan, or rather want of plan, of
1975	Abu
1976	Salih's work,
1977	it
1978	will be seen that
1979	it resembles a note-book which
1980	has not yet been put into order, rather than a formal composition.
1981	It
1982	is
1983	clear then that such a book could hardly be worth publication were
1984	it
1985	not that, in the words of the author,
1986	' he has here collected information
1987	which
1988	is not to be found in the work of any other writer.'
1989	The present work
1990	is
1991	full
1992	of allusions
1993	to
1994	the
1995	history of Egypt, and
p. 21
1996	INTRODUCTION.
1997	xix
1998	especially
1999	to
2000	the
2001	more
2002	important
2003	periods,
2004	such
2005	as
2006	the Mahometan
2007	conquest, the overthrow of the Omeyyad dynasty, the
2008	rule of Ahmad
2009	ibn Tulun and his son Khamaravvaih, and the invasion by the Fatimide
2010	caliph Al-Mu'izz.
2011	The conquest of Egypt began in A.H. i8, when 'Amr
2012	ibn al-'Asi entered the country by the Syrian frontier, and subdued the
2013	imperial
2014	forces
2015	in a battle near Pelusium, where the Arab town of Al-
2016	Farama afterwards
2017	stood.
2018	'Amr
2019	then advanced upon
2020	the
2021	fortress
2022	of
2023	Babylon, about ten
2024	miles
2025	to the south
2026	of Heliopolis, which was, after
2027	a long siege, ceded to him by the treachery of George son of Mennas, the
2028	' Mukaukis.'
2029	After
2030	this
2031	it was
2032	necessary
2033	to
2034	attack
2035	the
2036	capital
2037	of the
2038	country, Alexandria, and here
2039	again
2040	serious
2041	resistance was
2042	offered
2043	to
2044	the Muslims,
2045	The siege of Alexandria lasted several months, so that the
2046	conquest
2047	of Egypt was
2048	not completed
2049	until
2050	the
2051	first
2052	of Muharram,
2053	A. H. 20 (a. D. 641).
2054	The conqueror did not, however, select Alexandria
2055	as his capital, but chose a spot easier of access from Mecca and Medina,
2056	• namely the
2057	Fortress
2058	of Babylon and
2059	its neighbourhood,
2060	as the
2061	site of
2062	the new city which he founded and named Fustat Misr.
2063	From
2064	the
2065	time
2066	of
2067	the
2068	conquest, Egypt was governed by
2069	walis,
2070	appointed
2071	by the
2072	caliphs, who
2073	rarely
2074	visited
2075	the
2076	country
2077	themselves.
2078	The
2079	last
2080	of the Omeyyad
2081	caliphs, however, Marwan
2082	II, who reigned
2083	from A. H. 126 to T33, took refuge in Egypt from the armies of the new
2084	claimant to the caliphate, As-Safifah, the Abbaside.
2085	The Khorassanian
2086	troops of the latter pursued Marwan, who
2087	set
2088	fire to the city of Fustat
2089	Misr, and, having crossed the Nile, destroyed all the boats upon the river
2090	in order to stop
2091	the progress of the enemy.
2092	A
2093	vivid
2094	picture
2095	of this
2096	disastrous
2097	conflict
2098	is
2099	given
2100	us
2101	by
2102	an
2103	eye-witness,
2104	the
2105	contemporary
2106	biographer
2107	of
2108	the
2109	Coptic
2110	patriarch Michael, whose
2111	Hfe
2112	is
2113	included
2114	in
2115	the compilation of Severus of Al-Ushmunain.
2116	The Khorassanians soon
2117	found boats with which to cross the -river
2118	; and they pursued Marwan as
2119	fiir as Busir Kuridus, near the entrance to the Fayyum, where they put
2120	him to death.
2121	His head was sent round the country as a proof of the
2122	extinction of the Omeyyad dynasty and the victory of the Abbasides.
2123	The Omeyyad caliphs had resided at Damascus, and the Abbasides
2124	established
2125	their court
2126	in A. D. 750 at the newly-erected
2127	city of Bagdad,
2128	so that Egypt was
2129	still ruled by walis, who, on account of their remote-
2130	c 2
p. 22
2131	XX
2132	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
2133	ness from the
2134	seat of the
2135	central government, soon became practically
2136	independent.
2137	One
2138	of
2139	the
2140	most
2141	celebrated
2142	governors
2143	of
2144	Egypt was
2145	Ahmad
2146	ibn Tulun, who
2147	ruled
2148	the country from
2149	A. H. 254 to 270.
2150	By
2151	this
2152	time
2153	the
2154	importance
2155	of
2156	the
2157	city
2158	of
2159	Fustat
2160	Misr
2161	had
2162	greatly
2163	diminished.
2164	The
2165	Hamr^s
2166	or
2167	quarters
2168	to
2169	the
2170	north
2171	of
2172	Al-Fustat,
2173	founded
2174	at
2175	the time
2176	of the Arab conquest, had
2177	fallen
2178	into decay, and
2179	the ground had become bare of houses
2180	; but upon the flight of Marwan
2181	into Egypt;, the Abbaside troops had settled upon
2182	it, and gave
2183	it its new
2184	name
2185	of Al-'Askar, and here the emirs who
2186	ruled Egypt
2187	resided.
2188	It
2189	was
2190	in this quarter, now called
2191	the quarter of Ibn Tulun, that Ahmad
2192	built
2193	his great mosque.
2194	He no
2195	longer, however, chose to reside here,
2196	but founded
2197	the new quarter of Al-Kata'i', which
2198	extended from
2199	the
2200	lowest
2201	spurs
2202	of
2203	the Mukattam
2204	hills
2205	to
2206	the
2207	mosque
2208	of
2209	Ibn
2210	Tulun.
2211	Neither Al-'Askar nor Al-Kata i' was destined to exist long.
2212	When the
2213	Fatimide caliph Al-MuMzz sent his general Jauhar to invade Egypt, the
2214	latter demolished the houses between Al-Fustat and his own new city of
2215	Cairo, which formed these two quarters, and they thus entirely disappeared,
2216	save
2217	for the
2218	Christian
2219	monasteries and churches, which,
2220	as Abu
2221	Salih
2222	tells
2223	us,
2224	still
2225	remained
2226	in
2227	the Hamras,
2228	as
2229	the
2230	antiquaries
2231	of Egypt
2232	continued
2233	to
2234	call
2235	the
2236	place.
2237	Between
2238	the
2239	fall
2240	of
2241	the
2242	Omeyyads
2243	and
2244	the
2245	appearance
2246	of
2247	the
2248	Fatimides,
2249	it would seem
2250	that the Christians of Egypt enjoyed greater
2251	prosperity than had been
2252	their
2253	lot during the
2254	later days
2255	of the
2256	fallen
2257	dynasty.
2258	Nor do the
2259	Fatim.ide
2260	caliphs
2261	appear
2262	to
2263	have
2264	treated
2265	their
2266	Ciiristian
2267	subjects
2268	with
2269	harshness, with
2270	the
2271	notable
2272	exception
2273	of
2274	the
2275	fanatical Al-Hakim, the
2276	great
2277	persecutor
2278	of
2279	the
2280	Copts
2281	and
2282	Syrians.
2283	The work now published
2284	is
2285	full of instances of benevolence shown to
2286	the Copts, and
2287	practical
2288	favours
2289	conferred upon them by Mahometan
2290	rulers and
2291	officials.
2292	The work
2293	of Abu
2294	Salih was composed
2295	immediately
2296	after a great
2297	revolution
2298	in the affairs
2299	of Egypt, following the invasion of the Kurds
2300	and Ghuzz under the leadership of Shirkuh and Saladin.
2301	This invasion
2302	was due
2303	to the unscrupulous
2304	intrigues of Shawar as-Sa'di, the vizier of
2305	the
2306	last of the
2307	Fatimide
2308	caliphs, Al-'Adid
2309	li-dini
2310	'llah.
2311	Shawar
2312	had
2313	been
2314	in
2315	the
2316	service
2317	of
2318	a
2319	former
2320	vizier,
2321	As-Salih
2322	ibn
2323	Ruzzik, who
p. 23
2324	INTRODUCTION.
2325	xxi
2326	appointed him wall of Upper Egypt, a post only second
2327	in importance
2328	to the vizierate
2329	; and
2330	in this capacity Shawar had shown much
2331	ability,
2332	and
2333	gained
2334	great
2335	influence over the
2336	principal
2337	officials
2338	of the country.
2339	On the death of As-Salih, however, in the year 556 (a. d, 1161), his son
2340	and successor
2341	in
2342	the
2343	vizierate, Al-'Adil, jealous
2344	of Shawar's
2345	influence,
2346	deprived him of his
2347	office, in spite of the warnings against such a step
2348	which had been
2349	uttered by Ibn Ruzzik upon
2350	his
2351	death-bed.
2352	Shawar
2353	assembled a body of troops, marched
2354	to Cairo early
2355	in the year
2356	^^'^,
2357	and, on
2358	the
2359	flight
2360	of Al-'Adil, pursued him and
2361	put
2362	him
2363	to
2364	death,
2365	himself assuming the reins of government as
2366	vizier, under the nominal
2367	supremacy of the Fatimide
2368	caliph.
2369	In
2370	the
2371	month
2372	of Ramadan
2373	of
2374	the
2375	same
2376	year, however, a
2377	fresh
2378	aspirant
2379	to
2380	the vizierate appeared
2381	in the person of Ad-Dirgham, who,
2382	collecting a body of troops, forced Shawar to
2383	flee from Cairo, and put
2384	himself in
2385	his
2386	place.
2387	Thus, in
2388	the course of the year 558, the post of
2389	vizier was
2390	held by three
2391	statesmen
2392	in
2393	succession.
2394	Shawar, however,
2395	took the bold
2396	step of making
2397	his way
2398	to
2399	Syria, and applying
2400	for aid
2401	to Nur
2402	ad-Uin,
2403	the
2404	most
2405	powerful Mahometan
2406	prince
2407	of
2408	his
2409	time.
2410	Accordingly, in the month of Jumada the
2411	First of the year 559, Nur
2412	ad-Din
2413	despatched
2414	a body
2415	of Turkish and Kurdish
2416	troops
2417	to Egypt
2418	under the command
2419	of a Kurdish general, then
2420	in
2421	his
2422	service, named
2423	A sad ad-Din
2424	Shirkuh.
2425	On the
2426	arrival
2427	of
2428	the army of Nur ad-Din,
2429	Dirgham was defeated and
2430	slain, and Shawar was restored to his post
2431	of vizier.
2432	He, however, now refused to perform his part of the contract,
2433	and would neither grant money nor land to the troops, nor send to Nur
2434	ad-Din that portion of the revenues of Egypt which he had promised.
2435	Upon this, the Kurdish general seized the city of Bilbais, and great part
2436	of the province of Ash-Sharkiyah.
2437	The unscrupulous
2438	vizier, however,
2439	instead of satisfying the just expectations of his auxiliaries, sent messen-
2440	gers to the natural enemy of his countrymen and his religion, the Frankish
2441	king of Jerusalem, offering him a sum of money
2442	if he would
2443	defend
2444	Egypt
2445	against Nur ad-Din and
2446	his
2447	troops, who, he
2448	said, had formed
2449	the design of conquering the valley of the Nile.
2450	Complying with this
2451	request, Amaury
2452	led a body of troops to Egypt and besieged Shirkuh
2453	at Bilbais during three months, but without success in
2454	spite of the low
p. 24
2455	xxii
2456	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
2457	walls and the absence of a moat.
2458	Suddenly the news came that Nur ad-
2459	Din had captured Harim, and was marching upon Baniyis.
2460	On hearing
2461	this, the Franks hastened homewards to defend their own country, after
2462	inducing the besieged general, who was ignorant of any cause for the Prank-
2463	ish retreat, to make terms by which he bound himself to leave Egypt also.
2464	In the year 562, Asad ad-Din Shirkuh was again sent to Egypt by
2465	Nur ad-Din, who was now filled with the desire of subduing that country,
2466	and had obtained from the Abbaside caliph Al-Mustadi a sanction
2467	for
2468	his enterprise, which made
2469	it a crusade with the object of extinguishing
2470	the rival dynasty of the Fatimides.
2471	Amaury, however, was again induced
2472	by a
2473	bribe
2474	to come
2475	to the rescue of Shawar and
2476	his nominal master
2477	Al-'Adid,
2478	and
2479	this
2480	time
2481	actually
2482	entered
2483	Cairo,
2484	while
2485	a
2486	sandstorm
2487	destroyed part of the army of Shirkuh, who was forced to
2488	retreat.
2489	In
2490	the same campaign, part of Amaury's army was defeated by Shirkuh,
2491	and Alexandria submitted to the Kurdish general
2492	; but finally the latter
2493	retired from Egypt
2494	after a blockade which drove him
2495	to make terms
2496	with the king of the Franks.
2497	The third and
2498	final campaign
2499	of Shirkuh
2500	in Egypt began
2501	in
2502	the
2503	month of Rabi' the First of the year 564.
2504	The Frankish king had soon
2505	broken off his alliance with the Fatimide caliph, on the plea of treachery
2506	on the part of the Egyptians, and making a sudden descent upon Al-
2507	Farama, the ancient Pelusium, he had put the inhabitants to the sword.
2508	Shawar now once more asked
2509	for help from Nur ad-Din, whom he had
2510	treated so unfaithfully, and Shirkuh with his nephew Yusuf ibn Ayyub
2511	Salah ad-Din, known to Europe as Saladin, led an army to the frontiers
2512	of Egypt, where they found the Frankish troops who had been detained
2513	there by a stratagem on the part of Shawar, and who now had
2514	to beat
2515	a hasty and disastrous retreat.
2516	Shirkuh now took possession of Egypt,
2517	under the sanction of the Fatimide
2518	caliph, whose nominal
2519	rule he
2520	for
2521	the present maintained.
2522	The assassination
2523	of Shawar, however, was a
2524	natural and rapid consequence of the Kurdish occupation
2525	; and Shirkuh
2526	became
2527	vizier
2528	in
2529	his
2530	place.
2531	After
2532	filling
2533	this
2534	post
2535	for two
2536	months
2537	and
2538	five days, Shirkuh died, and was succeeded
2539	in the vizierate by his
2540	nephew
2541	Saladin.
2542	The history of Saladin
2543	is well known to European
2544	readers.
2545	He was
p. 25
2546	INTRODUCTION.
2547	xxiii
2548	the son of Ayyiib the son of Shadi, a member of the noble Kurdish
2549	tribe of Ravvadiyah, natives of Duwin, a town of Adharbaijan, and was
2550	born A. H. 532 at Takrit, where
2551	his father and uncle were in the service
2552	of Bihruz, who was acting as governor of the district under the Seljucide
2553	sultan MasLid ibn Muhammad Ghiyath ad-Din.
2554	When Saladin became
2555	vizier of Egypt he at once began to give free rein to his ambition, and
2556	to display
2557	his
2558	capabilities
2559	for administration and
2560	for
2561	military activity.
2562	By his amiable demeanour and by promises of money, he won the emirs
2563	and the soldiery to his side, and was soon able to carry out the project
2564	of extinguishing the Fatimide dynasty, and once more proclaiming the
2565	Abbaside in Egypt as the true caliph.
2566	In the year 567, on the 2nd day
2567	of the month of Muharram, the Khittbah of Al-'Adid was stopped by
2568	command of Saladin, and the name of Al-Mustadi was put in
2569	its place.
2570	The
2571	last of the Fatimide caliphs, however, was seriously
2572	ill at the time
2573	of
2574	this change, and never knew that
2575	his high
2576	position had been
2577	lost.
2578	A few days
2579	later the deposed
2580	caliph was dead.
2581	Saladin now took possession of the palace of the caliphate.
2582	Treasures
2583	of fabulous value are said to have been found there, hoarded up by the
2584	rulers of so large a part of the Mahometan world during two centuries of
2585	religious and political supremacy. We read of a carbuncle weighing seven-
2586	teen dirhams or twelve mithkals, of a pearl of unequalled size, and of an
2587	emerald four finger's breadths
2588	in length and one
2589	in width.
2590	There was
2591	also a most valuable collection of books, in spite of the loss
2592	of a great
2593	portion of the library of the Fatimide caliphs in the reign of Al-Mustansir.
2594	Saladin, however, sold
2595	all the treasures of the palace.
2596	The rejoicings at
2597	Bagdad were great when the news came that the Abbaside caliph had
2598	been prayed for in the mosques of Egypt, and that the rival dynasty had
2599	been
2600	overthrown
2601	;
2602	and
2603	the
2604	city was
2605	decorated
2606	while
2607	the
2608	revolution
2609	was publicly announced during seyeral
2610	days.
2611	Al-Mustadi
2612	sent
2613	robes
2614	of honour to Nur ad-Din, and to
2615	his general
2616	Saladin
2617	in Egypt.
2618	The
2619	effect of
2620	these
2621	political changes upon Egypt
2622	in general, and
2623	upon the Copts
2624	in
2625	particular, had been striking.
2626	On the approach of
2627	the Franks, Shawar ordered that Misr should be burnt, and
2628	that the
2629	inhabitants should remove to Cairo.
2630	The results of this burning of the
2631	already decaying
2632	city, which had
2633	suffered so greatly from
2634	the famine
p. 26
2635	xxiv
2636	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
2637	and plague in the reign of Al-Mustansir, are noticed on several occasions
2638	in the work attributed to Abu Salih.
2639	Churches and monasteries were
2640	destroyed, although they were afterwards
2641	in part
2642	restored.
2643	When
2644	the
2645	Kurdish general Shirkuh had taken possession
2646	of Egypt in the name of
2647	Nur ad-Din, a considerable
2648	part
2649	of the land was taken away from
2650	its
2651	owners
2652	and
2653	settled
2654	upon
2655	the
2656	Kurds
2657	and
2658	Ghuzz, who
2659	formed
2660	the
2661	invader's army.
2662	In
2663	this way the Coptic church
2664	lost, for the time,
2665	all,
2666	or great part of, her landed property.
2667	The Ghuzz, who are so often mentioned
2668	in
2669	this work, and who seem
2670	to have formed perhaps the largest and most
2671	efficient contingent
2672	in the
2673	army of Shirkuh and Saladin, were a Turkish tribe whose original home
2674	lay
2675	' beyond the
2676	river
2677	' of Central Asia, in the region which the Romans
2678	called Transoxiana.
2679	They removed, however, into the regions of Meso-
2680	potamia in the first centuries of Islam, and in the twelfth century entered
2681	the service of Nur ad-Din.
2682	The theory of land tenure among the Muslims was that
2683	all the land
2684	had been placed by divine providence
2685	at the disposal
2686	of the prophet
2687	Mahomet and
2688	next
2689	of
2690	his
2691	successors
2692	the
2693	caliphs, who had
2694	the
2695	right
2696	to
2697	settle
2698	it upon whom they would.
2699	Acting upon
2700	this
2701	principle
2702	the
2703	prophet himself settled land
2704	in Syria upon Tamim ad-Dari, even before
2705	the
2706	conquest
2707	of
2708	the
2709	country.
2710	Some
2711	of the
2712	titles to landed
2713	property
2714	in Egypt
2715	at
2716	the time of
2717	our
2718	author, and
2719	later, were
2720	traced
2721	back
2722	to
2723	the
2724	earliest
2725	caliphs.
2726	In
2727	general
2728	a
2729	rent
2730	or
2731	land-tax was
2732	paid
2733	to the
2734	government
2735	in
2736	return for such property
2737	; but in
2738	later times a system of
2739	military
2740	fiefs was
2741	introduced,
2742	similar
2743	to
2744	those
2745	held
2746	under
2747	the
2748	feudal
2749	system
2750	of western Europe.
2751	The present work
2752	supplies us with several
2753	instances of the rent paid
2754	for land held under the Fatimide caliphs.
2755	The philological features of the present work form a subject too large
2756	to be discussed
2757	in an
2758	introduction, and would
2759	be
2760	better
2761	treated
2762	in
2763	a
2764	grammar
2765	of the Middle Arabic
2766	language.
2767	It
2768	must
2769	be
2770	remembered,
2771	however,
2772	that
2773	the
2774	author
2775	is
2776	represented
2777	in
2778	the
2779	title
2780	as an Armenian,
2781	and that his acquaintance with Arabic was probably imperfect.
2782	It
2783	is also
2784	quite clear that the copyist was no more equal to the task of correctly
2785	transcribing, than to that of judiciously abbreviating the book.
2786	Apart
2787	from
2788	these
2789	considerations, the
2790	orthograpliy and grammar of
2791	the MS.
p. 27
2792	INTROBUCrWX.
2793	XXV
2794	seem
2795	to be those
2796	of other MSS.
2797	of the same
2798	period.
2799	Among purely
2800	orthographical
2801	faults
2802	1
2803	is sometimes written
2804	for
2805	ef, u-
2806	^^*'
2807	l/'' ^"^ ^ ^°^
2808	^\ once or twice even ^ for ^.
2809	The
2810	distinctions of case have been
2811	almost entirely lost, and the accusative
2812	is written where the nominative
2813	should be, and vice vei^sa.
2814	In the case of the word
2815	^^J= ^_5'J the confusion
2816	of cases
2817	is
2818	especially frequent.
2819	Mistakes
2820	in gender are
2821	also common,
2822	especially in the demonstrative pronouns x^a for Iaa, gUj for dJi, and vice
2823	versa.
2824	The dual sometimes appears, especially in the numerals, even when
2825	they are not in the oblique case or construct state, with the termination ^j- for
2826	^^-1 or ^^—
2827	; compare Spitta, Graminatik des arabischcn
2828	Vidgiirdialectes
2829	von Aegypien, p. 132, where such forms as ^\1 'two-thirds,'
2830	jj~-»» 'two-
2831	fifths,' are said to be used in all cases and
2832	states
2833	in the
2834	official language
2835	of the Divans, and
2836	to have passed thence into the vulgar tongue.
2837	At
2838	other times the oblique case
2839	in
2840	^^°}-l-
2841	is
2842	used
2843	for the
2844	nominative, just
2845	as in the plural ^— takes the place
2846	of ijj—
2847	.
2848	On fol. 64 b an adjective
2849	in
2850	the feminine
2851	singular
2852	is placed
2853	in
2854	attribution
2855	to a
2856	dual
2857	masculine,
2858	according to the rule
2859	in modern Arabic, although a few lines afterwards
2860	the masc.
2861	plur.
2862	is used.
2863	On fol. 93 a there
2864	is a noticeable form of the
2865	2nd
2866	pers.
2867	plur.
2868	masc.
2869	of the
2870	perf.,
2871	viz.
2872	I^^^ujls"'
2873	for the
2874	classical
2875	I-x^--',
2876	instead of the more modern
2877	Ij-:;-^:-^-'
2878	;
2879	but
2880	this may be
2881	a proof of the
2882	greater purity of the Arabic spoken
2883	in
2884	the Oases.
2885	It
2886	is a peculiarity
2887	of the
2888	present work
2889	that
2890	in
2891	certain
2892	parts
2893	the
2894	language
2895	is
2896	far
2897	more
2898	classical than
2899	in
2900	others
2901	;
2902	but
2903	this may be because the
2904	author has
2905	in
2906	some
2907	places
2908	closely followed some
2909	writer
2910	of the
2911	first
2912	ages
2913	of Islam,
2914	such
2915	as
2916	Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam
2917	or
2918	AI-Kindi, and
2919	in
2920	other
2921	places
2922	has
2923	composed
2924	his sentences
2925	for
2926	himself.
2927	d
2928	[II. 7]
p. 28
p. 29
2929	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES
2930	OF EGYPT.
p. 30
p. 31
2931	HISTORY
2932	Foiib
2933	COMPOSED BY
2934	A
2935	THE SHAIKH ABU SALIH,
2936	CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF THE DISTRICTS AND FIEFS OF EGYPT.
2937	Armenian Monastery and Chnrclies at Al~Basdttn.
2938	Section
2939	I. Let us begin ^ with the help and guidance of God.
2940	In this
2941	our own time, namely at the beginning of the year 564^ (Oct. 4, a. D. 1 1 68-
2942	Sept.
2943	23,
2944	1 169), took place the rebuilding
2945	of the [Armenian]
2946	church,
2947	named after Saint James, which stands in the district of Al-Basatin^, one
2948	of the districts of Egypt, in the neighbourhood of the hills.
2949	This was in
2950	the days of *
2951	-h-
2952	-x-
2953	, who was an emir*, and ruled Egypt on behalf of the
2954	Fol. 2 a
2955	^
2956	Folio
2957	I b was not
2958	part of the
2959	original MS., of which,
2960	in
2961	reality, the
2962	first
2963	twenty-two
2964	leaves
2965	are
2966	wanting,
2967	but
2968	was
2969	added
2970	by
2971	its
2972	owner,
2973	who
2974	perhaps
2975	compiled
2976	it
2977	from
2978	mutilated
2979	fragments
2980	of some
2981	leaves now
2982	missing,
2983	to supply
2984	a
2985	beginning
2986	to
2987	the
2988	incomplete
2989	book.
2990	Hence
2991	the
2992	abruptness,
2993	obscurity, and
2994	inaccuracy of the text.
2995	See Preface.
2996	^ This date must be rejected
2997	;
2998	it is the date of the
2999	dispersion of the monks
3000	(see
3001	fol.
3002	2
3003	a), not of the rebuilding of the church, which must have taken place
3004	many years before.
3005	* Or, in the singular, Al-Bustan.
3006	It lies a few miles to the south of Cairo, on
3007	the
3008	right or eastern bank of the Nile, near the Mukattam range, in a region of
3009	gardens, as the name implies.
3010	It
3011	is now included
3012	in
3013	the district of Badrashain,
3014	in the province of Jizah, and in 1885 had a population of 1,698;
3015	see Recensement
3016	de VEgypte, Cairo, 1885, tome
3017	ii. p. 65.
3018	(A.
3019	J. B.)
3020	* This first page of the MS.
3021	is so
3022	litde trustworthy in
3023	its present form, that
3024	it
3025	can hardly be
3026	determined who
3027	this emir was.
3028	Since
3029	the
3030	events
3031	here
3032	related
3033	b
3034	[IT. 7-]
p. 32
3035	2
3036	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
3037	caliph.
3038	He was a
3039	friend
3040	to
3041	all
3042	Christians, whether high
3043	or low.
3044	He
3045	received
3046	a
3047	monthly
3048	revenue
3049	of
3050	ten
3051	dinars^
3052	from
3053	the
3054	lands
3055	[of
3056	the
3057	monastery] which he held in fief ^.
3058	He then undertook and carried out
3059	the reconstruction of this church of Saint James, which had been burnt
3060	down
3061	; he built for
3062	it, above the sanctuary ^ a lofty dome, which could
3063	be seen from afar
3064	; he erected arches and vaults
3065	; and he completed the
3066	whole by setting up the great doors.
3067	These, however, were afterwards
3068	carried away, and accordingly he renewed them once more
3069	; the same
3070	thing happened
3071	a second
3072	time, and again he renewed the doors.
3073	He
3074	also completed the rebuilding of the [adjacent] church, which, however,
3075	he did not cause to be consecrated, nor was the liturgy celebrated in
3076	it.
3077	When the emir died, he was buried in this church.
3078	Now the monastery,
3079	[in which this church
3080	is contained,] stands
3081	in the midst of gardens and
3082	plots
3083	of vegetables and cornfields
3084	; and
3085	it
3086	is reckoned among the most
3087	charming of resorts for pleasure.
3088	§ When the Ghuzz"^ and the Kurds took
3089	possession of the land of
3090	cannot really belong to the year
3091	a. h. 564, as they would seem
3092	to do
3093	if the date
3094	here
3095	given could
3096	be
3097	relied upon,
3098	it may be
3099	suggested
3100	that
3101	this
3102	emir was
3103	the
3104	Armenian Badr
3105	al-Jamali, who was
3106	vizier
3107	to
3108	the caliph Al-Mustansir from a. h.
3109	467 to 487 = A. D. 1075-1094, and was known as Amir al-Jnyush or emir of the
3110	troops,
3111	i. e.
3112	commander-in-chief.
3113	On
3114	account
3115	of
3116	his
3117	nationality and
3118	religion,
3119	Badr was a benefactor
3120	to
3121	the
3122	Christians
3123	of Egypt.
3124	Cf. Renaudot
3125	{Hist. Pair.
3126	pp. 459 and 508), who speaks of the Armenian setdement
3127	in Egypt
3128	in the time
3129	of Badr, mentioned by our author on
3130	fol. 47
3131	b.
3132	^ The dinar was a gold coin, slightly over 66 grs. in weight.
3133	^ For remarks on the tenure of land in Egypt, see Introduction.
3134	^ The word Askina (llx.ll
3135	or
3136	\1.S..J\), from the Greek
3137	(jKr]vr],
3138	is used
3139	in
3140	this
3141	work
3142	in
3143	the
3144	sense
3145	of
3146	' sanctuary,' and appears
3147	to be synonymous
3148	with Haikal
3149	(J.5ll.i).
3150	Cf. Vansleb {Hisioire de VEglise d'Alexandrie, Paris, 1677,
3151	p. 50), who
3152	speaks of 'la lampe de VAske'ne aw du Tabernacle, ce qui est
3153	le choeur
3154	int^rieur.'
3155	The modern Copts, however, use the word to denote
3156	the baldakyn over the altar,
3157	such as may be
3158	seen, for example, in
3159	the church of Abu 's-Saifain at Old Cairo.
3160	See Butler, Ancient Coptic Churches, Oxford, 1884, vol.
3161	i. p. 114.
3162	(A. J. B.)
3163	* For remarks on
3164	the
3165	Kurdish
3166	conquest
3167	of
3168	Egypt,
3169	see
3170	Introduction.
3171	Our
3172	author, or more
3173	probably
3174	his
3175	copyist, by putting jJ^W and
3176	:>\^'^\
3177	in
3178	apposition
p. 33
3179	ARMENIAN MONASTERY AND CHURCHES.
3180	3
3181	Egypt, in the month of Rabf the Second, in the year 564 (a. D.
3182	1 168-9),
3183	calamities well known
3184	to
3185	all men overtook the Armenians \ who were
3186	then
3187	settled
3188	in Egypt.
3189	Their patriarch^, together with the Armenian
3190	monks, was driven away from
3191	that monastery of which we have been
3192	speaking
3193	;
3194	its door was blocked vip, and those churches remained empty,
3195	nor did any one venture to approach them.
3196	§ Al-Bustan
3197	[or Al-Basatin] was next allotted as a fief to the Fakih
3198	Al-Baha^
3199	'Ali, the Damascene, who
3200	set apart
3201	for the Armenians the
3202	church of John the Baptist, built over'^ the church of the Pure Lady^, in
3203	the Harah Zawilah*^; and here the patriarch dwelt during the year 564
3204	(a. d. 1168-9).
3205	seems to consider them as two names of the same nation.
3206	Perhaps there
3207	is some
3208	confusion between dU^l
3209	jili, which would be correct, and jl^^l
3210	till.
3211	^ There were a large number of Armenians
3212	in Egypt during the eleventh and
3213	twelfth
3214	centuries.
3215	See
3216	Renaudot,
3217	Hist.
3218	Pair.
3219	p.
3220	460
3221	ff.
3222	Yakut, who
3223	died
3224	A. H. 596 = A. D. 1200, speaks of the Armenians among the mixed nationalities of
3225	which, as he says, the population of Egypt was in his time composed.
3226	See his Geogr.
3227	Worterbuch
3228	ed. Wiistenfeld,
3229	iv.
3230	p.
3231	001.
3232	Under
3233	the
3234	later Fatimides, high
3235	ofifices
3236	were
3237	frequently held by Armenians
3238	in Egypt, of whom
3239	the most
3240	distinguished
3241	were Badr
3242	al-Jamali,
3243	the
3244	vizier
3245	of
3246	Al-Mustansir ;
3247	his
3248	son,
3249	Al-Afdal,
3250	vizier
3251	to
3252	Al-Amir ; and Taj ad-Daulah Bahram, the vizier of Al-Hafiz.
3253	^ The first patriarch or catholicus of the Armenians
3254	in Egypt was Gregory,
3255	who, towards
3256	the end of
3257	the
3258	eleventh
3259	century, was
3260	consecrated
3261	at Alexandria
3262	by
3263	his
3264	uncle
3265	the
3266	catholicus,
3267	Gregory
3268	II.
3269	See Renaudot,
3270	Hist. Pair.
3271	p.
3272	461
3273	;
3274	and, for references
3275	to Armenian writers. Dr. Arsak Ter-Mikelian, Die armcnische
3276	Kirche in ihren Beziehungen zur byza?itinische?i, Leipsic, 1892, p. 84.
3277	^ Afterwards
3278	chief professor
3279	in
3280	the
3281	college
3282	called Manazil
3283	al-'Izz
3284	at Fustat,
3285	and preacher
3286	in the same
3287	city;
3288	died
3289	a. ij. 584=:a. d. 1188.
3290	See Ibn Shaddad,
3291	quoted by Ibn Khallikan, Biogr. Diet, trans. De Slane,
3292	iv. p. 421.
3293	'' In Egypt churches are frequently built one over another, forming two stories.
3294	' A church of Al-Adhra (the Virgin)
3295	is
3296	still standing in the Harah Zuwailah,
3297	and
3298	is almost beyond
3299	question
3300	to
3301	be
3302	identified
3303	with
3304	the church mentioned
3305	in
3306	the text
3307	;
3308	it bears marks
3309	of great
3310	antiquity.
3311	See
3312	Butler,
3313	Coptic
3314	Churches, vol.
3315	i.
3316	p. 273.
3317	(A.
3318	J. B.)
3319	^ The quarter of Cairo called Hdrah Zaivilah, and now Zuwailah, was founded
3320	b
3321	2
p. 34
3322	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
3323	Fol. 2 b
3324	TJie Armenian Patriarch.
3325	§ This patriarch had been bishop of Itfih^
3326	; and afterwards, during
3327	the caliphate of Al-Hafiz ^, he conceived the idea^ of becoming patriarch
3328	by means of money which he gave
3329	in bribes.
3330	He made an agreement
3331	with Al-Hafiz, binding himself to give instruction
3332	in
3333	historical matters
3334	to the
3335	caliph, who granted him permission to appear at the palace of
3336	the caliph, together with the emirs and
3337	officers of state, on two days in
3338	the week, namely Monday and Thursday"^, and also on
3339	festivals, to pay
3340	his respects, and to bring any new information that he had discovered.
3341	In
3342	this way, during
3343	his
3344	visits
3345	to
3346	the Emerald
3347	Palace^, the
3348	patriarch
3349	imparted to Al-Hafiz all the results of his researches among biographies
3350	by the Berber tribe of Zawilah, who
3351	assisted Jauhar, the general of the Fatimide
3352	caliph Al-Mu'izz, in the conquest of Egypt,
3353	a. d. 969, and the foundation of Cairo.
3354	The Bab Zawilah or Zuwailah
3355	is one of the
3356	principal
3357	gates of
3358	the
3359	city.
3360	See
3361	Al-Makrizi,
3362	Khitat, Bulak,
3363	a. h. 1270 = a. d.
3364	1854,
3365	vol.
3366	ii.
3367	p.
3368	t=
3369	; Ibn Dukmak,
3370	Kitdb al-Iniisdr li-ivdsitah 'ikd al-amsdr, Bulak, a.m. I3io = a. d. 1893,
3371	v. p. rv.
3372	^ Now called Atfih;
3373	generally written ^^\',
3374	see fol. 8 b, 10 a, 47 a, &c.
3375	The
3376	town
3377	lies
3378	south of
3379	Cairo, on
3380	the
3381	eastern
3382	bank, and
3383	is
3384	the Coptic Hexiie^,
3385	the Greek Aphroditopolis
3386	;
3387	it now gives
3388	its name
3389	to a
3390	district of the province of
3391	Jizah, and in 1885 had a population of 2,731.
3392	See Yakut, Geogr. Wort.
3393	i. p. n
3394	1
3395	;
3396	Amdiineau,
3397	Geogr.
3398	de VEgypte
3399	a
3400	Vepoqiie
3401	copie,
3402	p.
3403	326.
3404	Under
3405	the
3406	Fatimide
3407	dynasty, and
3408	for some
3409	centuries
3410	after,
3411	Itfih was
3412	the
3413	capital of a province;
3414	see
3415	fol. 8 b; Ibn Dukmak,
3416	v. p.
3417	irr.
3418	^ Al-Hafiz Abu '1-Maimun 'Abd al-Majid, the eleventh of the Fatimide caliphs,
3419	reigned a. h. 524-544= a. d.
3420	i 130-11 49.
3421	See Introduction.
3422	^ J-^ should be jli^.
3423	* These were
3424	the two days of public
3425	reception
3426	at the palace during the rule
3427	of the Fatimide caliphs.
3428	See Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
3429	i. p.
3430	ta-i.
3431	® The Emerald Palace (i.*i!l^ or .s^jJl) was part of the Great Palace (^i.!l
3432	j-tr^^) of the Fatimide caliphs, which stood
3433	in the east of Cairo, and was founded
3434	by Jauhar in a.m. 358= a. d. 969.
3435	The name was taken from
3436	the Emerald Gate
3437	near
3438	which
3439	this
3440	palace
3441	stood.
3442	See
3443	Al-JNIakrizi,
3444	Khilat,
3445	i.
3446	pp.
3447	F.f,
3448	F.c,
3449	fro;
3450	cf p. TAt'
3451	ff.
p. 35
3452	THE ARMENIAN PATRIARCH.
3453	5
3454	and histories
3455	of wars, and chronicles and annals of former
3456	rulers, and
3457	carried on intercourse of this kind with Al-Hafiz until the death of the
3458	latter, which took place in the month of Jumada the Second, in the year
3459	544 (a. D.
3460	1 149).
3461	§ Outside
3462	this
3463	monastery^, and
3464	in
3465	its
3466	neighbourhood,
3467	beside
3468	the
3469	pottery, there stands a small church, which was rebuilt in the caliphate
3470	of Al-Amir^ bi-ahkami
3471	'llah, for the use of the Melkites, instead of the
3472	church which had stood
3473	in the H^rah Zawilah but was wrecked
3474	in the
3475	same
3476	caliphate, and
3477	later, namely
3478	in
3479	the
3480	caliphate
3481	of Al-Hafiz, was
3482	transformed
3483	into a mosque.
3484	Abu '1-Barakat ibn al-Laith wrote verses
3485	on
3486	the
3487	subject
3488	of this church which was
3489	thus
3490	restored.
3491	It was
3492	built
3493	upon vaults, and beneath
3494	it there was a burying-place for the dead.
3495	§ On account of the ruin brought upon the Armenians by the Ghuzz
3496	and
3497	the Kurds, their patriarch
3498	left Egypt and departed
3499	to Jerusalem.
3500	He took with him seventy-five sacred^ books, among which was a copy
3501	of the Four Gospels with illuminations'^ in colours and gold, representing
3502	^ The monastery of Al-Basatin, described above.
3503	^ The tenth of the Fatimide caliphs, reigned a. h. 495-524=a. d. 1101-1130.
3504	See Introduction.
3505	^ The books here spoken of were perhaps brought by Gregory (see note on
3506	foL
3507	2 a) from Armenia
3508	to Egypt.
3509	See Renaudot,
3510	Hist. Pair. p.
3511	461, and Ter-
3512	Mikelian, Die arnmi. Kirche, &c. p. 84.
3513	* Probably
3514	the
3515	miniatures
3516	here spoken of were
3517	the
3518	Avork
3519	of
3520	Byzantine
3521	or
3522	Syrian
3523	artists.
3524	Native Armenian
3525	miniatures
3526	are
3527	not met
3528	with
3529	earlier than
3530	the
3531	thirteenth century.
3532	See Strzygowski, Das Etsch?nt'adzi?i Evangeliar, 1891, p. 87.
3533	A native writer of the eighth century says
3534	that
3535	all figure-painting in Armenia was
3536	the work of Greek
3537	artists {ibid. p. 77 f)
3538	The Armenian gospels of Echmiadzin,
3539	of A, D, 989, have
3540	Syrian miniatures
3541	of an
3542	earlier date inserted
3543	at the beginning
3544	and end.
3545	An Armenian book
3546	of the Gospels now at San Lazzaro, Venice, and
3547	ascribed
3548	to
3549	the end
3550	of the
3551	tenth century, contains Byzantine
3552	miniatures
3553	repre-
3554	senting scenes from
3555	the
3556	hfe
3557	of Christ
3558	{ibid. p.
3559	76).
3560	Another Armenian
3561	IMS.
3562	of
3563	the same date
3564	contains a
3565	figure of the Evangelist
3566	Saint Luke with a Greek
3567	title
3568	(a)aoka2, proving the nationality of
3569	its designer {ibid. p. 77).
3570	A similar employ-
3571	ment of Byzantine
3572	artists was customary in the neighbouring country of Georgia
3573	{ibid.
3574	p. 78
3575	ff.)
p. 36
3576	6
3577	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
3578	Fol. 3 a
3579	the
3580	miracles
3581	of
3582	Christ, to whom
3583	be
3584	glory
3585	!
3586	The
3587	patriarch's journey-
3588	was begun on Saturday
3589	the
3590	15th
3591	of Hatur^,
3592	in
3593	the year
3594	888
3595	of
3596	the
3597	Martyrs, which
3598	is equivalent to the 23rd of Rabi' the First of the year
3599	568
3600	(a. D.
3601	1172).
3602	It
3603	is
3604	said
3605	that
3606	he
3607	founded
3608	a
3609	monastery
3610	outside
3611	Jerusalem, containing a church, and named
3612	after
3613	Sharkis, who
3614	is
3615	the
3616	same as Abu Sirjah
3617	; and to
3618	this church he brought all the altar-vessels
3619	and golden dinars that he had
3620	in
3621	his charge
3622	; and
3623	it
3624	is said that this
3625	Armenian monastery contained twenty monks.
3626	The patriarch appointed
3627	a priest at Cairo to act as his deputy, together with the son of the priest,
3628	for
3629	the
3630	purpose
3631	of
3632	reciting
3633	prayers,
3634	and
3635	performing
3636	liturgies
3637	at
3638	the
3639	proper time,
3640	in the church of John the
3641	Baptist, which stands over the
3642	chapel
3643	of
3644	the
3645	Pure Lady
3646	in
3647	the
3648	Harah
3649	Zawilah,
3650	as
3651	it
3652	has
3653	already
3654	been
3655	related
3656	;
3657	and
3658	at
3659	this
3660	church
3661	there assembled
3662	a
3663	congregation
3664	of
3665	Armenians, both men and women.
3666	As for the monastery which belongs
3667	to
3668	this people, together with
3669	its churches^
3670	it was deserted, and
3671	its door
3672	was fastened up.
3673	§ The news came
3674	that the
3675	patriarch had
3676	arrived
3677	at
3678	Jerusalem
3679	in
3680	safety, and
3681	that
3682	all the Christians had gone out
3683	to meet him with joy
3684	Fol. 3 b and
3685	gladness,
3686	chanting
3687	psalms,
3688	and
3689	carrying
3690	before him
3691	crosses and
3692	lighted tapers, and censers with incense-.
3693	' The Coptic Athor (^.etJ0p)= Oct. 28-Nov. 27.
3694	^ According to the custom of antiquity upon the
3695	arrival or departure of guests
3696	whom
3697	it was desired to honour, and especially of bishops.
3698	So
3699	it was when Saint
3700	Athanasius
3701	visited
3702	the
3703	different
3704	parts
3705	of Egypt
3706	:
3707	' He journeyed
3708	southwards,
3709	accompanied by some of the chief bishops and a great company, and with torches
3710	and candles and censers without number.'
3711	^.qn^-p^-re e^JUL^-pKc epe ^enno6^ri enicKonoc ^JUl.JUL^,q
3712	juirt oTJULHHoje
3713	ert^.aj(jL3q
3714	^.'yuo ^enX^-JULn^.c juirt ^enKHpcwrt
3715	juLit £,ertcyofpH e«cen^.cyxi Hne JULJULooT^.n
3716	(Zoega,
3717	Cataiogus
3718	Codicum
3719	Copticorum, &c.
3720	cod.
3721	clxxiii;
3722	Amdlineau,
3723	Histoire
3724	de
3725	S. Pakhdine,
3726	&c.
3727	p. 296).
3728	On
3729	the approach
3730	of
3731	the
3732	officers
3733	of Theodosius
3734	to
3735	Lycopolis,
3736	the
3737	modern
3738	Asyut, the bishop John gave orders for
3739	their
3740	reception in a similar manner
3741	:
3742	' Let
p. 37
3743	THE A RMENIAN PA TRIAR CH.
3744	7
3745	§ After
3746	this, the patriarch lived for a time
3747	in happiness, and then
3748	went to his
3749	rest
3750	in the mercy of God, to whom be
3751	praise, on the 5th of
3752	Tubah^, in the year last mentioned
3753	; and he was buried in the monastery
3754	of James the son of Zebedee at Jerusalem.
3755	He was noble in character
3756	and beautiful in form
3757	; he was of perfect stature
3758	;
3759	his face was encircled
3760	by his beard and whiskers, which were growing grey
3761	; and
3762	his age was
3763	nearly eighty years.
3764	§
3765	It
3766	is
3767	said that the Armenian bishop^ resident
3768	in Jerusalem, when
3769	he saw how men sought the society of this holy patriarch on account of
3770	his noble qualities, was filled with envy of him, and gave him poison to
3771	drink, which caused his death.
3772	But God did
3773	not show favour
3774	to
3775	this
3776	bishop after the patriarch's death, or grant him a happy life
3777	;
3778	for he died
3779	only twenty days afterwards.
3780	God knows best
3781	in
3782	his hidden wisdom
3783	whether that which was told of the bishop was
3784	true.
3785	This patriarch of
3786	whom we have been speaking was a learned
3787	priest, understanding the
3788	divine books and
3789	able
3790	to expound them.
3791	But there were those who
3792	envied him on account of his good reputation among men
3793	; and so they
3794	said that he was guilty of immoral conduct.
3795	This report arose among
3796	those who were most envious of his innocence.
3797	The author of this book
3798	declared
3799	as
3800	follows
3801	:
3802	I met Abu
3803	'1-Kasim
3804	Khalil,
3805	the
3806	physician
3807	and
3808	philosopher of Ascalon, who said that he had visited this patriarch one
3809	all the clergy of the city and the
3810	chief men take the holy Gospel of the Saviour
3811	and crosses and censers, and go forth and bring them into the
3812	city with honour,
3813	singing hymns.'
3814	juL^.pe neKXHpoc THpq rtxnoXic juiit n^-px^« xi JULnev-
3815	^.weXIo^
3816	e^~0T^-^.^
3817	JuinccoxHp
3818	jmrt necxpoc
3819	JULrt
3820	iteoK-
3821	jULi<LTrHpion m"eT"rt^a3K e^oX ^htot nxeTrtrtTOT e^onrrt
3822	exnoXiC ^no-y^JULH
3823	JULIt ^n^^lfJULrtOC
3824	(Zoega,
3825	op.
3826	dt.
3827	cod.
3828	ccxix.
3829	p. 542).
3830	^ The Coptic Tobi (Ta5E,l)= Dec. 27-Jan. 25.
3831	^ At the Armenian synod of Hromkla
3832	in
3833	a. d. 1180 an Armenian
3834	bishop of
3835	Jerusalem appears among the signatories who subscribed to the creed of Nerses IV.
3836	See Ter-Mikelian, Die armen. Kirche, &c. p. 104.
p. 38
3837	8
3838	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
3839	day
3840	in
3841	his
3842	cell
3843	in the monastery of Az-Zuhri^
3844	[and the
3845	result
3846	of the
3847	visit was that the patriarch was proved innocent].
3848	Fol. 4 b
3849	The report was not spread
3850	until after he had departed to Syria and
3851	had died
3852	there.
3853	It was at the house of Al-A'azz Hasan
3854	ibn Salamah
3855	called Al-Bakilani, who was chief cadi^ at Misr, that
3856	I the poor author
3857	of this book met Abu '1-Kasim, on Monday, the 37th of Shawwal, in the
3858	year 568 (a.d. 1173).
3859	Fate of the Armenian
3860	Chiwches of Al-Basatm and Az-Zuhri.
3861	§ Since no Armenian of authority was now left in Egypt, the Copts
3862	acquired possession of this large and ancient church^ by a decree of our
3863	Lord the
3864	Sultan, through the
3865	intercession of the Shaikh
3866	ar-Ra'is
3867	Safi
3868	ad-Daulah ibn Abu '1-Ma'ali, known
3869	as Ibn
3870	Sharafi, his
3871	scribe.
3872	Then
3873	its
3874	fittings were
3875	renewed by
3876	the
3877	emir Said
3878	ad-Daulah Bahram
3879	the
3880	steward of the Armenians.
3881	When the Shaikh Safi ad-Daulah had fully
3882	provided all that was needed for the construction of the church, through
3883	Fol. 5 a
3884	the
3885	priest Abu l-Wafa
3886	ibn Abi '1-Bashar, the patriarch Anba
3887	Mark"*,
3888	who was
3889	the
3890	seventy-third
3891	in
3892	the
3893	succession, came with Anba John,
3894	^ Janan az-Zuhri or Bustan az-Zuhri was the name given to gardens between
3895	Fustat and
3896	Cairo, from
3897	the former owner of the land 'Abd al-Wahab ibn Musa
3898	az-Zuhri.
3899	The pool
3900	called Birkat an-Nasiriyah was excavated on
3901	their
3902	site
3903	in
3904	A. H.
3905	721
3906	by
3907	the
3908	Sultan
3909	Al-Malik
3910	an-Nasir Muhammad
3911	ibn
3912	Kala'un,
3913	See
3914	Al-Makrizi, Khttat,
3915	ii. pp.
3916	1
3917	11= and
3918	110.
3919	^ The cadi of cadis (iil^l
3920	15^^^) or chief judge was the principal
3921	legal
3922	officer
3923	under
3924	the
3925	Fatimide
3926	caHphs
3927	and
3928	their
3929	successors.
3930	This
3931	high
3932	dignitary
3933	was
3934	distinguished by
3935	riding on
3936	a grey mule, and he
3937	held
3938	his
3939	court
3940	in
3941	great
3942	state
3943	on Tuesday and
3944	Saturday
3945	at
3946	the
3947	Mosque
3948	of 'Amr.
3949	See Al-Makrizi, KMtat,
3950	i.
3951	p. J'.r
3952	f.
3953	;
3954	As-Suyuti, Husn al-MuMdarah ft Akhbdr Mur wa
3955	H-Kdhirah,
3956	ii. p.
3957	I r
3958	.
3959	.
3960	Al-A'azz became chief cadi in a. h. 549.
3961	^
3962	I. e. the church of Al-Basatin or Al-Bustan spoken of above,
3963	fol.
3964	2.
3965	* Occupied the see from a.d. 1174
3966	to
3967	11 89.
3968	See Renaudot, Hist. Patr.
3969	pp.
3970	530-554.
3971	The title Anba transcribes the Coptic ^£.^<L and means
3972	' father.'
p. 39
3973	FATE OF THE ARMENIAN CHURCHES.
3974	9
3975	bishop of Tamwaih\ and Anba Michael, bishop
3976	of Bastah^, and a body
3977	of
3978	priests and
3979	chief men and
3980	orthodox
3981	laity
3982	;
3983	and
3984	the
3985	church was
3986	consecrated on Wednesday, the 17th of Ba'unah^ in the year 892 of the
3987	Blameless
3988	Martyrs
3989	;
3990	and
3991	the
3992	liturgy was
3993	celebrated and
3994	the
3995	people
3996	communicated
3997	at
3998	the
3999	hand
4000	of
4001	the
4002	patriarch.
4003	This
4004	church
4005	became
4006	a patriarchal
4007	church, and the liturgy was conducted henceforth by the
4008	priests of the church of the Lady in the Harat ar-Rum* in Cairo.
4009	Abil
4010	Sa'id ibn az-Zayyat provided for the painting of the apse" of this church,
4011	^ On west bank of Nile, a
4012	little
4013	south
4014	of Cairo, and opposite Hulwan
4015	;
4016	see
4017	Yakfit, Geogr. Wort.
4018	ii. p. tvF.
4019	It
4020	is the Coptic T-LiULJUKJOOnf, and
4021	is now in the
4022	district of Badrashain, province of Jizah;
4023	its population in 1885 was 794, besides
4024	454 Bedouins; Am^l., Geogr.
4025	p. 478.
4026	IM. Am^lineau does not explain why he
4027	writes the Arabic name as i>^ and transcribes
4028	it as Tamouieh.
4029	2 Bastah
4030	is
4031	the
4032	classical
4033	Bubastis,
4034	Coptic no'r^<Lci~
4035	or KoT^-Cf , and
4036	under the name
4037	of Tall Bastah
4038	is now a small hamlet
4039	close
4040	to
4041	Zagazig, in the
4042	province of Kalyub
4043	;
4044	see Amdl., Geogr. p. 89.
4045	(A.
4046	J. B.)
4047	^ The Coptic Paoni (n«&.(JOrtl) = IMay 26-June 24.
4048	* The 'Quarter of
4049	the
4050	Romans,' who
4051	came
4052	with
4053	the army of
4054	the
4055	caliph
4056	Al-Mu'izz, and
4057	took
4058	their
4059	part
4060	in
4061	the
4062	foundation
4063	of Cairo.
4064	The
4065	quarter was
4066	sometimes called the Lower Harat ar-Rfim in distinction from the Upper or Inner
4067	Harat ar-Riam.
4068	See Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
4069	ii. p.
4070	a
4071	; Ibn Dukmak,
4072	op,
4073	cit. v. p. rv.
4074	The word
4075	' Rum
4076	' was used very loosely by the Arabs, sometimes in the sense of
4077	Europeans generally, sometimes in that of subjects of the Byzantine empire.
4078	^ The word jU. here and on
4079	fol. 31 a evidently stands, by a
4080	clerical
4081	error, for
4082	jUl, which occurs on
4083	fol. 41 b, &c.
4084	If we suppose the book to have been written
4085	from dictation, the sound of Ju might be mistaken for that of ^
4086	; and an ignorant
4087	copyist might add two points over j, making
4088	it j.
4089	The apse
4090	is an almost indispensable feature
4091	in the
4092	architecture of a Coptic
4093	church, and
4094	is usually highly decorated.
4095	Marble
4096	seats
4097	in ders, forming a tribune
4098	or synthronus, run round
4099	the foot of the wall, while above the tribune the wall is
4100	cased
4101	with
4102	marble
4103	panelling
4104	for some
4105	little
4106	height;
4107	and
4108	over
4109	this
4110	stand
4111	the
4112	painted
4113	figures of Our Lord and
4114	the Twelve Apostles.
4115	It
4116	is probably to such
4117	frescoes
4118	that
4119	Abfi
4120	Salih
4121	is
4122	alluding.
4123	See
4124	Butler,
4125	Coptic
4126	Churches,
4127	i.
4128	pp.
4129	40,
4130	112, &c.
4131	(A.
4132	J. B.)
4133	C
4134	[IT.
4135	7-]
p. 40
4136	lo
4137	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
4138	which
4139	was
4140	executed
4141	by Abu
4142	'1-Fath
4143	ibn
4144	al-Akmas, known
4145	as
4146	Ibn
4147	al-Haufi
4148	the
4149	painter
4150	;
4151	and
4152	this work
4153	was
4154	finished
4155	in
4156	the
4157	month
4158	of
4159	Amshir, in the year 892 of the Blameless Martyrs (Jan.- Feb., A. D. 1177).
4160	§ There came a bishop from Armenia, accompanied by three priests,
4161	and
4162	sent by
4163	the king^
4164	of Armenia and
4165	the
4166	patriarch.
4167	He
4168	brought
4169	a despatch from both of them and two
4170	letters, one of which was from
4171	Al-Malik Salah ad-Din 2, and the other from Al-Malik Saif ad-Din Abu
4172	Bakr^, his brother, to Al-Malik Taki ad-Din^, and they recommended in
4173	their letters that the bishop should be received with honour, and that the
4174	two churches of the Armenians in Az-Zuhri^ and Al-Bustan^ should be
4175	given up
4176	to him.
4177	So
4178	this bishop
4179	alighted
4180	at the church of John the
4181	^ Leo
4182	or Levon
4183	II,
4184	the
4185	Rubenide, who
4186	reigned
4187	in
4188	Cilicia,
4189	not
4190	in Armenia
4191	proper; he ascended the throne in 1186.
4192	He was a great supporter of his own
4193	church and of other Oriental churches.
4194	See Alishan, Leoyi
4195	le Magn. p. 294, &c.
4196	^
4197	Saladin had
4198	left Egypt
4199	in
4200	a. h.
4201	578, and was now
4202	in
4203	Syria,
4204	engaged
4205	in
4206	wars and sieges;
4207	see Al-Makrizi, KMtat,
4208	ii. p.
4209	rri=;
4210	Ibn al-Athir, Al-Kdmil (ed.
4211	Tornberg),
4212	xi.
4213	p.
4214	rr'i
4215	;
4216	Ibn
4217	Shaddad,
4218	Sirah
4219	Saldh
4220	ad-Din
4221	(ed.
4222	Schultens),
4223	p. 38
4224	flf.
4225	2 Aba Bakr Muhammad
4226	ibn Abi 'sh-Shukr AyyQb
4227	ibn
4228	Shadi
4229	ibn Marwan,
4230	surnamed Al-Mahk al-'Adil Saif ad-Din, brother of Saladin, was born a. h. 530=
4231	A.D. 1145 and
4232	died
4233	a. h. 615 = a. d. 1218.
4234	He
4235	acted
4236	as
4237	Saladin's
4238	viceroy
4239	for
4240	Egypt from a. h. 578 to 579, but was now ruling Aleppo, handed over to him by
4241	his
4242	brother.
4243	In
4244	a. h. 596 = a. d.
4245	1200 he became
4246	sultan of Egypt.
4247	See Ibn
4248	Khallikan,
4249	Biogr.
4250	Did.
4251	iii.
4252	p.
4253	235;
4254	Ibn
4255	al-Athir,
4256	Al-Kdmil,
4257	xi.
4258	p.
4259	rri
4260	;
4261	Ibn
4262	Shaddad, Sirah Saldh ad-Din, p. 56
4263	;
4264	As-Suyuti, Husn al-Muhddarah,
4265	ii. p. rv ff.
4266	* Taki
4267	ad-Din 'Umar, surnamed Al-Malik
4268	al-Muzaffar, nephew of
4269	Saladin,
4270	had been appointed viceroy of Egypt by the
4271	latter, when he summoned Al-Malik
4272	al-'Adil to Syria in
4273	a. h. 579 = a. d. 1183 (see fol. 6 b).
4274	Taki ad-Din was recalled
4275	to Syria towards the end of a. h. 582 = a. d. 1186, so
4276	that
4277	it must have been
4278	in
4279	this year that the envoys mentioned in the
4280	text arrived from Armenia.
4281	See Ibn
4282	Khallikan, Biogr. Diet.
4283	ii. p. 391; Ibn al-Athir, Al-Kdmil, xi. p. r-^f; Ibn Shaddad,
4284	Sirah Saldh ad-Din, p. 64
4285	;
4286	As-Suyuti, Husn al-MiiMdarah, ii. p. 50
4287	; Abu '1-Fida,
4288	Ann. Musi.
4289	iv.
4290	p. 60,
4291	^ See fol. 3 b.
4292	« See
4293	fol.
4294	i b.
p. 41
4295	FATE OF THE ARMENIAN CHURCHES.
4296	ii
4297	Baptist^ in the Harah Zawilah
4298	; but the Fakih at-Tusi^ did not allow
4299	it,
4300	so the bishop compelled him, and stayed there several months, and then
4301	Fol. 5 b
4302	grew sick and died without carrying out his object.
4303	He was buried
4304	in
4305	the church of the Armenians in Az-Zuhri
4306	; may God rest his soul.
4307	§ On the Sunday of Olives^, the first day of the eighth week of the
4308	Holy
4309	Fast, and
4310	the
4311	ist
4312	of Barmudah'*,
4313	in
4314	the year
4315	892
4316	(a. D.
4317	1177)
4318	of the Blameless Martyrs, a body of priests came to
4319	this church, with
4320	the
4321	laity, among whom were Abii
4322	Sa'id ibn Abu '1-Fadl ibn Fahd and
4323	Abu '1-Yaman
4324	ibn Abu
4325	'1-Faraj
4326	ibn Abi '1-Yaman
4327	ibn
4328	Zanbur
4329	;
4330	and
4331	these two had with them a vessel containing pure
4332	oil with which they
4333	ate
4334	their peas
4335	;
4336	and
4337	the}' placed
4338	it within
4339	the
4340	church, but afterwards
4341	when they looked
4342	for
4343	it, they could not
4344	find
4345	it.
4346	Then they suspected
4347	the Muslim guardians
4348	of the church, and allowed their servants to beat
4349	them
4350	;
4351	so
4352	the
4353	guardians went
4354	to
4355	the
4356	Fakih
4357	Baha ad-Din^
4358	'Ali
4359	the
4360	Damascene
4361	in a fury, on account of what had happened
4362	to them, and
4363	said to him
4364	:
4365	' Shall the Muslims be struck
4366	in the face by Christians
4367	in
4368	the month of Ramadan ?
4369	'
4370	Then the fakih at once informed the sultan
4371	of this
4372	occurrence,
4373	and
4374	it
4375	greatly angered him
4376	;
4377	so he
4378	sent
4379	for
4380	Safi
4381	ad-Daulah Abu 1-Ma ali ibn Sharafi, his
4382	scribe, and blamed him
4383	for
4384	it,
4385	and demanded of him the decree which he had received, empowering
4386	Fol. 6 a
4387	the Copts
4388	to take possession
4389	of this church
4390	; and
4391	this, by
4392	ill luck, was
4393	in the sleeve of his garment.
4394	So he brought
4395	it out and handed
4396	it to the
4397	sultan, who commanded that the door of the church should be barred,
4398	and
4399	this order was obeyed
4400	at once
4401	;
4402	and
4403	the door of the church was
4404	barred.
4405	After a short time, however, the sultan commanded by a new
4406	decree
4407	that the church should be
4408	restored
4409	to the
4410	Copts, and
4411	its door
4412	should be opened to them, and they should pray
4413	in
4414	it, and that none
4415	should molest them in any way witho,ut cause.
4416	After this the condition
4417	of this church remained prosperous, and one of the priests of the church
4418	See fol. 2 a.
4419	"^
4420	See
4421	fol. 6 a.
4422	I.e. Palm-Sunday
4423	;
4424	otherwise called Hosanna Sunday.
4425	(A.
4426	J. B.)
4427	The Coptic Pharmouthi (4)4j.pJULOT-ei)= March 27-April 25.
4428	See
4429	fol. 2 a.
4430	*•
4431	C 2
p. 42
4432	12
4433	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
4434	of the Lady in the Harat ar-Riim was appointed to perform the prayers
4435	in
4436	it on Sundays and festivals.
4437	After this there came to the court from
4438	Tus ^ an Imamite Fakih, to whom Al-Bustan, of which we have spoken,
4439	was
4440	allotted
4441	as a
4442	fief,
4443	after
4444	the death
4445	of Al-Fakih AH
4446	of Damascus,
4447	in whose hands
4448	it had
4449	been.
4450	The new-comer began
4451	to oppress the
4452	Christians, and
4453	required
4454	gifts from them
4455	in the form of bribes, so
4456	far
4457	as his power extended.
4458	Then he shut the two churches ^, after pillaging
4459	the
4460	Great
4461	Church,
4462	the door of which
4463	he
4464	barred
4465	with
4466	a
4467	plank
4468	until
4469	Friday the
4470	13th
4471	of
4472	Sha'ban,
4473	A. H. 581
4474	(a. D.
4475	1185).
4476	There came
4477	an
4478	Armenian, who said
4479	that he was a friend
4480	of Taj ad-Daulah Bahram ^
4481	the Armenian, who had been
4482	vizier
4483	to Al-Imam Hafi?
4484	;
4485	and he
4486	said
4487	that he had buried money, belonging to Taj ad-Daulah the said vizier,
4488	Fol. 6 b
4489	in
4490	the Great Church *, and
4491	that he had
4492	arrived
4493	in order
4494	to
4495	bring
4496	it
4497	to
4498	light
4499	;
4500	but no heed was given
4501	to him.
4502	It
4503	is
4504	said
4505	that he went on
4506	in
4507	his imaginings
4508	until the church was opened
4509	to him, and he dug
4510	in
4511	certain
4512	places.
4513	Then he
4514	said
4515	:
4516	' The money has
4517	vanished from
4518	this
4519	place
4520	;
4521	those who
4522	pillaged the church have taken
4523	it.'
4524	Thus he com-
4525	plained that a wrong had been done.
4526	The church remained open
4527	for
4528	him, and he lived
4529	in
4530	it as long as the fancy held him
4531	; only he placed
4532	a
4533	second
4534	seal
4535	upon
4536	it
4537	on
4538	the
4539	part
4540	of Al-Malik
4541	al-Muzaffar^;
4542	but
4543	nothing was
4544	restored
4545	there.
4546	'
4547	In Khorassan.
4548	'^
4549	I. e. the two adjacent churches of Al-Bustan.
4550	^ Became vizier to
4551	the
4552	caliph Al-Hafiz
4553	in the month of Jumada the Second,
4554	A. H. 529 = A. D.
4555	1 135.
4556	Being a Christian, he aroused the enmity of the Mahome-
4557	tans, a body of whom collected under Rudwan ibn al-Walakhshi (see fol. 9 a), and
4558	marched
4559	to Cairo with
4560	intentions
4561	hostile
4562	to Bahram, who
4563	fled
4564	in
4565	the month of
4566	JumS,da
4567	the
4568	First,
4569	a. h. 53i=a. d. 1137.
4570	See Al-Makrizt, ^-^/frt^,
4571	i. p. rov
4572	;
4573	As-
4574	Suyfitt,
4575	op.
4576	cit.
4577	ii.
4578	p. leo;
4579	Ibn
4580	Khaldfin,
4581	iv, p. vr;
4582	Abu
4583	'1-Fida, Ann. Musi.
4584	iii.
4585	pp. 460, 468; Ibn al-Athir,
4586	xi. p. ri.
4587	For the subsequent
4588	fate of Taj ad-Daulah
4589	Bahram, see below,
4590	fol. 50 a.
4591	*
4592	I.e. at Al-Bustan.
4593	^
4594	I.e. Taki ad-Din (see
4595	fol. 5 a and note), then
4596	acting
4597	as viceroy of Egypt
4598	for
4599	Saladin.
p. 43
4600	CHURCH OF ISTABL AL-FIl.
4601	13
4602	When Taki ad-Din went away
4603	to
4604	Syria \
4605	in
4606	Sha'ban
4607	A. H. ^^%
4608	(a. D.
4609	1 1 86), and
4610	Al-Malik al-'AdiP Aba
4611	Bakr came
4612	to
4613	Cairo,
4614	the
4615	latter ordered
4616	that these two churches should
4617	be separated from one
4618	another on the
4619	10th Ramadan
4620	in the same
4621	year, and
4622	the Copts and
4623	Armenians
4624	obtained
4625	possession
4626	of
4627	the two
4628	churches
4629	and
4630	began
4631	to
4632	make use of them.
4633	Now the time during which they had been closed
4634	was one year and
4635	fifteen
4636	days.
4637	So
4638	the
4639	Copts
4640	celebrated
4641	the
4642	liturgy
4643	in the Great Church on the
4644	first day of the blessed month of Kuhiak ^
4645	in
4646	the year 903
4647	-
4648	of the Blameless Martyrs
4649	;
4650	and
4651	after this the Copts
4652	forbad
4653	the Armenians
4654	to make
4655	use
4656	of the Great Church.
4657	Then an
4658	assembly
4659	of
4660	the
4661	chief men took
4662	counsel
4663	on
4664	this
4665	matter
4666	;
4667	and both
4668	the churches were
4669	restored
4670	to
4671	the possession of the Armenians.
4672	Church of Istabl al-FU.
4673	§
4674	The
4675	street
4676	called
4677	Istabl
4678	al-Ftl^
4679	lies
4680	near
4681	the
4682	two
4683	pools
4684	of
4685	^ He was
4686	at
4687	first chagrined
4688	at being
4689	thus superseded
4690	in
4691	Egypt, but
4692	finally
4693	consented
4694	to remain
4695	in
4696	the
4697	service of Saladin, who made him prince of Hamah
4698	(Hamath).
4699	Taki ad-Din died a.h. 587 = a.d. 1191.
4700	Ibn YAvAXM^xi., Biogr. Did.
4701	ii. p. 391
4702	; Ibn al-Athir, op.
4703	cit.
4704	xi. p. r^o;
4705	Ibn Shaddad,
4706	op.
4707	cit. pp. 67 and 213.
4708	^ He came as guardian
4709	to
4710	his nephew Al-Malik
4711	al-'Aziz the son of Saladin,
4712	who superseded Taki ad-Din in a.h. 582 as viceroy of Egypt, and became sultan
4713	on the death of his father in a.h. 589.
4714	It was not until a.h. 596= a.d. 1200 that
4715	Al-Malik al-'Adil became actual ruler of Egypt for the second time, succeeding his
4716	great-nephew Al-Malik al-Mansiir, son of Al-Malik al-'Aziz, as sultan,
4717	Al-Makrizi,
4718	op.
4719	cit.
4720	ii. p. fro
4721	; Ibn Khallikan,
4722	op. cit.
4723	ii. p. 391
4724	; Ibn al-Athir, op. cit.
4725	xii. p.
4726	1 .r.
4727	^ The
4728	Coptic Khoiak (^OI^.K)=N6v. 27-Dec. 26.
4729	The common Arabic
4730	transcription of the name
4731	is Kihak {^.jj^S^.
4732	*
4733	I.e. A.D. 1187.
4734	^
4735	I.e. Elephant's Stable.
4736	The Dar al-Fil or House of the Elephant and the
4737	Birkat
4738	al-Fil or Elephant's Pool, which
4739	still
4740	exists
4741	in name,
4742	lay to the south of
4743	Cairo, near
4744	the
4745	Birkah Karun.
4746	Perhaps
4747	Istabl
4748	al-Fil was
4749	another name
4750	for
4751	Dar al-Fil, which may have been turned
4752	into stables
4753	like other palaces at Cairo
4754	;
4755	the Mamluk sultans had
4756	stables on
4757	the Birkat al-Fil.
4758	After a.h. 600 the borders
p. 44
4759	14
4760	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
4761	Karun ^, which are between Misr and Cairo
4762	; and
4763	in this street there
4764	is
4765	Fol. 7 a
4766	a church, which was long ago ruined, and became a yard, while
4767	its walls
4768	remained visible above the surface of the ground.
4769	Its site has been used
4770	for
4771	the
4772	erection of a mosque, which was
4773	built by Husain
4774	the Kurd,
4775	the son-in-law
4776	of Salah
4777	ibn
4778	Ruzzik^, the
4779	vizier
4780	in
4781	the
4782	caliphate
4783	of
4784	Al-Imam Al-'Adid
4785	H-dini
4786	'llah 3.
4787	of the Birkai al-Fil were much
4788	built upon and surrounded by lofty manzarahs
4789	;
4790	and
4791	this became
4792	the
4793	finest
4794	quarter of Cairo.
4795	During
4796	the high
4797	Nile, when the
4798	pool was
4799	full, the sultan used to be rowed about
4800	it at night, while the manzarahs
4801	were illuminated.
4802	Ibn Sa'id says
4803	:
4804	' See
4805	the
4806	Elephant's
4807	Pool,
4808	encircled
4809	by
4810	vianzarahs,
4811	like
4812	lashes
4813	around
4814	the eye
4815	;
4816	It seems, when
4817	the eyes
4818	behold
4819	it,
4820	as
4821	if
4822	stars had
4823	been
4824	set
4825	around
4826	the
4827	moon.'
4828	See
4829	Al-Makrizi,
4830	op.
4831	cit.
4832	ii.
4833	p. mi, cf
4834	p.
4835	1 1 a
4836	;
4837	Ibn Dukmak,
4838	op.
4839	cit.
4840	iv. p.
4841	1
4842	1 and
4843	V. p. fo.
4844	^ The
4845	copyist has probably omitted
4846	the words
4847	J*a!U
4848	' and of the
4849	elephant
4850	after
4851	^J^\|,^5 ^^A
4852	' the
4853	two
4854	pools
4855	of
4856	Karun.'
4857	There was but a
4858	single Birkah
4859	Kdrun, which
4860	was, however, only separated by a
4861	dyke from
4862	the
4863	Birkat
4864	al-Fil.
4865	The passage should
4866	therefore doubtless read
4867	' the
4868	two
4869	pools of Karun and
4870	of
4871	Al-Fil.'
4872	When
4873	the
4874	quarters
4875	of
4876	Al-'Askar
4877	and
4878	Al-Kata'i'
4879	were
4880	founded
4881	(see
4882	Introduction), the borders of the Birkah Kdrtin were
4883	thickly inhabited, but were
4884	afterwards partly deserted.
4885	See Al-Makrizi, op.
4886	cil.
4887	ii. p. n
4888	i
4889	.
4890	^ Abu '1-Gharat Tala i' ibn Ruzzik, surnamed Al-Malik
4891	as-Salih.
4892	Salah must
4893	be an
4894	error.
4895	He was born in
4896	a.h. 495 = a.d. iioi
4897	; was appointed vizier to the
4898	caliph
4899	Al-Fa'iz
4900	in
4901	a.h. 549=a.d. 1154;
4902	and
4903	on
4904	the
4905	accession
4906	of Al-'Adid
4907	he
4908	remained
4909	vizier
4910	to
4911	the new
4912	caliph, who
4913	married
4914	his
4915	daughter.
4916	He
4917	died
4918	in
4919	Ramadan a.h. 556=a.d. 1161.
4920	^ The fourteenth and
4921	last of the Fatimide caliphs;
4922	reigned
4923	a.h. 555-567 =
4924	a.d. 1160-1171.
p. 45
4925	REVENUES OF THE COPTIC CHURCH.
4926	15
4927	Revenues of the
4928	Coptic
4929	CJntrch.
4930	§ The sum of the revenues of the churches and monasteries
4931	in the
4932	two regions of the North and South, according to the estimate made of
4933	them for the year 575 (a.d. 1180), was 2,923 dinars in ready money, and
4934	4,826 ardabs ^ of corn in produce
4935	;
4936	while the landed property amounted
4937	to 915 feddans.
4938	This property came
4939	into the hands of the Christians
4940	through
4941	gifts from the Fatimide caliphs down to the lunar and revenue
4942	year 569
4943	(a.d.
4944	1174);
4945	but
4946	it was
4947	taken away from
4948	them and given
4949	to the Muslims, so that no part of
4950	it was
4951	left
4952	in the possession
4953	of the
4954	Christians
4955	;
4956	this was under
4957	the
4958	dynasty
4959	of the Ghuzz and Kurds
4960	at
4961	the end of the caliphate of Al-Mustadi' bi-amri
4962	'llah 2, and under the
4963	administration of Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub the Kurd.
4964	The Southern Region
4965	: 467 dinars, and the amount of produce which
4966	has been stated, and 906 feddans.
4967	The Northern Region
4968	:
4969	2,445 dinars
4970	and nine feddans.
4971	Revenues of Egypt.
4972	§
4973	It
4974	is
4975	fitting
4976	to
4977	state
4978	in
4979	this book the number
4980	of districts and
4981	villages included
4982	in
4983	the
4984	provinces
4985	under
4986	the dynasty ^. and
4987	also
4988	the
4989	Fol. 7 b
4990	revenues derived from their fiefs
4991	;
4992	not reckoning the city of Alexandria
4993	^ The
4994	ardab
4995	is
4996	equivalent
4997	to
4998	nearly
4999	five
5000	bushels, and
5001	the feddan
5002	to about
5003	one acre, eight poles.
5004	^ Proclaimed caliph at Bagdad
5005	in the month of Rabi' the Second, a.h. 566=
5006	A.D.
5007	1 1 70, upon the death of his father Al-Mustanjid bi-'llah.
5008	He was the thirty-
5009	third of the Abbaside
5010	caliphs, and was proclaimed caliph by Saladin at Cairo
5011	in
5012	the month
5013	of Muharram
5014	a.h. 56 7 = a.d.
5015	1171, during
5016	the
5017	lifetime
5018	of
5019	the
5020	last
5021	Fatimide
5022	caliph
5023	Al-'Adid.
5024	Al-Mustadi'
5025	died
5026	in
5027	the month
5028	of Dhu
5029	'l-Ka'dah
5030	A.H. 575, in
5031	the
5032	fortieth year of his age, and was succeeded by his son An-Nasir
5033	li-dini
5034	'llah.
5035	See Abu
5036	'1-Fida, Ann. Musi.
5037	iii. p. 630,
5038	iv.
5039	p.
5040	38
5041	;
5042	Abu
5043	'1-Faraj,
5044	Tdrikh Mukhtasar ad-Duwal
5045	(ed. Pococke), p. 406
5046	f.
5047	;
5048	Ibn
5049	al-Athir, op.
5050	cit.
5051	xii.
5052	p. ve\
5053	ff.;
5054	Ibn Shaddad, op.
5055	cit. p. 38; Ibn Khaldun,
5056	iv. p. m.
5057	^
5058	I.e. of the Fatimides.
p. 46
5059	1
5060	6
5061	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
5062	nor the frontier-district of Damietta nor Tinnis^ nor Kift- nor Nakadah^
5063	nor the Lake of Al-Habash'^, outside Misr
5064	; the sum total of the revenue
5065	^
5066	Tinnis, the Coptic oeitrteci,
5067	to which
5068	a foundation
5069	in remote
5070	antiquity
5071	was
5072	ascribed,
5073	stood on
5074	an
5075	island
5076	in Lake
5077	Manzalah,
5078	between
5079	Damietta and
5080	AI-Farama, wliere the mound called Tall Tinnis
5081	is
5082	still
5083	existing.
5084	It was famous
5085	for
5086	fish, of which seventy-nine kinds were
5087	said
5088	to be caught
5089	there, and
5090	for
5091	fine,
5092	variegated
5093	linen and
5094	other
5095	tissues, sometimes brocaded with
5096	gold.
5097	Cf.
5098	below,
5099	fol. 19 b, and see Ibn Haukal (ed. De Goeje), p.
5100	1
5101	.
5102	1
5103	;
5104	Yakfit, Geogr. W'ort.
5105	i. p. aat;
5106	Ibn Dukmak, op.
5107	cit.
5108	v. p. vaT
5109	;
5110	Al-Idrisi
5111	(trans, by Jaubert),
5112	i. 320; Al-Makrizi,
5113	op.
5114	cit.
5115	\. pp.
5116	I vi-i Ar
5117	; Amdlineau,
5118	Giogi-. p. 507
5119	f.
5120	^ The
5121	classical
5122	Coptos and
5123	the
5124	Coptic KeqX.
5125	See Yakiat,
5126	Geogr.
5127	Wort.
5128	iv.p. tor
5129	;
5130	Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome) [p. 48];
5131	Al-Makrizi, op. cit. p. rrr f ; Ibn Dukmak,
5132	op.
5133	cit. V. p. rr
5134	f.
5135	Kift or Kubt
5136	is now in the
5137	district of Kus, province of Kana,
5138	and contained, in 1885, 2,544
5139	inhabitants.
5140	See Amdlineau, Geogr. p. 213
5141	ff.
5142	^ Now in the district of Kus, province of Kana
5143	; and in 1885 had a population
5144	of 4)534-
5145	See Recensement de Vt,gypte,
5146	ii. p. 258
5147	;
5148	Ibn Dukmak,
5149	v. p. Tr.
5150	*
5151	I.e. Lake of the Abyssinians.
5152	This was
5153	a
5154	tract of low ground, more than
5155	1,000 acres
5156	in
5157	extent, between Fustat and Cairo, approaching on one
5158	side
5159	the
5160	cemetery of Al-Karafah, and was
5161	inundated
5162	during
5163	the
5164	rise of the
5165	Nile, from
5166	which
5167	it was only separated by a dyke on
5168	its western side.
5169	At other times
5170	it was
5171	one of
5172	the
5173	most
5174	charming
5175	resorts
5176	near
5177	Cairo,
5178	being
5179	of extreme
5180	fertility, and
5181	producing
5182	flax and other crops.
5183	Beside
5184	it were gardens also called Al-Habash
5185	or Ard Habash.
5186	The name was, perhaps, earlier than the Mahometan conquest,
5187	and was a translation of the Coptic eo^'VCy.
5188	The Lake of Al-Habash was given
5189	as
5190	a wak/ to
5191	the
5192	sharifs,
5193	or members
5194	of
5195	the
5196	Prophet's
5197	family,
5198	by
5199	the
5200	vizier
5201	Tala
5202	i' ibn Ruzzik
5203	;
5204	it also bore the names of Birkat al-Maghafir, Birkah Himyar,
5205	Istabl Kurrah, and Istabl Kamish.
5206	Ibn Sa'id sings
5207	>Uju-j d^L.
5208	^Jl>J\
5209	JjU
5210	<•
5211	w
5212	^'j>. j^ u^^
5213	~4/.
5214	^
5215	JwjC do
5216	5-U
5217	iJjibJi
5218	^jlSj
5219	dij>
5220	Ak*«»Jl ^
5221	diiO ^^
5222	^y^
5223	b)
5224	5^
5225	i)V
5226	9
5227	^jl^xll
5228	dl: ^s~^
5229	U.
5230	^j-..^
5231	I)
5232	ji.A»*
5233	is\tj
5234	i^^i
5235	Jo,aJlj
5236	iJji«»>.*
5237	t^^j^
5238	duji
5239	lij
5240	jjji
5241	IftJ^ ej^j
5242	^^^}^
5243	(_^]^c
5244	d-lc-
5245	\=^j>\
5246	^I5j
5247	Xot.«j
5248	(JS^
5249	i^ (J^IU
5250	•i
5251	-XJU djl^ Ja
5252	i^j^ oJ U
p. 47
5253	REVENUES OF EGYPT.
5254	17
5255	from those places being 60,000 dinars.
5256	From 2,186 districts and village-
5257	districts, that
5258	is, 1,376 districts and 890 villages, came 3,061,000 dinars.
5259	Northern Egypt
5260	Provinces
5261	:
5262	Ash-Sharkiyah
5263	Al-Murtahiyah
5264	Ad-Dakahliyah
5265	Al-Abwaniyah
5266	Jazirah Kusaniya
5267	Al-Gharbiyah
5268	As-Samannudiyah
5269	Al-Manufiyatain
5270	Fuwah and Al-Muzahamiyatain
5271	An-Nastarawiyah
5272	Rosetta, Al-Jadidiyah and Adku
5273	Jazirah Bani Na§r
5274	Al-Buhairah
5275	Hauf Ramsis
5276	Total
5277	Total
5278	No. of
5279	Places.
5280	Districts.
5281	Villages.
5282	^.S9^
5283	917
5284	681
5285	452
5286	89
5287	294
5288	48
5289	158
5290	41
5291	70
5292	6
5293	39
5294	6
5295	3T
5296	74
5297	68
5298	6
5299	314
5300	149
5301	165
5302	129
5303	101
5304	70 or 9 7
5305	69
5306	32
5307	32
5308	13
5309	6
5310	10
5311	6
5312	3
5313	[3]
5314	64
5315	176
5316	3
5317	41
5318	87
5319	23
5320	89
5321	[lOl]
5322	lOI
5323	1,598
5324	917
5325	681
5326	Dinars.
5327	2,040,040
5328	694,121
5329	70,358
5330	53.761
5331	4,700
5332	159,664
5333	430.955
5334	200,657
5335	140,933
5336	6,080
5337	14,910
5338	3,000
5339	62,508
5340	139.313
5341	[59,080]
5342	2,040,040
5343	Fol. 8 a
5344	' O Lake
5345	of Al-Habash,
5346	at
5347	which
5348	I
5349	spent
5350	a
5351	day
5352	of unbroken
5353	pleasure
5354	and
5355	happiness, so that thy whole surface seemed
5356	to me like Paradise, and
5357	all the time
5358	I seemed
5359	to be keeping
5360	festival.
5361	How charming
5362	is
5363	the young
5364	flax upon thee,
5365	with its knots of flowers or buds, and when
5366	its leaves like swords are unsheathed
5367	from thee, and the leeks have extended
5368	their canopy over
5369	thee.
5370	It seemed as if
5371	the towers upon thee
5372	were
5373	brides
5374	unveiling,
5375	while
5376	birds
5377	warbled
5378	round
5379	them.
5380	Would that I knew whether thy season would return, for my desires begin with
5381	it
5382	and
5383	return
5384	to
5385	it!'
5386	See Al-Makrizi,
5387	op.
5388	cit.
5389	ii.
5390	pp.
5391	1 or- 100;
5392	Ibn Dukmak,
5393	iv.
5394	pp.
5395	00-ov; Am^lineau,
5396	Geogr.
5397	p.
5398	162.
5399	M. Amdlineau has overlooked
5400	the
5401	fact
5402	that Al-Makrizi speaks of the Ard Habash as well as Abu Salih.
5403	d
5404	[II. 7.]
p. 48
5405	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
5406	Fol. 8 b
5407	Southern Egypt
5408	Provinces
5409	Al-Jiziyah
5410	Al-Itfihiyah
5411	Al-Busiriyah
5412	Al-Fayy(amiyah
5413	Al-Bahnasa'iyah
5414	Al-Ushmimain
5415	Fol. 9 a
5416	As-Suyutiyah ^
5417	Total
5418	Total
5419	No. of
5420	Places.
5421	Districts.
5422	Villages.
5423	Dinars.
5424	588
5425	379
5426	209
5427	1,020,953
5428	97
5429	70
5430	27
5431	129,641
5432	17
5433	13
5434	4
5435	39,449
5436	14
5437	13
5438	1
5439	39,390
5440	66
5441	^^
5442	11
5443	145,162
5444	105
5445	84
5446	21
5447	234,801
5448	111
5449	54
5450	SI
5451	127,676
5452	54
5453	22
5454	32
5455	464
5456	3"
5457	153
5458	716,119
5459	' Most of these names will be well known
5460	to the reader, but a few of them
5461	may be commented on.
5462	Al-Murtahiyah
5463	is now part of Ad-Dakahliyah.
5464	Al-Ab-
5465	waniyah was a small province near Damietta, named from the town of Abwan, the
5466	inhabitants of which were chiefly Christians
5467	; in the fourteenth century it had become
5468	part
5469	of Al-Buhairah.
5470	See Ibn Dukmak, v. p. va
5471	;
5472	Yakut, Geogr. Wort.
5473	i. p.
5474	1
5475	.
5476	1.
5477	Jazirah
5478	Kusaniya
5479	lay between Cairo and Alexandria,
5480	ibid.
5481	iv.
5482	p.
5483	1
5484	.
5485	.
5486	.
5487	An-Nas-
5488	tarawiyah lay between Damietta and Alexandria, and was named from
5489	its capital
5490	Nastarft,
5491	ibid.
5492	iv. p. va..
5493	Al-Jadidah
5494	is reckoned by Yakfit
5495	in
5496	the province of
5497	Murtahiyah;
5498	but
5499	Al-Idrisi
5500	names
5501	Al-Jadidiyah
5502	as
5503	a
5504	separate
5505	district
5506	[p. 121]
5507	(ed.
5508	Rome).
5509	Hauf
5510	Ramsis was
5511	between
5512	Cairo and
5513	Alexandria
5514	;
5515	see Yakut,
5516	Geogr. Wort.
5517	i. p.
5518	vir.
5519	Our copyist omits some names and figures.
5520	The nomenclature and the boundaries of the Egyptian provinces have fluctuated
5521	much under Muslim
5522	rule.
5523	Al-Kudai, who
5524	wrote
5525	at
5526	the
5527	end
5528	of
5529	the
5530	eleventh
5531	century, divides Lower Egypt into
5532	thirty-three provinces
5533	( ij^) and Upper Egypt
5534	into twenty;
5535	see his list quoted by Yakut, Geogr.
5536	Wort.
5537	iv.
5538	p.
5539	ct«i.
5540	The
5541	official
5542	list of places
5543	in Egypt drawn up
5544	for the purpose of estimating
5545	the revenue
5546	in
5547	a.h. 777=a.d. 1375
5548	gives
5549	the
5550	following names of provinces:
5551	Lower Egypt
5552	:
5553	district of Cairo, Al-Kalyubiyah, Ash-Sharkiyah, Ad-Dakahliyah,
5554	district
5555	of
5556	Damietta,
5557	Al-Gharbiyah, Al-Manufiyah,
5558	Abyar
5559	and
5560	Jazirah
5561	Bani
5562	Nasr, Al-Buhairah, Fuwah and Al-Muzahamiyatain, An-Nastar^wiyah, district
5563	of
p. 49
5564	REVENUES OF EGYPT.
5565	19
5566	This revenue was drawn
5567	in the caHphate of Al-Mustansir ^ and
5568	in
5569	the days of Al-KahhaP the
5570	cadi.
5571	§ Afterwards,
5572	in the time of Al-Afdal ^
5573	his
5574	son,
5575	in the caHphate of
5576	Al-Amir, one dinar and a third was imposed
5577	as a
5578	poll-tax.
5579	§
5580	In
5581	the
5582	vizierate of Rudwan
5583	ibn Walakhshi*, in the
5584	caliphate of
5585	Al-Hafiz,
5586	[this tax was
5587	raised
5588	to] two
5589	dinars.
5590	Alexandria, Al-Jiziyah
5591	; and Upper Egypt
5592	:
5593	Al-Itfihiyah, Al-Fayyum, Al-Bahna-
5594	sa'iyah, Al-Ushmunain, Al-Usyutiyah, Al-Ikhmimiyah, Al-Kusiyah.
5595	The present principal divisions of Egypt, with the number of inhabited centres,
5596	are:—Cairo (i), Alexandria
5597	(56), Damietta (5), Rosetta
5598	(9), Port
5599	Said (28), Suez
5600	(8),
5601	Al-'Arish
5602	(6),
5603	Kusair
5604	(2),
5605	Al-Buhairah
5606	(1,882),
5607	Ash-Sharkiyah
5608	(1,868),
5609	Ad-Dakahliyah (1,147), Al-Gharbiyah(i,8i7), Al-Kalyiabiyah(7i7),Al-Maniiriyah
5610	(603), Al-Asyfitiyah (436), Bani Suwaif (423), Al-Fayyftm (567), Al-Jiziyah (369),
5611	Minyah (734), Isna (627), Jirjah (870), Kana (898).
5612	See Recensemeni de I'Egypte,
5613	ii. pp. X and xi.
5614	^ The eighth
5615	of the Fatimide
5616	caliphs;
5617	reigned from a.h. 427 = a.d, 1035
5618	to
5619	A.H. 487=:a.d. 1094.
5620	^ This
5621	refers
5622	to Ibn al-Kakhal, the Kadi '1-Kudat or chief cadi
5623	in
5624	the
5625	last
5626	years of Al-Mustansir's
5627	reign.
5628	It was, however, Badr
5629	al-Jamali,
5630	the Armenian
5631	slave, who became
5632	vizier
5633	to
5634	Al-Mustansir
5635	in
5636	a.h. 467=:a.d, 1075, who was the
5637	father of Al-Afdal Shahanshah mentioned
5638	in the next paragraph.
5639	^
5640	After the death of Badr
5641	in
5642	a.h. 487 = a.d. 1094, the
5643	soldiery chose his son
5644	Al-Afdal Shahanshah as
5645	his successor
5646	in the vizierate.
5647	When Al-Mustansir died
5648	in the same
5649	year, Al-Afdal remained
5650	in
5651	his
5652	post, and continued to act as vizier
5653	during the reign of Al-Musta'li, and after the accession of Al-Amir (in a.h. 495=
5654	a.d. iioi), who eventually caused him to Jdc put to death in a.h. 5i9 = a.d. 1125.
5655	Treasures of immense value were
5656	found
5657	in
5658	his
5659	house.
5660	See Al-Makrizi, op. at.
5661	I. p. roi
5662	; Ibn Khallikan, op.
5663	cit.
5664	i.
5665	p. 612
5666	; Ibn Khaldun,
5667	iv. p. ii
5668	f.
5669	*
5670	Successor in the vizierate of Taj ad-Daulah Bahram, the Armenian, whom
5671	he deposed from
5672	his
5673	office by force
5674	in a.h. 531.
5675	Rudwan was an oppressor of
5676	the Christians.
5677	In a.h. 533, on account of intrigues against him, Rudwan fled to
5678	Syria and returned with an army, but being attacked by the troops of the caliph,
5679	he
5680	fled
5681	to Upper Egypt, where he Avas
5682	captured.
5683	He was imprisoned
5684	at Cairo,
5685	but escaped in a.h. 442, and made a fresh attempt
5686	to seize the power of which he
5687	d
5688	2
p. 50
5689	20
5690	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
5691	Account of Mark
5692	ibn al-Kmihar.
5693	§ In the northern
5694	region, Mark ad-Darir (the Blind) ibn Mauhub,
5695	called
5696	Ibn al-Kanbar\ was made
5697	priest by the bishop of Damietta",
5698	and he celebrated
5699	the
5700	liturgy and communicated
5701	the Holy Mysteries
5702	to
5703	the
5704	people.
5705	Then
5706	the
5707	report
5708	of him
5709	reached
5710	the
5711	Father and
5712	Patriarch Anba John ^, the seventy-second
5713	in the order of succession,
5714	who condemned
5715	him, and suspended him and
5716	excommunicated him.
5717	After
5718	that, Ibn al-Kanbar
5719	set
5720	his mind
5721	to
5722	the composition
5723	of com-
5724	mentaries on
5725	the
5726	books
5727	of
5728	the church and
5729	others, according
5730	to
5731	the
5732	inventions of his own mind together with the learning that he possessed.
5733	Next he taught the people that a man who does not
5734	confess his sins
5735	to a confessor, and perform penance for his sins, cannot lawfully receive
5736	the Eucharist, and
5737	that
5738	if such a man
5739	dies without confession
5740	to the
5741	priest, he dies
5742	in his
5743	sins and goes to hell
5744	; and accordingly the people
5745	began
5746	to
5747	confess
5748	to
5749	Ibn
5750	al-Kanbar
5751	and
5752	neglected
5753	the
5754	practice
5755	of
5756	had been deprived, but he was resisted and slain.
5757	See AI-lNIakrizi, op. cit.
5758	i. p. rov
5759	;
5760	As-Suyuti, op. cit.
5761	ii. p.
5762	i oo
5763	; Ibn Khaldun, iv. p. vr
5764	; Ibn Khallikan, op. cit.
5765	ii. p.
5766	1 79.
5767	^
5768	Cf. Renaudot, Hist. Pair. pp. 550-554; Al-Makrizi, op. cit.
5769	ii. p. FI1.
5770	The
5771	doctrines of Mark ibn al-Kanbar and the existence of his large body of followers
5772	seem to confirm the opinion
5773	that there have always been some among the Copts,
5774	since the Council of Chalcedon, who have refused
5775	to join in the rejection of that
5776	Council, and in the acceptance of the schismatic and heretical teaching of Dioscorus
5777	and his disciples.
5778	The chief points of agreement with Catholic belief and practice
5779	in the teaching of Ibn al-Kanbar, brought out by Abu
5780	Salih, are the doctrine of
5781	the two
5782	natures and
5783	wills
5784	of Christ, the doctrine with
5785	regard
5786	to confession, the
5787	reservation of the sacrament, the abrogation of peculiar
5788	fasts,
5789	the denial of the
5790	necessity of circumcision and of the shaving of the head.
5791	Some
5792	other parts of
5793	Ibn al-Kanbar's teaching were probably misunderstood, and
5794	it must be remembered
5795	that we have only his enemies' account of the matter.
5796	•^ Probably
5797	a mistake
5798	for Damsis
5799	;
5800	see below,
5801	fol, 14 a.
5802	The
5803	Coptic
5804	bishop
5805	of Damietta had the rank of metropolitan.
5806	^ Occupied
5807	the
5808	see
5809	from
5810	a.d. 1147
5811	to
5812	1167.
5813	See
5814	Renaudot,
5815	///j-/. Pair.
5816	PP- 517-530-
p. 51
5817	ACCOUNT OF MARK IBN AL-KANBAR.
5818	21
5819	confession over the censer^; and they all inclined to him, and listened
5820	to
5821	his
5822	words.
5823	A number of the
5824	Samaritans
5825	also
5826	assembled
5827	to meet
5828	him, and he disputed with them, and showed them that he who came
5829	into the world was the Messiah who was expected
5830	;
5831	and he converted
5832	many of them.
5833	He also allowed the people to let their hair grow long ^
5834	Fol. 9 b
5835	^
5836	It seems strange
5837	that Ibn al-Kanbar's insistence on the need of confession
5838	before communion should have been received as a novel and
5839	heretical doctrine
5840	;
5841	but the fact
5842	is
5843	that the
5844	practice, though enjoined by the canons of the church,
5845	had
5846	fallen
5847	into
5848	abeyance.
5849	See Renaudot, Perp^lidU,
5850	lib.
5851	3, cap.
5852	5, where
5853	it
5854	is
5855	shown that the doctrine was recognized by the church of Egypt.
5856	An example of
5857	confession
5858	in the eighth century
5859	is given
5860	also
5861	in Hist. Patr. p. 2 1 9 f
5862	Renaudot
5863	adds
5864	that John,
5865	the seventy-second
5866	patriarch,
5867	is credited by Coptic writers with
5868	having abrogated the
5869	rule of confession.
5870	The reason alleged
5871	for John's action
5872	is that the people disliked the practice of confession, and were even in some cases
5873	driven out of the pale
5874	of the church by the
5875	severity of
5876	the penance imposed.
5877	John
5878	substituted
5879	for
5880	the ancient pracdce
5881	a general admission of sinfulness and
5882	prayer
5883	for forgiveness, something in these terms
5884	:
5885	' O Lord God, look upon me,
5886	a miserable
5887	sinner.
5888	I sorrow
5889	in
5890	that
5891	I have
5892	sinned
5893	against
5894	thee, and humbly
5895	crave thy divine pardon.'
5896	This confession was made over a burning censer, which
5897	the
5898	priest waved before
5899	the
5900	face
5901	of the
5902	penitent.
5903	This use
5904	of incense
5905	led
5906	the
5907	ignorant
5908	to imagine
5909	that the ascending smoke had virtue to waft away their guilt,
5910	and, as the superstition fixed
5911	its
5912	roots more deeply, the custom arose of flinging
5913	grains of incense
5914	on
5915	a
5916	brazier
5917	in
5918	the
5919	house
5920	in
5921	atonement
5922	for
5923	the
5924	sin
5925	of
5926	the
5927	moment.
5928	Confession over
5929	the
5930	censer passed
5931	not
5932	only to
5933	the
5934	Abyssinians
5935	(see
5936	below,
5937	fol. 105 b),
5938	but
5939	also
5940	to
5941	the
5942	Nestorians, the Armenians, and the Malabar
5943	Christians.
5944	In Ethiopia the error had died out when the
5945	Jesuits first entered the
5946	country.
5947	Among the Nestorians there was no confession in the sixteenth century,
5948	and Antonio de Gouvea, who visited Malabar about
5949	1 600, says that the Christians
5950	there had
5951	the greatest abhorrence of the sacrament of penance, and the former
5952	custom
5953	of confessing
5954	over
5955	the
5956	censer was
5957	then
5958	almost abandoned.
5959	It
5960	seems,
5961	however, that in
5962	all these Oriental churches the practice of particular confession
5963	was ultimately restored.
5964	See Denzinger, Ritus Orienlalium,
5965	i. pp. 105-108; Butler,
5966	Coptic Churches,
5967	ii. p. 298.
5968	(A. J. B.)
5969	^ The objection was to the practice then general in Egypt, as
5970	it
5971	still
5972	is among
5973	the conservative
5974	classes
5975	in
5976	that country, to shave
5977	off
5978	either
5979	all
5980	the
5981	hair of
5982	the
p. 52
5983	22
5984	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
5985	as
5986	the
5987	Melkites
5988	do
5989	;
5990	and
5991	he
5992	forbad
5993	circumcision ^, saying
5994	that
5995	cir-
5996	cumcision belongs
5997	to the Jews and
5998	Hanifs^, and
5999	that
6000	it
6001	is not lawful
6002	for
6003	Christians
6004	to
6005	resemble
6006	the
6007	Jews
6008	or
6009	the
6010	Hanifs
6011	in
6012	any of
6013	their
6014	traditions
6015	which
6016	are
6017	in
6018	force among them
6019	in
6020	our
6021	time.
6022	For
6023	this
6024	doctrine he
6025	set up many proofs.
6026	He forbad the
6027	practice of burning
6028	sandarach ^
6029	in
6030	the
6031	churches, and
6032	allowed only frankincense *
6033	;
6034	because
6035	this was offered to the Lord with the gold and the myrrh, and therefore
6036	head, or all with the exception of a small tuft at the crown.
6037	We are told, however
6038	(below on
6039	fol. 15 a), that Ibn al-Kanbar approved of a circular tonsure.
6040	Whether
6041	this
6042	latter
6043	notice
6044	refers
6045	to
6046	the
6047	clergy does
6048	not
6049	appear,
6050	but
6051	it
6052	seems
6053	that
6054	Ibn
6055	al-Kustal, whose views on the shaving of the head seem to have resembled those
6056	of Ibn al-Kanbar, particularly objected
6057	to
6058	the shaving
6059	of the whole head
6060	in the
6061	case of the priests;
6062	see
6063	fol. 20 a.
6064	^
6065	Circumcision on the eighth day is customary, but not obligatory; on the other
6066	hand, the Coptic church
6067	forbids circumcision
6068	after baptism.
6069	In
6070	the Abyssinian
6071	church circumcision
6072	is
6073	a necessary
6074	rite, and, according
6075	to Damianus a Goes,
6076	is
6077	performed on
6078	infants on the day of their baptism,
6079	viz. the seventh day, by which
6080	the eighth day
6081	is doubtless to be understood.
6082	(A. J. B.)
6083	^ He uses the word
6084	' Hanifs
6085	' instead of
6086	' Muslims/ because the
6087	latter claimed
6088	that in practising circumcision they were following
6089	the
6090	tradition not only of the
6091	Jews, but of the ancient, orthodox
6092	religion
6093	to which Abraham belonged, and
6094	to
6095	which the Jews had added.
6096	It was this ancient religion which Mahomet professed
6097	to restore.
6098	The passages of the Koran are well known
6099	:
6100	,
6101	/ O JO
6102	,
6103	^ -x
6104	- -
6105	=
6106	--
6107	lo
6108	-"'
6109	o»>
6110	^
6111	' o'
6112	.-0^0^ oP
6113	{Stlral an-Nahl, v. 124; cf v. 121, Siirat al-Fajr, v. 162, and SilralAVImrdn,^. 89).
6114	' Then we taught thee by inspiration to follow the
6115	religion of Abraham, who was
6116	a Hanif ; he was not of the polytheists.'
6117	^ This is a resinous substance, the gum of a coniferous tree, CaUilris qiiadri-
6118	valvis, which
6119	flourishes
6120	in north-western
6121	Africa,
6122	particularly
6123	in
6124	the Atlas range.
6125	(A.J.B.)
6126	* For
6127	other
6128	substances
6129	which
6130	were
6131	burnt
6132	in
6133	the
6134	churches
6135	by Copts
6136	and
6137	Abyssinians
6138	see
6139	below,
6140	fol. 105 b.
6141	See
6142	also Vansleb,
6143	Hist, dc TEglise
6144	d'Alex,
6145	p. 60, where sandarach, frankincense, aloes, and^vrtz'/arc named.
p. 53
6146	ACCOUNT OF. MARK IBN AL-KANBAR.
6147	23
6148	it
6149	is not
6150	right that anything else should be burnt
6151	in
6152	the church.
6153	He
6154	said to those that confessed to him
6155	:
6156	' I will bear part of your sins for
6157	you, and part
6158	will be forgiven by God through your doing penance
6159	;
6160	for he who
6161	receives
6162	a penance
6163	for
6164	his
6165	sin
6166	in
6167	this world
6168	will
6169	not be
6170	compelled by God
6171	to do a second penance
6172	in the next
6173	world.'
6174	His
6175	followers who confessed
6176	to him
6177	called him
6178	' Our Father the Director
6179	(or
6180	' Teacher ').
6181	When
6182	he stopped
6183	in
6184	the churches
6185	a
6186	large assembly
6187	came
6188	together to meet
6189	him, and
6190	he
6191	raised many dissensions, such
6192	as
6193	had
6194	not been known
6195	in the
6196	church.
6197	After a time the bishops
6198	in
6199	the North
6200	[of Egypt] were informed
6201	of these matters, and laid
6202	information of them before the Father and
6203	Patriarch Anba Mark \ the seventy-third in the order of succession, who
6204	reprimanded him. on account of them, and wrote
6205	letters to him in which
6206	he warned him and forbad him and exhorted him with exhortations of
6207	consolation, but he would not
6208	listen to him or return to him.
6209	Necessity
6210	therefore
6211	compelled
6212	the
6213	patriarch
6214	to
6215	send
6216	to summon him
6217	to
6218	his
6219	presence,
6220	so
6221	Ibn
6222	al-Kanbar
6223	went
6224	up
6225	to
6226	him
6227	to
6228	the
6229	CelP
6230	at
6231	the
6232	church of Al-Mu'allakah ^
6233	in
6234	Misr.
6235	There the patriarch assembled to Fol.lOa
6236	meet him a synod
6237	consisting of
6238	bishops and
6239	priests and
6240	chief
6241	men"*,
6242	and said to him
6243	:
6244	' Know that he who breaks any of the commandments
6245	of the church, and bids the people act
6246	in contradiction to
6247	it, lies under
6248	the
6249	penalties of the
6250	law.
6251	Why then
6252	dost
6253	thou
6254	not
6255	return
6256	from thy
6257	^ Occupied
6258	the
6259	see
6260	from
6261	a. d. 1167
6262	to
6263	1189.
6264	See
6265	Renaudot,
6266	Hist.
6267	Pair.
6268	PP- 530-554-
6269	^ The Cell
6270	(i3!!ib, from the Greek KeXXlov) represented, as we should
6271	say, the
6272	patriarchal palace
6273	;
6274	see Appendix.
6275	It was attached to the principal church, as the
6276	bishop's residence generally was in ancient times, and as the Vatican
6277	is
6278	attached
6279	to St. Peter's basilica.
6280	^ For a description of the patriarchal church of the Virgin, called Al-Miiallakah
6281	or 'the Hanging
6282	Church,' see
6283	Butler, Coptic Churches,
6284	i. p. 216.
6285	The name was
6286	given to any structure built upon arcades.
6287	* The Arabic ^^^
6288	1 ,
6289	plural
6290	lli>\j\,
6291	is
6292	derived from
6293	the Greek
6294	apx^^^ through
6295	the Coptic, which employs the word to denote the chief men or official class.
p. 54
6296	24
6297	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
6298	ways?'
6299	Many things took place with regard to him, the end of which
6300	was
6301	that
6302	he was
6303	ordered
6304	to
6305	go
6306	under
6307	guard
6308	with
6309	deputies
6310	of
6311	the
6312	patriarch to the monastery of Anba Antunah ^ near
6313	Itfih
6314	;
6315	this was
6316	in
6317	the
6318	month
6319	of Amshir
6320	in
6321	the
6322	year
6323	890
6324	of
6325	the
6326	Blameless
6327	Martyrs
6328	;
6329	moreover
6330	[it was ordered]
6331	that he and
6332	his brethren should shave the
6333	hair
6334	of their
6335	heads.
6336	Ibn
6337	al-Kanbar soon began
6338	to
6339	suffer
6340	from
6341	the
6342	circumstances
6343	in
6344	which
6345	he was
6346	placed
6347	;
6348	and
6349	so
6350	he
6351	addressed
6352	the
6353	patriarch, and entered
6354	into communication with him by means of his
6355	mother and
6356	his brethren and
6357	his uncle, who did not cease to
6358	kiss the
6359	patriarch's hands and
6360	feet, and by means of the prayers of the
6361	chief
6362	men
6363	; and
6364	at last the patriarch granted
6365	their prayers and wrote to the
6366	superior of the monastery bidding him lead that Mark to the place
6367	in
6368	which the body of Saint Anthony lay, and require him to swear upon
6369	it and upon the Gospel of John that he would not again do any of the
6370	things that he had done, and then allow him to go free.
6371	So the superior
6372	did this and released Mark, who returned to his own country^ on those
6373	conditions.
6374	§ The
6375	said
6376	Mark
6377	[ibn
6378	al-Kanbar]
6379	went
6380	from
6381	the
6382	monastery
6383	of
6384	Fol. 10 b
6385	Saint Anthony to the Rif^, after having been made to swear upon the
6386	holy Gospel and upon the said body of our Father Anthony, and
6387	after
6388	having been made to promise that he would not return to
6389	his former
6390	^ This is the well-known monastery of Saint Anthony near the Red Sea
6391	;
6392	see
6393	below,
6394	fol. 54
6395	ff.
6396	It
6397	is called
6398	* near Itfih,' because
6399	the road
6400	thither from the Nile
6401	started
6402	from
6403	that
6404	town,
6405	in
6406	respect
6407	to which
6408	the monastery
6409	lies a
6410	little
6411	to
6412	the
6413	south-east, at a distance of sixty miles.
6414	^
6415	I.e. Damsis or its neighbourhood;
6416	see
6417	fol. 14.
6418	^ There has been some dispute
6419	as to the meaning of the Arabic word i—ajj,
6420	which generally means the country lying upon the banks of a
6421	river, or upon the
6422	sea-shore
6423	;
6424	see Dozy, ad verb.
6425	In Egypt the word was used
6426	to denote the Delta
6427	or Lower Egypt
6428	;
6429	see below,
6430	fol. 21a.
6431	M. Amdlineau,
6432	in
6433	his somewhat
6434	curious
6435	article upon the name *—ij^l, speaks as
6436	if
6437	it were known from two sources only:
6438	the
6439	Arabic
6440	Synaxarium,
6441	the
6442	authority
6443	of which
6444	he
6445	rejects,
6446	and
6447	the
6448	Ethiopic
6449	Chronicle of John of Niciu, upon the authority of which he peremptorily decides
6450	that the Rif is synonymous with Upper Egypt
6451	!
6452	see Geogr. p. 403
6453	f.
p. 55
6454	ACCOUNT OF MARK IBN AL-KANBAR.
6455	-iO
6456	ways or transgress the canons of the church and the rules of the law
6457	;
6458	yet this said Mark, when he arrived
6459	in
6460	his own country, returned to his
6461	former ways and
6462	did
6463	even
6464	worse
6465	than
6466	before.
6467	For
6468	there
6469	gathered
6470	together to him a very large body of the ignorant from the river-banks
6471	and the villages and the towns, nearly five thousand men
6472	; and reports
6473	of him arrived as
6474	far as Kalyub ^
6475	Among these men v/ere some who
6476	obeyed him and
6477	attached themselves
6478	to him, and
6479	bound
6480	themselves
6481	to do what he appointed and ordered for each of them
6482	;
6483	so that some
6484	of them bound themselves
6485	to bring him part of their money and of the
6486	fruit of their gardens and vineyards, and a tithe
6487	of their income
6488	; and
6489	they brought
6490	it
6491	to
6492	him,
6493	so
6494	that
6495	he
6496	increased
6497	in wealth beyond
6498	his
6499	former
6500	state.
6501	Then the patriarch wrote to him
6502	to make known to him what would
6503	happen
6504	to him
6505	if he
6506	did not repent, and
6507	to
6508	terrify him and warn him
6509	of that which would
6510	befall him
6511	if he went on
6512	in
6513	his
6514	pride, and
6515	in
6516	his
6517	breaking
6518	of
6519	his oath and departure from
6520	that which
6521	he had
6522	sworn
6523	;
6524	and
6525	the
6526	patriarch exhorted him and warned him
6527	of
6528	the
6529	end
6530	of
6531	his
6532	perjury and his heresy and his excommunication, namely, that the end
6533	of these things
6534	is perdition.
6535	Mark ibn al-Kanbar would
6536	not, however,
6537	listen
6538	to the
6539	patriarch's
6540	letters, but
6541	behaved
6542	insolently and
6543	increased
6544	in pride and
6545	perversity, and would not be converted.
6546	So the patriarch
6547	wrote
6548	letters to the bishops of Northern Egypt containing an account
6549	of the case from the beginning to the end, and a summary of the canons
6550	Fol. 11 a
6551	by which such a man
6552	is condemned to excommunication on the severest
6553	terms if he persists in
6554	his pride and cleaves to the error of his impiety;
6555	and bidding each
6556	of the bishops,
6557	after giving an account of whatever
6558	he had ascertained of
6559	the man,
6560	write
6561	in
6562	his own handwriting to
6563	the
6564	effect
6565	that
6566	it was not lawful
6567	for Mark
6568	to do as he had dared
6569	to
6570	do.
6571	So each of the bishops wrote his own account of Mark's opposition to
6572	^ About ten miles to the north of Cairo.
6573	It
6574	is
6575	the Coptic K^XlODUe, and
6576	is now the
6577	capital of the
6578	district of Kalyub, and of the province of Kal}'ubiyah.
6579	It had
6580	in
6581	1885 a population of 8,644.
6582	The neighbourhood was famous
6583	for
6584	its
6585	fertility, and for the numerous gardens which adorned
6586	it
6587	;
6588	it was one of the richest
6589	spots in Egypt.
6590	Ibn Dukmak, op. at. v. p. Fv
6591	f,;
6592	Am^l., Geogr. p. 390.
6593	e
6594	[II.
6595	7.]
p. 56
6596	26
6597	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
6598	the
6599	law
6600	of his own church, and added that
6601	it was not
6602	right
6603	for him
6604	to do what he had dared
6605	to
6606	do, and that he could not be allowed
6607	to
6608	follow the fancies of his own mind as he had done
6609	in transgression of
6610	the law
6611	; and each bishop confirmed the sentence of excommunication
6612	upon him.
6613	After this, Mark ibn al-Kanbar was not
6614	satisfied with what he had
6615	done, and with having broken the oath which he had sworn upon the
6616	Gospel and upon the body of the great Saint Anthony in the church
6617	of God, or with
6618	having
6619	resisted
6620	the
6621	law, and
6622	refused
6623	to accept
6624	that
6625	which was binding upon him according to the law of the Christians of
6626	whom he was one
6627	; but he even wrote an address and submitted
6628	it
6629	to
6630	the
6631	sultan.
6632	The purport of
6633	his
6634	address was
6635	that
6636	he
6637	desired
6638	that
6639	an
6640	assembly should be called to meet him
6641	in the presence of the patriarch
6642	;
6643	but he embellished
6644	his account of what had passed, and said whatever
6645	it pleased him to say, and asked for protection.
6646	The Kadi '1-Fadil ibn 'Ali al-Baisani ^ wrote an answer to his letter,
6647	of which the following
6648	is a copy
6649	:
6650	'Thou
6651	art
6652	a man
6653	of
6654	great
6655	distinction.
6656	But
6657	the
6658	patriarch
6659	of the
6660	Christians has made up a story of a man who
6661	is
6662	innocent of having
6663	departed from the truth of his
6664	religion and says that he has departed
6665	from
6666	it, and has brought
6667	in a strange doctrine, by which the word
6668	of
6669	his
6670	people
6671	is
6672	cut
6673	short, and
6674	the
6675	traditions
6676	generally
6677	held
6678	by
6679	his
6680	co-religionists are broken.
6681	' Thou hast been banished once, and
6682	hast
6683	ventured
6684	to
6685	return from
6686	banishment without permission.
6687	Go forth, therefore, as a private person
6688	without rank
6689	or jurisdiction, and do not assume any pre-eminence over
6690	the
6691	Christians or jurisdiction among them, until a lawful assembly be
6692	^ Abu 'All 'Abd ar-Rahim al-Lakhmi al-'Askalani, generally known as Al-Kadi
6693	'1-Fadil, was vizier to Saladin, with whom he stood high in favour.
6694	He was famous
6695	for his
6696	literary style, especially in
6697	his
6698	letters, of which we here have
6699	a specimen.
6700	He was born at Ascalon in a. h. 529 = a. d. 1135, and died
6701	a. h. 596=:a.d. 1200.
6702	His father was for a time cadi at Baisan on the Jordan near Tiberias, and for
6703	this
6704	reason
6705	the
6706	family
6707	all
6708	received
6709	the surname
6710	of Baisani.
6711	Ibn
6712	Khallikan,
6713	op,
6714	cit.
6715	ii.
6716	p.
6717	III.
p. 57
6718	ACCOUNT OF MARK IBN AL-KANBAR.
6719	27
6720	called to meet thee which shall decide whether thou shalt be of them, in
6721	which case thou
6722	shalt not oppose them, or whether thou shalt depart
6723	from them, in which case thou
6724	wilt wander away from the faithful and
6725	followers
6726	of
6727	the book, and
6728	it
6729	will
6730	be
6731	necessary
6732	for
6733	thee
6734	to become
6735	a Muslim, for thou wilt be neither Jew nor Christian.'
6736	This is the end.
6737	§ After Mark ibn al-Kanbar had remained
6738	in
6739	his own
6740	district per-
6741	sisting
6742	in
6743	his former ways, then he appeared at the Cell at the church of
6744	Al-Mu'allakah
6745	in Misr, and waited upon
6746	the
6747	patriarch, and confessed
6748	his sin, and asked
6749	for pardon, which was granted to him.
6750	Prayers were
6751	offered, and
6752	the
6753	liturgy was
6754	said
6755	:
6756	and when Mark went forward
6757	to
6758	communicate of the holy mysteries, the patriarch made him
6759	swear,
6760	in
6761	the presence of a body of bishops and
6762	priests, that he would not again
6763	do what he had
6764	been forbidden
6765	to
6766	do.
6767	So he swore
6768	a binding oath,
6769	and made firm promises, before receiving the holy mysteries.
6770	Then he
6771	returned to his own district, and had not spent a single day there before
6772	he returned to his former ways
6773	; nor did he keep his second oath, taken
6774	before the altar of God
6775	in the presence of the bishops and priests and
6776	chief men and deacons and a congregation of the orthodox laity.
6777	Thus
6778	it became evident that he did not fear God or respect men, since he had
6779	Fol. 12 a
6780	been allowed to receive the eucharist in the sanctuary of God.
6781	He now
6782	gave
6783	permission
6784	to
6785	those who
6786	followed
6787	his
6788	opinions
6789	to communicate
6790	early ^ on the festival
6791	of the Forty Martyrs^, which
6792	is on
6793	the 13th of
6794	Barmahat, and takes place during
6795	the
6796	fast
6797	of the Holy Forty Days
6798	;
6799	and on
6800	this day he forbad communion of the wine^.
6801	He forbad
6802	also
6803	' As
6804	it is well known, the Copts celebrate the liturgy, of course fasting, at three
6805	o'clock
6806	in
6807	the afternoon during
6808	the
6809	fast' of the
6810	forty days of Lent, except on
6811	Saturday and Sunday.
6812	It is not stated here that Ibn al-Kanbar allowed the liturgy
6813	to be celebrated
6814	early on one of these
6815	days, but
6816	that he allowed an early com-
6817	munion, doubtless with the reserved sacrament, see
6818	fol. 15 b.
6819	See Vansleb, Hist,
6820	de I'Eglise d'Alex. p. 73.
6821	^ The 13th of Barmahat would be equivalent to the 9th of March, whereas the
6822	Roman calendar keeps
6823	the
6824	festival of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste on the
6825	lolh
6826	of March.
6827	^ Because the wine was not reserved, see
6828	fol. 15 b.
6829	e
6830	2
p. 58
6831	28
6832	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
6833	the giving
6834	of extreme
6835	unction by
6836	relations
6837	to
6838	one
6839	another^.
6840	These
6841	things were in addition to the other matters which were known of him
6842	before.
6843	Then
6844	he
6845	began
6846	to
6847	ride
6848	about, accompanied
6849	by
6850	a
6851	body
6852	of
6853	his followers
6854	;
6855	and he
6856	travelled
6857	through
6858	the Rif
6859	in
6860	state
6861	like a
6862	wait,
6863	and banquets were prepared
6864	for him and
6865	his companions.
6866	The end of
6867	this was
6868	that he went over
6869	to the sect of the Melkites, and confessed
6870	the Two Natures and the Two Wills ^
6871	; and the Melkites received him.
6872	Thus he threw off the
6873	faith of Severus and Dioscorus ^, our fathers the
6874	^ This is an abuse of which
6875	I do not find mention elsewhere ; the Coptic ritual
6876	requires that seven priests shall take part in the administration of the sacrament of
6877	extreme unction, and that each of them shall recite a passage of scripture and say
6878	certain prayers over the sick man.
6879	^ Our author, though an Armenian,
6880	if the
6881	title
6882	of the MS. be
6883	correct, here
6884	speaks as if he fully accepted the creed of the Coptic monophy sites.
6885	To explain
6886	this we must remember
6887	that many of the Armenians were
6888	monophysites and
6889	monothelites
6890	as
6891	well
6892	as
6893	the
6894	Copts,
6895	and
6896	that when
6897	the Armenian
6898	catholicus,
6899	Gregory II, in
6900	the course of his
6901	travels,
6902	arrived
6903	in Egypt about
6904	a.d. 1080, the
6905	representatives of these two
6906	religious communities made a confession of common
6907	faith in the One Nature of Christ.
6908	'On that day,' says Michael, bishop of Tinnis,
6909	'it
6910	was made known to all that Copts, Armenians, Syrians, Ethiopians, and Nubians
6911	are at one
6912	in the orthodox
6913	faith which
6914	the holy fathers of old once unanimously
6915	confessed, and which Nestorius, Leo, and the Council of Chalcedon had changed.'
6916	See Renaudot, Hist. Pair. p. 461
6917	;
6918	Ter-Mikelian, Die arnien. Kirche, &c. p. 84.
6919	On the other hand,
6920	it
6921	is certain that many of the Armenians, and of their writers
6922	and teachers, preserved the catholic
6923	belief which Ibn al-Kanbar and
6924	his followers
6925	also maintained
6926	;
6927	and, in the
6928	lifetime of our author himself, the Synod of Tarsus,
6929	summoned by king Leo and
6930	the patriarch Gregory in
6931	a.d. 1196, acknowledged
6932	the Council
6933	of
6934	Chalcedon.
6935	For
6936	the
6937	acceptance
6938	of
6939	the
6940	catholic
6941	doctrine
6942	by
6943	Armenian
6944	doctors, see Clemens Galanus,
6945	Conciliat. Eccles. Arm. cum Romana ex
6946	ipsis Armenorum Patrum
6947	et doctorum testtmonns, &c., Rome, 1690.
6948	^
6949	It
6950	is, of course, well known that the Copts look upon Dioscorus, the twenty-
6951	fifth patriarch of Alexandria, who was condemned by the Council of Chalcedon
6952	in A.D. 451, and upon
6953	Severus,
6954	the
6955	fifty-seventh
6956	patriarch of Antioch, who was
6957	condemned by the Synods of Constantinople of a.d. 518 and
6958	a.d. 536 and the
6959	second General Council of Constantinople in a.d. 553, as the two great champions
p. 59
6960	ACCOUNT OF MARK IBN AL-KANBAR.
6961	29
6962	patriarchs, who withstood emperors and great men in matters of reh'gion,
6963	and
6964	exposed
6965	the
6966	following of
6967	the emperor ^
6968	in
6969	his
6970	creed, and would
6971	not give up the
6972	faith of the 318
6973	ancient
6974	fathers^, who had withstood
6975	Diocletian ^ the
6976	Infidel, and
6977	endured
6978	torments
6979	of different kinds, the
6980	limbs of some being cut
6981	off, in defence of the true faith established
6982	by-
6983	patriarchs and bishops through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, and
6984	condemned and excommunicated any who should depart
6985	from
6986	it and
6987	believe
6988	differently.
6989	Now this wretch Mark ibn al-Kanbar, blind both
6990	in eyes and heart, as one of the fathers said, separated himself from the
6991	ranks of the brethren, as Judas Iscariot did, and therefore God removed
6992	him from the
6993	ranks
6994	of the orthodox,
6995	as he removed
6996	Satan from the
6997	ranks of the angels on high on account of his pride and
6998	his thinking
6999	Fol. 12 b
7000	within himself that he was the greatest, for which cause he
7001	fell
7002	; and so
7003	this wretch Mark thought within himself that he was wise, and therefore
7004	he
7005	fell and became one
7006	of the disputatious
7007	heretics who imagine that
7008	the Will of the Manhood was opposed to the Will of the Godhead
7009	; and
7010	of the monophysite doctrine, or orthodox
7011	faith
7012	as they call
7013	it.
7014	These two mono-
7015	physite saints are commemorated or invoked more than once
7016	in the course of the
7017	Coptic liturgy.
7018	The Prayer of Absolution addressed to the Son {^y\
7019	JJis^) prays
7020	that all present may be absolved 'out of the mouth of the Trinity, of the twelve
7021	apostles,
7022	of
7023	Saint
7024	Mark,
7025	and
7026	of
7027	' the
7028	holy
7029	patriarch
7030	Severus and
7031	our
7032	teacher
7033	Dioscorus.'
7034	The
7035	visit
7036	of Severus
7037	to Egypt
7038	is commemorated
7039	in
7040	the
7041	Coptic
7042	calendar on Babah
7043	2 = September 29, his death on Amshir i4 = February 8
7044	; and
7045	the
7046	translation
7047	of
7048	his
7049	body
7050	to
7051	the
7052	monastery of To Ennaton
7053	at Alexandria on
7054	Kihak io=:December 6.
7055	Severus was the author of many works in Greek, which
7056	were translated into Syriac, and are
7057	still in^great part extant;
7058	see British INIuseum
7059	Catalogue
7060	of Syriac MSS.
7061	The
7062	fragments
7063	of
7064	Severus' works
7065	in
7066	the
7067	original
7068	Greek
7069	still
7070	existing are to be found in Mai, Script, vet. nova collectio.
7071	The death
7072	of Dioscorus
7073	is commemorated on Tut 7 = September 4.
7074	^
7075	This
7076	is an allusion to the origin of the name Melkite, in Arabic
7077	(J^-*, from
7078	(»1.U, 'king' or 'emperor.'
7079	2 Of Nicaea.
7080	'
7081	It
7082	is
7083	true
7084	that some of the
7085	bishops who took
7086	part
7087	in the
7088	first Council of
7089	Nicaea had suffered in the persecution.
p. 60
7090	30
7091	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
7092	he was excommunicated by three patriarchs
7093	:
7094	namely, by Anba Jonas
7095	^
7096	the seventy-second, who died while
7097	this wretch was
7098	still bound by his
7099	anathemas, and had
7100	not been loosed from them
7101	;
7102	by the patriarch of
7103	Antioch, Anba
7104	Michael ^
7105	;
7106	and
7107	by Anba
7108	Mark
7109	the
7110	seventy-third
7111	[patriarch
7112	of
7113	Alexandria]
7114	;
7115	and
7116	also
7117	by
7118	sixty
7119	bishops
7120	in
7121	the
7122	two
7123	provinces of Northern and Southern Egypt.
7124	§ Now
7125	this
7126	Ibn
7127	al-Kanbar
7128	had
7129	gathered
7130	together
7131	a body from
7132	among the Melkites, the opponents of our orthodox faith, together with
7133	those who came to him of the ignorant and simple among the Copts,
7134	and he went down to Kalyub with the
7135	desire to pervert some of the
7136	inhabitants of that town
7137	;
7138	but the scribe of the town, and the damin ^
7139	^ Or John, see fol. 9 a.
7140	In Arabic the names
7141	IXi^j
7142	or
7143	,j-jls.-?. and
7144	(_^uJj
7145	are
7146	frequently confused.
7147	Al-Makrizi
7148	calls both the seventy-second and
7149	the seventy-
7150	fourth patriarch Jonas, whereas the patriarchal biographies name them John.
7151	^ This patriarch does not seem to be named
7152	in
7153	the
7154	lists.
7155	He was the author
7156	of
7157	a
7158	treatise on
7159	Preparation
7160	for
7161	the
7162	Eucharist
7163	(Renaudot, Hist. Pair. p. 550).
7164	There are
7165	five of the name
7166	in the
7167	rolls of the
7168	see, namely, Michael
7169	I, the 88th
7170	patriarch, consecrated
7171	a. d. 879;
7172	Michael
7173	II,
7174	the
7175	126th, a.d. 1370;
7176	Michael
7177	III,
7178	the
7179	129th,
7180	A.D. 1401; Michael IV, the
7181	134th,
7182	a. d. 1454; Michael V, the
7183	140th,
7184	A- D. 1555.
7185	The published lists are
7186	full of discrepancies.
7187	See Le Quien, Oriens
7188	Christ,
7189	ii.
7190	col. 713
7191	fF.;
7192	Neale, Patriarchate of Antioch,
7193	p. 173
7194	ff.
7195	If Michael of
7196	Antioch excommunicated Ibn al-Kanbar,
7197	it must have been on account of his
7198	rejection of
7199	the monophysite
7200	doctrine, not on account of his
7201	teaching on
7202	the
7203	sacrament of penance, which agrees with
7204	that of the patriarch of Antioch, con-
7205	tained in his treatise;
7206	see Renaudot, op.
7207	cit. p. 552,
7208	^ The damin was the farmer of the taxes.
7209	The
7210	fact
7211	that he and the scribe
7212	were both Copts is an illustration of the rule followed by the Mahometan governors
7213	of employing Copts as officials in those branches of the government
7214	service which
7215	required
7216	facility
7217	in
7218	writing and
7219	accuracy
7220	in
7221	calculation;
7222	see
7223	below,
7224	fol. 28 b.
7225	There is a well-known passage of Al-Makrizi which contains the following words, in
7226	which he speaks of the unsuccessful rebellion of the Copts in a. h. 2i6 = a.d. 831
7227	:
7228	-^1 ..ii
7229	L_)LxS
7230	Ui^cj ^U—«U
7231	!sjoL5i^j
7232	^'^'^j f^ JU-x^U
7233	isj^p.^^il
7234	jjl ^J)^
7235	r^-o ^y^J^
p. 61
7236	ACCOUNT OF MARK IBN AL-KANBAR.
7237	31
7238	of the town, and others of the orthodox party heard of him, and went
7239	to him and watched him, and took him and
7240	his party and bound them
7241	to pay the poll-tax ^, and gave them
7242	orders, and informed the wall ^ of
7243	the town that this body of men were acting
7244	in opposition to their own
7245	laws, and lay under the ban of the patriarch, and that the people of every
7246	district
7247	in which
7248	they settled would
7249	suffer
7250	from
7251	them.
7252	' Visit them
7253	Fol. 13 a
7254	therefore
7255	' [added the scribe and the damin]
7256	' and do not
7257	let them go
7258	until thou hast obtained money from them, lest they secretly enter the
7259	town and harm come to the inhabitants.'
7260	So the wall visited them and
7261	made prisoners of them, and would not
7262	let them go
7263	until they had paid
7264	seventeen dinars as a contribution towards the poll-tax
7265	; and when they
7266	had
7267	paid the poll-tax, certificates were written
7268	for them
7269	in which they
7270	bound themselves not to visit Kalyub, except as travellers on their way
7271	to the capital or some other city, and never to settle in the town.
7272	Thus
7273	they departed from Kalyub in the worst of plights.
7274	Then Ibn al-Kanbar heard that the patriarch ^ of the Melkites was
7275	arrived from Alexandria, and was spending
7276	his time in a hall of recep-
7277	tion
7278	'^
7279	;
7280	so he made
7281	his way thither to
7282	salute him and
7283	to congratulate
7284	* None
7285	of the Copts
7286	after
7287	this was
7288	able
7289	to
7290	rebel against
7291	the government ;
7292	and
7293	the
7294	]\Iuslims
7295	subdued them
7296	throughout
7297	the
7298	country
7299	villages.
7300	So
7301	they betook
7302	themselves to cheating instead of fighting, and to the employment of cunning and
7303	guile, and
7304	to
7305	cheating
7306	the Muslims
7307	;
7308	and
7309	they were
7310	appointed
7311	scribes
7312	of
7313	the
7314	land-tax, and there were many affairs between them and the Muslims.'
7315	{Khitat,
7316	ii.
7317	p.
7318	i*si=.)
7319	^ Laid upon
7320	all who refused to adopt the Mahometan religion, by the conditions
7321	of conquest.
7322	The Kanbarites would, of course, already have paid
7323	it
7324	in
7325	their own
7326	district, and were forced to pay
7327	it a second time as a punishment for having come
7328	to Kalyub.
7329	"^ The wait I'bcled or governor of the town was the chief local official, and head
7330	of the police.
7331	^ Sophronius II was patriarch in a. d. 1166.
7332	His successor was Elias(?).
7333	In
7334	1 1 95 Mark was patriarch.
7335	Le Quien,
7336	ii. col. 487
7337	ff.
7338	*
7339	^jii\
7340	, corrupted into Liwan,
7341	is the name given by the modern Egyptians to
7342	the
7343	raised
7344	part
7345	of the reception-room
7346	{ija:^)
7347	in which
7348	the host and
7349	his guests
p. 62
7350	33
7351	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
7352	him upon
7353	his good
7354	health, in the company of a body of followers who
7355	might justify their leader's words if he were attacked. Now this patriarch
7356	was accompanied by several
7357	metropolitans, that
7358	is, the metropolitans of
7359	the country, who informed the patriarch of the harm that Ibn al-Kanbar
7360	had done to them by breaking the canons
7361	of their
7362	religion, and they
7363	inquired into
7364	the matter, and they said,
7365	' This man
7366	is a Copt, and does
7367	what
7368	is not customary.'
7369	Then Ibn al-Kanbar answered,
7370	' God curse the
7371	hour when I became one of you.'
7372	And the patriarch said to him,
7373	' Virtue
7374	and peace alone are to be found in our company.'
7375	Subsequently to
7376	this, Ibn al-Kanbar requested that a church might
7377	be allotted
7378	to him
7379	at Sanbat
7380	^, after what had happened
7381	to him
7382	there.
7383	But the metropolitan of that place said to the patriarch,
7384	' Relieve me of
7385	my
7386	office of metropolitan, and
7387	call him
7388	to take a church
7389	for himself,
7390	if thou hast appointed one for him.'
7391	So the patriarch was silent, and said
7392	not a word. A disgraceful encounter took place between Ibn al-Kanbar
7393	and
7394	this metropolitan of Sanbat, the end
7395	of which was that the metro-
7396	politan rushed upon him and dealt him a painful blow, and knocked off
7397	his head-covering before a full assembly.
7398	This happened
7399	in the month
7400	of Abib in the year of the Church 901
7401	( = A. u. 1186).
7402	In the same month
7403	this wretch Ibn al-Kanbar dared to return and
7404	pay a
7405	visit to the
7406	father and
7407	patriarch Anba Mark, accompanied by
7408	Ibn 'Abdun and one of the most distinguished friends of the patriarch,
7409	to whose Cell at the Mitallakah they conducted him.
7410	The patriarch was
7411	sit.
7412	The lower part of the room, much narrower than the Liwan,
7413	is
7414	called
7415	iilji,
7416	and here the guests leave
7417	their shoes before stepping on
7418	the Liwan.
7419	Upon the
7420	Liwan,
7421	mats
7422	or
7423	carpets
7424	are
7425	spread, and
7426	against
7427	the
7428	walls
7429	are
7430	mattresses and
7431	cushions
7432	composing
7433	the
7434	diwan
7435	or
7436	divan.
7437	See
7438	Lane,
7439	Modern
7440	Egyptians,
7441	i.p. 15
7442	f.
7443	'
7444	Also called Sunbutiyah (Yakut)
7445	;
7446	situated
7447	in
7448	the
7449	Jazirah Kusaniya, as
7450	the
7451	district
7452	was
7453	then
7454	called.
7455	It
7456	was
7457	the
7458	Coptic
7459	T<LCeJULriO'f', and
7460	is now
7461	included
7462	in
7463	the
7464	district
7465	of
7466	Ziftah,
7467	in
7468	the
7469	province
7470	of
7471	Al-Gharbiyah,
7472	having
7473	a
7474	population
7475	in 1885
7476	of
7477	3,223.
7478	See Yakut, Geogr. Wort.
7479	iv. p.
7480	ic^i;
7481	Al-Idrisi,
7482	op.
7483	tit. (ed. Rome) [p. ii6];
7484	Amelineau, Geogr. p. 415.
p. 63
7485	ACCOUNT OF MARK IBN AL-KANBAR.
7486	33
7487	surrounded by a company, and
7488	said
7489	to him, 'Why has thy reverence^
7490	returned to me, thou excommunicate, in
7491	this guise so different from our
7492	fashion?' and he put forth his hand to Ibn al-Kanbar's head and struck off
7493	his cap, so that he remained bareheaded.
7494	But one of the disciples of the
7495	patriarch restored the cap to his head
7496	; and this vexed the patriarch, and
7497	he was wroth with that disciple for what he had done without permission.
7498	So Ibn al-Kanbar departed from his presence, and went forth ashamed,
7499	not knowing how to walk.
7500	Then the news of this occurrence reached the
7501	patriarch
7502	of the
7503	Melkites, who
7504	sent
7505	for Ibn al-Kanbar, and reproved
7506	him, saying,
7507	' Dost thou visit a patriarch whose
7508	faith thou dost oppose ?
7509	How will he arrange thy affairs ?
7510	'
7511	Then the patriarch of the Melkites
7512	sent Ibn al-Kanbar to the monastery of Al-Kusair ^, and there he dwelt
7513	with
7514	his companions, administering the
7515	affairs
7516	of the monastery
7517	;
7518	nor
7519	Fol. 14 a
7520	was he converted to anything except to disputing with
7521	all communities,
7522	thinking in himself that he was wise
7523	; yet while he thought thus he was
7524	overcome by ignorance.
7525	He lived only a short time after this, and then
7526	he died ^, having destroyed his own soul and the souls of those whom he
7527	seduced by his deceit.
7528	§ After the death of Ibn al-Kanbar,
7529	I found a report on sheets of
7530	paper in the handwriting of Anba Michael *, metropolitan ^ of Damietta,
7531	who therein makes the following statements to the author of this book,
7532	perhaps in answer to his letter to him on the subject of Ibn al-Kanbar
7533	and the evil which he wrought in the world.
7534	Within
7535	it were the words
7536	:
7537	^ The respectful mode of address here
7538	ironically used by the patriarch
7539	is not
7540	appropriate to the clergy, but common to
7541	all men above the lowest ranks,
7542	dolli
7543	is now frequently found, especially in letters.
7544	"^ See below,
7545	fol. 49
7546	ff.
7547	' For the date of his death see below,
7548	fol. 51 a and
7549	b.
7550	* The author of a treatise on Confession (Renaudot, Hist. Pair. p. 552) and of
7551	other works (Vansleb, Histoire de T^glise iAlexandrie, p. 333).
7552	" There were three metropolitans under the Coptic patriarch, namely those of
7553	Damietta, Jerusalem, and Abyssinia
7554	; but the
7555	date
7556	at which
7557	the
7558	see
7559	of Damietta
7560	was raised to
7561	the metropolitical
7562	dignity, and
7563	the exact
7564	nature
7565	of that
7566	dignity in
7567	this
7568	case, are
7569	uncertain.
7570	f
7571	[11. 7]
p. 64
7572	34
7573	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
7574	' The poor miserable Michael
7575	at Damietta, hereby makes known to
7576	his friend the brother that which has reached me with regard to Fakhir
7577	ibn al-Kanbar, who became a priest although unworthy of that dignity
7578	in many ways, and was
7579	called
7580	Mark, and with
7581	regard
7582	to
7583	his
7584	corrupt
7585	doctrines contained
7586	in
7587	the
7588	treatises which he composed, in books con-
7589	tradicting the
7590	truth, and by which
7591	he seduced
7592	simple men, devoid of
7593	understanding, into the paths of the heretics.
7594	Now this insolent heretic
7595	had married a wife, who
7596	lived with him
7597	for a time
7598	; but afterwards he
7599	desired
7600	to become a monk, and
7601	to separate himself from
7602	her.
7603	She,
7604	however, would not consent to his wishes
7605	; and so he conceived the plan
7606	of marrying her
7607	in
7608	secret to another.
7609	Then he went to Anba Jonas,
7610	bishop of Damsis ^, and made him
7611	believe
7612	that
7613	his wife had become
7614	a nun, and was living in the convent with the nuns
7615	; and thus the bishop
7616	admitted him to the monastic vows, and ordained him
7617	priest.
7618	But his
7619	affairs did not long remain secret, and information was
7620	laid against him
7621	Fol. 14 b
7622	before the patriarch Jonas, the seventy-second
7623	in the succession of the
7624	fathers and patriarchs
7625	; [and this occasioned] ^ his excommunication and
7626	cutting
7627	off, and the excommunication of the bishop who had ordained
7628	him priest, because he had not inquired
7629	into the truth of the matter in
7630	such
7631	a way
7632	as
7633	to
7634	establish
7635	the veracity
7636	of
7637	Ibn al-Kanbar
7638	before he
7639	admitted him
7640	as a monk and
7641	ordained him
7642	priest
7643	;
7644	for
7645	thus he had
7646	become a partner with him in his sin and
7647	his contempt of the apostolic
7648	canons.
7649	For Paul the Apostle says that if a woman chooses to separate
7650	herself from her husband, and he consents to her desire, she shall not
7651	^ The
7652	Coptic xeAJLCICO^.
7653	Yakfit
7654	sets
7655	this
7656	town
7657	four
7658	parasangs
7659	from
7660	Samannud and two from Bara, of which
7661	places
7662	the former
7663	is
7664	still existing,
7665	see
7666	note on
7667	fol. 57 b, and the
7668	latter was
7669	in
7670	the diocese of Sakha, now in the
7671	district
7672	of Kafr ash-Shaikh in the province of Al-Gharbiyah.
7673	The Copto-Arabic lists of
7674	places give Damsis between Sandalat and
7675	Sahrajt or
7676	Natii, but the order of the
7677	names in such
7678	lists cannot always be depended upon as strictly corresponding to
7679	the position of the
7680	localities.
7681	Damsis
7682	is no longer existing, although
7683	it was
7684	still
7685	a town at the beginning of
7686	this century.
7687	See Yakut, Geogr. Wort.
7688	ii. p. oaa
7689	; Ibn
7690	Dukmak, op. cit. p.
7691	1
7692	.
7693	;
7694	Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome) [p. 117]; Amdlineau, Geogr. p.
7695	1 19
7696	f.
7697	^ Some words seem to be omitted here.
p. 65
7698	ACCOUNT OF MARK IBN AL-KANBA R.
7699	35
7700	marry another
7701	; and
7702	if she prefers to be married, she shall return to her
7703	former husband
7704	; but the man shall not put away his wife at
7705	all.
7706	Yet
7707	this man put away his wife, and forced her to separate herself from him,
7708	and married her to another.
7709	' After this he made a parade of his learning and
7710	his exposition of
7711	the holy books, and he translated them from Coptic ^ into Arabic
7712	; and
7713	he wrote that Tafsir at-Tafsir according to the imaginations of his own
7714	mind.
7715	While he was living at the church of Damsis, he concealed the
7716	Guide- which indicates what portions of the Gospels and of the ecclesias-
7717	^ Coptic had become a dead language long before
7718	this time in Lower Eg}^pt,
7719	although Al-Makrizi informs us
7720	that near Us) ut, at Mushah and Udrunkah, and
7721	in other parts of Upper Egypt,
7722	it was
7723	still spoken at the beginning of the fifteenth
7724	century ; and Vansleb assures us that he was shown an old man who was said to be
7725	the last person who spoke Coptic.
7726	Al-Makrizi's words with regard to INIushah are:
7727	.{Khitat,
7728	ii. p. o.v)
7729	Of Udrunkah he says
7730	:
7731	l^ij-uwijj
7732	l^
7733	^jj,^. ^4.^^
7734	t^Jusr^-^
7735	^^<^W^^
7736	arAJI
7737	ciji/'^-
7738	L^^-^'
7739	(j^
7740	\J^^
7741	dAo,.jj
7742	.[Ibid. p.
7743	I a)
7744	JbJ ,3tJU
7745	For a translation of these passages see Appendix.
7746	'^ Generally called kutmdrtis, a corruption of the Coptic word K<LT^JULepOC,
7747	borrowed
7748	from
7749	the
7750	Greek and meaning
7751	' divided
7752	into
7753	sections.'
7754	See Vansleb,
7755	Hist, de I'Eglise d'Alex. p. 62, and Butler, Coptic Churches,
7756	ii. p. 260.
7757	I\Ir. Malan
7758	has
7759	published an almost complete
7760	translation
7761	of a Coptic Kutmdrns (London,
7762	D. Nutt, 1874).
7763	(A. J. B.)
7764	A hutvidrus, in the Medicean Library at Florence, of
7765	a. d. 1396, exhibits
7766	the
7767	following title and
7768	list of contents of its first two parts
7769	:
7770	KA-TA-Juiepoc
7771	:
7772	exe
7773	^^^\ ne
7774	rtiil^^-XjuLoc
7775	:
7776	itejuL
7777	niXe^ic
7778	eKoX^ert nivp^.4>H eoo'c^.K
7779	: oto^^ f enicToXK i<^.eoXIKH
7780	:
7781	itejuL enicToXH
7782	itTe
7783	^I^.^Ioc
7784	n^.TXoc
7785	:
7786	nejuL eKoX^en
7787	np^.^ic
7788	ivre
7789	ni^-nocToXoc
7790	:
7791	nejuL
7792	eKoX^en
7793	ni^
7794	itxe
7795	^IeT^>^^eXlo^ eo£.e ujktkXoc riTe
7796	-f poJULUi ^ert
7797	nipo-jf^i
7798	f 2
p. 66
7799	^6
7800	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
7801	tical books must be read every day, and he made himself the Guide
7802	: that
7803	is to say, when he was bidden to recite portions of the Gospels and the
7804	nejuL
7805	•TcJ)^.ciji
7806	itxe
7807	niexcop^
7808	hgjul ^ert
7809	^.rt<Lcl)op^.
7810	K^.^-^.
7811	T^-^ic rnre i"ckkXhcia. itpA.Ko'f rtxe ni^-irTnTioc a.-jt cJ)^.cijo'r
7812	nixmf\|)(joaj
7813	T. ee^e
7814	niKTpi^.KH
7815	itejUL
7816	nincy^.i execitHOT
7817	eire ^Ui ne
7818	eeKe
7819	ni KTpii.KH
7820	n-re niei-^uDX ni^o-riT exe
7821	4>a.i ne
7822	eaooTT n«Loni ^.ea)p -xpiu^ tuoB.! Juiex^P
7823	^en
7824	naji.1 itxe
7825	ni^.rioc
7826	iuo^.nrtHc niEL^.m-icTHc
7827	rtejuL
7828	^Icx^.vpoc eo^ neJUL vecupvioc niJUL^-pxTpoc ni^
7829	n^cjoort
7830	juliX<^hX
7831	^-px^'^'^'^eXoc
7832	niK^
7833	JULupec^-rxepoc
7834	JU-epKo-r-
7835	pioc niJULA.pT'vpoc 1112^1 n£,ia3cy ^n^ei"^.VI^. JUL^.pI^.^^.poenoc
7836	neAJL
7837	^ert
7838	n^.p^.JULonH
7839	itTe
7840	nixiitjunci
7841	julroc
7842	ns^.rioc
7843	cxe4)^.noc
7844	npoxcojuL^.pTfpoc
7845	rteju.
7846	2^iocKopoc
7847	nejuL
7848	^.Ic-
7849	KXenioc nejuL rto-rojHpi ^eit -fK^.KI iiA.nonoXic itxe "ren^ic
7850	^^.p^.JULo^H itxe niojA.! jultticojulc nxe noc eeKe inepcJ)juLeTi
7851	riTe
7852	-f^.vi^.
7853	JUL^-pi^. ^^.peenoc JULnctji.1 riTe
7854	nijuC ju.JUL<Lp-
7855	TYpoc
7856	rtejUL ni^.rioc
7857	^.JS.^^. JUL^.K^.pIoc
7858	nejui. ni^.nocT-oXoc
7859	nexpoc rtejuL nA-xXoc
7860	nixiiK^ojoj £ ee£.e niK'rpi^.KH rteJUL rtmajz.i execrtHOT
7861	nIK'«'pI^.KH nxe i~nKcxii. njuL aJ^.e^pKI e^oTit ei~^.^^.c-
7862	x^-cic
7863	rtejUL
7864	niKTpi^.KK
7865	itTe nm
7866	ite^ooT
7867	cy^.
7868	e^pni
7869	ei"K'rpI^>KK itxe i"uenxiKocxH rteju. ncij^.i itxe nixinajert^.q
7870	encyoji rtnoc
7871	eo^e
7872	niK'ifpiz.KH
7873	itTe
7874	^I^.^o^-
7875	n^-cycortc
7876	^^.(JortI
7877	ennn
7878	jULecujpH
7879	nejUL nie
7880	itTe nie nemrepon
7881	nejui i"e^2^ojuL^.c
7882	n-f nioj-f THpc
7883	otXovoc Itxe ^.£.JSL^. cijA.noTi~ exeTOJcy nS nv n^ ne
7884	oTfXovoc cenrepii.itoc enicKonoc eoJS.e n^
p. 67
7885	ACCOUNT OF MARK IBN AL-KANBAR.
7886	37
7887	Epistles
7888	[of
7889	Saint
7890	Paul] and
7891	the Catholic
7892	Epistles and
7893	the Acts, he
7894	produced what he chose
7895	in
7896	his own mind, some passage expounded
7897	in
7898	o-yXoroc rtxe niA.vioc
7899	icoA.rirtHc nixp'^fcocTOAXoc ee^e
7900	ne nejUL nF
7901	o-jfXovoc
7902	rtTe
7903	ni^.vioc
7904	^.e^.^^.cIoc
7905	A.Xe^^.n2^pmoc
7906	otXovoc
7907	itxe
7908	ceTepoc
7909	^.m"Ioxe^toc
7910	eo^e
7911	ni^Lviort
7912	* Kutmarus
7913	: containing the Psalms and Lessons from the Holy Scriptures, and
7914	from the seven Catholic Epistles, and from the Episdes of Saint Paul, and from the
7915	Acts of the Apostles, and from the four Books of the Gospel
7916	;
7917	to be read throughout
7918	the course of the year, at Vespers, and at Midnight, and at the Liturgy
7919	; according
7920	to the rule of the Church of Alexandria of the Copts.
7921	Divided into three parts.
7922	' The
7923	first part [contains the Lessons] for the following Sundays and Festivals
7924	:
7925	' The Sundays of the first six months of the year, namely, Tut, Babah, Hatur,
7926	Kihak, Tubah, Amshir
7927	;
7928	' The
7929	Festivals of Saint John
7930	Baptist
7931	;
7932	the Holy Cross ; George the Martyr ;
7933	the Four Living Creatures
7934	;
7935	Michael the Archangel
7936	;
7937	the Four and Twenty Elders
7938	;
7939	Mercurius the Martyr ;
7940	the Annunciation of the Holy Virgin Mary ;
7941	the Vigil of
7942	the
7943	Nativity of the Lord
7944	;
7945	Saint
7946	Stephen, Protomartyr
7947	;
7948	Dioscorus
7949	;
7950	Aesculapius
7951	and their sons at Panopolis in the Thebaid ;
7952	the Vigil of the Baptism of the Lord
7953	;
7954	the Commemoration of the Holy Virgin Mary ; the Forty Martyrs ; Saint Macarius
7955	;
7956	the Apostles Peter and Paul.
7957	'The
7958	second
7959	part
7960	[contains
7961	the
7962	Lessons]
7963	for
7964	the
7965	following
7966	Sundays
7967	and
7968	Festivals
7969	:
7970	' The Sundays of the Fast up
7971	to the Resurrection
7972	;
7973	the Sundays of the
7974	Fifty
7975	Days up to the Sunday of Pentecost
7976	;
7977	the Festival of the Ascension of the Lord
7978	;
7979	the Sundays of the months of Bashans, Ba'unah, Abib, IMisri
7980	;
7981	the
7982	fifth of the five
7983	intercalary days
7984	; and every day of the Great Week.
7985	' Discourse
7986	of
7987	Saint
7988	Sinuthius,
7989	which
7990	is
7991	read
7992	on
7993	the
7994	Monday,
7995	Tuesday,
7996	Wednesday, and Thursday
7997	[of the Great Week]
7998	;
7999	Discourse
8000	of Bishop
8001	Severian
8002	for the Wednesday
8003	;
8004	Discourse
8005	of Saint John Chrysostom
8006	for the Thursday and
8007	Friday;
8008	Discourse of Saint Athanasius of Alexandria
8009	for
8010	the Friday;
8011	Discourse
8012	of Severus of Antioch for Holy Saturday.'
p. 68
8013	38
8014	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
8015	Fol. 15 a the Tafsir at-Tafsir, to support his heresy and
8016	to strengthen his
8017	false
8018	creed, until he stole away the minds of some of the orthodox laity, whose
8019	fear
8020	of God and
8021	efforts
8022	for the
8023	salvation
8024	of
8025	their
8026	souls
8027	made them
8028	submit to be deceived by his embellishments, and to enter with him into
8029	his sect.
8030	First of
8031	all he allured them to confess their sins to him, and
8032	then he confirmed the belief in their minds that without such confession
8033	there can be no repentance or forgiveness.
8034	Next he commanded them
8035	not to shave the whole of their heads, but only the crown of the head,
8036	and to give up the practice of circumcision, because God created Adam
8037	perfect and
8038	free from
8039	defects^;
8040	saying, "As God
8041	created the form of
8042	Adam and perfected
8043	it, so
8044	it
8045	is very good," and
8046	that
8047	this
8048	tradition of
8049	circumcision
8050	is not accepted except by the Jews and Hanifs.
8051	He also
8052	taught that frankincense alone should be burnt
8053	in the church, because
8054	it was
8055	offered
8056	to the Lord
8057	with
8058	the
8059	gold and
8060	the myrrh
8061	; and
8062	that
8063	a man must not wash
8064	his mouth with water
8065	after communion.
8066	All
8067	these
8068	things were taught by degrees, and
8069	the people
8070	listened
8071	to
8072	his
8073	teachings one by one during a space of more than
8074	fifteen
8075	years.
8076	At
8077	last he bade them make the
8078	sign of the
8079	cross with two
8080	fingers^, and
8081	make their communion with the reserved^ sacrament which had been
8082	consecrated on the Sunday, and which
8083	the
8084	priest took with him and
8085	gave to those who
8086	confessed and
8087	desired
8088	to
8089	receive
8090	the communion
8091	after confessing and doing penance, taking the centre of
8092	it and dipping
8093	it
8094	in new wine, over which they prayed
8095	apart and
8096	so communicated.
8097	Pol. 15 b He also abrogated the three days of the Fast of Nineveh^ and the first
8098	^ This reminds us of the objection made by the Russians of the conservative
8099	party to the patriarch Nicon, when he inculcated the practice of shaving the beard,
8100	that he was teaching them
8101	' to mutilate the image of God.'
8102	^ The practice of the Copts was and is to make the sign of the cross with one
8103	finger.
8104	See Vansleb, Hist, de l^glise d'Alex. p. 68.
8105	^ Reservation of the sacrament
8106	is not sanctioned by the Coptic canons.
8107	See
8108	Butler, Coptic Churches,
8109	ii. pp. 54, 293.
8110	(A.J. B.)
8111	* The Fast of Nineveh
8112	is so
8113	called
8114	in remembrance
8115	of the
8116	Ninevites, who
8117	fasted to turn away the wrath of God.
8118	It
8119	lasts three days, beginning on Monday,
8120	and
8121	falls two weeks
8122	before
8123	the
8124	Fast
8125	of
8126	Heraclius, which immediately precedes
p. 69
8127	ACCOUNT OF MARK IBN A L-KANBAR.
8128	39
8129	week^ of the Fast, according to the rule of the Melkites, and he allowed
8130	meat and milk
8131	to be eaten during the Week
8132	of Nineveh on the two
8133	days of Wednesday and Friday.
8134	' In consequence of all these things, those of the orthodox who were
8135	on
8136	their
8137	guard
8138	against him
8139	awoke,
8140	while
8141	his
8142	followers among
8143	the
8144	Christians
8145	were
8146	deceived
8147	by
8148	him.
8149	Moreover,
8150	his
8151	creed
8152	which
8153	he
8154	expounded, and which
8155	is
8156	contained
8157	in
8158	the books which he
8159	wrote,
8160	is
8161	such as no Christian community accepts, not even the Melkites whom
8162	he approached
8163	in the doctrines that have already been described.
8164	For
8165	he said
8166	in
8167	his books that the Holy Trinity is composed of three Gods,
8168	each
8169	of them
8170	absolutely
8171	perfect
8172	in word and
8173	spirit,
8174	but
8175	having one
8176	common nature
8177	;
8178	and
8179	that they resemble Adam, Eve, and Abel, who
8180	were
8181	three
8182	persons with one common
8183	nature, each of them being
8184	as
8185	perfect
8186	as
8187	the
8188	others.
8189	In
8190	the
8191	next
8192	place,
8193	Mark
8194	drew
8195	distinctions
8196	between
8197	the
8198	three
8199	Persons, and
8200	held
8201	that
8202	the
8203	Father
8204	has dominion
8205	and
8206	authority
8207	over
8208	his Son and
8209	his Holy
8210	Spirit, and commands
8211	or
8212	Lent.
8213	See Vansleb, Hist, de T^glise dAlex. p. 76
8214	; Danhauer, Ecdesia Aethiopica
8215	(Strasburg, 1672), cap. vi.
8216	(A. J. B.)
8217	^
8218	I. e.
8219	the
8220	so-called
8221	Fast
8222	of Heraclius,
8223	which, immediately
8224	preceding
8225	Lent,
8226	forms the
8227	first week of the Great Fast.
8228	The
8229	origin of
8230	this
8231	fast
8232	is
8233	said
8234	to be as
8235	follows
8236	:
8237	that
8238	the
8239	emperor
8240	Heraclius,
8241	on
8242	his way
8243	to
8244	Jerusalem,
8245	promised
8246	his
8247	protection
8248	to the Jews of Palestine, but
8249	that on
8250	his
8251	arrival
8252	in
8253	the holy city, the
8254	schismatical patriarch and the Christians generally prayed him
8255	to put all the Jews
8256	to the sword, because they had joined the Persians shortly before
8257	in
8258	their sack
8259	of
8260	the city and cruelties towards the Christians
8261	;
8262	that the emperor hesitated to break
8263	his solemn oath in the manner thus suggested to him, but was eventually persuaded
8264	to sanction a general massacre of the Jews by the solemn promise made
8265	to him
8266	by the authorities of the monophysite community that
8267	all members of their body
8268	would henceforth
8269	until
8270	the end
8271	of
8272	the world observe
8273	the week before Lent
8274	as
8275	a strict
8276	fast
8277	for the benefit of his
8278	soul.
8279	This promise was, of course, binding on
8280	the Egyptian and Ethiopian monophysites, as well as on the Syrians, with whom alone
8281	they were in communion
8282	; but
8283	it did not affect the Melkites.
8284	See Vansleb, Hist, de
8285	VEglise dAlex. p. 74
8286	f.
8287	The same account of the origin of the Fast of Heraclius
8288	is given by the Mahometan historian AI-Makrizi {Khitaf,
8289	ii. p. fw).
8290	(A. J. B.)
p. 70
8291	40
8292	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
8293	forbids them to act
8294	; and that they obey him and follow his commands;
8295	and
8296	that each of the Three does a work
8297	in which the others do not
8298	participate
8299	:
8300	the Father, namely, commands
8301	; the Son creates what the
8302	Father commands him
8303	to
8304	create
8305	;
8306	and
8307	the Holy
8308	Spirit
8309	gives
8310	life
8311	to
8312	that
8313	to which the Father commands him
8314	to give
8315	life
8316	; and
8317	that every
8318	creature which
8319	exists was created
8320	by
8321	the
8322	Son,
8323	at the command
8324	of
8325	the Father
8326	; and everything that
8327	lives received life from the Holy Spirit
8328	at the command of the Father.
8329	Fol. 16 a
8330	* In the next place he held that there was a feminine quality in the
8331	Godhead, and he
8332	taught
8333	that
8334	this feminine quality
8335	is
8336	proper
8337	to
8338	the
8339	Holy Spirit ^.
8340	He held that the
8341	eternal Word of God
8342	is born through
8343	^ The words of St. Jerome are the best commentary on this passage
8344	:
8345	' Hebraei asserunt, nee de hac re apud eos ulla dubitatio est, Spiritum Sanctum
8346	lingua sua
8347	appellari genere feminine, id
8348	est
8349	n^'^p
8350	ni"i
8351	.
8352	.
8353	. Sed
8354	et
8355	in evangelic
8356	quod, juxta Hebraeos scriptum, Nazaraei
8357	lectitant, Dominus loquitur
8358	: modo me
8359	tulit mater mea,
8360	Spiritus Sanctus.
8361	Nemo autem
8362	in hac parte scandalizari debet
8363	quod dicatur apud Hebraeos spiritus genere feminino, cum nostra lingua appelletur
8364	genere masculino, et Graeco sermone neutro.
8365	In divinitate enim nuUus est sexus.
8366	Et ideo in tribus
8367	principalibus
8368	linguis, quibus
8369	titulus dominicae scriptus est pas-
8370	sionis, tribus generibus appellatur, ut sciamus nuUius esse generis quod diversum
8371	est.'
8372	(Jerome, Comm. in Esaiam, cap. xl. ver. ii.)
8373	Origen
8374	quotes
8375	the same
8376	passage
8377	from
8378	the
8379	Ebionite
8380	or
8381	Nazarene
8382	' Gospel
8383	according to the Hebrews
8384	'
8385	:
8386	" 'Eav 8e npoaUrai ris to kuO' 'E^pa'iovs evayyeXiov, evda
8387	avros 6 'Eanfjp
8388	(prjaiv'
8389	"Apri
8390	fXa^e
8391	fie
8392	rj
8393	fJirjTrjp pov to
8394	dyiov nvevpn
8395	iv pia Ta>v Tpi)(a>v pov
8396	Koi
8397	(mrjvfyKe
8398	pe
8399	tls
8400	to opos
8401	TO piya Qa^ap."
8402	(Origen, Comni.
8403	in Johamie?n, torn. II;
8404	vol.
8405	iv. col. 132, Migne
8406	;
8407	cf. Homil. X V in Jereni.)
8408	Ibn al-Kanbar, whose opinions are here described
8409	for us by a hostile witness,
8410	anxious to detect as many errors as he can
8411	in
8412	the writings of a man condemned
8413	by the authorities of the Coptic community, perhaps knew a
8414	little Syriac, or even
8415	a little Hebrew, and so was aware that the word for 'spirit' in those languages, n^"i,
8416	)u»oJ,
8417	is feminine in gender, and commented upon that
8418	fact, possibly to the same
8419	effect
8420	as
8421	Jerome.
8422	The
8423	Coptic
8424	metropolitan
8425	evidently presents us with
8426	a very
8427	crude statement of Ibn al-Kanbar's views.
8428	In Arabic
8429	-.«. may be masculine as well as feminine, and
8430	is used in the former
p. 71
8431	ACCOUNT OF MARK IBN AL-KANBAR.
8432	41
8433	all
8434	eternity from
8435	the
8436	Father and
8437	the Holy
8438	Spirit
8439	; and he explained
8440	that
8441	as
8442	the
8443	Father
8444	has
8445	no
8446	beginning,
8447	so
8448	the Holy
8449	Spirit
8450	proceeds
8451	eternally from him', without beginning, and the Son
8452	also
8453	is begotten
8454	eternally from them both without beginning.
8455	He held that God never
8456	spoke
8457	to
8458	any
8459	of
8460	his
8461	creatures,
8462	but
8463	spoke
8464	to
8465	his
8466	Son
8467	and
8468	to
8469	his
8470	Holy
8471	Spirit
8472	; and he contradicted
8473	all
8474	the words of God that came
8475	to
8476	his people through the divine books, both old and new.
8477	He held that
8478	the
8479	patriarchs
8480	and
8481	the
8482	prophets were
8483	tormented
8484	in
8485	hell
8486	on
8487	account
8488	of their sins
8489	; and that they could not save
8490	their souls
8491	in spite of their
8492	piety towards God
8493	;
8494	but were punished
8495	in
8496	hell
8497	until
8498	the Lord
8499	Christ
8500	saved
8501	them, being himself without
8502	sin.
8503	He held
8504	that the
8505	patriarchs
8506	and prophets were without the
8507	gift
8508	of the Holy Spirit, and next that
8509	the Holy Spirit never spoke by their mouths
8510	; thus denying them the
8511	grace
8512	of
8513	the. Holy
8514	Spirit.
8515	He
8516	said
8517	:
8518	" If
8519	the Holy
8520	Spirit had
8521	been
8522	in them, they would not have gone down into hell."
8523	Next he supported
8524	these
8525	false
8526	doctrines by the
8527	assertion
8528	that
8529	all
8530	the good
8531	actions done
8532	by the patriarchs and prophets were reckoned by God to Satan, which
8533	is as much as to say that Satan helped them to do good deeds without
8534	Fol. 16 b
8535	the Holy
8536	Spirit.
8537	This
8538	doctrine he supported by
8539	his
8540	belief that
8541	the
8542	good works done by the
8543	disciples and the
8544	rest of the people of Christ
8545	are reckoned to Christ, because they did these works by the Holy Spirit.
8546	gender when
8547	it denotes
8548	the Holy
8549	Spirit,
8550	,_^jJJl
8551	^j^Jl
8552	or
8553	^^jliJl.
8554	The
8555	ancient
8556	form was ^xsSX — j.
8557	, from
8558	the
8559	Syriac
8560	)>*.9Qi39
8561	\*»qS.
8562	^ Here the metropolitan of Damietta attributes
8563	to Ibn al-Kanbar the common
8564	doctrine of the Melkites and Copts.
8565	Vansleb says of the
8566	latter
8567	:
8568	' lis croient que
8569	le
8570	Saint
8571	Esprit procMe du Pere
8572	seulement,
8573	se
8574	fondant
8575	sur
8576	la
8577	parole de
8578	notre
8579	Seigneur, quand
8580	il
8581	dit dans son
8582	iSvangile
8583	:. Cum autem
8584	venerit
8585	Paraclitus, quern
8586	ego mittam
8587	vobis,
8588	a
8589	patre
8590	meo,' &c. (Hist, de VEglise dAlex. p. 122 f)
8591	In the
8592	Catechism published
8593	in 1885 by Filta fis, the hegumen of the patriarchal church
8594	of St. Mark at Cairo,
8595	it is said
8596	(p. v)
8597	:
8598	Lhl
8599	L_j^l ^
8600	i^t*3uAl
8601	t^l
8602	jixjJkl
8603	^j^xsS\
8604	^^)\
8605	w'3 ij^'^\
8606	LaU.-^- j*»:j
8607	eJlill
8608	j^^^l
8609	' The third Person
8610	[of the Trinity]
8611	is distinguished by the appropriate character
8612	of procession,
8613	for He
8614	is
8615	the
8616	Holy
8617	Spirit who
8618	proceeds,
8619	that
8620	is
8621	to
8622	say,
8623	issues
8624	from the Father eternally.'
8625	g
8626	[11.7-]
p. 72
8627	42
8628	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
8629	•
8630	He held also that none has died from the time of Adam onwards except
8631	for committing some
8632	sin
8633	for which he deserved death
8634	;
8635	and
8636	that
8637	the
8638	body of
8639	Christ alone
8640	did
8641	not commit any
8642	sin,
8643	for which
8644	it deserved
8645	death
8646	;
8647	and that when he
8648	died
8649	he
8650	received from
8651	his Father
8652	all
8653	that
8654	were imprisoned
8655	in
8656	hell, through the merit of his death
8657	;
8658	and
8659	in one
8660	place he
8661	says, "he
8662	received
8663	from Satan
8664	all
8665	that were
8666	imprisoned
8667	in
8668	hell."
8669	Thus Mark
8670	implies
8671	that
8672	the
8673	Lady
8674	died
8675	on
8676	account
8677	of
8678	sin
8679	alone, and
8680	so others beside
8681	her who
8682	are
8683	justified
8684	in
8685	the Gospel and
8686	the Old Testament.
8687	He
8688	held
8689	also
8690	that
8691	after the death of men and
8692	their assembling
8693	in
8694	paradise, there
8695	happens
8696	to
8697	those who
8698	have
8699	not
8700	been chastised
8701	in
8702	this
8703	life^ the same
8704	that happened to Adam
8705	; and he
8706	held that punishment and recompense
8707	in
8708	the next world belong
8709	to the
8710	^ Vansleb says
8711	that although the Copts do not employ a tern; corresponding
8712	to the Latin
8713	' purgatory,' yet '11 est bien vrai qu'ils croyent que les ames souffrent
8714	des peines &
8715	qu'elles re9oivent du soulagement par le
8716	Saint
8717	Sacrifice & par
8718	les
8719	oeuvres de pidte qu'on fait pour elles, &
8720	il est vrai aussi qu'a cette
8721	fin
8722	ils font des
8723	obseques pour ces memes ames & qu'ils disent
8724	la Messe le 3 & le
8725	7 jour, a la fin
8726	du mois, au quarantieme
8727	jour, au
8728	sixibme mois & a
8729	la
8730	fin
8731	de
8732	I'ann^e
8733	de
8734	leur
8735	trdpas,'
8736	&c.
8737	(Hisf.
8738	de
8739	I'Eglise
8740	d'A/ex.
8741	p.
8742	140).
8743	Perhaps
8744	the
8745	doctrine
8746	of
8747	Ibn
8748	al-Kanbar was more
8749	definite
8750	than
8751	that
8752	held
8753	by
8754	the majority
8755	of
8756	the Copts on
8757	a point on which, as Vansleb says, 'I'Eglise Copte ne s'est point encore expliqu^e.'
8758	The following is an extract from page oa of the Catechism of Filta'us, which
8759	has already been quoted
8760	:
8761	.Jl
8762	JjtSj
8763	cuULiJb
8764	ij-ejVl
8765	(_j~ji.j"^l
8766	xJlI^
8767	JjJ,
8768	ija
8769	^J^sij^\
8770	elL'
8771	xJl:J
8772	^L,^"^!
8773	Jjcsj
8774	(_jj^il
8775	^J^JL!1
8776	iLejJLij
8777	I-wvJlx.)!
8778	i^lJi^
8779	^1
8780	^36
8781	~.
8782	Jo
8783	A-H-J
8784	rJS-^.
8785	^^i^^
8786	r*"^^?
8787	ijj^'i^^
8788	(5^
8789	iJ.i;;-Al
8790	^) iJv^
8791	*^^;3
8792	(_r^-^^
8793	O^"'^-
8794	^^'''•'''•^
8795	j^j
8796	Jw^jl^l
8797	aL^.^.
8798	,^Ci\
8799	JU^"*!! ^A
8800	dJtoUJ
8801	^*^'^
8802	i.^^
8803	xjbj^:^
8804	ijwaJiJl
8805	t>'Sk,t.
8806	wasCXm^
8807	' Question: Are the souls of the faithful profited by prayers and good works?
8808	'Answer:
8809	Yes.
8810	The
8811	prayers
8812	of
8813	the
8814	church and
8815	the
8816	off"ering of
8817	the Holy
8818	Sacrifice and the performance of good works
8819	profit those souls which have died
8820	still tainted by some of the imperfections and weaknesses of human nature, but
8821	not those which are sunk in vice and are reprobate without hope of repentance or
8822	forgiveness.
8823	This truth has been taught by the universal Church of Christ from
p. 73
8824	CERTAIN WONDERS OF EGYPT.
8825	43
8826	Intelligent and reasonable soul apart from the body
8827	; but that chastise-
8828	ment in this world
8829	is for the body, in order that, to avoid the pains of
8830	penance,
8831	it may not again consent with the soul
8832	in the commission of
8833	sin; then
8834	it will be saved on the last day.
8835	'All the expositions of his wicked doctrines are found
8836	in
8837	the books
8838	that he wrote, such
8839	as
8840	that called The Ten
8841	Chapters, and
8842	that entitled
8843	Fol. 17 a
8844	The
8845	Teacher and the Diseiple, consisting of eight
8846	parts
8847	; and the work
8848	named The Collection of Fundamental Principles, and others.'
8849	Certain
8850	Wonders of Egypt.
8851	§ Section
8852	in which
8853	the
8854	fishing-place^
8855	is described.
8856	In
8857	the
8858	neigh-
8859	bourhood of the
8860	Nile, there
8861	is a place
8862	at which on
8863	a
8864	particular day
8865	much
8866	fish
8867	collects
8868	; and the people
8869	of that place go out and fish with
8870	their hands, and none of the fish escape from them
8871	;
8872	so that the people
8873	of that place catch enough
8874	to be eaten or salted by all of them.
8875	But
8876	when the sun has
8877	set on that day not one of them catches a single fish
8878	more
8879	;
8880	nor
8881	during
8882	that
8883	year
8884	are
8885	fish found
8886	at
8887	that
8888	place,
8889	until
8890	that
8891	particular day comes round again.
8892	§ Account of the City of Stone 2.
8893	Everything in this city is of hard
8894	black
8895	stone.
8896	There
8897	is the image of a teacher,
8898	sitting with
8899	his boys,
8900	who stand before him In large numbers both small and great
8901	; and there
8902	are the likenesses of lions and wild beasts and other things.
8903	§ Account
8904	of
8905	the moving
8906	pillar^
8907	in
8908	the
8909	land of Egypt.
8910	This
8911	is
8912	the
8913	first
8914	ages,
8915	and
8916	the Church
8917	of
8918	Israel bears witness
8919	in
8920	the
8921	second Book of
8922	Maccabees
8923	that
8924	Judas Maccabaeus
8925	offered
8926	sacrifices
8927	for
8928	the departed
8929	warriors
8930	(2 Mace.
8931	xii. 43).'
8932	^ This fishing-place
8933	is not mentioned
8934	Jjy Al-Makrizi among the
8935	' wonders of
8936	the Nile.'
8937	'^ Madtnat al-HaJar, or the City of Stone,
8938	is
8939	still existing in the
8940	south of the
8941	Fayyftm,
8942	close
8943	to
8944	the
8945	village
8946	of Al-Gharak.
8947	There
8948	is
8949	an
8950	ancient
8951	sculptured
8952	gateway and some columns and other remains of an ancient city.
8953	^ Can
8954	this
8955	be
8956	a
8957	version
8958	of
8959	the
8960	story
8961	told
8962	of
8963	the minaret
8964	of Abwit
8965	near
8966	Al-Bahnasa, reckoned by As-Suyuti among the twenty wonders of Egypt, which
8967	constitute two-thirds of the wonders of the world
8968	.^
8969	He says
8970	it
8971	is
8972	g 2
p. 74
8973	44
8974	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
8975	a marble
8976	pillar,
8977	rising
8978	to the height of about seventeen
8979	cubits above
8980	the ground, and
8981	its diameter
8982	is two
8983	cubits.
8984	It moves on one day of
8985	the year, making one motion.
8986	§ Account
8987	of the
8988	tree\ which only bears
8989	fruit when
8990	a man
8991	runs
8992	towards
8993	it with an axe,
8994	as
8995	if he wishes to cut
8996	it down
8997	; and another
8998	man
8999	meets him and
9000	forbids him
9001	to
9002	cut
9003	it down, and
9004	guarantees
9005	to
9006	him on behalf of
9007	it that
9008	it will bear fruit.
9009	And
9010	in
9011	truth in the ensuing
9012	year
9013	it bears a quantity of fruit equal to that of two years.
9014	' skilfully constructed, so that if a man pushes
9015	it
9016	it inclines to the right and
9017	to the
9018	left
9019	; but the movement is not visible externally except in the shadow of the minaret
9020	in the sunshine.'
9021	{Husn al-Muhddarah,
9022	i. p.
9023	i«,
9024	.)
9025	Cf. Ibn Dukmak, who says, in speaking of Abwit
9026	:
9027	dJj
9028	(»^**w U
9029	JlxJ
9030	jL J^"* y~4r^} T^3 ^4^
9031	'^''^i W;^
9032	(€*J
9033	^^J^
9034	saLH
9035	iSpj
9036	' In this town there
9037	is a wonder, namely,
9038	its minaret, which
9039	is ascended, and, if it
9040	is pushed, yields
9041	to
9042	the
9043	push, and
9044	leans
9045	to one
9046	side
9047	;
9048	and
9049	the cause
9050	of this
9051	is
9052	unknown.'
9053	{Op.
9054	cit.,
9055	v. p. r.)
9056	Al-Makrizi
9057	tells a similar tale of the minaret of Barzakh, a suburb of Damietta;
9058	see Khitat,
9059	i.
9060	p.
9061	rr.
9062	^ This
9063	is
9064	no
9065	more
9066	than
9067	a
9068	grossly exaggerated
9069	report
9070	of
9071	the
9072	well-known
9073	sensitive properties of the Mimosa Nilotica, named k;«> in Arabic.
9074	Al-Makrizi
9075	gives
9076	the
9077	following
9078	account
9079	in
9080	his
9081	description
9082	of
9083	the wonders
9084	of Egypt
9085	:
9086	X;x-Jl ^
9087	ikl-j
9088	^j^l
9089	^3=?\J^^
9090	5*3
9091	)j4~^\j
9092	/-"j;*^
9093	e)U5.'j
9094	d--^
9095	lijflff ji
9096	I4)
9097	jlili^*/o-Jj
9098	' Among
9099	the wonders of Egypt
9100	is
9101	this
9102	:
9103	that
9104	in Upper Egypt
9105	there
9106	is
9107	a hamlet
9108	called
9109	Dashni,
9110	in which
9111	there
9112	grows
9113	a
9114	mimosa-tree
9115	;
9116	and
9117	if
9118	this
9119	mimosa
9120	is
9121	threatened
9122	with
9123	being
9124	cut
9125	down
9126	it
9127	withers
9128	away and
9129	shrinks up and
9130	grows
9131	smaller; but when
9132	they say to
9133	it, "We have
9134	forgiven
9135	thee, we
9136	will spare thee,"
9137	then the tree recovers.
9138	It is a well-known thing and true
9139	at the present day that
9140	there is a mimosa in Upper Egypt which withers away if the hand is laid upon
9141	it,
9142	and recovers when the hand
9143	is removed.'
9144	{Khitat,
9145	i. p. rr}!
9146	The
9147	fruit of the
9148	sant was used
9149	in medicine
9150	;
9151	see 'Abd
9152	al-Latif, Mukhtasar
9153	Akhbdr Misr, ed. White, pp. 48, 50.
p. 75
9154	BUSIR BANA.
9155	45
9156	§ Account of the
9157	stones
9158	^ which
9159	are found
9160	at
9161	a
9162	place
9163	called
9164	Al-
9165	Fol. 17 b
9166	Barmak, between Khuraij and Yakhtak.
9167	It
9168	is on the
9169	side of a moun-
9170	tain, and when a caravan or a troop
9171	of soldiers passes by, they bind
9172	much wool on the hoofs of their horses, and
9173	so make the ascent
9174	;
9175	for
9176	if these stones struck against one another, a dark mist would rise at once
9177	and would prevent their progress, and an exceedingly heavy rain would
9178	descend.
9179	It
9180	is said that the wise men of this country fixed these stones
9181	in this district
9182	; and, when rain was slow in coming to them, they moved
9183	these stones by their arts, so that
9184	rain came to them whenever a rainfall
9185	was needed.
9186	This
9187	is
9188	related
9189	in
9190	the biography of Al-Mu'tasim^
9191	;
9192	and
9193	certain of the chronicles contain the account of it, which
9194	is a true one.
9195	Churches of B/lsir Band and other places.
9196	§ The southern
9197	provinces of the
9198	land of Egypt.
9199	Busir Wana^
9200	is
9201	named
9202	after a sorcerer^ who
9203	lived
9204	there and was named
9205	Busir.
9206	The
9207	^ The
9208	stones which cause
9209	rain
9210	if they
9211	strike together
9212	are
9213	not
9214	described
9215	in
9216	the Life of Al-Miitasivi, published by Matthiessen, Leyden, 1849.
9217	"^ The eighth
9218	of the Abbaside caliphs
9219	; son of Harun ar-Rashid, and brother
9220	and successor of Al-Ma'mun.
9221	Reigned
9222	at Bagdad from a. H. 218
9223	to 227 = a. d.
9224	833-842
9225	;
9226	see Ab<i '1-Fida, Annales,
9227	ii. pp. 166-176.
9228	^ The following passage
9229	is repeated almost word for word below,
9230	fol. 68 b
9231	ff.
9232	It
9233	is also quoted by Quatremere, Mem. Hist, et
9234	Ge'ogr.
9235	i. p. no
9236	ff.
9237	Our
9238	author,
9239	followed
9240	by
9241	Quatremere,
9242	evidently
9243	confuses
9244	Busir Wana
9245	or Bana
9246	with
9247	Busir
9248	Kiiridus, which lies to the south of Cairo, at the entrance
9249	to the Fayyfam.
9250	Busir
9251	Kuiidus
9252	is,
9253	however, spoken
9254	of by name on
9255	fol. 92
9256	b.
9257	Biisir Wana or Bana
9258	is
9259	situated
9260	in
9261	the
9262	district
9263	of Samannud,
9264	in
9265	the
9266	province of Al-Gharbiyah, and
9267	is
9268	therefore wrongly placed, both here and on
9269	fol. 68 b,
9270	in Southern
9271	or Upper
9272	Egypt.
9273	The town has now 5,359
9274	inhabitants.
9275	It
9276	is near the town of Bana or
9277	Wana,
9278	here
9279	called (beginning of
9280	fol.
9281	18
9282	a) W^ana
9283	Busir.
9284	The Coptic form of
9285	Busir
9286	is E.onfCIpI, and of Bana or Wana HA-It^L'*'.
9287	Four Busirs are mentioned
9288	by
9289	Yakfit
9290	:
9291	Busir Bana
9292	in
9293	the
9294	district
9295	of Samannud
9296	;
9297	Busir
9298	Kuridus
9299	;
9300	Busir
9301	Dafadnu
9302	in the Fayyum
9303	;
9304	and
9305	Bfisir
9306	as-Sidr
9307	in
9308	the province
9309	of Al-Jizah.
9310	See
9311	Yakut,
9312	Geogr.
9313	Wort.
9314	i.
9315	p.
9316	vi.;
9317	Al-Idrisi
9318	(ed.
9319	Rome)
9320	[p.
9321	117];
9322	Amelineau,
9323	Ge'ogr. pp. 7-1 1.
9324	* On
9325	fol. 92
9326	b, Biisir Kiaridus
9327	is also said to be named after a sorcerer.
p. 76
9328	46
9329	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
9330	town contains a large church, very spacious, built of stone, and situated
9331	within the
9332	city, near the fortress.
9333	It was constructed
9334	in ancient times
9335	;
9336	and as time went
9337	by, and the kings required the stone of which
9338	it
9339	is
9340	constructed, much of this material was taken away from
9341	it.
9342	The church
9343	is now a
9344	ruin, but
9345	its remains are
9346	still conspicuous
9347	; they stand near the
9348	prison^ of Joseph the Truthful, that
9349	is to say the son of Jacob, the son
9350	of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the Friend of God, upon whom be peace.
9351	§ The city of Wana^ contains the church of George^.
9352	^ Here
9353	our
9354	author
9355	is
9356	making
9357	a
9358	fresh
9359	mistake.
9360	The
9361	'prison
9362	of Joseph'
9363	was
9364	neither
9365	at
9366	Busir Bana
9367	nor
9368	at Busir Kuridus, but
9369	at
9370	Busir
9371	as-Sidr
9372	in the
9373	province of Al-Jizah.
9374	Al-Makrizi says
9375	:
9376	(jlSil
9377	(»)Jj
9378	AST*
9379	Ic jAJi
9380	' Al-Kuda i
9381	says
9382	: The
9383	prison
9384	of Joseph, upon whom be peace
9385	!
9386	is
9387	at Busir
9388	in
9389	the province
9390	of Al-Jizah
9391	;
9392	all
9393	the learned men
9394	of Egypt
9395	are
9396	agreed upon
9397	the
9398	authenticity of this
9399	spot.'
9400	{Khitat,
9401	i. p.
9402	r.v.)
9403	This passage of Al-Kuda'i
9404	is
9405	also
9406	quoted by Yakfit,
9407	Geogr.
9408	Wort.
9409	iii. p.
9410	t^v.
9411	Al-Makrizi goes on
9412	to
9413	state
9414	that
9415	the
9416	flat roof of the
9417	' prison
9418	' was called Ijdhat ad-Dud,—the
9419	' answer to
9420	prayer,'—and
9421	that
9422	it was much visited
9423	at particular times by those who had special petitions to
9424	make
9425	:
9426	notably by Kafur al-Ikhshidi.
9427	As-Suyfiti speaks of the prison as standing to the north of the pyramids, which
9428	are
9429	still known
9430	as
9431	the
9432	Pyramids
9433	of Abusir,
9434	and
9435	are
9436	a
9437	little
9438	to
9439	the
9440	north
9441	of
9442	Sakkarah, and about six miles to the south of Al-Jizah.
9443	Busir or Abusir as-Sidr is now in
9444	the
9445	district of Badrashain, and had in 1885
9446	a
9447	population
9448	of
9449	1,848.
9450	In
9451	the
9452	fourteenth
9453	century,
9454	as
9455	it
9456	appears
9457	from
9458	the
9459	revenue-lists, the place was of great importance.
9460	Am^lineau, Geogr. p.
9461	10.
9462	The pyramids of Busir and the mummies found there are described by 'Abd
9463	al-Latif, Miikhtasar Akhbdr Misr, ed. White, pp. 156, 158.
9464	^ Wana or Bana is near Busir Wana, as
9465	it has already been remarked.
9466	It was
9467	the
9468	seat of a Coptic bishopric.
9469	It
9470	is also
9471	called,
9472	as
9473	it may be seen a few
9474	lines
9475	lower down, Wana or Bana
9476	Busir.
9477	It was named
9478	in Greek
9479	Kvi'oVoXej, and
9480	in
9481	Coptic n^n^L'y
9482	;
9483	it is now included in the district of Samannud
9484	in
9485	the province
9486	of Al-Gharbiyah
9487	;
9488	and
9489	it had
9490	in
9491	1885
9492	a population
9493	of
9494	3,021.
9495	See
9496	Al-Idrisi
9497	(ed. Rome) [p. 117]; Amdlineau, Geogr. p. 84
9498	f.
9499	;
9500	Recenserjietil de PEgjpte, ii. p. 69.
9501	^ This church
9502	is mentioned by Al-Makrizi, see Appendix. We
9503	shall
9504	find, as
p. 77
9505	MUNYA T AL-KA 'ID.
9506	47
9507	§ At Munyat al-Ka'id^ there
9508	is a church.
9509	It was restored by Fadl
9510	ibn Salih, who had been a page to the vizier Abu '1-Faraj ibn Killis^, in
9511	the caliphate of Al-Hakim^;
9512	it
9513	is named
9514	after Our Lady the Virgin^,
9515	rol. 18 a
9516	and stands near the river.
9517	we proceed,
9518	that
9519	this was one of the most frequent
9520	dedications in Egypt.
9521	Our
9522	author mentions forty-two churches or monasteries named after St. George.
9523	He is,
9524	as
9525	it is well known, the famous Cappadocian martyr, probably the
9526	first who suffered
9527	under Diocletian, and with whose name the legend of the dragon
9528	is connected.
9529	At the time of the Crusades, St. George was proclaimed champion of Christendom,
9530	and
9531	in
9532	the
9533	reign
9534	of Edward
9535	III he was
9536	formally adopted by our countrymen
9537	as their patron saint, in addition to the former patrons of England, Our Lady and
9538	St.
9539	Peter.
9540	The martyrdom
9541	of
9542	St. George
9543	is commemorated by
9544	the Copts on
9545	Barmudah
9546	23 = April
9547	18
9548	;
9549	whereas
9550	the
9551	western
9552	calendar
9553	gives
9554	his
9555	name
9556	to
9557	April
9558	23.
9559	His Acts exist
9560	in Coptic and Ethiopic.
9561	See Zoega, Cat. Codd. Copt.
9562	cod.
9563	cliii
9564	; Budge, Martyrdovi and Miracles of St. George, with Coptic
9565	text and
9566	translation.
9567	The extreme limit of scepticism with regard to this
9568	saint
9569	is reached
9570	by M. Amelineau, who regards
9571	his Acts,
9572	in
9573	all
9574	their
9575	versions,
9576	as pure romance
9577	{CoJites et romans de VEgypte chre'tienne,
9578	ii. p. 167
9579	ff.)
9580	^ Two days' journey to the south of Fustat (Old
9581	Cairo), according
9582	to Yakfit,
9583	in the most northern part of Upper Egypt.
9584	The Ka'id from whom
9585	it
9586	received
9587	its
9588	name
9589	was
9590	this
9591	very Fadl who
9592	restored
9593	the
9594	church.
9595	See
9596	Yakiat,
9597	Geogr.
9598	Wort.
9599	iv. p. ivo.
9600	There were thirty-nine Miinyahs
9601	in Egypt
9602	at
9603	this period;
9604	see
9605	Yakut, Mushtarik^
9606	p.
9607	I'.v.
9608	The
9609	word
9610	Munyah,
9611	now
9612	popularly
9613	pronounced
9614	Minyah, or shortened
9615	into Mit,
9616	is an Arabicised form of the
9617	Coptic JULUOItH,
9618	which
9619	signifies
9620	* port,'
9621	and
9622	is
9623	not
9624	derived
9625	from
9626	the
9627	Greek
9628	(xov-q,
9629	' mansion,'
9630	as
9631	it was formerly suggested.
9632	Alit al-Kd'td is now included within the
9633	district of
9634	Biba
9635	in
9636	the
9637	province
9638	of Bani
9639	Suwaif, and
9640	in
9641	1885 had
9642	a population
9643	of 455.
9644	See Rec. de I'l^gypte,
9645	ii. p. 222.
9646	^ ^JJSh written by a
9647	clerical
9648	error
9649	here and on
9650	fol. 69 a
9651	as
9652	^o-^j-Jij.
9653	Abfi
9654	'1-Faraj
9655	ibn
9656	Killis was
9657	vizier
9658	to
9659	Al-'Aziz from
9660	a. d. 979
9661	to
9662	a. d. 990,
9663	see Ibn
9664	Khallikan,
9665	iv.
9666	p. 359 ff.; As-Suyuti, Husfi al-Muhddarah,
9667	ii. p.
9668	icr.
9669	^ The
9670	sixth
9671	of the Fatimide caliphs;
9672	reigned from
9673	a. h. 386
9674	to 411 = a. d.
9675	996-1020.
9676	He
9677	was
9678	a
9679	persecutor
9680	of
9681	the
9682	Christians,
9683	and
9684	was
9685	the
9686	founder
9687	of
9688	the religion of the Druses.
9689	See Introduction.
9690	* The
9691	dedication
9692	of churches
9693	to
9694	the Virgin was more
9695	frequent
9696	in
9697	Egyj)!,
p. 78
9698	48
9699	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
9700	§ Wana Busir^ contains a church named
9701	after the great and vah'ant
9702	martyr
9703	Mercurius^,
9704	and
9705	two
9706	other
9707	churches—one
9708	dedicated
9709	to
9710	Our
9711	Lady
9712	the
9713	Pure
9714	Virgin,
9715	and
9716	the
9717	second
9718	to
9719	the
9720	holy
9721	martyr
9722	Saint
9723	George^,
9724	besides a church
9725	to
9726	the
9727	martyr
9728	John'^, who
9729	is
9730	also named
9731	as might be expected, than any other dedication.
9732	More than
9733	fifty-five churches
9734	of the Virgin are mentioned by our author as existing in Egypt in his time.
9735	^ Our author here
9736	returns
9737	to Wana
9738	or Bana, which he had
9739	left
9740	a few lines
9741	above.
9742	^ After Our Lady and St. George
9743	this
9744	is one of the most popular dedications
9745	in Egypt.
9746	Our author mentions about thirty churches of St, Mercurius.
9747	This saint
9748	is one of the very few commemorated in the Coptic Synaxarium or Calendar among
9749	those who
9750	suffered in the time of Decius.
9751	According to
9752	the Coptic
9753	authorities,
9754	Mercurius was born
9755	at Rome, and was
9756	originally
9757	called
9758	Philopator.
9759	He was
9760	a great 'hunter of wild beasts,' but eventually became a soldier, and an angel gave
9761	him a two-edged sword with which he slew his enemies.
9762	It
9763	is this two-edged sword
9764	which has become two swords in the popular legend, and has earned for the saint
9765	the Arabic cognomen oi Abti
9766	's-Saifain, 'father' or 'owner of the two swords;'
9767	and
9768	the
9769	Coptic
9770	artists
9771	accordingly
9772	represent him
9773	brandishing a sword
9774	in each
9775	hand.
9776	Mercurius was beheaded at Caesarea in Cappadocia during the persecution
9777	of Decius; and his martyrdom
9778	is commemorated by the Copts on
9779	Hatfir 25 =
9780	Nov.
9781	2 1
9782	.
9783	There was also a bishop Mercurius, who was present at the Council of
9784	Nicaea, and whose
9785	festival
9786	is
9787	kept on Barmahat
9788	i = Feb.
9789	25
9790	;
9791	and
9792	another
9793	Mercurius whose day is Babah 28 = Oct. 25.
9794	It
9795	is curious that the Dictionary of
9796	Christian Biography does not mention the name Mercurius.
9797	St. Mercurius
9798	the
9799	martyr of Caesarea
9800	is commemorated by the Greek church
9801	also, but on Nov. 25
9802	instead of Nov. 21.
9803	See Butler, Coptic Churches,
9804	i. p. 76, and ii. pp. 357-9
9805	; Malan,
9806	Calendar of Coptic Church,
9807	p. 12 and
9808	p. 59, note 34;
9809	Wiistenfeld, Synaxarium,
9810	p. 135
9811	f.
9812	; Am^Uneau, Actes des Martyrs de Vtglise
9813	Copte, p. 16
9814	ff.
9815	; Menologium
9816	Graecorum
9817	in
9818	Op. et Stud. Hannibalis Clementis, torn.
9819	i. p. 212,
9820	(A. J. B.)
9821	^ The
9822	prefix
9823	[j\j»,
9824	Mari,
9825	so
9826	often
9827	used by
9828	the
9829	Copts
9830	in
9831	speaking
9832	of
9833	the
9834	saints,
9835	is, as
9836	it
9837	is well known, derived from the Syriac wt-'c,
9838	' my Lord.'
9839	Many of
9840	the
9841	Christian
9842	theological
9843	and
9844	ecclesiastical
9845	terms
9846	used
9847	in
9848	Arabic
9849	are
9850	Syriac
9851	in origin.
9852	* There are more martyrs than one of this name in the Coptic calendar.
9853	See
9854	below,
9855	fol, 56.
p. 79
9856	THE FAYYUM.
9857	49
9858	Abu
9859	Yuhannus, and whose
9860	pure
9861	body
9862	is
9863	preserved
9864	in
9865	this
9866	church.
9867	There
9868	is
9869	also a church
9870	to the glorious angel, Michael the Archangel.
9871	§ At
9872	Idrijah^ one of the
9873	villages
9874	of Bush-, there
9875	is
9876	a church
9877	to
9878	the great martyr Saint George.
9879	§ Tansa^ contains a church, named
9880	after Nahadah*, and churches
9881	named after the valiant^ martyr Mercurius, the glorious angel Gabriel,
9882	and Our Lady the Pure Virgin.
9883	The FayyiLm.
9884	§ Madinat al-Fayyum*^ and
9885	its province.
9886	Al-Fayyiim was the name
9887	of one of the sons of
9888	Kift'^, the son of Mizraim, who
9889	built
9890	it
9891	for one
9892	^
9893	Cf. below,
9894	fol. 69 b.
9895	Yakut speaks of Idrijah
9896	as a
9897	village of Upper Egypt
9898	in the province of Al-Bahnasa
9899	;
9900	see his Geogr.
9901	Wort.
9902	i. p. ma.
9903	Cf. Ibn Dukmak,
9904	op.
9905	cit.
9906	V. p. r
9907	.
9908	"^ Bush
9909	or Bush Kura
9910	was
9911	the
9912	Coptic
9913	no*¥'ajirt, and
9914	still
9915	exists
9916	a
9917	little
9918	to
9919	the
9920	north
9921	of Bani
9922	Suwaif,
9923	with
9924	a population
9925	in
9926	1885
9927	of 7,091
9928	inhabitants.
9929	The district
9930	is
9931	still a Christian centre, and contains the second monastery, in point
9932	of size and
9933	wealth,
9934	in Egypt.
9935	See Yakut,
9936	Geogr.
9937	Wort.
9938	\.
9939	p.
9940	voa
9941	;
9942	Am^lineau,
9943	Geogr. p. 366
9944	ff.
9945	(A. J. B.)
9946	^ Now
9947	in
9948	the
9949	district of Biba, in the province of Bani Suwaif; and in 1885
9950	had a population of 1,465.
9951	See Ibn Dukmak, v. p.
9952	1
9953	; Rec. de tl&gypte,
9954	ii. p. 303.
9955	* These churches
9956	at Tansa
9957	are mentioned again
9958	fol. 60
9959	b.
9960	The name of
9961	Nahadah occurs in the case of this one church only, among the Egyptian churches.
9962	®
9963	plsr^,
9964	'the
9965	valiant,'
9966	is an
9967	epithet
9968	especially applied
9969	to
9970	St. Mercurius and
9971	St. Theodore.
9972	^ 'The capital of the Fayyum,'
9973	still existing, and having
9974	in 1885 a population
9975	of 25,799.
9976	It was the Greek Arsinoe or
9977	Crocodilopolis.
9978	The name Fay}um
9979	is,
9980	as
9981	it
9982	is well known, the Coptic
9983	c{>IOJUL =
9984	' the sea
9985	' or
9986	' lake
9987	:
9988	'
9989	a name given on
9990	account
9991	of Lake
9992	IMoeris, identified by some
9993	with
9994	the modern Birkat al-Kurtln,
9995	but by Mr. Cope Whitehouse with the low ground, now dry
9996	land,
9997	in
9998	the Wadi
9999	Rayan, to the south of the Fayyfim.
10000	See Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
10001	i. p. rf\; Am^lineau,
10002	Geogr. p. 339
10003	ff-
10004	The following passage on the Fayyum is repeated on fol. 70
10005	f.
10006	^ As we
10007	shall
10008	see
10009	in
10010	several
10011	cases
10012	below,
10013	our
10014	author
10015	follows
10016	other Arab
10017	writers
10018	in
10019	deriving
10020	the names
10021	of
10022	places
10023	in Egypt from
10024	the names
10025	of
10026	real
10027	or
10028	h
10029	[II. 7.]
p. 80
10030	50
10031	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
10032	of his daughters who had
10033	brought dishonour upon
10034	herself, so that he
10035	banished her
10036	thither.
10037	The
10038	city
10039	existed
10040	before
10041	the
10042	time
10043	of Joseph*,
10044	the son of Jacob, the son of Abraham the Friend of God, upon whom
10045	be peace
10046	! and Joseph rebuilt
10047	it.
10048	He also made the Nilometer^.
10049	And
10050	he
10051	built [Madinat] al-Fayyum and Hajar al-Lahun^ which was
10052	built
10053	with wisdom, founded with
10054	divine
10055	assistance, and
10056	constructed by the
10057	inspiration of God.
10058	Joseph
10059	also
10060	dug
10061	the
10062	canal
10063	of Al-Manhi*.
10064	He
10065	supposed personages
10066	in
10067	remote
10068	antiquity.
10069	Many towns were
10070	supposed
10071	to be
10072	named after sons of Kift, who was said
10073	to have divided the land of Egypt among
10074	them.
10075	Most of these legends or traditions may be traced to the Arabic historian
10076	Ibn'Abd al-Hakam, who died in a. h. 257(?), and from whom Al-Kindi, AI-Kudai,
10077	Al-Makrizi, and As-Suyuti borrowed
10078	so much of
10079	their work.
10080	See As-Suyuti,
10081	Husn al-AIuMclarah,
10082	i. p.
10083	r ..
10084	The name Kift was
10085	in
10086	reality borrowed from the
10087	town of Kift or Coptos, and from
10088	its resemblance to the Arabic term denoting the
10089	Egyptians, namely Kibt
10090	(!<2_J, an apocopated form of Myvrtnos, turned by us into
10091	' Copt '), gave rise to the legend of an ancestor of the whole nation, of that name,
10092	the founder of that city.
10093	^
10094	All the Mahometan historians of Egypt, following Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam and
10095	Ibn Ishak, state that Joseph superintended the digging of the canals of the Fayyflm
10096	and the building of its towns.
10097	See below,
10098	fol. 69 b
10099	f.
10100	2 Al-Makrizi quotes Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam's own words, to which without doubt
10101	our author is referring
10102	:
10103	t-.8l»>
10104	LiLiLo
10105	S.J,c
10106	^jLj
10107	sJlC
10108	t—a-<^)
10109	yaji\
10110	J-jiJl
10111	(j-li ^^
10112	Jjl
10113	j^xil
10114	J*c
10115	^j1
10116	Jlj
10117	' Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam says
10118	: The first who measured the rise of the Nile
10119	in Egypt
10120	was
10121	Joseph, upon whom
10122	be
10123	peace
10124	!
10125	who
10126	set
10127	up
10128	a
10129	Nilometer
10130	at
10131	Memphis.'
10132	Cf. below,
10133	fol. 68 a, 69 b,
10134	70 b;
10135	cf.
10136	also Diodorus,
10137	Bibl.
10138	Hist.
10139	i.
10140	cap.
10141	36, who
10142	speaks of the earliest Nilometer as being at Memphis; and Herodotus,
10143	ii. cap. 13,
10144	who implies the existence of a Nilometer at Memphis under king Moeris.
10145	^
10146	I.e.
10147	the
10148	great
10149	dykes and
10150	sluices
10151	of brick and
10152	stone
10153	near
10154	the
10155	village
10156	of
10157	Al-Lali<an, which regulated
10158	the supply of water into the Fayyum.
10159	This ancient
10160	structure, attributed by the Mahometan historians
10161	to Joseph (Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
10162	i.
10163	p.
10164	rFv
10165	f
10166	.
10167	;
10168	Yakut,
10169	Geogr.
10170	Wort.
10171	iv.
10172	p. n^f
10173	;
10174	As-Suyuti, Husn al-MuMdarah,
10175	i. p.
10176	rr), was destroyed by French engineers early in this century, and a new lock
10177	erected.
10178	(A. J. B.)
10179	* Also
10180	called from
10181	its
10182	reputed
10183	author Balir YHsuf ox 'Joseph's River.'
10184	It
10185	is
p. 81
10186	THE FAYYUM.
10187	51
10188	cultivated the land of Egypt.
10189	The Fayyiam contained three hundred
10190	and sixty-six
10191	districts, according to the number of days
10192	in the year\
10193	each district corresponding to a day
10194	; and the yearly revenue from each
10195	canton was a thousand dinars.
10196	The lands of this district are laid under
10197	Fol. 18 b
10198	water when the river rises twelve cubits
10199	; but are not entirely submerged
10200	with eighteen cubits.
10201	There are here tracts of common land 2, in which
10202	no one has the
10203	right of property
10204	;
10205	for men are allowed
10206	to make use of
10207	still in working order, and
10208	flows from a spot named Rds aJ-j\Ianhi or
10209	' Head of
10210	Al-]Manhi/ near Darwah Sarabam (fol. 77 b), to Hajar al-Lahun, where
10211	it branches
10212	out into the many canals which
10213	irrigate the Fayyum.
10214	See Yakilt, Geogr. Wort.
10215	iii. p. Srr; Mardsid al-Ittild' ad voc.
10216	; Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
10217	i. p.
10218	vi,
10219	^ That
10220	is of the Coptic, not of the Mahometan year, which consists of 354 or,
10221	in the intercalated years, of 355 days.
10222	The Coptic year consists of twelve months
10223	of thirty days each, with five or six additional days called Nissi.
10224	^ Here our author quotes Al-Kindi's Fadail Mi'sr.
10225	Al-Makrizi says, quoting
10226	by name from the same book
10227	:
10228	' In the Fayyum there
10229	is common land
10230	in which none has the right of property
10231	whether
10232	IVIuslim
10233	or
10234	of
10235	the
10236	allied
10237	peoples;
10238	and
10239	all, both
10240	rich
10241	and
10242	poor, may
10243	demand a share of it; and
10244	it consists of more than seventy sorts of land.'
10245	Al-Kindi, followed by our author,
10246	is speaking of the
10247	different
10248	sorts of crops
10249	grown on the land.
10250	Seventy different crops seems a high number, unless every
10251	variety
10252	is
10253	to be
10254	separately enumerated.
10255	Al-Makrizi
10256	gives
10257	a
10258	list of the
10259	principal
10260	crops of Egypt, and names thirty-nine of them, without reckoning
10261	all the kinds of
10262	fruit-trees, and without counting
10263	all
10264	the
10265	different
10266	species and
10267	varieties
10268	of
10269	each
10270	genus.
10271	He names wheat, barley, beans,
10272	lentils,
10273	chick-peas,
10274	flat peas,
10275	flax, leeks,
10276	onions, garlic, lupins, water-melons, haricots, sesame, cotton, sugar-cane, colocasia,
10277	egg-plant,
10278	indigo,
10279	radish,
10280	turnip,
10281	lettuce,
10282	cabbage,
10283	vine,
10284	fig,
10285	apple,
10286	mulberry,
10287	almond, peach, apricot, date-palm, narcissus, jasmine, myrtle, beetroot, gillyflower,
10288	banana, cassia, lotus-tree.
10289	See the section entided
10290	:
10291	'Account of the different kinds of land
10292	in Egypt and of the various crops grown
10293	there,' in Khitat,
10294	ii, p.
10295	1
10296	.
10297	.
10298	ff
10299	.
10300	h 2
p. 82
10301	52
10302	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
10303	it as they pleascj and to demand a share of it according to their circum-
10304	stances, and the land
10305	is of seventy kinds.
10306	The revenue of the Fayyum
10307	was estimated by Ibn Tarkhan
10308	in the time of Kafur al-Ustadh\ Emir
10309	of Egypt, generally known by the appellation of Al-Ikhshidi, under the
10310	Abbaside dynasty^,
10311	in
10312	the year of the Arabs
10313	'>,^^, when
10314	the
10315	revenue
10316	amounted
10317	to 620,000 dinars^; and
10318	this
10319	equals
10320	the amount
10321	calculated
10322	to come from Ar-Ramlah^ and Tiberias and Damascus.
10323	^ Abfi '1-Misk
10324	Kafur
10325	al-Ustadh, or
10326	the
10327	eunuch, was the son
10328	of 'Abd
10329	Allah.
10330	He was a negro
10331	slave, sold,
10332	it
10333	is said for eighteen dinars, in a. h. 312 = a.d. 924
10334	to Abfi Bakr Muhammad ibn Tughj
10335	al-Ikhshid, governor of Egypt, who subse-
10336	quently emancipated him and appointed him guardian over
10337	his two sons.
10338	When
10339	Al-Ikhshid
10340	died
10341	in
10342	a.h. 334 = a.d.
10343	946,
10344	his
10345	eldest son Abu '1-Kasim Anftjur
10346	became ruler of Egypt, but the
10347	state was
10348	actually administered by Kafur, who is
10349	known
10350	as Al-Ikhshidi on account of his having belonged to Al-Ikhshid.
10351	When
10352	Anujur died
10353	in
10354	a.h. 349= a.d.
10355	960,
10356	his
10357	brother Abu '1-Hasan
10358	'Ali succeeded
10359	to the government of Egypt, and Kafur acted as his lieutenant, as he had acted for
10360	his brother.
10361	'Ali died in a.h. 355 = a.d. 966, and then Kafur became uncontrolled
10362	ruler of Egypt, as the son of 'Ali was too young to reign
10363	; and this state of affairs
10364	continued
10365	until
10366	the
10367	death
10368	of
10369	the
10370	negro
10371	in
10372	a.h.
10373	357 = a.d.
10374	968.
10375	Kafur
10376	is
10377	celebrated as the most successful and powerful of
10378	all the black eunuchs who rose
10379	to eminence under Mahometan rule.
10380	The poet Al-Mutanabbi wrote in his praise.
10381	See Abu
10382	'1-Mahasin,
10383	ed. Juynboll and Matthes,
10384	ii.
10385	pp. rvr-rir;
10386	Ibn
10387	al-Athir,
10388	viii. pp. »*ri-Fri
10389	;
10390	Al-Makrizi, ^M^f,
10391	i. p. rri
10392	; Ibn
10393	Khallikan,
10394	trans. De
10395	Slane,
10396	ii. p. 524
10397	; As-Suyuti, Husn al-Mtihddarah,
10398	ii. p.
10399	it=.
10400	(A. J. B.)
10401	^ The
10402	Abbaside
10403	caliph
10404	reigning
10405	at Bagdad
10406	in
10407	a.h.
10408	355 =
10409	a. d.
10410	966
10411	was
10412	Al-Muti', who was proclaimed in a. h. 334=:a. d. 946, and abdicated in a. h. 363 =
10413	A.D. 974.
10414	^ This statement seems to be borrowed from Ibn Zulak
10415	:
10416	pj^i
10417	;^^.iik!!))l ^j9l5o
10418	eiiJ^fiCj
10419	(jrjoMl j^a
10420	AjA
10421	Ic
10422	Jo!!^jJl
10423	kJ\:S ^J jl^jj
10424	^ji\
10425	J^sj
10426	juo
10427	I—aJi
10428	^j>j.i^^
10429	IflyOj y^_ii
10430	*
10431	RjI
10432	aJI»::-u dJUiiJj
10433	^^--*^j
10434	c^am*
10435	'LXm
10436	isi
10437	dJ:*Jl
10438	sAa
10439	i
10440	' Ibn Zulak says in Al-Kindi's book of information on the emirs of Egypt, that the
10441	Fayyfim was reckoned for Kaffir al-Ikhshidi in this year, namely the year 356, as
10442	yielding a revenue of more than 620,000 dinars.'
10443	(Al-Makrizi, Klu'tat,
10444	i. p. r^^)
10445	*
10446	I.e. Ar-Ramlah on the coast of Syria, a
10447	liltle to the south of Yafa or Joppa.
p. 83
10448	THE FAYYtfM.
10449	^i
10450	There
10451	were
10452	in
10453	this
10454	province
10455	thirty-three
10456	monasteries
10457	within
10458	its
10459	borders.
10460	In the patriarchate of Theodore^, the forty-fifth
10461	in the order
10462	of
10463	succession,
10464	the name
10465	of
10466	the
10467	bishop
10468	of
10469	the Fayyum was
10470	Anba
10471	Abraham^, and the revenue received
10472	into the treasury of the govern-
10473	* Occupied the see from a.d. 727 to 737, Renaudot, Hist. Pair. p. 201
10474	f.
10475	^ The form ^Ul il
10476	, Afraham, is intended to reproduce the Coptic pronunciation
10477	of ^^p^<LJUL, the
10478	ii. being pronounced as v by the Copts.
10479	Our author is here
10480	referring to an incident which occurred in the
10481	life of Theodore but
10482	is recorded at
10483	the beginning of the biography of
10484	INIichael
10485	his
10486	successor, by John
10487	the Deacon,
10488	which
10489	is
10490	to be found
10491	in the history of the Coptic patriarchs compiled by Severus,
10492	bishop of Ushmunain,
10493	in
10494	the
10495	ninth
10496	century of our
10497	era.
10498	The
10499	following
10500	is
10501	the
10502	passage which our author must have had in
10503	his mind
10504	;
10505	the writer is describing, as
10506	an eyewitness, an interview between the patriarch Theodore, who was accompanied
10507	by certain bishops, and Al-Kasim the wall of Egypt
10508	:
10509	Sjcfclj
10510	Iff^ L^l U-aa. lUs *A>^1
10511	J=*"^ fT?^^
10512	'
10513	^^""^
10514	I^V^^y.^ ^^
10515	'
10516	iji.Ji\
10517	L-j"^! dlla
10518	(jOj
10519	S-Jj
10520	^jOj
10521	Uj^
10522	^j
10523	!SjO
10524	J-x-^j
10525	eixJ^l
10526	sjufc
10527	**JiKjl
10528	L-J^i)
10529	Jlsii
10530	^<o,i«
10531	c:*30j
10532	ij.\j^\
10533	ij.*
10534	sJ-Ril
10535	^J>\ ^^
10536	iulkj OaiT U-^
10537	(c>1
10538	tjl.*} ^
10539	Ijo.
10540	d^a-l
10541	jJLJl
10542	Jjy
10543	c:*3l
10544	iJ
10545	Jlsj
10546	JUL^lS
10547	)iJJ£
10548	^jO u^
10549	/"i^-Ai jir^ J^*
10550	sJ
10551	(j^j
10552	*-uliJJ
10553	l^U-*)^
10554	U,^».U
10555	j\l^i
10556	aoUlljlll ^>.l
10557	5J
10558	Jlii
10559	' And the bishop Anba Abraham, bishop of the Fayyum, was present on matters
10560	of
10561	their
10562	business.
10563	And when we
10564	entered' the
10565	presence
10566	of Al-Kasim
10567	the next
10568	time, he called one of his odalisques who was from Western Africa, and he said
10569	to Anba Abraham
10570	:
10571	" This is thy daughter
10572	; " and he laid the bishop's hand upon
10573	her hand, for his heart was as the heart of children.
10574	And he
10575	said
10576	to the bishop
10577	:
10578	" Thou knowest that I have loved thee deeply since my father's time, and
10579	all that
10580	thou
10581	didst ask of my father
10582	I
10583	will do
10584	for
10585	thee."
10586	And the holy Abraham said to
10587	him:
10588	"It
10589	is good."
10590	So Al-Kasim
10591	continued:
10592	"I
10593	desire
10594	of thee 300
10595	dinars."
10596	Then the archdeacon who accompanied the bishop, and whose name was Simeon,
10597	and who was afterwards found worthy to succeed him as bishop, came to him and
p. 84
10598	54
10599	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
10600	ment, from the crops grown on the lands of these monasteries, amounted
10601	to five hundred dinars yearly.
10602	It
10603	is
10604	said
10605	in
10606	the
10607	Book'^ of the
10608	Conquest of Egypt by
10609	the Mttslinis
10610	he
10611	said to him
10612	:
10613	" Bring the 300 dinars."
10614	So he brought them and gave them to
10615	Al-Kasim.
10616	Now Anba Abraham had much money derived from church property;
10617	for he had
10618	in
10619	his diocese thirty-five monasteries, in the Fayyum
10620	; and he was the
10621	administrator of their goods
10622	; and he was bound to pay a land-tax of 500 dinars
10623	into the public treasury of the government on
10624	their account.
10625	He was the head
10626	of all of them, and the merchants of Egypt sold
10627	to him and bought from him.'
10628	MS. in Bib. Nat. Paris, numbered Ajic. Fonds Arale 139, p. 142, lines 5-13.
10629	' By Ibn'Abd al-Hakam,who probably wrote at the beginning of the third cen-
10630	tury of the Hegira, and who is
10631	the source from which subsequent historians drew.
10632	It is unfortunate that this work, which
10633	is
10634	still extant, has not been published.
10635	See
10636	article
10637	in
10638	Zeitschr.filr
10639	die Kunde
10640	des Morgenlandes, vol.
10641	iii.
10642	p. 329
10643	ff., 1840, on
10644	Geschichte dcr 77iuhammedanisc}ien Eroheriing Aegypktis.
10645	Yakut quotes the passage
10646	of Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam as follows
10647	:
10648	(_>Jii
10649	t
10650	iyuO
10651	(jl
10652	l»ilXl
10653	*l,Jo
10654	Ool's
10655	Al-o
10656	d_>U
10657	&JL.M c^jWi
10658	iJJ^V^
10659	vy^
10660	lS.Jj.i-0
10661	CIaJoC
10662	ycua
10663	J^
10664	I5JX9
10665	^^J
10666	Jafilll
10667	LjIb
10668	^^dlii*
10669	/,^^
10670	.>;5
10671	rj^i^
10672	(•^^^'-^'-'^
10673	!;.*«>.=>.
10674	euJiAJt
10675	iJiic r^^J
10676	i>-^s.
10677	j>i«i>
10678	r^;^^^ OoOj
10679	SJ
10680	lij^^ ^ ^
10681	jV^i-ii
10682	l^
10683	Ultla
10684	^!
10685	Jlfii
10686	^^y:^
10687	Jjt>
10688	Jjiill
10689	dJJJ
10690	BjJjlc
10691	^Jl
10692	ILs.^' UJ^
10693	U^ L^
10694	(^r'l)
10695	f'^^'f^
10696	iJj^ij
10697	A^3t-aSl
10698	'la
10699	A.Sl..al
10700	lOsilS
10701	U^U
10702	^-^4^ L^'^
10703	(j^
10704	.S^ilJl
10705	ia-). ^
10706	^.<a*
10707	Jjl»)
10708	..a*
10709	Ja-j.
10710	^c-^iJL
10711	Jlj
10712	u^l
10713	jl
10714	*l.s^
10715	«!
10716	'i\\ju>
10717	^j^
10718	^1
10719	..a*
10720	^^J
10721	iJv"'^'
10722	^^
10723	^^-^
10724	l4-::-».iajl
10725	.^ilj
10726	ijlio
10727	«!
10728	^Ks.** ^*
10729	^1 —Li
10730	^^ ^^^^
10731	r^o
10732	(c^V
10733	^
10734	j""
10735	Jl
10736	1U3.1
10737	^jl
10738	J^3
10739	S.U.UC
10740	dili
10741	tij.>,l (c^
10742	eUil
10743	L^jI
10744	^.3tj
10745	<—a-j^ JUi
10746	5,.u^Lj
10747	^1
10748	\^i
10749	^.
10750	Jl
10751	Ijb
10752	^^--^j-^
10753	^j'^ ^j^ W
10754	"^J
10755	^"^
10756	/t-5^
10757	(Jl
10758	IjS
10759	«..ijji
10760	(jj» LJ^
10761	Is^v^j
10762	1J3
10763	>t>ij.*
10764	&C.
10765	^j6>\\\
10766	Jl
10767	^J^*-^l
10768	^Jc•l ^*
10769	ij,^^ <^ J^^
10770	jCxll
10771	<—2-^J
10772	/R-^9 ^^ ^X.^-*
10773	' 'Abd ar-Rahman ibn 'Abd Allah ibn 'Abd aJ-Hakam says
10774	:
10775	I learnt from Hisham
p. 85
10776	THE FAYYUM.
10777	55
10778	that the Fayyiim was known as the Waste Ground
10779	;
10780	it was an outlet for
10781	the waters
10782	of Upper Egypt.
10783	Joseph the Truthful dug the canal
10784	here,
10785	and brought the water through
10786	it, and the Nile began
10787	to flow into
10788	it.
10789	Joseph was of the age of thirty years,
10790	in the
10791	reign of Ar-Rayyan ^, the
10792	ibn Ishak that when Joseph governed Egypt his dignity was increased by Pharaoh.
10793	And, when Joseph's age had passed a hundred
10794	years, the viziers of the kingdom
10795	said, "Joseph's understanding has decayed, and
10796	his reason
10797	is disturbed, and his
10798	wisdom is departed,"
10799	But Pharaoh reprimanded them and denied their statements
10800	and softened down
10801	their words, and they refrained from repeating them.
10802	Then
10803	after some years they repeated
10804	their
10805	charge, so Pharaoh
10806	said
10807	to them, " Come,
10808	suggest something by which we may try him
10809	! "
10810	Now in those days the Fayyum
10811	was called
10812	the Waste Land, and moreover
10813	it was an
10814	outlet
10815	for
10816	the
10817	superfluous
10818	waters of Upper Egypt
10819	;
10820	so they all agreed that this should be the test by which to
10821	try
10822	Joseph.
10823	So
10824	they
10825	said
10826	to
10827	Pharaoh,
10828	" Desire Joseph
10829	to
10830	spread
10831	abroad
10832	the
10833	waters of the Waste Land, so that fresh territory may be added to your dominions
10834	and
10835	fresh revenues
10836	to your
10837	revenues."
10838	So he called Joseph, and
10839	said,
10840	" Thou
10841	knowest the place
10842	of my daughter such an one;
10843	I have determined when she
10844	grows up to seek
10845	for her a
10846	city, and
10847	I have
10848	not found any
10849	for her except the
10850	Waste Land, which
10851	is a small town, near
10852	to
10853	us, but which cannot be reached
10854	from any part of Egypt except by passing through
10855	deserts and wildernesses up to
10856	this time.
10857	For the Fayyum
10858	is
10859	in the midst of Egypt as Egypt is in the midst of
10860	the
10861	countries,
10862	for Egypt
10863	cannot
10864	be reached from any
10865	part
10866	except by
10867	passing
10868	through deserts.
10869	I have settled this district upon my daughter.
10870	Do not therefore
10871	leave any means untried by which thou mayest
10872	gain
10873	thy
10874	object."
10875	So Joseph
10876	answered, "Yea, O king, if this be thy desire I will perform it."
10877	Pharaoh said, "The
10878	sooner
10879	it
10880	is done the
10881	better
10882	it will please me."
10883	Then an
10884	inspiration from God
10885	came
10886	to Joseph
10887	that he should
10888	dig
10889	three
10890	canals; one from the further part of
10891	Upper Egypt, from such a place
10892	to such a place, and one
10893	in the east from such
10894	a place to such a place, and one
10895	in
10896	the west from such a place
10897	to such a place.
10898	And Joseph disposed the workmen and dug the canal of Al-Manhi, from a point
10899	above Ushmunain to Al-Lahun.'
10900	Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. sr-r i.
10901	Cf Al-]\Iakrizi,
10902	Khitdt,
10903	i. p.
10904	rpo, where the same passage
10905	is quoted; As-Suyuti, Hus7i al-MuM-
10906	darah,
10907	i. p.
10908	r
10909	1
10910	.
10911	^ Ar-Rayyan ibn Walid ibn Dauma' is the name given by most of the Arabian
10912	historians
10913	to
10914	the Pharaoh of Joseph
10915	;
10916	although Al-Makrizi
10917	says
10918	that
10919	the Copts
p. 86
10920	56
10921	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
10922	son of Dauma', surnamed Pharaoh, after the interpretation of the dream
10923	and
10924	the
10925	explanation
10926	of
10927	it.
10928	Pharaoh
10929	clothed Joseph
10930	with
10931	a
10932	robe of
10933	honour, and
10934	entrusted him with
10935	his signet-ring and with the adminis-
10936	tration of his kingdom.
10937	Cei'tain matters concernmg Egypt.
10938	Fol. 19 a
10939	§ The
10940	seventeenth
10941	section^
10942	of the
10943	history of the
10944	church, and the
10945	biography
10946	of Anba
10947	Kha'iP,
10948	the
10949	forty-sixth
10950	patriarch,
10951	contains
10952	an
10953	estimate of the yearly revenues
10954	of Egypt, at the end of the
10955	caliphate
10956	of Marwan^, the 'Ass of War,' the
10957	last caliph
10958	of
10959	the dynasty of the
10960	Omeyyads,
10961	and
10962	at
10963	the
10964	beginning
10965	of
10966	the
10967	caliphate
10968	of
10969	As-Saffah*
10970	'Abd
10971	Allah,
10972	the
10973	Abbaside,
10974	which
10975	sets
10976	the
10977	amount
10978	carried
10979	into
10980	the
10981	public
10982	treasury
10983	at
10984	300,000
10985	dinars, apart from the expenses ^
10986	called him
10987	Nahra'fish.
10988	It
10989	is impossible
10990	at
10991	the
10992	present day
10993	to
10994	say whence
10995	the
10996	names of the ancient Pharaohs found in Arab writers were derived
10997	; none of them
10998	seems to be known to Muhammad in the Koran.
10999	The names seem to have been
11000	borrowed by later writers from Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam, who was himself indebted to
11001	Ibn Isliak.
11002	^ The seventeenth section of the patriarchal biographies compiled by Severus
11003	of Ushmunain begins with the
11004	life of Kha'il, the forty-sixth patriarch.
11005	Anc. Fonds
11006	Arahe 139, pp. 140 and 141, line 17.
11007	^ Occupied the see from a.d. 743 to 766 according
11008	to Renaudot, Hist. Pair.
11009	pp.
11010	203-236.
11011	The name
11012	J^jli»,
11013	Kha'il,
11014	is
11015	an
11016	abbreviated form
11017	of J-oLi^,
11018	Mikha il or Michael.
11019	Another form of the name
11020	is JL)l», Khayal.
11021	The biography
11022	of
11023	Michael,
11024	included
11025	in
11026	the
11027	history
11028	of
11029	the
11030	patriarchs
11031	compiled by
11032	Severus of
11033	Ushmi^nain,
11034	is one of the most important parts of that work, and
11035	is the contem-
11036	porary composition
11037	of John
11038	the
11039	Deacon, who was
11040	an
11041	eyewitness
11042	of many
11043	of
11044	the events which he relates.
11045	See MS. Anc. Fonds Arabe 139, pp. 140-191.
11046	^ This
11047	caliph,
11048	the
11049	second
11050	of
11051	his name,
11052	is
11053	referred
11054	to
11055	several
11056	times
11057	in
11058	the
11059	present work.
11060	He reigned from a.h. I26-i33 = a. d. 744-751.
11061	See Introduction.
11062	^ The
11063	first
11064	of
11065	the Abbaside
11066	caliphs, who
11067	overthrew
11068	the Omeyyad
11069	dynasty.
11070	Reigned a.m. 133-137 = a.d. 751-755-
11071	^ Our author is referring to the following passage in the biography of Michael,
11072	which narrates events that occurred shortly after the death of Marwan
11073	:
11074	aXJuil ^.J^l
11075	1S.JI ^W?. Lj
11076	^jliaLJl
11077	.1.3
11078	ej^iij
11079	jlo-^l
11080	ci^UlWil
11081	J.r>
11082	,.a-«>
11083	f-^}
11084	\j^^
p. 87
11085	CERTAIN MATTERS CONCERNING EGYPT.
11086	57
11087	§ The
11088	first worshippers
11089	of
11090	idols were
11091	the
11092	people
11093	of
11094	Egypt
11095	and
11096	Babylon, and
11097	the
11098	Franks and
11099	the
11100	people
11101	of
11102	the
11103	sea-coast.
11104	In
11105	the
11106	days of Kuhtan, the son of Falik, the father of the Arabs, men made
11107	likenesses of all that were renowned
11108	for virtue, and of good
11109	repute, and
11110	famous for valour and beauty of form, and worshipped their images.
11111	§ Abu
11112	Naitur^, the
11113	fourth son
11114	of Noah,
11115	learnt, through the
11116	inspi-
11117	ration
11118	of God,
11119	the
11120	science
11121	of the
11122	sphere^, and
11123	the
11124	art
11125	of reckoning
11126	it
11127	by
11128	years,
11129	months,
11130	days,
11131	and
11132	hours,
11133	and
11134	the
11135	like.
11136	Afterwards
11137	Nimrod^
11138	the
11139	giant
11140	learnt
11141	from
11142	him,
11143	and
11144	composed
11145	books
11146	on
11147	the
11148	science of the sphere, and on reckoning
11149	it
11150	; and men wondered
11151	at the
11152	wisdom which he showed
11153	in
11154	his
11155	books, and
11156	copied
11157	them
11158	after
11159	him,
11160	so
11161	that Ardashir
11162	envied him
11163	;
11164	and Nimrod
11165	also
11166	served
11167	Satan,
11168	and
11169	fasted
11170	for
11171	him,
11172	and
11173	offered
11174	sacrifice
11175	to
11176	him,
11177	and
11178	burnt
11179	incense
11180	to
11181	him,
11182	and
11183	humbled
11184	himself
11185	before
11186	him.
11187	Therefore
11188	Satan
11189	appeared
11190	to him, and taught him magic^, and how to
11191	raise
11192	false phantoms
11193	; and
11194	uijlia-Jl
11195	' The revenues of Egypt, after deducting the pay of the troops and the expenses
11196	of the governor's house and what was needed for the administration of the country,
11197	amounted to 200,000,000 dinars carried yearly to the public treasury.'
11198	MS, Anc.
11199	Fonds Arahe 139, p. 180, line 25, p. 181, lines
11200	i,
11201	2.
11202	The figures have been altered.
11203	^ Abii Naitur is not elsewhere mentioned.
11204	^
11205	I.e. astronomy.
11206	As
11207	it is well known, the Arabs derived their
11208	first knowledge
11209	of astronomy from the Arabic
11210	translation, made by order of the
11211	caliph Ma'miin,
11212	of the Almagest of Ptolemy, and
11213	it
11214	is from
11215	that work that the term dUu = (T<^aipa
11216	is borrowed.
11217	^ The
11218	attribution
11219	of
11220	a
11221	knowledge
11222	of astronomy
11223	to Nimrod
11224	is
11225	based
11226	on
11227	a genuine tradition of the devotion of the ancient Babylonians
11228	to
11229	that
11230	science.
11231	Haji Khalfah remarks upon the use made by Ptolemy in the Almagest of the work
11232	of Chaldaean astronomers; Lex.
11233	bibliogr.
11234	(ed. Fluegel)
11235	i. p. 71.
11236	Many legends
11237	are
11238	related
11239	of Nimrod,
11240	the 'Enemy of God,' by the Arab
11241	historians, and
11242	he
11243	is
11244	alluded to in the Koran, following Jewish tradition, as the persecutor of Abraham.
11245	See Ibn al-Athir, Al-Kdmil,
11246	i.
11247	p.
11248	a
11249	1
11250	ff.
11251	* The Mahometans
11252	consider Babylon
11253	to
11254	have
11255	been
11256	the
11257	original home
11258	of
11259	i
11260	[II.
11261	7.]
p. 88
11262	58
11263	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
11264	revealed
11265	to him the worship of the stars
11266	; and Nimrod the giant learnt
11267	from Satan the doctrine of Taghut^.
11268	Nimrod was the
11269	first who wore
11270	Pol. 19 b
11271	a crown^ of gold, set with jewels, and put on purple robes, and showed
11272	himself in such guise.
11273	Section
11274	referring
11275	to
11276	the
11277	distinguished men
11278	of Egypt, and
11279	to
11280	the
11281	wonders which are
11282	to be found
11283	there.
11284	Among the former were Moses
11285	and Aaron
11286	his
11287	brother, and Miriam
11288	their
11289	sister, who
11290	were
11291	born
11292	at
11293	Askar^,
11294	in
11295	the
11296	region
11297	of
11298	Egypt.
11299	On Mount
11300	Sinai God spoke
11301	with
11302	Moses
11303	;
11304	and Moses struck with
11305	his
11306	rod.
11307	magic, which was taught
11308	to men there by the two
11309	evil angels
11310	Hariit and
11311	Marflt
11312	(see Surat al-Bakarah, 96), who
11313	still hang head downwards among the ruins of
11314	the great city.
11315	^ An
11316	idol of the
11317	ancient Arabs
11318	of Mecca
11319	;
11320	see
11321	Koran, Siirat al-Baharah,
11322	257, 259, where the religion of Taghut is placed in antithesis to the true religion of
11323	Islam.
11324	Cf. Sttrat al-Md'idah, 65.
11325	^ Eutychius reports this legend, in speaking of the time of Abraham
11326	:
11327	J-Jlj ^1
11328	js^J:. ^jlj
11329	J^.U-^.
11330	isllo
11331	eUj>
11332	Jjl
11333	wl
11334	JUjj
11335	Job
11336	dll* jU->'
11337	^^j'^
11338	\J^
11339	x^-^^
11340	^k
11341	1^0
11342	\'XSb
11343	Jj>.l
11344	,^^3
11345	&.JJ-1, ^C
11346	ISJt^jj
11347	(J-^4^1
11348	S-J
11349	p^-=9
11350	LxjLs
11351	iS-'^
11352	L-jls.*** ^^
11353	l.«-«Jl ^
11354	* In his time lived Nimrod the giant, king of Babylon.
11355	It
11356	is said that he was the
11357	first king who reigned in Babylon ; and he saw in the sky the likeness of a crown
11358	formed of clouds
11359	;
11360	so he
11361	called a goldsmith, who fashioned a crown for him, and
11362	he put
11363	it upon his head.
11364	For this reason men said that a diadem descended upon
11365	him from heaven.'
11366	Eutychius, Annales (ed. Pococke),
11367	i. p. 62.
11368	Cf. MS. Bodl. Or.
11369	294, p. 60.
11370	The epithet .Ca.
11371	,
11372	'giant,' corresponds to "lis^ in Genesis x.
11373	8,
11374	9.
11375	Some of these legends of Nimrod may be looked upon as genuine
11376	traditions
11377	of the ancient culture of Babylonia.
11378	^ This was a well-known town, two days to the south of Al-Fustat, in the pro-
11379	vince of Al-Itfihiyah.
11380	Many of the
11381	Muslims, as well
11382	as the
11383	Christians, accepted
11384	the
11385	tradition
11386	that Moses was
11387	born
11388	there;
11389	see Yakut,
11390	Geogr.
11391	Wort.
11392	i.
11393	p.
11394	ror;
11395	Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
11396	ii. p. civ
11397	; Ibn Dukmak,
11398	iv. p.
11399	irr.
11400	The MSS. of Al-Makrizi
11401	write the name as ^d.1.
11402	Askar
11403	still exists
11404	in the
11405	district of Itfih
11406	in the province of Al-Jizah
11407	;
11408	see Rec.
11409	de I'Egypie,
11410	ii. p. 51.
p. 89
11411	CERTAIN MATTERS CONCERNING EGYPT.
11412	59
11413	In Egypt Moses divided the
11414	sea, and performed
11415	the
11416	ten
11417	miracles.
11418	Joseph the Truthful^
11419	ruled over Egypt.
11420	In Egypt also
11421	is the palm-tree.
11422	Here
11423	is the Holy Valley^, and the
11424	fissure
11425	of the Abtl Ktr'^', to which
11426	the
11427	birds of that
11428	species go on
11429	pil-
11430	grimage every
11431	year.
11432	One bird
11433	is caught
11434	in
11435	this
11436	fissure, and remains
11437	hanging there
11438	until the winds blow
11439	it
11440	to
11441	pieces.
11442	In
11443	this country also
11444	is the Halt al-Ajiiz'^, from Al-'Arish to Aswan; which
11445	is sometimes
11446	called Halt al-Hitjuz.
11447	^ This
11448	is a constant epithet of Joseph among the IMahometans, and originated
11449	in the Koran, Surah Vusu/, ver. 51
11450	:
11451	^j^y^\ ^J 5JL
11452	^.jkflj ^
11453	sJjjI.
11454	lil
11455	(jsJl
11456	^Jas:^'^ ^y\
11457	\^.)^\
11458	i]j^\ O^IU
11459	' The
11460	wife of Al-'Aziz
11461	said
11462	: Now
11463	the
11464	truth
11465	is made
11466	manifest.
11467	It was
11468	I who
11469	tempted him to
11470	sin.
11471	Surely he
11472	is one of the truthful.'
11473	Compare ver. 46
11474	:
11475	' O Joseph the Truthful
11476	!
11477	teach us with regard to the seven fat kine,' &c.
11478	^
11479	I can only conjecture that this may mean the Wadi Natrun or Wadi Habib,
11480	the ancient Nitrian valley, so famous in the annals of monasticism.
11481	^ This legend of the Abukir birds
11482	is found in most of the Arab historians who
11483	have written on Egypt;
11484	see Quatremere, Alem. Hist,
11485	et Geogr.
11486	i. p. 32, where our
11487	author
11488	is quoted among others.
11489	The fissure
11490	is
11491	said by our author (fol. 86 b) to
11492	be on the Jabal al-Kahf.
11493	Other writers say the Jabal
11494	at-Tair, the well-known hill
11495	which
11496	still bears the name, on the
11497	Nile, opposite Samallut and Talia.
11498	As-Suyuti,
11499	who reckons the Jabal at-Tair as one of the twenty wonders of Egypt, on account
11500	of these birds, describes them thus
11501	:
11502	As:*^!!l)l
11503	1
11504	sUal jj^ J-^]^
11505	e:jl9jk«
11506	^jUc-^1 .5^
11507	(jl)
11508	' They
11509	are
11510	piebald,
11511	with
11512	black
11513	necks,
11514	striped
11515	on
11516	the
11517	breast,
11518	with
11519	black
11520	tips
11521	to their wings.'
11522	IIus7i al-Muhddarah,
11523	i. p. ri.
11524	Al-Makrizi says that the prodigy had ceased in his time.
11525	Khitat,
11526	ii. p. o.r
11527	f.
11528	;
11529	cf.
11530	i. p. r
11531	I
11532	.
11533	*
11534	' Wall
11535	of
11536	the
11537	old
11538	woman,'
11539	also
11540	called Jisr
11541	al-'Ajilz,
11542	' dyke
11543	of
11544	the
11545	old
11546	woman.'
11547	It
11548	sdll
11549	exists
11550	in
11551	portions
11552	near
11553	Jabal
11554	at-Tair, near
11555	Kusiyah, and
11556	at
11557	other places.
11558	The
11559	' old woman
11560	'
11561	is said by some writers
11562	to be Dalukah (see
11563	fol. 70 b), who
11564	i 2
p. 90
11565	Go
11566	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
11567	In the
11568	river Nile there
11569	is a
11570	fish, which
11571	is called the
11572	' thunder-fish ^.'
11573	Even
11574	if a strong man
11575	places
11576	his hand upon
11577	it,
11578	his
11579	strength will
11580	not
11581	prevent him
11582	from
11583	receiving
11584	a shock through
11585	his body, and
11586	his arm
11587	will remain thunderstruck and
11588	will be
11589	paralysed
11590	during
11591	the space
11592	of
11593	an hour.
11594	In this country is the meeting-place of the two
11595	seas, which
11596	is called
11597	the Isthmus^
11598	; here the two seas approach one another.
11599	Between them
11600	are two dykes ^.
11601	The two
11602	seas are the sea of the Romans and the sea
11603	of the Chinese*; and the dyke
11604	is a journey of one night ^ from both of
11605	reigned over Egypt in remote antiquity.
11606	The purpose of the wall is said to have
11607	been to defend Egypt from her enemies.
11608	Another
11609	story makes the
11610	old woman
11611	build
11612	the
11613	wall
11614	to
11615	prevent
11616	the
11617	lions from coming down
11618	to
11619	the
11620	Nile
11621	to
11622	drink,
11623	in revenge
11624	for
11625	the
11626	death of her
11627	son, who had been devoured by a
11628	lion.
11629	See
11630	Yakut,
11631	Geogr. WorL
11632	ii.
11633	p.
11634	1
11635	1
11636	.
11637	;
11638	Al-Makrizi,
11639	Khitdt,
11640	i.
11641	p.
11642	ri;
11643	As-Suyuti, Husn
11644	al-Muhddarah,
11645	i. p. n.
11646	Our author, on fol. 57 b, makes Cleopatra the builder of the Ha
11647	it al-Aj4z,
11648	which extended not only from Al-'Arish or Al-Farama
11649	to Aswan on
11650	the eastern
11651	bank
11652	of
11653	the
11654	Nile,
11655	but
11656	also from Nubia
11657	to
11658	Alexandria
11659	on
11660	the
11661	western
11662	bank.
11663	In these statements he follows Eutychius, Annales (ed. Pococke),
11664	i. p. 301.
11665	The statement of Diodorus that
11666	Sesostris
11667	built a wall 1,500 stades in length,
11668	to protect Egypt on the
11669	east from
11670	the Syrians and the Arabs,
11671	is well known
11672	;
11673	see
11674	Diod. Sic, Bibl. Hist. bk.
11675	i. cap. 57.
11676	^
11677	I.e. the
11678	electric
11679	eel, gymnotus
11680	eleciricus,
11681	the
11682	properties
11683	of which
11684	are
11685	well
11686	known.
11687	They were much
11688	celebrated by Arabic writers on Egypt.
11689	See Yakut,
11690	Geogr. Wort.
11691	iv.
11692	p.
11693	a«i>i; Abu
11694	'1-Maliasin,
11695	op.
11696	cit.
11697	i.
11698	p.
11699	rl
11700	;
11701	Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
11702	i. p. ^^
11703	;
11704	Al-Mas'udt, Murilj adh-Dhahab,
11705	ii. pp. 392-3
11706	; 'Abd al-Latif, Mukhtasar
11707	(ed. White), p. 82.
11708	^
11709	I.e. Isthmus of Suez.
11710	This passage
11711	is partly repeated on
11712	fol. 58
11713	a.
11714	^ The
11715	high ground
11716	to
11717	the
11718	north
11719	of Lake
11720	Timsali
11721	is
11722	still
11723	called
11724	Al-Jisr,
11725	' the dyke.'
11726	* Our
11727	author
11728	here
11729	treats
11730	the Red
11731	Sea
11732	as
11733	part
11734	of
11735	the
11736	Indian
11737	Ocean, and
11738	the latter as part of the China Sea.
11739	^ On fol. 58 a the distance between the two seas, which
11740	is about eighty miles,
11741	is given as a day and a night's journey, and Al-JNIakrizi makes
11742	it the same.
11743	Yakut
11744	and the Mardsid al-Ittild' make
11745	it four days.
p. 91
11746	CERTAIN MATTERS CONCERNING EGYPT.
11747	6i
11748	them, between Al-Kulzum^ and Al-Farama^.
11749	In no other country do
11750	the seas approach
11751	nearer to one another than at
11752	this place
11753	;
11754	for
11755	in the
11756	east there
11757	is a journey of several months between them.
11758	There
11759	is no
11760	country in the world
11761	in which
11762	the people eat fresh fish from both
11763	seas,
11764	except Egypt.
11765	^ The
11766	Greek
11767	and
11768	Coptic
11769	YXvaiia,
11770	kXtcJUL^L,
11771	formerly
11772	situated
11773	a
11774	short
11775	distance
11776	to
11777	the
11778	north
11779	of
11780	Suez, which
11781	must
11782	be
11783	regarded
11784	as
11785	its
11786	successor;
11787	see
11788	Am^lineau, Geogr. pp. 227-9.
11789	Al-Mukaddasi, who wrote in a. h. 375 = a.d. 986,
11790	says, speaking of the inhabitants of Al-Kulzum
11791	:
11792	'Water
11793	is conveyed
11794	to them
11795	in
11796	boats;
11797	and from
11798	a
11799	place
11800	called Suwais
11801	(Suez),
11802	at a distance of one post, bad, discoloured water
11803	is carried to them upon camels
11804	;
11805	so that one of their proverbs
11806	says
11807	: The people of Al-Kulzum receive their provi-
11808	sions from Bilbais, and their drink from Suwais, and they eat the flesh of the Tats
11809	(wild
11810	goat)'
11811	(ed. De
11812	Goeje),
11813	p.
11814	196.
11815	This passage was not made use of by
11816	Quatremere
11817	in his discussion
11818	of the position of Al-Kulzum, Mem. Hist, et Geogr.
11819	i. pp.
11820	1 51-189.
11821	The
11822	distance
11823	of one
11824	post
11825	or about
11826	twelve
11827	miles
11828	is
11829	too
11830	great,
11831	as
11832	the
11833	ruins of Al-Kulzum are placed by Niebuhr about one
11834	mile
11835	to the
11836	north
11837	of Suez.
11838	See also Yakiat, Geogr. Wort. iv. p.
11839	1 oa; Mardsid al-Ittild' (ed. Juynboll),
11840	ad voc;
11841	Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome) [p. 49];
11842	Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
11843	p.
11844	r\r.
11845	The
11846	last of these writers says
11847	that
11848	in
11849	his day Al-Kulzum was ruined and
11850	its
11851	site was known as Suez,
11852	This
11853	is inaccurate, as
11854	it has just been shown.
11855	^ The classical Pelusium, and the Coptic nepeJULOTn, near the north-eastern
11856	frontier of Egypt
11857	;
11858	cf
11859	fol. 56 b.
11860	It has now disappeared, with the exception of
11861	some mounds and broken
11862	columns.
11863	See. Yakut,
11864	Geogr.
11865	Wort.
11866	iii.
11867	p.
11868	aap;
11869	A1-
11870	INIukaddasi
11871	(ed. De
11872	Goeje),
11873	p.
11874	no;
11875	Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
11876	i.
11877	p.
11878	rii;
11879	Amelineau,
11880	Ge'ogr.
11881	p. 317 f
11882	Al-iMakrizi reckons the ancient remains
11883	at Al-Farama among the wonders of
11884	Egypt
11885	;
11886	see Khitat,
11887	i. p. ri
11888	It was
11889	at Al-Farama that
11890	the
11891	first engagement took place between the Arabs
11892	and
11893	Egyptians when 'Amr
11894	invaded Egypt
11895	in
11896	a. h.
11897	18;
11898	see
11899	As-Suyuti, Husn
11900	al-Muhddarah,
11901	i. p.
11902	rF.
11903	M. Amelineau does not explain why he adopts the form El-Ferma.
p. 92
11904	62
11905	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
11906	In
11907	this country brocaded
11908	stuffs
11909	are made:
11910	gauze
11911	of Tinnis^, and
11912	sharb'^, a
11913	stuff used
11914	for
11915	tents, and
11916	coloured Dabtki^ ; and
11917	there
11918	is no
11919	^ The
11920	fine
11921	tissues
11922	of Tinnis
11923	are much
11924	celebrated by Arab
11925	historians
11926	and
11927	geographers.
11928	Ibn Haukal, who wrote
11929	in
11930	a. h. 367 = a. d. 978,
11931	says of Tinnis
11932	and Damietta
11933	:
11934	' In these two
11935	cities
11936	are manufactured
11937	fine DaMM and sharb and splendid dyed
11938	garments, the equals of which in beauty and price do not exist in the whole world
11939	'
11940	(ed. De Goeje, p.
11941	1 .1).
11942	Al-Makrizi [Khitat,
11943	i, p. ui) says that the veils
11944	for the Ka'bah were made at
11945	Tinnis from the early times of Islam, and he
11946	describes some of the designs upon
11947	them.
11948	These manufactures
11949	ceased when
11950	the
11951	people
11952	of Tinnis were removed
11953	to Damietta in a. h. 588= a. d. 1192, and only the citadel remained inhabited.
11954	The foundation of the stuffs of Tinnis is
11955	said to have been linen (Ibn Haukal,
11956	loc.
11957	cit.), with which
11958	silk was interwoven.
11959	Cf. Quatrembre, Mem. Hist,
11960	et Geogr.
11961	i. pp. 308, 309, 327
11962	ff.
11963	;
11964	Al-Idrisi (trans. Jaubert),
11965	i. p. 320.
11966	^ A precious tissue;
11967	see Glossary to De Goeje's Bibliotheca Geog. Arab. p. 272.
11968	^ Al-Makrizi says
11969	:
11970	^JLo>>)lj
11971	dj^jj.1
11972	L->J:j\
11973	^U-jtJlj
11974	aJJu-U
11975	i-jLill
11976	I4JI
11977	v—~--^i!
11978	IjLb.s
11979	(jJ ^
11980	aj J
11981	(J^..»
11982	cj^i
11983	JuLo
11984	I41.C
11985	jul^c
11986	Ji J^ uj^ W
11987	J*'" ^aU
11988	i_j;.iJl
11989	*jUx11 c>3^
11990	c-A&Jil
11991	JjJI
11992	^j\
11993	ij!
11994	AJUii^j
11995	i^^^^j
11996	Lr-=
11997	^•*'
11998	j«^^
11999	(^.
12000	<^^.
12001	Hj^'^
12002	f«VJ
12003	ij ^*;^J
12004	*jLs11
12005	iJA
12006	ioo>Xa.j
12007	JOjl^^^o
12008	y.OV^a
12009	C^A«M
12010	dJU*>
12011	..iLoCxJ
12012	, 9
12013	IJ^J^J
12014	3
12015	L^"
12016	J
12017	^^^^ ^"^
12018	(J^->***'
12019	(<
12020	' Dabik
12021	is a town in the neighbourhood of Damietta, which gives
12022	its name to the
12023	sumptuous robes and the dyed turbans of sharb, and the trimmings
12024	of Dabiki
12025	interwoven with gold.
12026	Turbans of sharb, interwoven with gold, were made there
12027	;
12028	each turban being 100 cubits in
12029	length, and bearing designs woven with gold of
12030	the value
12031	of 500
12032	dinars, without reckoning the
12033	price
12034	of the
12035	silk and
12036	the
12037	linen
12038	thread.
12039	These turbans and
12040	the
12041	rest were brought
12042	into
12043	fashion
12044	in
12045	the
12046	time
12047	of
12048	Al-'Aziz bi 'llah, son of Al-Mu'izz, who reigned from the year 365 (a.d. 975) until
12049	he died in the month of Sha'ban, in the year 386
12050	(a. d.
12051	996).'
12052	Khitat,
12053	i. p. m.
p. 93
12054	CERTAIN MATTERS CONCERNING EGYPT.
12055	60,
12056	stuff, not interwoven with gold, of which garments are made, of the value
12057	of 100
12058	dinars,
12059	except
12060	the
12061	stuffs
12062	of Tinnis^ and
12063	Damietta,
12064	and
12065	Al-
12066	Manhab (?) and SikillP.
12067	The Egyptians make woollen
12068	garments, and
12069	robes of goats'
12070	hair of Sam^lus, which
12071	are not
12072	to be found anywhere
12073	Pol. 20 a
12074	in the world except
12075	in Egypt.
12076	The natives of this country can boast
12077	of the wonderfully prolific nature of their horses, mules, and asses.
12078	They
12079	Cf. Quatremere, Me'tii.
12080	i. p. 340, where this passage is translated in Quatremere's
12081	usual loose manner.
12082	Barjawan, a black eunuch and vizier
12083	to
12084	the Fatimide
12085	caliph Al-'Aziz
12086	bi'Uah,
12087	left at his death
12088	in
12089	a. h. 390 = a. d. iooo, one thousand pairs of trousers of the
12090	stuff called DabiM;
12091	see Ibn Khallikan.
12092	The name DaMki was extended to other brocades or damasks besides those
12093	actually made
12094	at Dabik, and was applied
12095	to
12096	the
12097	fabrics of Usyut and even of
12098	places beyond the borders
12099	of Egypt;
12100	see Glossary
12101	to De Goeje's Bib. Geogr.
12102	A}-ab. p.
12103	232.
12104	See also Yakfit, Geogr.
12105	Worl.
12106	ii. p. of a
12107	; Mardsid al-Iltjla
12108	ad voc.
12109	;
12110	Al-Idrisi
12111	(trans. Jaubert),
12112	i. p. 320.
12113	The town of Dabik no longer exists.
12114	^ Al-Makrizi likewise says
12115	:
12116	' There
12117	is no brocade
12118	in the world with a foundation of linen, of which a single
12119	garment, not interwoven with gold, fetches
12120	a
12121	price of 100
12122	dinars in cash, except
12123	the brocade of Tinnis and Damietta.'
12124	^M<z?,
12125	i. p.
12126	1 w.
12127	Cf. Quatremere, Mem.
12128	i. p. 308, who makes the mistake of translating ijl:6 by
12129	' cotton.'
12130	Al-Makrizi says that the robes made
12131	at Tinnis for the caliph, in which
12132	a
12133	large quantity of gold was employed, were worth
12134	1,000
12135	dinars
12136	a piece;
12137	and
12138	that the sale of these fabrics
12139	at one time brought
12140	in a yearly receipt of 20,000 or
12141	30,000 dinars from Al-'Irak alone.
12142	Cf. Al-Idrisi (trans. Jaubert),
12143	i. p. 320.
12144	"^
12145	I.e. Sicilian tissue.
12146	As in many other cases, a name derived from the place
12147	where
12148	the
12149	material
12150	was
12151	originally
12152	manufactured
12153	is
12154	retained,
12155	even
12156	when
12157	the
12158	manufacture is no longer confined
12159	to that place
12160	Sikilli was also made in Spain.
12161	See Al-Mukaddasi
12162	(ed. De Goeje), pp.
12163	it«o and
12164	rri.
p. 94
12165	64
12166	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
12167	have the gold-mines^ and the emerald-mines^, and red and yellow ochre
12168	;
12169	^ In the Wadi 'l-'Alaki, which lies to the
12170	south-east of Aswan,
12171	in the country
12172	of the Bajjah or Bisharis.
12173	The mines have not been vvorlved for many centuries,
12174	but were known in the time of Rameses II.
12175	See Al-Idrisi (trans. Jaubert),
12176	i. pp. 36,
12177	41;
12178	Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
12179	i. pp.
12180	1 lo,
12181	ilv,
12182	1 u
12183	; Abu 'I-Fida, Tab. Aeg. p. 35
12184	f.
12185	^ Quatremere
12186	gives
12187	an
12188	interesting
12189	chapter on
12190	the emerald-mines
12191	of Egypt
12192	{Mem.
12193	ii. p. 73
12194	ff.)
12195	He
12196	first quotes an extract from Al-Makrizi {Khitat,
12197	i. p. rrr),
12198	who
12199	copies
12200	however
12201	from
12202	Al-Mas'udi,
12203	and
12204	Al-Mas'udi's
12205	informant was 'Abd
12206	ar-Rahim, sometime government clerk
12207	at the mines.
12208	The mines
12209	are
12210	said
12211	to
12212	lie
12213	in the midst of a waterless
12214	desert at Kharbah, a place seven days' journey to the
12215	south-east from Kus or Kift, the nearest town on the Nile.
12216	They are in a mountain
12217	range in the territory of the Bajjah, north of the great peak called Karkashandah.
12218	Various names
12219	are
12220	given
12221	of
12222	the
12223	different
12224	species
12225	of gems
12226	obtained, and
12227	the
12228	estimation in which the several sorts of emerald are held in different countries
12229	is
12230	stated.
12231	Al-Makrizi adds that the mines were regularly worked
12232	till about 1358 a.d.,
12233	when the vizier 'Abd Allah ibn Zanbur put a stop to the mining.
12234	But
12235	it
12236	is related
12237	that Ibrahim Pasha, who governed Egypt about the end of the tenth century of the
12238	Hegira, in
12239	travelling through Upper Egypt, came
12240	to a
12241	place
12242	called
12243	' the well of
12244	emeralds,' whence he took
12245	a
12246	vast number of gems.
12247	Prosper Alpinus mentions
12248	a
12249	well
12250	of
12251	emeralds,
12252	which
12253	produced
12254	a
12255	famous
12256	stone belonging
12257	to
12258	the Grand
12259	Seigneur.
12260	Maillet
12261	states
12262	that
12263	the
12264	situation
12265	of
12266	the mine
12267	is
12268	lost
12269	:
12270	while
12271	Bruce
12272	{Voyage
12273	to
12274	the Sources of the Nile, vol.
12275	i. p. 229) speaks of a Jebel ez-Zumurrud
12276	or Emerald Mountain, which he
12277	visited, and where he saw
12278	several
12279	sinkings
12280	or
12281	shafts.
12282	But as this mountain lay in an island, it cannot be (concludes Quatremere)
12283	the emerald-mine which Oriental writers agree in placing on the continent.
12284	So
12285	far Quatremere.
12286	But
12287	the mistake of Bruce, whose
12288	island was probably
12289	that of Zabargad, led
12290	to the rediscovery of the
12291	lost mines
12292	in 18 19 by a French
12293	explorer named
12294	Cailliaud.
12295	The
12296	results
12297	of his
12298	visit were
12299	published
12300	in
12301	a
12302	large
12303	work by the French Academy
12304	; and the
12305	ruler of Egypt, Muhammad 'Ali, was so
12306	convinced
12307	of the value of the mines
12308	that he
12309	sent a number of miners to work
12310	them under Cailliaud's supervision.
12311	Cailliaud, however, seems to have
12312	spent but
12313	a
12314	short time
12315	at
12316	the work,
12317	before he was
12318	called away
12319	to
12320	join
12321	Ibrahim
12322	Pasha's
12323	expedition
12324	to
12325	the
12326	Soudan.
12327	From
12328	that time
12329	provisions ceased
12330	to
12331	arrive
12332	for the
12333	colony of miners, who
12334	gradually melted
12335	away, and
12336	the
12337	place was
12338	once more
12339	abandoned.
12340	So
12341	it
12342	remained
12343	till
12344	1891, when
12345	Mr.
12346	Floyer,
12347	an
12348	Englishman
12349	in
p. 95
12350	CERTAIN MATTERS CONCERNING EGYPT.
12351	65
12352	and marcasite^ of gold,
12353	silver, and copper
12354	;
12355	and the Lake of Nitre, and
12356	command
12357	of an
12358	expedition
12359	sent by
12360	the
12361	Khedive
12362	Taufik,
12363	once more
12364	set
12365	foot
12366	on Jebel Zabara.
12367	For an account of this visit and for many topics of surpassing
12368	interest in relation to the desert between the Nile of Upper Egypt and
12369	the Red
12370	Sea, I
12371	refer the reader
12372	to M.
12373	Floyer's learned and ingenious work, t,tude
12374	stir
12375	le
12376	Nord-Elbat (l^Q Caire, Imprimerie Nationale, 1893).
12377	See
12378	also Yakut,
12379	Geogr. Wort.
12380	ii.
12381	p.
12382	t'lv;
12383	Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
12384	i.
12385	p.
12386	\\f., and
12387	Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome)
12388	[p. 22].
12389	(A. J. B.)
12390	^ Mr. Fisher, of Oxford, has kindly supplied me with
12391	the
12392	following note on
12393	this mineral
12394	:
12395	' The term marcasite
12396	is now used by mineralogists for one
12397	species
12398	of pyrites,
12399	but was
12400	at one
12401	time
12402	of
12403	wider
12404	signification, and synonymous with
12405	pyrites
12406	in
12407	general.
12408	It
12409	is
12410	a compound
12411	essentially of iron
12412	with
12413	sulphur
12414	(FeSg), containing
12415	46-7 per cent, of iron and 53-3 per cent, of sulphur, but the forms found
12416	in nature
12417	contain
12418	other
12419	metals
12420	such
12421	as
12422	copper,
12423	gold,
12424	silver,
12425	tin,
12426	&c.
12427	;
12428	arsenic
12429	also
12430	is
12431	commonly present.
12432	In colour
12433	it varies from a brass-like or golden appearance
12434	to
12435	a
12436	silvery
12437	white,
12438	and
12439	is
12440	usually
12441	glistening and
12442	metallic-looking.
12443	" Marcasite of
12444	gold " may have
12445	reference
12446	to
12447	its appearance, or
12448	to
12449	the
12450	fact
12451	that gold could be
12452	extracted from the specimens so named.
12453	The synonyms are numerous, e. g. anlvos,
12454	Tn-'piVr/f (\i6os), marchasita (Arab.),
12455	kis (Germ.)
12456	or
12457	kies, mundic (English miners),
12458	schwefelkies
12459	(Germ.),
12460	besides
12461	xanthopyrites,
12462	chalcopyrites.
12463	The name
12464	mar-
12465	casite
12466	or
12467	marchasite
12468	is
12469	of
12470	Spanish
12471	or
12472	Arabic
12473	origin.
12474	When
12475	weathered
12476	by
12477	exposure to
12478	air and water
12479	it produces sulphate of iron (and
12480	copper), termed
12481	at
12482	one time kupferwasser, which
12483	is perhaps corrupted into copperas
12484	in
12485	the vulgar
12486	tongue.
12487	' On account of the large amount of sulphur the mineral
12488	is combustible (whence
12489	the name pyrites from
12490	TrOp), and gives sparks when struck.'
12491	The word
12492	li-^^l^ seems
12493	to
12494	have come
12495	into
12496	the
12497	Arabic
12498	from
12499	the
12500	Syriac
12501	ll^A*nv>, which translates the Greek nvpLrris (Bar
12502	Bahlul).
12503	The medicinal use of
12504	marcasite was borrowed by the Arabs from
12505	the Greeks (Dioscorides, ed. Spengel,
12506	i. p. 8io=v. 142
12507	;
12508	Galen, opp.
12509	t.
12510	13, p. 740;
12511	t. 12,
12512	p. 199;
12513	Pliny, 36, 19, 30, &c.)
12514	The
12515	Arab
12516	Gebr
12517	( Jabir
12518	al-Kufi)
12519	gives a chemical
12520	analysis
12521	of
12522	marcasite
12523	;
12524	see
12525	Mangeti,
12526	Bib.
12527	Chem.
12528	i;
12529	cf. Wiistenfeld,
12530	Gesch.
12531	der arab.
12532	Aerzte,
12533	p. 12
12534	f.
12535	Ibn
12536	al-Baitar says
12537	:
12538	' Marcasite
12539	is sometimes gold, sometimes silver, sometimes copper,
12540	sometimes
12541	iron
12542	:
12543	each
12544	kind
12545	resembles
12546	in
12547	colour
12548	that
12549	metal
12550	after
12551	which
12552	it
12553	is
12554	named
12555	; and each kind
12556	is mixed with
12557	sulphur and
12558	gives
12559	out sparks when struck
12560	k
12561	[IT. 7-]
p. 96
12562	66
12563	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
12564	the salt lakes ^.
12565	In Egypt
12566	is found the clay of Aswan, which
12567	is called
12568	the 'clay of
12569	art,' and
12570	of
12571	this
12572	the
12573	jars
12574	intended
12575	to
12576	contain
12577	the drink
12578	called /?47i-«' ^ are made.
12579	The manufacture^ of white paper exists here;
12580	factories
12581	for
12582	boiling
12583	sugar*
12584	are
12585	found
12586	here;
12587	and
12588	presses
12589	for
12590	sugar-
12591	canes;
12592	and
12593	fields of
12594	rice^;
12595	and
12596	oil
12597	of
12598	turnip*^ and
12599	radish; and
12600	oil of
12601	balsam'^
12602	; and opium ^ and the abrmms^ and honey-wine.
12603	against iron.'
12604	This paragraph is based upon the article by Sadebek and Hoffmann,
12605	' Ueber den Namen Markasit/ in the Neues Jahrbuch fiir Minerahgie, Stuttgart,
12606	1878, p. 289
12607	fr.
12608	The word
12609	' marcasite
12610	' must have come
12611	into
12612	the
12613	other European languages
12614	through Latin translations of Arabic medical works, or through
12615	the Spanish inar-
12616	caxiia, modern marquesita ; see Dozy and Engelmann, Glossaire des mots espagnols
12617	et portugais derives de Varabe, p. 301.
12618	(A. J. B.)
12619	^ The salt lakes in the Wadi Natrun or Nitrian Valley, which
12620	lie about three
12621	days' journey through the
12622	desert
12623	to the north-west of Cairo, are
12624	still a source of
12625	revenue
12626	to
12627	the Egyptian government.
12628	There
12629	are other
12630	salt lakes
12631	in
12632	the Delta
12633	and Upper Egypt.
12634	(A.
12635	J. B.)
12636	"^ A kind of beer made of fruit.
12637	^ The Arabs
12638	first
12639	learnt
12640	the manufacture of paper about
12641	a.d. 750, probably
12642	from the
12643	Chinese, and
12644	the
12645	first
12646	place
12647	at which
12648	it was made by Muslims was
12649	Samarcand.
12650	The
12651	manufacture soon
12652	spread
12653	to
12654	other
12655	parts
12656	of the Mahometan
12657	world.
12658	See
12659	Mittheiliingen
12660	aus
12661	der Sarnmhmg
12662	der Papyrus Erzherzog
12663	Rainer,
12664	vol.
12665	ii. pp. 87-255, where there is a full discussion of the
12666	history and composition
12667	of Arab paper.
12668	There was a street and a khan of the paper-makers at Cairo, and
12669	a mill
12670	in the
12671	latter of these
12672	places;
12673	see Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
12674	ii. pp.
12675	1 ., rr.
12676	Bfiri
12677	near Damietta was famous for paper, which was also made
12678	in the Fayyum.
12679	The
12680	chief constituent was linen.
12681	^
12682	Al-Makrizi gives an account of the method of cultivating the sugar-cane in
12683	Egypt in his time
12684	;
12685	see Khitat,
12686	i. p.
12687	1
12688	. r
12689	.
12690	The use of sugar in Egyptian cookery
12691	is described by 'Abd al-Latif, Al-Mukhlasar, ed. White, pp. 178-182.
12692	The sugar-
12693	factories of Egypt were very numerous
12694	; Ibn Dukmak, at the end of the fourteenth
12695	century,
12696	names
12697	sixty-five
12698	of them
12699	in
12700	Cairo
12701	alone, from many
12702	of which
12703	the
12704	government derived a large revenue
12705	;
12706	see op.
12707	cit. iv. p. f
12708	1
12709	.
12710	^ 'Abd al-Latif says that
12711	rice was much used in cookery with meat and fish
12712	;
12713	op.
12714	cit. p. 184.
12715	It was introduced into Egypt under the Mahometans.
12716	6
12717	7
12718	i<
12719	9 Yox these notes see next page.
p. 97
12720	THE NILE.
12721	67
12722	The Nile.
12723	§ Moreover, the Nile of Egypt
12724	is one of the miracles^'', at which the
12725	people of the earth marvel when they hear of them
12726	;
12727	for
12728	it
12729	rises at the
12730	" 'Abd al-Latif, who was a contemporary of our author, says of the Egyptians
12731	:
12732	' They have
12733	a
12734	peculiar
12735	custom
12736	also
12737	of
12738	extracting
12739	oil
12740	from
12741	the
12742	seed
12743	of
12744	the
12745	radish and the turnip and the
12746	lettuce, and
12747	this
12748	oil they burn
12749	for light
12750	; and they
12751	make
12752	soap
12753	of
12754	it
12755	also
12756	:
12757	and
12758	their
12759	soap
12760	is
12761	moist, and
12762	red,
12763	yellow, or green
12764	in
12765	colour/
12766	('Abd al-Latif, op.
12767	cit., ed. White, p. 176.)
12768	^ 'Abd al-Latif also mentions oil of balsam among the products of Egypt, and
12769	says that
12770	it was only made at 'Ain Shams (Heliopolis) in that country
12771	; remarking
12772	that no balsam was
12773	to be found
12774	in
12775	his day in
12776	Syria, where Galen and
12777	Nicolaus
12778	say that
12779	it grew
12780	in
12781	the
12782	greatest
12783	perfection;
12784	op.
12785	cit. pp. 22-26.
12786	See also Butler,
12787	Coptic Churches,
12788	ii. p. 331.
12789	(A. J. B.)
12790	® 'Abd
12791	al-Latif says
12792	that opium was made from
12793	the
12794	black poppy
12795	((_pls^^ji
12796	:,yjf\) in Upper Egypt, and was often adulterated;
12797	op.
12798	cit. p. 48.
12799	® The abi-amh was a
12800	fish found
12801	in the
12802	Nile.
12803	It
12804	is curious
12805	that our author
12806	should
12807	place
12808	it
12809	here
12810	among
12811	the
12812	vegetable
12813	products.
12814	Al-Idrisi
12815	says
12816	that
12817	the
12818	ahramis has a red
12819	tail,
12820	is called the king of fish,
12821	is very good to eat, and is a hand's
12822	breadth in length, and half that measure
12823	in thickness;
12824	see Jaubert's trans., p. 29.
12825	The name of this fish
12826	is derived from the Greek a^pauls, which occurs in Oppian's
12827	Halieutica,
12828	i. 244-7
12829	•
12830	j^aKKihi^
12831	av
12832	dpiaaat
12833	re
12834	Koi
12835	a^pafii8cs
12836	(fiopeovrai
12837	ddpoai, «AXoT6
12838	S'
12839	aXXov
12840	a\6^
12841	Tvopov,
12842	tj
12843	nepl
12844	irerpas
12845	^
12846	niKdyrj,
12847	doXi^nia-i
12848	t
12849	eTrebpafiov
12850	alyiaXoiaiv,
12851	alev
12852	apeijSopivai
12853	^eivrjV
12854	oSoi/,
12855	tjvt
12856	oKijTai.
12857	^° The Nile was naturally reckoned to be one of the twenty wonders of Egypt
12858	;
12859	see As-Suyfiti,
12860	Htisti al-Muhddarah,
12861	i.
12862	p.
12863	i=.
12864	; Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
12865	i.
12866	p. ri
12867	.
12868	The
12869	following passage
12870	is a commonplace
12871	found
12872	in
12873	slightly
12874	different
12875	words
12876	in
12877	most
12878	ancient writers who have written on Egypt;
12879	see Herodotus,
12880	ii. 25, 26; Diodorus
12881	Siculus,
12882	i. 36;
12883	Strabo,
12884	xvii.
12885	i;
12886	Heliodorus,
12887	Ae/hiopica,
12888	cap. 28; 'Abd
12889	al-Latif,
12890	p. 4
12891	ff.
12892	;
12893	Al-INIakrizi,
12894	i. p. 0.
12895	ff.
12896	See below,
12897	fol. 26 b.
12898	k 2
p. 98
12899	68
12900	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
12901	time of the great decrease of water, when other rivers and springs
12902	fall
12903	or dry up
12904	; and
12905	its
12906	rise comes at the very time when
12907	it
12908	is needed, and
12909	so likewise
12910	its fall comes when
12911	it
12912	is needed, by the
12913	special care of God
12914	for the
12915	inhabitants of Egypt.
12916	After the decrease of the Nile the wells
12917	rise, and the time of sowing depends upon
12918	it, and not upon the
12919	rains.
12920	The Nile
12921	flows continually down to the
12922	salt
12923	sea, and
12924	cleaves
12925	its way
12926	through
12927	it visibly.
12928	God has spoken of the Nile of Egypt by the tongues of his prophets
12929	;
12930	for Isaiah the prophet says
12931	:
12932	' God
12933	shall bless the people of Egypt, and
12934	those whom his hands created in Al-Mausil ^.'
12935	§ The
12936	Gospel
12937	also
12938	says
12939	:
12940	' The
12941	angel
12942	of
12943	the
12944	Lord
12945	appeared
12946	in
12947	Fol. 20 b
12948	a dream, and
12949	said
12950	:
12951	" Rise, take the child and
12952	his mother, and flee
12953	into
12954	the land of Egypt, and be there
12955	until
12956	I bring thee word^."'
12957	And
12958	the
12959	Lord Christ and his mother, the Pure Virgin, and the blameless old man,
12960	Joseph, dwelt two years in Egypt.
12961	§ And in the prophecy of Hosea, as the pure Gospel bears witness,
12962	it
12963	is said
12964	:
12965	' From Egypt have I called my Son ^.'
12966	Scjoiirner's in Egypt.
12967	§ That which causes Egypt to excel other countries
12968	is the sojourn
12969	in
12970	this land of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the flesh, with the Pure Lady
12971	Mary *, and the truthful old man, Joseph the carpenter, by the command
12972	of God
12973	; and
12974	also the sojourn at Alexandria of Mark the
12975	Evangelist'',
12976	^
12977	Isaiah
12978	xix.
12979	25.
12980	Al-]\Iausil, Mosul
12981	or
12982	Moussol, being
12983	opposite
12984	the
12985	ruins
12986	of Nineveh, was often confused with the
12987	latter
12988	city, and spoken of as
12989	' Nineveh.'
12990	Moreover
12991	the territory of Al-Mausil
12992	(J-o^U loO forms part of what was once the
12993	kingdom
12994	of Assyria, and so
12995	the name was used
12996	as synonymous with
12997	' Assyria.'
12998	Cf. e.g. Al-Mas'udi, Miin1.j adh-Dhahab (ed. Barbier de Meynard),
12999	ii. 77
13000	:
13001	(_^iJLAi
13002	d^J.4t
13003	lJ..iaaXl
13004	^^Jt>
13005	' The kings of Al-Mausil and of the city of Nineveh.'
13006	2
13007	Matt.
13008	ii.
13009	13.
13010	3 Hosea xi.
13011	i, and Matt.
13012	ii.
13013	15.
13014	*
13015	(^-i;'
13016	oi"
13017	^-j*^)^
13018	'^ ^^
13019	Syriac
13020	jfx-i..^
13021	wlt-'so, 'my Lady Mary;'
13022	it occurs
13023	constantly in this work as the appellation of the Blessed Virgin.
13024	^
13025	Tiie Copts have, as
13026	it
13027	is
13028	well known, unanimously preserved
13029	the
13030	tradition,
p. 99
13031	SOJOURNERS IN EGYPT.
13032	6g
13033	who was the nephew of Stephen, the chief of the deacons, and
13034	first of
13035	the martyrs in Jerusalem.
13036	Some of the pure patriarchs^ also came into Egypt
13037	; namely, Abraham,
13038	the Friend of God
13039	; and Jacob, the son of Isaac, who lived here seventeen
13040	years and died here, and whose body was taken back to Syria
13041	; and the
13042	fathers of the twelve
13043	tribes, who were
13044	his
13045	sons.
13046	The posterity of the
13047	latter in Egypt increased
13048	to the number of six hundred thousand five
13049	hundred and fifty souls ^, including the descendants of Joseph the Truthful
13050	and
13051	his sons Manasseh and Ephraim, without^ reckoning the sons
13052	of
13053	Levi, whose number amounted
13054	to twenty-two thousand two hundred
13055	and seventy-three souls.
13056	Joseph died in Egypt, and his body was carried
13057	into Syria
13058	; and Moses prayed and worshipped at his prison ^
13059	Among
13060	those who
13061	dwelt
13062	in
13063	Egypt were
13064	Moses,
13065	and Aaron
13066	his
13067	brother, and
13068	their
13069	sister
13070	Miriam.
13071	Lot
13072	also,
13073	the
13074	son
13075	of Abraham's
13076	brother, entered
13077	this country;
13078	and Joshua
13079	the son
13080	of Nun;
13081	and the
13082	Fol. 21 a
13083	also
13084	found
13085	in
13086	Greek
13087	and
13088	Latin
13089	ecclesiastical
13090	writers,
13091	that
13092	St.
13093	Mark was
13094	the
13095	founder of the church of Egypt, and the
13096	first bishop of Alexandria.
13097	The Arabic
13098	Lives of the Patriarchs, by Severus of Al-Ushmunain, begins with an account of the
13099	episcopate of St. Mark;
13100	see British Museum MS. Or. 26,100, pp. 16-23.
13101	Cf. the
13102	old Greek diptychs preserved in MSS. of the Coptic Liturgy of St. Cyril, which
13103	give
13104	a
13105	list of the bishops of Alexandria beginning with
13106	St. Mark
13107	(jUl.<LpKOT
13108	Tonr
13109	^.vIOT
13110	^.uocToXoT
13111	K^-i
13112	evA.weXic'TO'r
13113	^.p^ieuic-
13114	KonoT
13115	K^.I JUL^.pxYpoc).
13116	^ This passage
13117	is
13118	based, like
13119	that above, upon the Fadail Misr of Al-Kindi.
13120	As-Suyuti, borrowing from
13121	the same source, mentions, among the prophets who
13122	sojourned
13123	in Egypt, Abraham, Ishmael, Jacob, Joseph, the
13124	fathers of the
13125	twelve
13126	tribes, Lot, Moses, Aaron, Joshua, Daniel, Jeremiah, Jesus; see Husn al-Muhddarah,
13127	i. p. ri
13128	.
13129	^
13130	Cf. Numbers
13131	i. 46, 47.
13132	^
13133	I
13134	have
13135	here
13136	dislocated
13137	the
13138	translation
13139	in
13140	order
13141	to
13142	avoid
13143	an
13144	awkward
13145	parenthesis.
13146	*
13147	See above,
13148	fol.
13149	17 b.
13150	The
13151	tradition among both
13152	Christians and Muslims
13153	was
13154	that Moses
13155	visited
13156	the
13157	prison
13158	of Joseph
13159	at
13160	Busir, and consequently there
13161	was here a mosque erected
13162	in the name of Moses, and called Masjid Musd ;
13163	see
13164	Y^kut, Geogr.
13165	Wort.
13166	iii. p. Fv
13167	;
13168	Al-Makrizi,
13169	i.
13170	p. r.v
13171	.
p. 100
13172	70
13173	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
13174	prophet DanieP and the prophet Jeremiah, and Ezekiel
13175	; besides others,
13176	kings, great men, wise men and philosophers, captains and
13177	rulers, in
13178	all
13179	ages and all times ^.
13180	Boundaries of Egypt.
13181	§ The furthest point of the land of Egypt on the east is 'Abbasah ^, and
13182	on the west Alexandria.
13183	Its greatest length is from Al-'Arish* to
13184	'Aidhab '^j
13185	^
13186	It is not clear when Daniel and
13187	Ezekiel
13188	are thought to have
13189	visited Egypt,
13190	unless they came in the train of Nebuchadnezzar, of whose invasion of Egypt the
13191	Mahometan and Christian historians of the East preserve very clear records ;
13192	see
13193	below,
13194	fol. 23b, 76b, 80a.
13195	As-Suyuti says:
13196	j.a^\
13197	j)j ^^ 0^3)
13198	c^-^
13199	'^•^3
13200	U^^
13201	^1^ J^
13202	(J^ ^^
13203	^-^^
13204	(^
13205	JW^^-^ ^\
13206	' With
13207	regard
13208	to Daniel
13209	I have not, up to the present
13210	time, met with any record
13211	[of his sojourn in Egypt]
13212	; but Ibn Zulak counts him among those that were born
13213	in Egypt.'
13214	{Husn al-Muhddarah,
13215	i. p. rv .)
13216	"^ The
13217	lists
13218	of
13219	distinguished
13220	visitors
13221	to
13222	Egypt
13223	given
13224	by
13225	the
13226	Mahometan
13227	historians remind us of the
13228	similar
13229	lists
13230	in Diodorus
13231	(i. 96).
13232	As-Suyuti
13233	gives
13234	the names
13235	of many Greek philosophers and
13236	writers who
13237	sojourned
13238	in
13239	Egypt,
13240	among whom are Plato, Hippocrates, Ptolemy, Aratus, Euclid, and Aristotle
13241	;
13242	see
13243	Husn al-Muhddarah,
13244	i. p. ri
13245	f.
13246	^ A small town on the Syrian frontier of Egypt, fifteen parasangs from Cairo.
13247	It
13248	is said, among other accounts, to have been named
13249	after a daughter of Ahmad
13250	ibn
13251	Tulijn.
13252	It
13253	is now included
13254	in
13255	the
13256	district
13257	of Sawalah,
13258	in
13259	the province
13260	of
13261	Ash-Sharkiyah.
13262	See Yakfit, Geogr. Wort.
13263	iii. p. oil
13264	; AI-Makrizi,
13265	i. p. rrr
13266	;
13267	Quatre-
13268	mere, Mem.
13269	i. pp. 62, 189
13270	; Rec de ttgypte,
13271	ii. p.
13272	3.
13273	(A. J. B.)
13274	* The classical Rhinocolura
13275	;
13276	a very ancient town on the sea, near the Syrian
13277	frontier of Egypt.
13278	It
13279	is now the
13280	seat of a governor, and in 1885 contained with
13281	its dependencies 3,923 inhabitants.
13282	See Yakut, Geogr. Wort.
13283	iii. p. ii
13284	.
13285	; Al-Kazwini,
13286	ii. p.
13287	iFv;
13288	Al-Makrizi,
13289	i. p. n
13290	. f
13291	;
13292	Quatremere,
13293	JMe'm.
13294	i.
13295	p. 53;
13296	Rcc. de I'Egypfe,
13297	ii. pp. X,
13298	xi,
13299	20.
13300	(A. J, B.)
13301	^ On
13302	the Red
13303	Sea,
13304	opposite
13305	Jiddah, and
13306	near
13307	the
13308	frontier
13309	of the
13310	Bisharin
13311	tribes.
13312	There was a road
13313	to
13314	it from
13315	Kift
13316	(see
13317	fol. 103 a) and Kiis; and from
13318	A. H. 450 = A. D. 1058 to A. H. 665 = A. D.
13319	1 267
13320	this was
13321	the
13322	route
13323	taken by
13324	the
13325	pilgrims on
13326	their way to Mecca.
13327	'Aidhab was, also
13328	a
13329	port much frequented by
13330	merchants from
13331	India and Yemen,, until
13332	the
13333	middle
13334	of
13335	the
13336	fourteenth
13337	century
p. 101
13338	THE CITY OF FUSTAT MISR.
13339	71
13340	and its greatest breadth from Barkah^ to Ailah-.
13341	It is said that Barkah
13342	is also called 'the Five Cities.'
13343	The
13344	City of Fustat Misr.
13345	§ Account of the city of Misr^.
13346	It
13347	is
13348	related,
13349	in the history of the
13350	church and the
13351	lives of the patriarchs^, that 'Amr ibn
13352	al-'Asi, and the
13353	Arabs who invaded Egypt w^ith him, took the road from the mountains
13354	of our era.
13355	M. Amdlineau, who speaks as if the Synaxarium and the revenue-list
13356	alone
13357	preserved
13358	the name
13359	of
13360	this
13361	important town, seems
13362	to have ovedooked
13363	Quatrem^re's account of it, as well as Al-Makrizi's, which proves that 'Aidhab was
13364	existing not only at the end of the fourteenth century, as the revenue-list published
13365	by De Sacy shows, but
13366	as
13367	late
13368	as the middle
13369	of the
13370	fifteenth
13371	century, although
13372	it was then
13373	in
13374	a
13375	state of decadence, and no more than a
13376	village of huts.
13377	See
13378	Yakut, Geogr. Wb'rt. ad voc.
13379	;
13380	Al-Makrizi,
13381	i. p.
13382	v .r
13383	;
13384	Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome) [p. 49];
13385	Quatrem^re,iW/«.
13386	ii. pp. 162-172, where Ibn Haukal and Abu '1-Fida are also cited.
13387	M. Amelineau {Geogr. p. 160) would identify 'Aidhab with Berenice or Myoshormos,
13388	the former of which
13389	is probably
13390	correct, the
13391	latter being
13392	absolutely out
13393	of the
13394	question.
13395	^ The name of a town and
13396	district
13397	to
13398	the west of Alexandria, corresponding
13399	to the
13400	classical Barca or Pentapolis, which
13401	latter appellation
13402	is translated by the
13403	Arabic ^Xt>
13404	^j.,.^
13405	,
13406	' the Five Cities.'
13407	The province was not,
13408	strictly speaking, part
13409	of Egypt.
13410	See Yakut,
13411	Geogr. Wor/.
13412	i.
13413	p. ovr;
13414	Al-Makin, Tdrikh al-Musliinin,
13415	ad ann.
13416	27.
13417	^ A small town on the shore of the Gulf of Suez, and on the borders of Syria
13418	and
13419	the
13420	Hedjaz.
13421	See
13422	Yakut,
13423	Geogr.
13424	Wort.
13425	i.
13426	p.
13427	Frr;
13428	Al-Idrisi
13429	(ed. Rome)
13430	[p. 123 f];
13431	Al-Makrizi,
13432	i. p.
13433	iAt=.
13434	^
13435	' Misr
13436	'
13437	here
13438	denotes
13439	the
13440	city of Al-Fustat
13441	or
13442	Fustat
13443	Misr,
13444	the
13445	remains
13446	of which
13447	are now called Masr
13448	al-'Atikah, and
13449	incorrectly named by foreigners
13450	' Old
13451	Cairo.'
13452	The
13453	city was founded by 'Amr
13454	ibn
13455	al-'Asi,
13456	the Arab conqueror
13457	of Egypt, in a. h. 20 = a. d. 641, and remained the capital of the country
13458	until
13459	it
13460	was superseded by the suburb of Al-'Askar, which was founded to the north of it.
13461	* Our author
13462	is quoting loosely from the biography of the patriarch Benjamin,
13463	in Severus' history of the patriarchs
13464	:
13465	U),-i.9
13466	^jJj.U
13467	^'^.
13468	'
13469	B^'U
13470	J^-aJl
13471	1^^
13472	5,lssi-b
13473	JLj* j^
13474	^1
13475	L1-5J
13476	^a.
13477	J.*il
13478	loJ-ikU
p. 102
13479	72
13480	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
13481	until they reached a fortress, built of stone ^, between Upper Egypt and
13482	the Delta ^, which was
13483	called Bablun^.
13484	Here they pitched
13485	their tent,
13486	and
13487	all of them prepared
13488	to meet the Romans and
13489	to fight with them.
13490	And
13491	they
13492	called
13493	that
13494	place
13495	'Al-Fustat'
13496	in
13497	their
13498	language;
13499	and
13500	the
13501	meaning of
13502	this word
13503	is
13504	' The
13505	Tent.'
13506	In
13507	this way
13508	the Arabs
13509	called
13510	the Fort of Ash-Shama ^ at Misr
13511	' Fustat Bablun.'
13512	^j^\
13513	!iv».-jl j&L
13514	JoUa^ll
13515	(J JoU
13516	' Then
13517	[the Arabs]
13518	crossed the
13519	hills
13520	until they arrived
13521	at
13522	a
13523	fort
13524	built of stone,
13525	between Upper Egypt and
13526	the
13527	Delta, which was
13528	called Bablun, and there
13529	they
13530	pitched their tents, that they might prepare to fight with the Romans.
13531	Then they
13532	named
13533	that
13534	place, that
13535	is
13536	to say the
13537	fort, Bablun Fustat
13538	in
13539	their language
13540	; and
13541	that
13542	is
13543	its name
13544	at the
13545	present
13546	time.'
13547	(Brit. Mus. MS. Or. 26,100,
13548	p. 105, lines
13549	12-14.)
13550	^ The Roman
13551	fortress referred to
13552	is built with
13553	alternate courses of stone and
13554	brick,
13555	and
13556	has
13557	stone pediments
13558	over
13559	the
13560	gateways
13561	;
13562	so
13563	that
13564	the
13565	use
13566	of stone
13567	predominates sufficiently to justify the expression in the text.
13568	I have given a plan
13569	of this fortress in Copiic Churches (vol.
13570	i. chap. 4).
13571	(A. J. B.)
13572	^
13573	I
13574	translate
13575	1—fli.ll by
13576	' the Delta' because
13577	that
13578	is
13579	its obvious meaning
13580	here.
13581	See note on fol. 12 a.
13582	^ The Arabic form of Babylon (^a^vkav, ELA-^-tXcort), the name given by
13583	the
13584	Greeks and
13585	Graecizing Copts
13586	to
13587	this town and
13588	fortress on
13589	the Nile
13590	;
13591	see
13592	Diodorus,
13593	i. 56;
13594	Strabo,
13595	xvii. i,
13596	§ 35;
13597	Josephus, Ant. Jud.
13598	ii.
13599	15.
13600	Other Arabic
13601	forms are Babluniyah (lojbU), Babliyun (^^j^Ll)), Bab al-yfm (^J^1
13602	i_jU), but the
13603	Arabs only knew the Greek form of the name, and never called the place Babil
13604	(Job) like the city on the Euphrates.
13605	* In my Coptic Chirches (vol.
13606	i. chap. 4) I was unable to give any satisfactory
13607	account of the name Kasr
13608	ash-Sharnci
13609	or
13610	' Castle of the
13611	Candle,' which
13612	is
13613	the
13614	familiar designation of the place to-day.
13615	Now, however,
13616	I am
13617	inclined
13618	to think
13619	that Shmnd
13620	is
13621	a corruption
13622	of
13623	the
13624	old
13625	Coptic name ^HAJLJ,
13626	'Egypt.'
13627	The
13628	town
13629	and
13630	fortress
13631	of Babylon were
13632	called by
13633	the
13634	Copts ^^^YXaJIt
13635	ItTTe
13636	^HJULI or
13637	' Babylon of Egypt.'
13638	Thus, in the Acts of the Coptic martyr John of
13639	Phanijoit or Zaitun, we read that the saint resolved to go to E.A.KnfXuort ItTG
13640	^HJULI, to appear before the Sultan Al-Kamil (ed. Amelineau, p. 37).
13641	^HJULJ
13642	is also used by itself to denote Cairo {pp.
13643	cit. pp. 44, 45, 47, 48).
13644	See Quatremere,
p. 103
13645	THE CITY OF FUSTAT MISR.
13646	73
13647	§
13648	I
13649	found
13650	an account of
13651	the
13652	conquest
13653	of Egypt
13654	in
13655	the Book
13656	of
13657	Al-Janah,
13658	It says that 'Amr ibn al-'Asi conquered Egypt
13659	in the year
13660	19^ of the Hegira.
13661	He encamped outside a place called Janan ar-Rihan,
13662	whither the Arabs came down to besiege the city of Misr.
13663	The bishop
13664	of
13665	the Romans
13666	at
13667	Misr
13668	and
13669	Alexandria was
13670	named
13671	Cyrus ^.
13672	The Fol.21b
13673	Mem.
13674	i. pp. 49, 50
13675	; ChampoUion, L'^gypte sous les Pharaons,
13676	i, p. i84f.,
13677	ii. p. 1 10
13678	f.
13679	It
13680	is further noticeable
13681	that the Arabic name, Misr,
13682	' Egypt,'
13683	is
13684	applied both
13685	to
13686	the capital and to the country.
13687	(A. J. B.)
13688	^ See Introduction.
13689	^ Cyrus
13690	was
13691	the Greek
13692	patriarch
13693	of Alexandria
13694	at
13695	the
13696	time
13697	of
13698	the Arab
13699	invasion
13700	of Egypt.
13701	He
13702	is
13703	mentioned
13704	in
13705	the
13706	following
13707	passage
13708	of Eutychius
13709	{Annaks, ed. Pococke,
13710	ii. p. 266):
13711	i->yt
13712	U.«
13713	i)^
13714	^^juJj
13715	hi^M
13716	(X-i-o
13717	l^»la>
13718	JA,3
13719	sJjo
13720	dJ,XJ;Jx>*.j)\|
13721	(<*^
13722	l^^-3
13723	^.'^""''-^'
13724	(i'
13725	lijwwj
13726	ijl
13727	JviiJ
13728	L/"i^ U J
13729	liiJJ^^^l
13730	u*'J_r ^^
13731	u**^J/^-^ ^/^^
13732	(j-ii^jr^
13733	"^^ Jub
13734	t_^-fcK
13735	^ij>L>
13736	jJliLo ^
13737	sjasj
13738	Ss^\t
13739	f^y^^
13740	J^lj
13741	Jjtsj
13742	iiJcfclj
13743	iLi.*)
13744	^^^^^t-yJo
13745	^-;;-*J'i
13746	' At the beginning of the
13747	caliphate
13748	[of 'Umar] George was appointed patriarch
13749	of Alexandria.
13750	He remained four years
13751	in possession of the
13752	see.
13753	Then when
13754	he heard
13755	that
13756	the
13757	INIuslims
13758	had
13759	conquered
13760	the
13761	Romans,
13762	and
13763	had
13764	vanquished
13765	Palestine, and were advancing upon Egypt, he took ship and fled from Alexandria
13766	to
13767	Constantinople;
13768	and
13769	after
13770	his
13771	time
13772	the
13773	see
13774	of Alexandria remained without
13775	a INIelkite patriarch for ninety-seven years.
13776	' When George took
13777	flight, Cyrus was appointed
13778	patriarch
13779	of Alexandria
13780	in
13781	succession to him
13782	;
13783	Cyrus was a Maronite, and followed the religious faith of [the
13784	Emperor]
13785	Heraclius.
13786	Now there was a monk
13787	at Alexandria named Sophronius,
13788	who condemned the doctrines of the patriarch Cyrus
13789	;
13790	for Cyrus taught
13791	that Our
13792	Lord Christ consisted of Two Natures with One Will and One Energy and One
13793	PersonaHty
13794	; and this was the doctrine of Maro.'
13795	Cf Le Quien {Oriens Christ,
13796	ii. col. 447
13797	ff.), according
13798	to whom
13799	Cyrus was
13800	elected patriarch
13801	in
13802	a. d. 632, deposed
13803	in 639, restored
13804	in 641, and died
13805	in 642;
13806	and Zotenberg, CJiron. de Jean de Nikiou, p. 439.
13807	1
13808	[H. 7-]
p. 104
13809	74
13810	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
13811	people of Al-Fustat dug a moat against the Arabs.
13812	Al-Fustat was then
13813	called Al-Luniyah^
13814	;
13815	but the Arabs called
13816	it Al-Fustat, because they
13817	said
13818	:
13819	' This
13820	is the tent (fust^t) of the people, and their place of meeting/
13821	'Amr, then, came thither with three thousand and
13822	five men
13823	; but after-
13824	wards he was joined by Az-Zubair ibn al-'Awwam, with twelve thousand.
13825	'Amr took possession of the fortress^ and captured
13826	it by force ^; and
13827	thereupon he gave up
13828	to plunder
13829	all
13830	the
13831	treasures
13832	that
13833	it
13834	contained.
13835	He
13836	spared
13837	the
13838	lives
13839	of
13840	the
13841	natives on
13842	condition
13843	of
13844	their becoming
13845	a
13846	' protected people
13847	'
13848	; but he
13849	laid
13850	tribute upon them throughout their
13851	country.
13852	The governor of Al-Luniyah, or Al-Fustat, demanded a tax
13853	of two dinars from every adult
13854	:
13855	that
13856	is to say twenty-seven dirhems,
13857	all
13858	but
13859	one-third
13860	;
13861	unless
13862	the man was
13863	poor.
13864	Every
13865	rich man was
13866	obliged
13867	to pay every year two
13868	dinars and
13869	three ardebs of corn.
13870	In
13871	this way 'Amr raised a revenue of two millions of dinars from the poll-
13872	tax
13873	of Egypt
13874	;
13875	and 'Abd Allah
13876	ibn
13877	Sa'id
13878	ibn
13879	Mufarraj*
13880	raised
13881	four
13882	millions
13883	of dinars.
13884	The
13885	government
13886	of 'Amr
13887	ibn
13888	al-'Asi
13889	lasted
13890	ten
13891	years and
13892	four months, and that of 'Abd Allah ^ his son for two years.
13893	§
13894	It
13895	is
13896	also
13897	said
13898	that, when
13899	the
13900	Muslims came
13901	into
13902	Egypt, they
13903	made an enclosure of canes, extending from the
13904	road
13905	called
13906	Al-Farr
13907	to the place named Daurah Khalf
13908	; and hither they assembled them-
13909	selves
13910	; and
13911	it was called Al-Fustat, or the meeting-place of the people
13912	;
13913	and the Arabs did not put up a
13914	tent, not being acquainted with the use
13915	of tents.
13916	^ This is simply part of the word Bdhhmiyah (l^JjLb) or Babylon, which the
13917	Arabs supposed to be two words, meaning Gate of Luniyah.
13918	" M.
13919	Amdlineau, who
13920	has
13921	published
13922	a
13923	translation
13924	of
13925	the
13926	greater
13927	part
13928	of
13929	fol. 21 b {Geogr.
13930	p. 542), translates ^^a. by 'fossd'
13931	!
13932	He also reads, a line or two
13933	further down,
13934	' Louiiah
13935	" instead
13936	of
13937	' Luniyah,' not
13938	being aware
13939	that the
13940	latter
13941	is
13942	simply part of the form i^ JA) (Babluniyah), used by Al-Makrizi for
13943	' Babylon.'
13944	^ For remarks on the conquest of Egypt, see Introduction,
13945	* Al-Makrizi
13946	(i. p. u) says
13947	that 'Amr raised a revenue of twelve millions, and
13948	'Abd Allah ibn Sa'd ibn Abi Sarh fourteen millions.
13949	The latter succeeded 'Amr as
13950	emir of Egypt {op.
13951	cit. p.
13952	rii).
13953	Our scribe has evidently altered the figures.
13954	^ Some
13955	say
13956	that
13957	it was not 'Abd Allah the son of 'Amr who governed Egypt
13958	after the latter, but 'Abd Allah ibn
13959	Sa'd.
p. 105
13960	THE CITY OF FUSTAT MISR.
13961	75
13962	§ 'Amr ibn al-'Asi conquered Egypt on a Friday, on the
13963	first day
13964	of the month of Al-Muharram, in the year 20 of the Hegira, and
13965	in the
13966	caliphate of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab,
13967	in
13968	a battle which took place
13969	near
13970	the
13971	fortress known as the Fort of Al-Hammam^.
13972	The number of the
13973	Fol. 22 a
13974	Copts who inhabited the land of Egypt, without counting the decrepit
13975	old men and
13976	the children below the age of understanding, amounted to
13977	six millions of souls.
13978	'Amr imposed upon
13979	all of them a yearly tax^ of
13980	twenty-six dirhems and two-thirds
13981	; but from the rich men, all alike, he
13982	exacted two dinars and
13983	three ardebs
13984	of wheat a head,
13985	in every place
13986	that he occupied.
13987	In
13988	this way the country produced twelve millions
13989	of dinars, without reckoning the
13990	tribute of the Jews
13991	in Egypt and
13992	its
13993	provinces.
13994	All this money was carried to 'Umar ibn al-Khattib
13995	; and
13996	it
13997	was
13998	the
13999	first money that was
14000	taken
14001	to him from
14002	Egypt.
14003	'Amr ibn
14004	al-'Asi had
14005	visited
14006	Egypt
14007	during
14008	the
14009	days
14010	of
14011	ignorance, and knew
14012	the roads leading
14013	thither, through
14014	trading
14015	there together with one of
14016	the
14017	tribe of the Kuraish^.
14018	^ See Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
14019	i,
14020	p.
14021	ri
14022	.
14023	* See Al-Makrizi,
14024	i. p.
14025	s
14026	i
14027	.
14028	^ These words are borrowed from Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam, who relates that 'Amr
14029	went from Arabia
14030	to Jerusalem on a trading expedition with some members of the
14031	tribe of Kuraish.
14032	In
14033	Syria, 'Amr was able
14034	to render certain services
14035	to a Greek
14036	deacon
14037	of Alexandria, who was
14038	visiting Jerusalem on a pilgrimage, and who, in
14039	gratitude to 'Amr, invited him, with one of the members of the
14040	tribe of Kuraish,
14041	to
14042	visit Alexandria, where
14043	the two Arabs were much
14044	struck by the wealth and
14045	magnificence of the capital of Roman Egypt.
14046	See As-Suyuti, Husn al-Muhddarah,
14047	\. p. 01
14048	;
14049	Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
14050	i. p.
14051	ioa;
14052	Ibn
14053	al-Athir,
14054	iii.
14055	p. w; Abu
14056	'1-Mahasin,
14057	i.
14058	p.
14059	"1
14060	.
14061	The words of Al-Makrizi, quoting from Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam, are
14062	:
14063	».ly>..>
14064	(»^»« u^5 W^
14065	\y^
14066	'-^jj
14067	^^r'
14068	'
14069	i/"?
14070	y^^ ^^^^
14071	,k
14072	J^-^
14073	>^
14074	5^*^ U
14075	3
14076	' "Amr had visited Egypt during the days of ignorance, and knew the roads leading
14077	thither, and had
14078	seen
14079	the
14080	wealth
14081	of
14082	the country
14083	;
14084	and
14085	the
14086	cause
14087	of
14088	his
14089	visit
14090	to Egypt
14091	was
14092	that he
14093	travelled
14094	to Jerusalem
14095	for
14096	purposes
14097	of
14098	trade, with
14099	some
14100	members of the tribe of Kuraish,' &c,
14101	1 2
p. 106
14102	76
14103	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
14104	§
14105	I found
14106	it stated
14107	in the History of the Church that the Muslims
14108	entered Egypt and took possession of
14109	it
14110	in the month
14111	of Ba'unah,
14112	in
14113	the year 321 of the Righteous Martyrs^^.
14114	§ The number of those
14115	that were
14116	slain
14117	in the conquest of Egypt,
14118	without reckoning those that were killed during the
14119	siege, was twelve
14120	thousand three hundred^.
14121	§ The places named after the Arab
14122	tribes, who
14123	laid them out at the
14124	time
14125	of the
14126	conquest
14127	of Egypt
14128	in Muharram
14129	of the year
14130	20
14131	of
14132	the
14133	Hegira,
14134	were
14135	[the
14136	streets
14137	or
14138	quarters named
14139	after^]
14140	Muharrah
14141	ibn
14142	Haidan ibn 'Amr ibn al-Haf ibn Kuda ah
14143	; Tajib Umm 'Adi
14144	; Lakhm
14145	' Our author does not seem to have copied his
14146	authority very accurately here
14147	as regards the date.
14148	The passage
14149	in
14150	the
14151	life of the patriarch Benjamin runs as
14152	follows
14153	:
14154	j»5^1 jj^^
14155	j^* ^kxij
14156	AJ^jy
14157	^j^ ^.ts.
14158	jliJl
14159	^J^\
14160	' The king [i. e. caliph] of the Muslims sent an expedition, under one of his trusted
14161	friends named 'Amr
14162	ibn
14163	al-'Asi, in the year 357
14164	of Diocletian
14165	the
14166	slayer
14167	of the
14168	martyrs; and the army of Islam invaded Egypt in great force on the 12th day of
14169	Ba'unah, [that
14170	is
14171	to say] in
14172	the Roman month
14173	of December.'
14174	(Brit. Mus. MS.
14175	Or. 26,100, p. 105, lines 7-10.)
14176	Cf. Renaudot,
14177	Hi's^. Patr. p. 162.
14178	Ba'unah does not correspond to December, but to May 26-June 24.
14179	It is well known that the
14180	so-called Era of the Martyrs
14181	really begins with
14182	the
14183	accession
14184	of Diocletian,
14185	a. d. 284
14186	(Aug.
14187	29), and was
14188	originally
14189	employed by
14190	heathens as well as Christians.
14191	^ Al-Kindi makes
14192	the number of slain
14193	only 3,500
14194	;
14195	see Al-Makrizi, Khifaf,
14196	i. p.
14197	rlt=
14198	.
14199	^ This passage seems
14200	to
14201	be
14202	somewhat
14203	corrupt.
14204	Perhaps
14205	the
14206	copyist
14207	did
14208	not
14209	understand
14210	it.
14211	It
14212	is
14213	doubtless
14214	borrowed
14215	from
14216	Al-Kindi's
14217	Khitat
14218	Misr.
14219	Al-Makrizi says
14220	j^Jaill ^^^ ^
14221	(i^l^j
14222	(.^^
14223	<•?>=»
14224	xj^.
14225	i>J^'"
14226	J^^=^
14227	(l'^
14228	3)*^
14229	ij^js
14230	Pt^\^
14231	ji ]^—sUjj
p. 107
14232	THE CITY OF FUSTAT MISR.
14233	77
14234	and Judham, the two sons
14235	of 'Adi
14236	ibn Murrah
14237	; Rashidah
14238	ibn Jazilah
14239	ibn Lakhm
14240	; the Banu '1-Maghafir ibn Ya far
14241	; the Banu Wail
14242	; (names
14243	were given
14244	to the Khalij and Al-Kantarah and the Quarter i); Habib
14245	ibn
14246	Mughafifal, who
14247	dwelt
14248	in
14249	the Wadi
14250	Habib^
14251	;
14252	the Karafah ^
14253	;
14254	the
14255	Pol. 22 b
14256	Banu Hajas ibn Yusuf ibn Wa il
14257	; Al-Malik Abu '1-Khair ibn Sharahil
14258	;
14259	^^. l^j ^Ul
14260	\Jiy\
14261	^^.Jll ^
14262	lyl'^j
14263	l£/UU
14264	5;wli
14265	^_ di^3
14266	li^j^ (V^
14267	^j^.
14268	J;*^J
14269	' When 'Amr returned from Alexandria and
14270	settled
14271	at the
14272	place where
14273	his
14274	tent
14275	(fustat) had been pitched,
14276	the
14277	tribes assembled together and
14278	divided
14279	the
14280	place
14281	between them.
14282	Then 'Amr appointed as stewards of the quarters Mu'awiyah ibn
14283	Khadij of the tribe of Tajib, and Sharik ibn Simi of the tribe of Ghatif, and Amr
14284	ibn Kahzam
14285	of the
14286	tribe
14287	of
14288	Khtllan, and
14289	Haiwil
14290	ibn
14291	Nashirah
14292	of the
14293	tribe
14294	of
14295	Maghafir
14296	;
14297	and
14298	it was these men who
14299	appointed
14300	settlements
14301	for
14302	the Arabs and
14303	divided
14304	the
14305	place among
14306	the
14307	tribes;
14308	and
14309	this was
14310	in
14311	the year
14312	21/
14313	{Khitat,
14314	i,
14315	p.
14316	rsv.)
14317	The names of the Arab
14318	tribes here furnished by our author
14319	as those which
14320	laid
14321	out the
14322	different
14323	quarters of Al-Fustat, and gave their names
14324	to them,
14325	are
14326	also found
14327	in Al-Makrizi
14328	{ibid) and Ibn Dukmak,
14329	iv. p.
14330	1
14331	f.,
14332	with
14333	the
14334	addition
14335	of others.
14336	^ This passage seems to be corrupt.
14337	^ Habib was one of the companions of Mahomet, shared in his flight, and took
14338	part in the conquest
14339	of Mecca.
14340	Under the caliph 'Uthman, he
14341	retired into
14342	the
14343	Nitrian valley, which was therefore named
14344	after him.
14345	Wadi Habib
14346	is the most
14347	usual of the names given by the Arabs
14348	to the Nitrian valley (see fol. 20 a), which
14349	they also
14350	called Wadi Natrian, Wadi '1-Muluk, Desert of Askit
14351	{^KiaBis, Scaetis),
14352	Desert of Shihat and Mizan al-Kuliib (Balar^ce of Hearts).
14353	Of the last two names
14354	the former is simply the Coptic Shihit (cyi£,HT"), from which ^KiaBis and Askit
14355	are
14356	derived, and the
14357	latter is an Arabic translation of the two elements of which
14358	the Coptic name appeared to be composed, namely
14359	ajl, 'measure,'
14360	'weigh,' and
14361	P.KT",
14362	'heart.'
14363	See Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
14364	i. p. ui
14365	;
14366	As-Suyuti,
14367	i. p. in
14368	.
14369	^ This is said to be the name of the
14370	tribe which settled on the plot of ground
14371	to
14372	the
14373	north-west of Al-Fustat which
14374	afterwards became
14375	the
14376	great cemetery of
14377	Al-Karafah;
14378	but another account of the origin of the name 'Karafah'
14379	is given on
14380	fol. 42 a.
14381	See Yakut, Geogr. Wort.
14382	iv. p.
14383	i'a
14384	.
p. 108
14385	78
14386	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
14387	Wardan the Roman \
14388	the
14389	friend
14390	of 'Amr
14391	ibn
14392	al-'Asi
14393	;
14394	Shajaah
14395	ibn
14396	Mandaghan ibn Mahk ibn Ka'b ibn al-Harith ibn Ka b.
14397	The market-
14398	place of Barbar^ was named
14399	after Barbar ibn Abi Habib.
14400	The street
14401	of Al-Khadiji was the settlement
14402	of 'Abd ar-Rahman
14403	ibn Mu'awiyah
14404	ibn Khadij ibn Hajar, emir of Egypt ^ in the caliphate of 'Abd Allah ibn
14405	az-Zubair* at Mecca and of Marwan^ in Syria.
14406	§ 'Amr ibn
14407	al-'Asi
14408	ibn 'Adi
14409	is described
14410	as being dark and
14411	short,
14412	with
14413	a
14414	large head and
14415	prominent
14416	brows, wide-mouthed, with
14417	a
14418	long
14419	beard,
14420	broad-shouldered
14421	and
14422	broad-chested^.
14423	He
14424	died
14425	in
14426	the
14427	year
14428	43
14429	; and he was buried
14430	in the Mukattam''
14431	hills,
14432	in the neighbourhood
14433	of the Ravine, on the road towards the Hedjaz.
14434	^ Wardan
14435	is
14436	said
14437	to have been an Armenian,
14438	Under the caliph Mu'awiyah,
14439	he was the director of the
14440	tribute of Egypt
14441	; and he was
14442	killed
14443	at Alexandria in
14444	A. H. 53.
14445	The market-place of Wardan
14446	at Al-Fustat was named
14447	after him.
14448	See
14449	Yakfit, Geogr. Wort.
14450	iii.
14451	p.
14452	1 if
14453	.
14454	^ In Al-Fustat
14455	;
14456	see Yakut, Geogr.
14457	Worl.
14458	iii, p,
14459	1 ir
14460	^ From Sha'ban
14461	a. h. 64=a. d. 684
14462	to Rajab
14463	a. h. 65;
14464	he succeeded
14465	Sa'id
14466	ibn Yazid.
14467	Al-Makrizi calls him 'Abd ar-Rahman ibn 'Utbah ibn Jahdam.
14468	See
14469	Khitat,
14470	i. p. r
14471	.
14472	I
14473	f.
14474	* 'Abd Allah was
14475	the eighth
14476	caliph, but was not recognized in Syria and only
14477	by a party in Egypt.
14478	He reigned 128 days, during the latter part of a. h, 64 and the
14479	earlier part of a, h, 65,
14480	In the month of Jumada '1-Ula, a. h. 65, the Omeyyad
14481	caliph Marwan invaded Egypt, and fought with 'Abd Allah and
14482	his emir 'Abd ar-
14483	Rahman, whom he defeated and slew, so that the Omeyyad dynasty was established
14484	throughout the Mahometan world.
14485	See Al-Makin, Tarikh al-Muslimin, ad ann.
14486	64 and 65; Abu '1-Faraj (ed. Pococke), pp, 194-8; Abu '1-Fida, Annales,
14487	i. p.402flF.;
14488	Al-Makrizi,
14489	i. p. r.i
14490	f
14491	.
14492	;
14493	As-Suyiati, Husn al-Muhddarah,
14494	ii. p.
14495	a.
14496	^ Son of Al-Hakam, and fourth of the Omeyyad caliphs
14497	; reigned from a. h. 64
14498	= A.D. 684 to A.H. 66 = A, D, 686,
14499	See Abu '1-Faraj, p. 197
14500	f.
14501	; Abu '1-Fida, ^?/«a/^j,
14502	i, p. 404 ff.
14503	;
14504	Al-Makin, ad ann. 64-66
14505	; Al-Makrizi,
14506	i. p, r .
14507	1
14508	f, ; As-Suyuti,
14509	ii. p,
14510	a
14511	.
14512	" This description is taken from Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam,
14513	See An-Nawawi, Kitdb
14514	Tahdhib al-Asmd (ed, Wiistenfeld), p, ^ va
14515	ff.
14516	^ The well-known hills to the east of Al-Fustat and Cairo, about which many
14517	legends were told by the Arabs
14518	;
14519	see Al-Makrizi, Khitat^
14520	i. p,
14521	1 rr
14522	.
p. 109
14523	KING AFTUtIs.
14524	79
14525	King Aftiitts.
14526	§
14527	I found
14528	it written
14529	in
14530	the history
14531	of Mahbub^ ibn Kustantin Al-
14532	Manbaji (now the
14533	city
14534	of Manbaj^
14535	is
14536	also
14537	called
14538	the ancient City of
14539	the Priests, and
14540	is on the banks of the
14541	Euphrates), in the first part, that
14542	a king named Aftutis^,
14543	in the time of Isaac son of Abraham, was
14544	the
14545	^ Otherwise called Agapius {^yS\£.\)
14546	;
14547	see Introduction,
14548	^ The Syriac Mabug (<^2))l5o
14549	, see Assemani, Bib. Or.
14550	ii. p. 22
14551	;
14552	cf.
14553	' Mabog,'
14554	Pliny, H. N.
14555	v.
14556	19), and the Greek Hierapolis,
14557	in
14558	northern
14559	Syria,
14560	to
14561	the
14562	east
14563	of Antioch and not far from the right or western bank of the Euphrates.
14564	It
14565	is
14566	now called Menbij or Benbij, and by the Turks Kara Bambuj or Buguk Manbej,
14567	but is
14568	in a ruined
14569	state.
14570	In the time of our author
14571	it was a flourishing city and
14572	renowned
14573	for
14574	its
14575	salubrious
14576	climate (YakQt,
14577	Geogr.
14578	Wort,
14579	ad
14580	voc.)
14581	Eutychius
14582	incorrectly identifies
14583	it with Megiddo [Afuiaks,
14584	i. p. 242).
14585	' The City of the Priests
14586	(^jl^Dl
14587	i:j>*)
14588	is a
14589	translation
14590	of the
14591	Syriac name of the
14592	place,
14593	\.j'oJi
14594	Iio.*Iao
14595	or
14596	)lcJo»o
14597	^.x..*:iO, which the Greeks converted
14598	into
14599	Hierapolis.
14600	This
14601	parenthetical
14602	passage of our author
14603	is based upon the words
14604	of Mahbub, son
14605	of Constantine,
14606	himself:
14607	' At that time
14608	[i. e. the period of Jacob] the queen Semiramis built a great temple
14609	to Kuyus
14610	the
14611	idol
14612	in
14613	a
14614	city on
14615	the bank of the Euphrates
14616	; and she appointed
14617	seventy men priests to KuyCis.
14618	The name of this city was Hierapolis, the interpre-
14619	tation of which
14620	is " City of the
14621	Priests," and
14622	it
14623	is
14624	the
14625	ancient city of Manbaj.'
14626	(Bodleian MS. Hunt 4,178,
14627	fol. 70 a.)
14628	If
14629	it may be conjectured
14630	that Kubbus (u^J^^^)
14631	is the correct reading instead
14632	of Kuyus,
14633	the
14634	statue
14635	referred
14636	to may be
14637	that
14638	of Kombabos, of which we
14639	hear
14640	in the treatise De Dea Syra ascribed to Lucian, that
14641	it stood in the temple of the
14642	great
14643	goddess
14644	in whose honour
14645	the temple of Hierapolis was
14646	actually
14647	erected.
14648	Agapius accepts the tradition mentioned
14649	in the same treatise
14650	that Semiramis was
14651	the founder of the temple.
14652	' This name
14653	appears
14654	as TJtis on
14655	fol. 57 a and b, but
14656	is more often found
14657	in
p. 110
14658	Ho
14659	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
14660	first who discovered books and sciences and astronomy and
14661	arithmetic.
14662	He studied the
14663	latter in the books of the Chaldaeans and people of the
14664	East, and introduced them
14665	into
14666	Egypt, besides magic and
14667	the
14668	art
14669	of
14670	Fol. 23 a
14671	conjuring.
14672	At the same time, Sodom and Gomorrah were
14673	built
14674	; and
14675	Babylon^
14676	also was
14677	built upon
14678	the
14679	river
14680	Nile.
14681	This
14682	king,
14683	mentioned
14684	above, reigned for thirty-two years.
14685	Revenues of Egypt.
14686	§ Under
14687	the
14688	administration of Joseph, son
14689	of Jacob, the land-tax
14690	of Egypt,
14691	after
14692	the country began
14693	to
14694	flourish through
14695	his
14696	enterprise,
14697	reached the sum of twenty-four million six hundred thousand
14698	dinars^.
14699	The Pharaoh of the time
14700	of Moses drew a revenue of ninety
14701	millions
14702	of dinars
14703	;
14704	his name was Al-Walid ibn Mus'ab^;
14705	and he dug, by the
14706	the shortened form Tutis
14707	(^J*.^1^^), the name of a king whom Al-Makrizi calls the
14708	son of Maliya, son of Kharaba;
14709	see Khitat,
14710	i. p. if.
14711	;
14712	As-Suyiiti [Husn al-Miihd-
14713	darah,
14714	i. p.
14715	r i) calls Tutis the son of IMaliya, son of Kalkan, son of Khartaba.
14716	' For a
14717	different account
14718	of
14719	the
14720	foundation
14721	of the
14722	Egyptian
14723	Babylon,
14724	see
14725	fol. 60 b.
14726	The
14727	generally accepted
14728	story of
14729	its origin
14730	is
14731	given by Strabo, Geogr.
14732	xvii. cap. I, § 30, and Diodorus,
14733	i. cap. 56, § 3
14734	;
14735	cf. Josephus, Ant.Jiid.
14736	ii. 15.
14737	The
14738	recently-discovered tablets from Tall al-Amarna show that intimate relations existed
14739	between Egypt and Babylon on
14740	the Euphrates, at
14741	least
14742	1,500 years
14743	before
14744	our
14745	era.
14746	(A. J. B.)
14747	^ Al-Makrizi says 97,000,000 dinars, and adds
14748	that according to the compu-
14749	tation of Ibn Dahyah 90,000,000 Pharaonic dinars were equivalent to 270,000,000
14750	dinars
14751	of
14752	his ow^n
14753	time.
14754	Ash-Sharif al-Harrani
14755	says
14756	that
14757	from
14758	a
14759	Sahidic
14760	list
14761	translated into Arabic he found that the revenues of Egypt
14762	in the time of Joseph
14763	amounted
14764	to
14765	24,400,000
14766	dinars,
14767	thus
14768	nearly
14769	agreeing
14770	with our
14771	author.
14772	The
14773	same figures are given by Al-Hasan
14774	ibn
14775	'Alt al-Asadi.
14776	See Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
14777	i. p. vo.
14778	' This
14779	is the name commonly given by Arab writers to
14780	the Pharaoh of the
14781	time of Moses
14782	;
14783	see Al-Mas'udi,
14784	ii. p. 397 f.; An-Nawawi, Tahdhib al-As?}id, p.
14785	.
14786	.
14787	;
14788	Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
14789	i.
14790	p.
14791	iFr
14792	;
14793	As-Suyiiti, Husn al-Muhddarah,
14794	i. p.
14795	ro
14796	.
14797	Other
14798	names, however, are mentioned by Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam.
p. 111
14799	REVENUES OF EGYPT.
14800	8t
14801	agency of his
14802	officers Karun and Haman^, the canal of Sardus^, which
14803	has more windings than any other.
14804	The Romans derived a revenue of twenty
14805	millions of dinars^ from
14806	Egypt.
14807	The country was placed by Heraclius under the government
14808	of George,
14809	son
14810	of Mennas, the Mukatikis'^, on
14811	condition
14812	of
14813	receiving
14814	^ Haman, the minister of Pharaoh,
14815	is mentioned in the Koran, Sural al-Kt^as,
14816	V. 5 and 7
14817	;
14818	al-Ankabtil,
14819	v. 38; al-Mumin,
14820	v. 25 and 38
14821	; and (Karfln) Koraii
14822	in
14823	al-Ktsas,
14824	v. 76;
14825	al- Ankabilt,
14826	v. 38; and al-Mu^min, v. 25.
14827	Korah
14828	is represented
14829	in
14830	the Koran,
14831	following
14832	the Talmud, as a man of immense wealth, and
14833	insolent
14834	towards his fellow-countrymen.
14835	^ Our author is doubtless borrowing from Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam, who says
14836	that
14837	Haman was commanded by Pharaoh to dig this canal, and that the people of the
14838	villages in whose neighbourhood
14839	it was
14840	to run
14841	offered him money
14842	if he would
14843	allow the canal to be brought close
14844	to them, which could only be
14845	effected by its
14846	making many turnings;
14847	see Al-Makrizi,
14848	Khitat,
14849	i.
14850	p.
14851	v.
14852	f
14853	;
14854	As-Suyuti,
14855	i. p. ro.
14856	Quatrembre
14857	identified
14858	the
14859	so-called
14860	canal
14861	of
14862	Sardus
14863	with
14864	the
14865	ancient
14866	Tanitic
14867	branch of the Nile, now named the Bahr Mu'izz {Mem.
14868	i. 301).
14869	^
14870	It
14871	is
14872	impossible to conjecture on what these
14873	figures
14874	are based.
14875	Very pro-
14876	bably the population was about
14877	eight millions, and there
14878	is nothing improbable
14879	in the statement of Abu Salih, which would give 2\| dinars per head, or £1 5^. od.
14880	of our money.
14881	But
14882	the Roman
14883	revenues were
14884	in
14885	kind
14886	as
14887	well
14888	as
14889	in money.
14890	Herodotus
14891	(iii. 91) makes the revenue from Egypt and
14892	parts adjoining, including
14893	Barca
14894	and
14895	Cyrene, 700
14896	talents
14897	of
14898	silver,
14899	without
14900	counting
14901	the
14902	income
14903	from
14904	the
14905	fishery
14906	of
14907	Lake Moeris, and 700
14908	talents
14909	in coined money.
14910	St. Jerome, on
14911	Daniel xi. 5, says that Ptolemy Philadelphus derived from the countries under
14912	his
14913	sway 14,800 Egyptian talents, besides 7,000,000 bushels of corn.
14914	Towards the
14915	end of the Lagide dynasty, the revenue of Auletes was 6,000 talents, though Cicero
14916	puts
14917	the amount
14918	at
14919	12,500; but even
14920	this would be only about £2,250,000 as
14921	against Abu Salih's £10,000,000.
14922	In the time of Augustus, the amount of corn
14923	sent by Egypt to Rome was nearly 3,000,000 quarters per annum, and
14924	if the value
14925	of this were
14926	included, a near approach would
14927	be made
14928	to Abu
14929	Salih's
14930	figures.
14931	See 'Abd Allah Simaika's Province Romaine d'igypte,
14932	p. 129 seq.
14933	(A.
14934	J. B.)
14935	* The
14936	position,
14937	name,
14938	and
14939	tide
14940	of
14941	this
14942	official,
14943	which
14944	have
14945	so
14946	long
14947	been
14948	a
14949	problem
14950	to
14951	Arabists,
14952	seem
14953	to
14954	have
14955	been
14956	settled
14957	as
14958	far
14959	as
14960	possible
14961	by
14962	Prof De Goeje in his memoir De Mokaukis van Egypie, and by Prof. Karabacek
14963	m
14964	[II. 7.]
p. 112
14965	8a
14966	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
14967	a sum of eighteen
14968	millions of dinars
14969	yearly.
14970	'Amr ibn
14971	al-'Asi
14972	drew,
14973	in the year 20 of the
14974	Hegira, one
14975	million
14976	of dinars
14977	;
14978	but
14979	in the year
14980	22, twelve
14981	millions.
14982	Under the Abbasides, when Egypt was adminis-
14983	tered
14984	by Ahmad
14985	ibn
14986	Tulun,
14987	it
14988	produced
14989	five
14990	millions
14991	;
14992	and, when
14993	administered by Ya'kub
14994	ibn Yusuf,
14995	four millions
14996	;
14997	and
14998	it
14999	finally went
15000	down to three millions^.
15001	§ A survey
15002	of the
15003	provinces
15004	of Egypt, so
15005	far
15006	as
15007	the
15008	Nile waters
15009	them, was made
15010	in the days
15011	of Hisham^ ibn 'Abd al-Malik, and
15012	their
15013	extent found
15014	to be
15015	thirty millions
15016	of
15017	feddans^.
15018	The
15019	annual
15020	revenue
15021	also of Egypt and
15022	its
15023	dependencies, during
15024	the government of Kafur
15025	in his article Der Mokaiikis von Aegypten in
15026	the Mittheilungen aus der Sammlung
15027	der Papyrus Erzherzog Raincr, vol.
15028	i. pp. i-i i .
15029	The latter authority concludes that
15030	the full designation of the Mukaukis was probably Georgios son of Menas (Mennas)
15031	Parkabios, according to
15032	the Coptic custom of double names, thus
15033	explaining the
15034	name
15035	Farkab
15036	(t->5^
15037	for ^f)
15038	given
15039	to
15040	his
15041	father
15042	by
15043	Yakut, Al-Makrizi, and
15044	As-Suyfiti; and
15045	that his office was probably that of Pagarch, which corresponded
15046	to
15047	the more
15048	ancient
15049	office
15050	of
15051	Nomarch,
15052	with,
15053	perhaps,
15054	the
15055	post
15056	of
15057	Strategos
15058	held
15059	in
15060	addition.
15061	Strategos
15062	is
15063	found
15064	in
15065	the
15066	papyri
15067	translated
15068	into Arabic
15069	by
15070	iijxi.!
15071	Jxlc
15072	or
15073	dJjsU
15074	u^o-U, and Pagarchos by
15075	_.yU
15076	J.«lc
15077	or
15078	simply
15079	J-olc;
15080	and
15081	Eutychius
15082	calls
15083	the Mukaukis
15084	^\p.
15085	^Jc
15086	J^lc, while As-Suyuti
15087	says that he was
15088	chief military officer as well
15089	as superintendent of the taxes.
15090	The term Miikmikis
15091	itself
15092	is
15093	believed by Prof Karabacek
15094	to
15095	be
15096	the
15097	Greek
15098	/ueyai';^!^?
15099	(v. Aeschylus,
15100	Persae, 641), an honorary epithet which would be analogous
15101	to fieyaXoTrpeTriaraTos,
15102	evBo^oTaros and evKKeeaTaros, found in papyri of
15103	the time
15104	of the Mahometan
15105	con-
15106	quest and
15107	later
15108	as
15109	applied
15110	to
15111	the Pagarchs.
15112	(A. J. B.)
15113	'
15114	Cf. Al-Makrizi, KhUat,
15115	i- P-
15116	fi^
15117	.
15118	2 The
15119	tenth of the Omeyyad
15120	caliphs;
15121	reigned from
15122	a. h.
15123	io5 = a. d. 724
15124	to
15125	A. H. I25=:A.D. 744.
15126	•' Taking
15127	the
15128	feddan
15129	as
15130	equivalent
15131	to
15132	an
15133	English
15134	acre,
15135	which
15136	it
15137	slightly
15138	exceeds,
15139	it
15140	is
15141	difficult
15142	to understand
15143	this estimate.
15144	' The area of the
15145	cultivable
15146	tract
15147	of Egypt,
15148	which
15149	has
15150	remained
15151	unaltered
15152	since
15153	the
15154	remotest
15155	antiquity,
15156	is about
15157	11,342
15158	square
15159	miles'
15160	(Baedeker).
15161	At
15162	632
15163	acres
15164	to
15165	the square
15166	mile
15167	this
15168	gives
15169	7,168,144
15170	acres or considerably
15171	less
15172	than
15173	one-third
15174	of
15175	our
15176	author's
15177	estimate.
15178	The statistics of revenue in the remainder of this paragraph are credible
15179	enough.
15180	(A. J. B.)
p. 113
15181	NEBUCHADNEZZAR.
15182	83
15183	al-Ustadh
15184	al-Ikhshidi, was added
15185	up, so
15186	far
15187	as
15188	it
15189	could be estimated,
15190	together with
15191	all the expenses, and
15192	it amounted
15193	to three
15194	million two
15195	hundred thousand and more
15196	than
15197	seventy thousand
15198	dinars
15199	;
15200	but
15201	the
15202	expenditure
15203	exceeded
15204	the
15205	revenue by two hundred thousand
15206	dinars.
15207	Fol. 23 b
15208	In the year 162 (a.d. 779), in the caliphate of Al-Mahdi ibn al-Mansur\
15209	the Abbaside, the revenue of Egypt was estimated at one million eight
15210	hundred and twenty-eight thousand five hundred dinars.
15211	Nebuchadnezzar.
15212	§ Nebuchadnezzar^,
15213	the
15214	satrap
15215	of the
15216	east,
15217	invaded
15218	Egypt,
15219	and
15220	ruthlessly
15221	pillaged the country
15222	for booty.
15223	Belteshazzar^ however,
15224	his
15225	son, restored Egypt after
15226	its devastation, which lasted forty years ^
15227	; and
15228	the
15229	first
15230	district which
15231	he
15232	restored
15233	in
15234	the
15235	country was
15236	that
15237	of Al-
15238	Ushmunain^.
15239	^ The third of the Abbaside caliphs;
15240	reigned at Bagdad from
15241	a. h. 158 = a.d.
15242	775 to A. H. i69=:A. D. 786.
15243	^ A very
15244	distinct
15245	tradition
15246	has been
15247	preserved
15248	in Egypt
15249	of
15250	its
15251	invasion by
15252	Nebuchadnezzar,
15253	spoken
15254	of by Jeremiah
15255	(xliii.
15256	16
15257	fF. and
15258	xlvi.
15259	13
15260	ff.) and by
15261	Ezekiel
15262	(xxix.
15263	19).
15264	See
15265	As-Suyuti,
15266	i,
15267	p.
15268	ri
15269	f;
15270	Al-Makrizi,
15271	i.
15272	p.
15273	rAi,
15274	&c.
15275	;
15276	Eutychius,
15277	i. p. 253.
15278	It
15279	is well known
15280	that there exist fragments of a cuneiform
15281	inscription
15282	of the
15283	date
15284	of Nebuchadnezzar, which
15285	contained an account of his
15286	invasion of Egypt;
15287	see Schrader, Keilinschriftliche BibJioihek,
15288	iii. pt.
15289	2, p. 140 f
15290	^
15291	Belshazzar.
15292	Eutychius
15293	writes
15294	the name jJd^_
15295	; At-Tabari
15296	.,a^-:l)
15297	, and Ibn
15298	Khaldun
15299	..ajJij
15300	.
15301	* This number seems to arise from a confusion with the true number of years
15302	in Nebuchadnezzar's
15303	reign,
15304	viz. forty-three years according to Berosus, the Canon
15305	of Ptolemy, and the Babylonian contracts
15306	;
15307	see
15308	Strassmaier, Bahylonische Texte
15309	:
15310	Insckriflen von NabiichodoJiosor.
15311	^ The classical Hermopolis or Mercurii Oppidum, and the Coptic CLJJULOTIt,
15312	on the west bank of the Nile between Munyah and
15313	Manfalftt.
15314	It
15315	is now
15316	in
15317	the
15318	district of Raudah
15319	in
15320	the province of Usyut, and
15321	in 1885 had
15322	2,312 inhabitants
15323	;
15324	but
15325	it has much declined from
15326	its
15327	ancient importance.
15328	See Yakut, Geogr.
15329	Wort.
15330	i. p. TAr;
15331	Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome) [p. 47]; Al-Makrizi,
15332	i.
15333	p.
15334	tpa;
15335	Am^lineau, Geogr.
15336	p. 167
15337	ff.
15338	m 2
p. 114
15339	84
15340	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
15341	The Patriarch Demetrius.
15342	§ The
15343	first who appointed
15344	bishops
15345	for
15346	the land of Egypt and
15347	its
15348	provinces was Demetrius^ the twelfth patriarch.
15349	Restoration of CJiurches of Al-Fustdt.
15350	§ The
15351	history
15352	of
15353	the
15354	church,
15355	in
15356	the
15357	biography
15358	of Anba^ Mark
15359	the
15360	Younger,
15361	the
15362	forty-ninth
15363	patriarch,
15364	testifies
15365	that
15366	the churches
15367	of
15368	^ This statement is borrowed by our author from Eutychius
15369	:
15370	' From the time of Ananias (Annianus), who was appointed patriarch of Alexandria
15371	by Mark the Evangelist, until Demetrius the eleventh patriarch of Alexandria, there
15372	were no
15373	bishops
15374	in
15375	Egypt,
15376	and
15377	the
15378	predecessors
15379	of
15380	the
15381	last-named
15382	patriarch
15383	appointed
15384	none.
15385	But when
15386	Demetrius became
15387	patriarch,
15388	he
15389	appointed
15390	three
15391	bishops, and he was the
15392	first patriarch of Alexandria who made bishops.
15393	When
15394	he died, Heraclius was constituted patriarch of Alexandria after him, and appointed
15395	twenty bishops.'
15396	{Annates,
15397	ii. p. 330.)
15398	The assertion of Eutychius
15399	is contradicted by the patriarchal history of Severus
15400	of Al-Ushmunain, which not only states that St. Mark himself consecrated Annianus
15401	(^_^ij)
15402	Lil) bishop
15403	of Alexandria, and
15404	left him
15405	there
15406	in
15407	that capacity during
15408	his
15409	sojourn in Pentapolis, but also mentions bishops in Egypt, other than the patriarch,
15410	in the lives of Avilius (,_;^Uu>) the third patriarch, of Celadion {,^^\p%) the ninth,
15411	and of Julian ((,^L\|^.) the eleventh
15412	;
15413	see Brit. Mus. MS. Or. 26,100, p. 21, line 18
15414	;
15415	p.
15416	24, line 5;
15417	p.
15418	25, lines 9 and 19.
15419	I use
15420	the word 'patriarch' here
15421	as being
15422	that employed by Severus.
15423	^ Occupied
15424	the
15425	see from
15426	a. d. 799
15427	to 819
15428	(?).
15429	See
15430	Renaudot,
15431	Hist. Pair.
15432	pp. 246-266.
15433	This date of the
15434	restoration of the churches corresponds
15435	closely
15436	enough with my estimate of the date
15437	of,
15438	e.g. the church of Abu
15439	Sirjah
15440	in
15441	the
15442	Roman fortress at Al-Fustat
15443	;
15444	see Coptic Cliurches,
15445	i. p. 181.
15446	(A.
15447	J. B.)
p. 115
15448	RESTORATION OF CHURCHES OF AL-FUSTAT
15449	85
15450	Fustat Misr were
15451	rebuilt, and that their
15452	restoration was commanded,
15453	under
15454	the
15455	superintendence
15456	of
15457	that
15458	patriarch \
15459	after
15460	they
15461	had
15462	been
15463	^ Our author
15464	is
15465	referring to the following passage in
15466	the
15467	life of the patriarch
15468	Mark in Severus' collection
15469	:
15470	>l-^^
15471	1^^^
15472	ci^
15473	(_j«-o^l>
15474	dJ
15475	C>l5
15476	Sa
15477	5l.jl5
15478	^*Ll->.a
15479	S„>Ji&.lj
15480	WtSjj
15481	S-jolj
15482	sAs^ 5J1C
15483	A>^ (JV^
15484	(_5AiC
15485	A^jAaiU
15486	l^iU
15487	IjiSiU
15488	ia-la. ^
15489	l»W
15490	^jU
15491	W^^S
15492	U^lj
15493	Aa-la.
15494	JL^
15495	u-'Jizi'
15496	J5
15497	C^IsnjUs.
15498	J
15499	^jl
15500	JjJ
15501	dliUaLoj d^
15502	^j
15503	s>]>j dUM
15504	Joos.-^
15505	lj;]!
15506	^^J J^_
15507	d;WJl J
15508	jUs
15509	d.! ,J^
15510	«^. LaU
15511	U!
15512	^\ du)^
15513	Jl ^r^b f^b
15514	LT^^^
15515	ij^
15516	J^-
15517	rV'^'
15518	-^J J^
15519	(J'^
15520	'^^'^
15521	1?!^
15522	^jli
15523	(^,^1 ^ (^
15524	w'Lo. A^j
15525	XjV.-^ v 1^1
15526	(>H^ ^^^"
15527	(J^
15528	d!^-*^
15529	J-^
15530	^-^s^. J^l
15531	(->-a ^
15532	»JS
15533	ji
15534	4)1
15535	J-x-S?
15536	dJ ^^U
15537	i^Wi-
15538	(J^JJJ U^
15539	(J-^S
15540	W^^U^q
15541	^J
15542	(.AfilO
15543	ijl
15544	l^^
15545	d:>l^
15546	C^l;
15547	' When they understood the discourse
15548	of the wali, and
15549	his
15550	care
15551	for the
15552	affairs of
15553	the churches, Anba Michael, bishop of Misr, said
15554	: Now
15555	is the time for us to take
15556	measures for the restoration of the churches, since
15557	it
15558	is evident
15559	that the wali bears
15560	an
15561	affection towards the
15562	Christians.
15563	Next
15564	day, therefore, the patriarch returned
15565	to the wall, who saluted him, and showed respect to him, and honoured him, and
15566	raised him from
15567	the ground, and made him
15568	sit beside
15569	him, and discoursed with
15570	him, saying
15571	:
15572	I
15573	told thee yesterday that I would perform whatever thou requirest,
15574	but thou hast asked nothing of me
15575	; now, therefore, mention
15576	to me whatever thou
15577	needest, and
15578	it
15579	shall
15580	be
15581	done
15582	because
15583	of my
15584	love
15585	for
15586	thee.
15587	So
15588	the
15589	patriarch
15590	answered
15591	with
15592	soft
15593	words
15594	:
15595	May
15596	the Lord
15597	preserve
15598	thy
15599	days and
15600	increase thy
15601	dignity and authority
15602	!
15603	Thou knowest that thy servant has not been set as
15604	ruler
15605	over revenues and taxes, but over souls and churches
15606	; and I beseech thy greatness
15607	—for we have
15608	here
15609	churches, some of which have been
15610	destroyed by the un-
15611	righteous one
15612	before
15613	thy coming
15614	to
15615	Egypt,
15616	therefore
15617	the Lord
15618	destroyed
15619	his
15620	houses and cut
15621	off his
15622	life from
15623	the
15624	face of the
15625	earth—but
15626	if
15627	it seems good to
15628	thee to command us to rebuild these churches, so that we may pray in them and
15629	intercede for
15630	thy greatness, the matter
15631	rests with
15632	thee.
15633	Then God quickly put
15634	it into the heart of the wall that he should order the restoration of those churches
15635	;
15636	and all the churches in Fustat Misr were rebuilt.'
15637	(Bib. Nat. Paris MS. Anc. Fonds
15638	Arabe 139,
15639	p. 211,
15640	1. 17-p. 212,
15641	1.
15642	i.)
p. 116
15643	86
15644	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
15645	destroyed
15646	in
15647	the
15648	patriarchate
15649	of Anb^ John\ the
15650	forty-eighth
15651	in
15652	the
15653	succession.
15654	§ The
15655	city
15656	of
15657	Misr,
15658	outside
15659	which
15660	is
15661	Madinat
15662	ash-Shams^,
15663	was
15664	founded by Mizraim, the son of Canaan, the son
15665	of Ham, the son of
15666	Noah, the son of Lamech the
15667	Blind, and
15668	it was
15669	called
15670	after the name
15671	of the king of the Egyptians, Mizraim.
15672	Beyond Egypt
15673	is the
15674	district
15675	between the two rocks, beyond Al-'Arish.
15676	Churches of Al-Fustdt.
15677	The
15678	first
15679	church
15680	built
15681	in
15682	Fustat
15683	Misr was that
15684	which
15685	is beyond
15686	Al-Kantarah^
15687	;
15688	it was
15689	built
15690	in
15691	the
15692	time of Maslamah ibn Mukhallad
15693	al-Ansari*. The name of Misr in Greek is Jibt^; and in Prankish Roman
15694	it
15695	is Babylon
15696	the Fortress.
15697	The church above mentioned was
15698	in
15699	the
15700	^ Occupied
15701	the
15702	see
15703	a. d. 775-799;
15704	see Renaudot, Hist. Patr.
15705	pp.
15706	241-246.
15707	The
15708	destruction
15709	of some of the churches
15710	of Al-Fustat in
15711	his time
15712	is mentioned
15713	in Bib. Nat. MS. Anc. Fonds Arabe 139, p. 207,
15714	1. 20.
15715	^ Or
15716	'Ain
15717	Shams:
15718	the
15719	Coptic
15720	OJIt.
15721	or
15722	neX<it>pH,
15723	the Hebrew On
15724	(p5<)
15725	or Beth Shemesh i^^^f
15726	IT"!
15727	Jer.
15728	xliii.
15729	13),
15730	the
15731	classical
15732	Heliopolis,
15733	a few miles
15734	to the north of modern
15735	Cairo.
15736	The only remaining
15737	vestige
15738	of the famous
15739	city
15740	is the obelisk which stands near the village of Matariyah.
15741	See Al-Makrizi,
15742	i. p. r
15743	1
15744	;
15745	Yakut, Geogr. Wort.
15746	i. p.
15747	1
15748	1
15749	1
15750	; Amdlineau,
15751	Ge'ogr. p. 287.
15752	^
15753	Literally,
15754	' The Bridge
15755	' or 'Arch
15756	:'
15757	a
15758	suburb of Al-Fustat,
15759	also
15760	called Al-
15761	Hamra al-Wusta
15762	(fol. 29 b);
15763	see Al-Makrizi.
15764	* The well-known 'Companion' of the Prophet; he governed Egypt, under
15765	the caliphs Mu'awiyah and Yazid, from
15766	a. h. 47 = a.d. 668
15767	to a. h. 62 = a. d. 682
15768	;
15769	see Al-Makrizi,
15770	Khitat,
15771	i. p. r.i
15772	; As-Suyuti
15773	(ii. p.
15774	v) names this first church.
15775	^ Evidently an apocopated form of k'iyvTvros, and therefore a formation analogous
15776	to Kibt (Copts).
15777	As
15778	the Egyptians
15779	give the hard pronunciation to the
15780	_., they
15781	would sound
15782	the word
15783	Ghibt.
15784	The Greek y becomes
15785	_. in Arabic in
15786	the words
15787	Jii'jt's for Tfapyios, Sirjah for ^epyios, jaghrd/iyd for yecoypacpla, and many others.
15788	"
15789	I. e. the
15790	ttngua
15791	Franca.
15792	Babylon,
15793	as
15794	the name of Fustat, or Fustat and
15795	Cairo
15796	together, was widely employed
15797	in Europe
15798	at
15799	the time of our author and
15800	later;
15801	see
15802	Mandeville's
15803	travels,
15804	edition of London, 1568,
15805	fol.
15806	ciiii verso:
15807	'And
15808	who so wyll go
15809	through
15810	the land
15811	of Babylon wher
15812	the Soudan
15813	dwelleth
15814	.
15815	.
15816	. hee
p. 117
15817	CHURCHES OF AL-FUSTA T,
15818	87
15819	quarter, between
15820	Cairo and
15821	Misr^, running from
15822	the church of
15823	Saint
15824	George, called Al-Hamra.
15825	The church was in the middle of this quarter,
15826	which
15827	is also called Harat ar-Rum-, and was inhabited by Christians and
15828	Abyssinian monks and
15829	others.
15830	When
15831	the quarter was demolished, as
15832	the others also were demolished outside Misr, and the houses which
15833	it
15834	contained were
15835	destroyed, the
15836	bricks and
15837	timber were
15838	carried
15839	off
15840	for
15841	other
15842	buildings
15843	in
15844	Cairo.
15845	A
15846	few
15847	ruined
15848	houses, however,
15849	remained,
15850	Pol. 24 a
15851	and were inhabited by the men of Maimun '^
15852	The church of Saint George, called Al-Hamra, had
15853	fallen
15854	into
15855	ruin
15856	and disorder
15857	; but Al-Mu'allim Sarur Al-Jullal undertook to improve and
15858	renew
15859	it
15860	in the caliphate of Al-Mustansir.
15861	The said Al-Jullal was full
15862	of wealth and honours.
15863	Thus when our lord Al-Mustansir went up to
15864	the manzarah called As-Sukkarah'* for the breaking of the dam of the
15865	shall goe from Gaza
15866	.
15867	.
15868	. and from thence men come
15869	to Babylone and
15870	to Kayre
15871	;
15872	and
15873	in Babylone
15874	is
15875	a
15876	fayre
15877	churche of our lady wher she dwelled vii yere whan
15878	she was
15879	oute of the lande of Jewes, for dreade
15880	of kynge Herode.
15881	And
15882	there
15883	lyeth the body of Saynte Barbare vyrgyn, and
15884	there dwelled Joseph whan he was
15885	solde of his brethrene
15886	.
15887	.
15888	. There dwelleth the Soudan, for there is a faire citie and
15889	stronge castell.'
15890	Mandeville is said to have travelled early in the fourteenth century.
15891	The Romaunce of the
15892	Sowdone of Bahyloyne,
15893	published by
15894	the
15895	Roxburghe
15896	Club in 1854, is well known.
15897	Cf.
15898	' Saladino, Soldano di Babilonia
15899	' in Boccaccio,
15900	Dec, Giorn. x, Nov.
15901	9, &c.
15902	^ Here we have Misr used as synonymous with Al-Fustat or Fustat Misr, and
15903	in
15904	antithesis to Cairo, which was
15905	nevertheless sometimes called
15906	Misr al-Kahirah,
15907	and is now called Masr
15908	;
15909	the remains of Al-Fustat being called Old Masr.
15910	^
15911	' Quarter of the Romans;'
15912	see above,
15913	fol. 6 a.
15914	^ Maimun
15915	al-Kasri was an
15916	officer
15917	in
15918	Saladin's army;
15919	see Ibn
15920	al-Athir,
15921	xii.
15922	pp. ir,
15923	I .T,
15924	I OA
15925	.
15926	^ This was
15927	a pavilion erected by the
15928	caliph Al-'Aziz
15929	(a. d. 975-996), on
15930	the
15931	western bank of the canal of Cairo near the Nile.
15932	It was surrounded by a garden.
15933	It was here that the Fatimide caliphs witnessed
15934	the breaking of the dam
15935	of the
15936	canal at the time of the high Nile, an operation which was conducted then as now
15937	with much ceremony.
15938	See Al-Makrizi's long description of it in Khitat,
15939	i. p. Fv
15940	.
15941	flf.
15942	The pavilion seems
15943	to
15944	have
15945	been destroyed in the twelfth century
15946	{ibid}j.
15947	See
15948	also Ibn Dukmak,
15949	iv.
15950	p.
15951	1 r
15952	.
15953	.
p. 118
15954	88
15955	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
15956	canaP dug by 'Amr ibn al-'Asi, emir of Egypt, in the caliphate of the
15957	Prince
15958	of
15959	the
15960	Faithful, 'Umar
15961	ibn
15962	al-Khattab,
15963	the
15964	Mu'allim
15965	Sarur
15966	al-Jullal
15967	offered
15968	to
15969	the
15970	caliph handsome
15971	gifts,
15972	consisting
15973	of
15974	different
15975	kinds of food and drinks and sweetmeats, and prepared
15976	for him many
15977	kinds of fresh fish and sugar in varied forms; and the caliph accepted
15978	them from him, and gave him a robe of honour, and granted his requests,
15979	and sent him to Al-Kulzum^, which is a fortress built to protect the country
15980	on the side of the Hedjaz
15981	; and the name of the place
15982	is derived from
15983	the weaver's cord, with which a garment
15984	is held fast, and which
15985	is called
15986	kuhiini'^.
15987	Jauhar al-Mu'izzi^ built a bridge^ over that canal, leading to
15988	Fol. 24b
15989	the bank of Al-Maksam.
15990	Here is the watercourse called Al-Majnunah''.
15991	Before this bridge, there was a bridge which was destroyed
15992	; but traces
15993	of
15994	it are
15995	left on the
15996	east
15997	side, and
15998	part of
15999	it on the west
16000	side, below
16001	the
16002	garden, near the road
16003	constructed from
16004	thence
16005	to
16006	Az-Zuhri,
16007	for
16008	carrying provisions to the canal which runs from Cairo to Al-Kulzum, that
16009	they may be taken thence to Mecca and Medina, and also to the region
16010	' The
16011	famous Khalij or
16012	canal of Cairo,
16013	sometimes
16014	called Khalij Amir
16015	al-
16016	Mtimimn,
16017	or
16018	' Canal
16019	of the
16020	Prince
16021	of
16022	the
16023	Faithful,'
16024	after 'Umar, the
16025	first who
16026	assumed
16027	that
16028	title.
16029	It runs from the
16030	Nile
16031	at Al-Fustat northwards
16032	to
16033	Bastah
16034	(Zagazig), whence
16035	it
16036	turned
16037	eastwards
16038	and
16039	terminated
16040	in
16041	the
16042	Red
16043	Sea,
16044	near
16045	Al-JKulzum.
16046	Its original purpose was to furnish Mecca and Medina with provisions
16047	from Egypt.
16048	The
16049	Khalij now only serves
16050	to convey water
16051	to
16052	the
16053	city of Cairo,
16054	and
16055	terminates
16056	at
16057	Matariyah,
16058	near
16059	the
16060	site
16061	of 'Ain Shams
16062	or
16063	Heliopolis.
16064	In
16065	constructing this canal, 'Amr had only to avail himself of and
16066	render navigable
16067	the very ancient Amnis Trajanus.
16068	For an account of the Khalij in ]\Iahometan
16069	times, see Al-Makrizi,
16070	i.
16071	p. v
16072	i
16073	;
16074	Ibn Dukmak,
16075	iv. p.
16076	i r
16077	.
16078	.
16079	^
16080	See above,
16081	fol. 19 b.
16082	^ Intended,
16083	as
16084	Prof. Margoliouth
16085	suggests,
16086	for a
16087	transcription
16088	of
16089	the
16090	Greek
16091	* The general
16092	of the Fatimide caliph
16093	Al-Mu'izz, who conquered Egypt and
16094	founded Cairo in a. d. 969
16095	;
16096	see Introduction.
16097	^ A
16098	complete
16099	list
16100	of
16101	the
16102	bridges
16103	over
16104	the
16105	canal, with
16106	a
16107	plan,
16108	is
16109	given
16110	in
16111	C. Niebuhr's
16112	Voyage
16113	en
16114	Arable, 4to, Amsterdam, 1776, lom.
16115	i.
16116	p.
16117	89.
16118	See
16119	also
16120	Al-Makrizi, Khttat,
16121	ii. p.
16122	1F1
16123	if.
16124	(A. J. B.)
16125	^ Al-Makrizi gives this name to a canal in the Fayyum
16126	;
16127	see E/iita[,\.\).
16128	rf<i.
p. 119
16129	CHURCHES OF AL-FUSTAT.
16130	89
16131	of A1-'AbMsah.
16132	Our lord Al-Mustansir was crowned with the jewelled
16133	turban and the canopy was spread over him, and he was * * * ^ sitting
16134	on the dais of state, and
16135	the
16136	aforesaid Sarur came out to wait upon
16137	him, and the caliph saluted him
16138	; and Sarur wore a garment of Nasdft,
16139	and a turban of Sikillt, bound round the middle with a band of Dabikt,
16140	interwoven with gold
16141	; and he was summoned by name on both occa-
16142	sions, when
16143	he went
16144	up
16145	[to Al-Kulzum], and
16146	when
16147	he
16148	returned
16149	to
16150	Cairo— I mean this Mu'allim Sarur al-Jullal.
16151	§ Sarur was
16152	full of benevolence and virtue and
16153	usefulness
16154	to other
16155	men
16156	:
16157	to each according to his needs.
16158	For himself he provided a tomb,
16159	roofed with a cupola, and consisting of a vault under ground, contiguous
16160	to
16161	the apse^ of the church.
16162	His
16163	son,
16164	Najah,
16165	built
16166	over
16167	it
16168	a
16169	church,
16170	named after Saint John the
16171	Baptist, which was
16172	entirely of solid timber,
16173	decorated with carving.
16174	§ The
16175	church
16176	of John
16177	the
16178	Baptist was
16179	restored
16180	by
16181	the
16182	Shaikh
16183	As-Sa'id Abu
16184	'1-Fakhr, father of An-Najib Abu
16185	'1-Barakat, known as
16186	Ibn Said
16187	; and
16188	it was consecrated in the month of Tt^t^, in the year 897
16189	of
16190	the
16191	Blameless
16192	Martyrs
16193	(a.d. 1180).
16194	The
16195	Shaikh
16196	al-Wajih
16197	Abil
16198	Fol. 25 a
16199	'1-Hasan
16200	ibn al-Amahh, the
16201	scribe, provided
16202	for
16203	the improvement
16204	of
16205	the churches attached to the Great Church, in the year 892 (a.D. 1176)
16206	of the Blameless Martyrs.
16207	§ The building lasted until the time of Shawar as-Sa'di *, vizier in the
16208	caliphate of Al-'Adid, and of [the invasion of] the Ghuzz and the Kurds ^,
16209	who came with Yusuf Salah ad-Din ibn Ayyub, the Kurd, who became
16210	governor of Egypt, and was called, on the dirhems and dinars,
16211	' Partner
16212	^ Erasure in original.
16213	' jli.
16214	is here correctly written
16215	; compare
16216	(jl*. on
16217	fol. 5 a.
16218	^ The Coptic Thoouth (ooJOTo) = Aug. 29-Sept. 27.
16219	*
16220	Vizier from
16221	a. h. 558 = a.d. 1162
16222	to a. h. 564 = a.d. 1168
16223	to
16224	the
16225	last of the
16226	Fatimide caliphs, Al-'Adid.
16227	See Introduction.
16228	As-Sa'idi
16229	is incorrect.
16230	^ Here
16231	the
16232	copyist has
16233	correctly written i\^\^
16234	till
16235	instead of .>]^l jiJl as on
16236	fol.
16237	2 a and elsewhere.
16238	n
16239	[II.
16240	7.]
p. 120
16241	90
16242	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
16243	of the Prince of the Faithful \' upon
16244	the
16245	invasion of the king of the
16246	Franks, on account of the victory gained over them during the year 559^
16247	(a.d.
16248	1 1 64}.
16249	The Ghuzz and the Kurds attacked
16250	this church, with the
16251	mob of Cairo, and
16252	it was burnt with fire ^, and rased to the ground like
16253	the other churches, in the month of Jumada the
16254	First
16255	in the year 559
16256	^ Gold dinars of a. h. 571 have the following inscription
16257	:
16258	ajIc diU
16259	jjffj
16260	sJI
16261	jjcj
16262	bJlff
16263	4]1
16264	^J-9
16265	u^^-i-11 y jSj
16266	»^^
16267	^;^jJl
16268	(Jc
16269	Jiy^lflJ
16270	jil
16271	^^Jj
16272	' In
16273	the name
16274	of God
16275	the compassionate and
16276	merciful.
16277	This dinar was struck
16278	at Cairo in the year 571.
16279	There
16280	is no deity but God
16281	alone; he has no partner.
16282	Abfi Muhammad Al-Mustadi
16283	bi-amri
16284	'llah
16285	is Prince of the
16286	Faithful.
16287	Mahomet
16288	is
16289	the Apostle of God, who
16290	sent him under his guidance with the true religion,
16291	that he might
16292	reveal
16293	it above
16294	all
16295	religion, even
16296	if the
16297	polytheists
16298	are indignant
16299	thereat;
16300	may God
16301	bless
16302	him
16303	and
16304	his
16305	family and
16306	the most
16307	Victorious
16308	Prince
16309	Yiisuf ibn Ayyub.'
16310	(Poole, Brit. Mus. Cat. of Or. Cohis,
16311	iv. p. 63.)
16312	Silver dirhems of Damascus, a. h. 573, have the following superscription:
16313	'Al-Imam Al-Mustadi bi-amri
16314	'llah. Prince of the
16315	Faithful.
16316	There
16317	is no
16318	deity
16319	but God
16320	alone.
16321	Mahomet
16322	is
16323	the
16324	Apostle
16325	of God.
16326	Al-Malik
16327	an-Nasir
16328	Salah
16329	ad-Dunya wad-Din Yfisuf ibn Ayyfib, &c.'
16330	[Ibid.)
16331	From these inscriptions it does not appear that Saladin (Al-Malik an-Nasir, &c.)
16332	was actually called
16333	' Partner' of the caliph al-Mustadi, Prince of the Faithful, upon
16334	the coins
16335	;
16336	but that he was named upon them as
16337	if he were his partner.
16338	The dirhem was a silver coin about forty-five grains in weight.
16339	^ Amaury, king of Jerusalem, invaded Egypt in
16340	a. h. 559,
16341	but
16342	his
16343	final and
16344	ignominious retreat on the approach of Saladin was not
16345	till a. h. 564.
16346	' The burning of Al-Fustat by order of Shawar
16347	is several times mentioned
16348	in
16349	this work
16350	:
16351	see
16352	Introduction.
p. 121
16353	CHURCHES OF AL-FUSTAT.
16354	91
16355	(a.d.
16356	1 1 64).
16357	Afterwards
16358	it was
16359	restored,
16360	in
16361	the
16362	year
16363	560, and
16364	the
16365	excellent
16366	Shaikh
16367	Abu
16368	'1-Fakhr
16369	undertook
16370	its
16371	rebuilding.
16372	He
16373	had
16374	been
16375	scribe
16376	for religious matters
16377	in the caliphate of Al-Hafiz
16378	; and he
16379	was
16380	assisted
16381	in
16382	this
16383	act of restoration by
16384	the
16385	distinguished
16386	Shaikh,
16387	Abu Hasan ibn al-Amahh,
16388	in the year 892 of the Righteous Martyrs
16389	(a.d. 1176).
16390	After
16391	this,
16392	all the churches that had been wrecked were
16393	restored by the following shaikhs and chief men
16394	:
16395	the Shaikh As-Sa id
16396	Shadid
16397	al-Mulk
16398	ibn
16399	al-Fakhr ibn Busaiwah, and Abu
16400	'1-Barakat
16401	his
16402	son,
16403	and
16404	Al-As'ad Abu
16405	l-Khair
16406	Jirjah
16407	ibn Wahab, known
16408	as
16409	Ibn
16410	Fol. 25 b
16411	al-Mikat.
16412	The
16413	restored
16414	churches
16415	were
16416	consecrated,
16417	by
16418	the
16419	help
16420	of God
16421	; and
16422	prayers and
16423	liturgies have been
16424	offered
16425	in them up
16426	to
16427	this day.
16428	§ When the
16429	restoration took
16430	place, and when
16431	this
16432	great church
16433	I mean Al-Hamra—was put
16434	into order, then the envious and the con-
16435	tentious were indignant because
16436	it had been erected anew
16437	;
16438	and they
16439	incited the common people to assist them, and they pillaged the church,
16440	and
16441	it was destroyed
16442	a second
16443	time.
16444	Afterwards
16445	the property of the
16446	church that had been
16447	scattered was
16448	restored, and a fresh
16449	consecration
16450	took
16451	place, and the liturgy and prayers were offered according to the
16452	customary practice.
16453	§ The tomb
16454	of Al-Mu'allim Sarur
16455	al-Jullal, which has
16456	been men-
16457	tioned
16458	before,
16459	remains
16460	in
16461	this
16462	church
16463	to the
16464	present dayK
16465	In
16466	this
16467	church there
16468	is also a tank, and a well of running water.
16469	§ The aforesaid Al-As'ad Abu 'l-Khair ibn al-Mikat was sent for by
16470	Shawar the vizier, who was indignant with him without just cause
16471	; and
16472	began to subject him to tortures.
16473	So he died a martyr.
16474	His body was
16475	carried to this church and buried here.
16476	May the Lord grant rest to his
16477	pure soul
16478	!
16479	He was
16480	laid
16481	in the northern
16482	porch.
16483	Outside this church
16484	and near
16485	it there is a Christian burying-ground.
16486	§ Near the above-mentioned church of John the Baptist, there was
16487	'
16488	I am
16489	quite unable
16490	to
16491	identify
16492	this
16493	church, and indeed doubt
16494	its
16495	existence
16496	at the present time.
16497	The Epiphany tank and the well of fresh water are common
16498	features in the churches of Egypt
16499	;
16500	see Coptic Churches,
16501	i. p. 22.
16502	{A. J. B.)
16503	11 2
p. 122
16504	92
16505	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
16506	a kitchen^, which was pulled down by the Shaikh As-Sa'id Abu '1-Fakhr
16507	Sa id ibn Busaiwah, who rebuilt
16508	it as a church dedicated
16509	to Our Lady
16510	the Pure Virgin.
16511	When
16512	it was completed,
16513	it was consecrated by the
16514	Fol. 26 a
16515	father and
16516	bishop, Anba
16517	Gabriel, bishop of Misr,
16518	in
16519	the
16520	presence
16521	of
16522	Anba Peter, bishop of the Fayyum, on the fourth Sunday of the Holy
16523	Fast, being the
16524	fifth
16525	of Barmahat^
16526	in the year 903 of the Righteous
16527	Martyrs, which
16528	is equivalent to the 19th of Dhu '1-hijjah, in the year 582
16529	(a.d. 11S7).
16530	From the
16531	roof of this church a view
16532	is obtained
16533	of the
16534	Pool of Karun^.
16535	The view from
16536	this church
16537	is agreeable, on account
16538	of the gardens and
16539	pleasure-grounds
16540	and handsome buildings which
16541	surround
16542	it.
16543	It
16544	is spacious and pleasant during both the high Nile and
16545	the seed time, and there are many people
16546	in the gardens and
16547	pavilions
16548	which surround
16549	it.
16550	Among those who at any time have attacked this church there was
16551	a body of blacks, called the Juyushiyah^, who grew insolent and violent,
16552	and whose hands were stretched out
16553	until they stopped the roads and
16554	seized the money of travellers, or shed their blood.
16555	When the Ghuzz
16556	and the Kurds obtained possession of Egypt, in Rabi' the Second of the
16557	year
16558	A. H. 564
16559	(a.d. 1169),
16560	a body of Armenian
16561	Christians overcame
16562	the blacks, and drove them away and
16563	killed many of them
16564	; and
16565	the
16566	quarter which they inhabited was left deserted
16567	:
16568	it was in the neighbour-
16569	hood
16570	of Al-Hamra,
16571	as
16572	it
16573	has
16574	already
16575	been
16576	said.
16577	The
16578	quarter was
16579	bought by Hatalba the Ghuzzi, wali of Cairo, from the Divan
16580	; and he
16581	ploughed
16582	it, and made wells and waterwheels, and laid
16583	it out in gardens,
16584	and sowed seeds of many plants, and was the
16585	first to make the ground
16586	Fol. 26 b
16587	green with vegetation. The entrance to the church was altered, since there
16588	was no door in this street, but it was at the side, in the road mentioned.
16589	*
16590	Probably one
16591	of
16592	the
16593	sugar
16594	manufactories,
16595	of which
16596	there were many
16597	in
16598	AI-Fustat and Cairo at this time.
16599	^ The Coptic Pharmouthi (cJ)ApJULO'VOl) = March 27-Apri! 25.
16600	"' This was
16601	one
16602	of the
16603	pools
16604	between
16605	Al-Fustat and
16606	Cairo, and
16607	its banks
16608	were
16609	thickly peopled when
16610	AI-'Askar and Al-Katai' were
16611	flourishing, but were
16612	desolated when Cairo superseded these suburbs.
16613	See Al-Makrizi,
16614	ii. p. m
16615	.
16616	* This was one of the troops of which the army was composed
16617	;
16618	see
16619	fol. 54 a.
p. 123
16620	POPULATION OF EGYPT.
16621	93
16622	Population of Egypt.
16623	§ The book of Fadd'il Misr ^ relates that Al-Wahd ibn Zuwa ah was
16624	set over the taxes of Egypt, in
16625	the caHphate of Hisham ibn 'Abd
16626	al-
16627	Mahk
16628	al-Aliwal, and went
16629	to number the population, and stayed six
16630	months
16631	in
16632	Upper
16633	Egypt, and
16634	in
16635	Lower
16636	Egypt
16637	three
16638	months.
16639	He
16640	counted more than ten thousand
16641	villages
16642	;
16643	and
16644	in
16645	the smallest of the
16646	villages there were five hundred male Copts
16647	; and the
16648	total number of
16649	the Copts was five millions of souls.
16650	The Nile.
16651	§ The learned are
16652	all agreed that there
16653	is not
16654	in the world a
16655	river
16656	of greater length than the
16657	Nile^.
16658	For
16659	its course through the land
16660	of
16661	the Muslims amounts
16662	to more than a month's journey
16663	; and
16664	its course
16665	through Nubia
16666	to
16667	two
16668	months' journey;
16669	and
16670	for a journey
16671	of
16672	four
16673	months
16674	it flows through uninhabited deserts, until the source
16675	is reached
16676	in the Mountains of the Moon, to the south of the Equator 2.
16677	There
16678	1 By Al-Kindi.
16679	^ This account of the course of the
16680	Nile
16681	is quoted
16682	in almost the same words
16683	by Yakfit, Geogr. Wort.
16684	iv. p. Air
16685	.
16686	^
16687	See also
16688	fol. 10 1
16689	a..
16690	This statement
16691	is borrowed by the Arab geographers
16692	and
16693	historians from
16694	the Geography of Claudius Ptolemy, which was
16695	translated
16696	into Arabic in the reign of the caliph Al-Ma'mun, a.h. iqS^a.d. 813 to a.h. 218
16697	= A.D. 833, although
16698	this translation has long been
16699	lost;
16700	see Haji Khalfah, ed.
16701	Fiuegel,
16702	i. pp. 602-3.
16703	Ptolemy
16704	says
16705	{Geogr. bk.
16706	iv.
16707	c. viii)
16708	that
16709	to
16710	the
16711	west of
16712	the Anthropophagous Aethiopians
16713	lie
16714	the
16715	^fountains
16716	of
16717	the Moon, from which
16718	the melted snows
16719	flow into the
16720	lakes which form
16721	the
16722	sources of the
16723	Nile, and
16724	these mountains extend from long. 57°,
16725	lat. 12° S. to long. 67°,
16726	lat. 12° S.
16727	{to
16728	T^y
16729	SeXTjfj;?
16730	opo% a(^
16731	ov
16732	inobe^^ovTai
16733	ras
16734	x'-°^^S
16735	"'
16736	''ov
16737	Net'Xov
16738	Xifivai
16739	Koi
16740	eW;^et
16741	fioipas
16742	TO.
16743	TTipara
16744	tov
16745	rfji
16746	2{\rjvt]s
16747	opovs
16748	vC
16749	v6t.
16750	t/S
16751	k
16752	Kai ^^
16753	vor.
16754	i[3
16755	t'.)
16756	Ibn al-Fakih al-Hamadani says
16757	in the Kitdb al-Bulddn, which he wrote about
16758	A.H. 290=A.D. 903,
16759	that
16760	the
16761	Nile comes from two
16762	lakes
16763	beyond
16764	the
16765	equator,
16766	called Buhairatd 'n-Nil (ed. De Goeje,
16767	p.
16768	if).
16769	Al-Mukaddasi says that according to Al-Jihani the Nile rises in the Mountains
p. 124
16770	94
16771	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
16772	is no
16773	other
16774	river,
16775	again, which
16776	runs from south
16777	to
16778	norths except
16779	the
16780	Nile
16781	; and there
16782	is no river which flows both into the sea of the Romans
16783	and
16784	the
16785	sea
16786	of
16787	the
16788	Chinese^, except
16789	the
16790	Nile
16791	of Egypt.
16792	There
16793	is
16794	no
16795	other
16796	river,
16797	too, which
16798	rises when
16799	the
16800	heat
16801	begins,
16802	at
16803	the
16804	time
16805	when other
16806	rivers
16807	fall, and some
16808	rivers and
16809	springs are
16810	entirely dried
16811	up
16812	; and as the heat
16813	increases so the height of the
16814	Nile increases
16815	; and
16816	Fol. 27 a
16817	there
16818	is no other
16819	river which
16820	rises and falls regularly except the Nile
16821	;
16822	nor does any river
16823	in the world produce such a revenue as that which
16824	comes from the overflow of the Nile.
16825	Churches of Al-Ftistdt [contimied).
16826	§
16827	In the aforesaid quarter ^ there is a church dedicated to the Angel
16828	Gabriel, which was
16829	restored by
16830	Su'luk
16831	al-Jull^l.
16832	Above
16833	it
16834	there
16835	is
16836	a church named
16837	after
16838	the
16839	Nativity
16840	of our Lord Jesus
16841	Christ
16842	in
16843	the
16844	Flesh.
16845	The cupola over the sanctuary of the church
16846	is very lofty, and
16847	is
16848	conspicuous from
16849	a
16850	distance
16851	;
16852	it was
16853	erected by the
16854	brother 'Abd
16855	al-Masih.
16856	The Ghuzz and
16857	the people of Cairo
16858	pillaged
16859	it, and broke
16860	the
16861	pillars of the apostles ^ and part of the roof was burnt.
16862	In conse-
16863	of the Moon, and flows
16864	first through two lakes beyond the equator (ed. De Goeje,
16865	p.
16866	>!.).
16867	'Abd al-Latif says
16868	that the sources of the
16869	Nile are springs which
16870	rise
16871	in the
16872	Mountains of the Moon, eleven degrees beyond the equator (ed. White, p. 4); and
16873	Al-Idrisi says sixteen degrees (ed. Rome, p.
16874	19).
16875	(A. J.B.)
16876	^ The Red Sea was looked upon
16877	as a branch of the Indian Ocean or China
16878	Sea
16879	;
16880	cf.
16881	fol. 19 b.
16882	The Mardsid al-luild' says
16883	:
16884	' The Sea of Al-Kulzum
16885	is a branch
16886	of the
16887	Indian
16888	Sea.'
16889	Our author means, of course, that the Nile was connected with the Red Sea
16890	by means of the canal of Cairo {Khalij Amir'al-J\Iu'mi'ntn).
16891	(A. J. B.)
16892	^
16893	I.e. Al-Hamra.
16894	^ The expression Al-Busluldi {\^'h^\) undoubtedly denotes the main columns
16895	of
16896	the
16897	nave,
16898	frescoed
16899	or
16900	painted
16901	with
16902	the
16903	figures
16904	of
16905	apostles.
16906	I may quote
16907	a surviving
16908	example from
16909	the church of Abu
16910	Sirjah
16911	in
16912	the Roman
16913	fortress of
p. 125
16914	CHURCHES OF AL-FUSTAT.
16915	95
16916	quence of this,
16917	the restoration
16918	of the
16919	church was undertaken by the
16920	Shaikh Ath-Thikah
16921	Gabriel,
16922	the
16923	scribe,
16924	in the caliphate of Al-'Adid
16925	;
16926	and
16927	it was
16928	consecrated
16929	afresh, and
16930	the
16931	liturgy was
16932	celebrated
16933	in
16934	it.
16935	Now
16936	at
16937	this
16938	church
16939	there
16940	was
16941	a
16942	lotus-tree^
16943	of large
16944	size and
16945	well
16946	proportioned, which grew as high
16947	as the roof of the church
16948	;
16949	this tree
16950	was cut down and
16951	sold
16952	for a considerable
16953	price, and the money was
16954	spent upon the rebuilding of the fabric.
16955	Besides
16956	this, there
16957	is a fourth church,
16958	large, and contiguous to the
16959	others
16960	; surrounded by a wall of sun-dried bricks
16961	; with a separate door
16962	leading into
16963	it.
16964	It
16965	is among gardens and pleasure-grounds, and com-
16966	mands a view of the canal.
16967	When Misr was
16968	burnt,
16969	in the month
16970	of
16971	Safar, in the year ^64, this church was pillaged and
16972	part of the walls
16973	was thrown down, and
16974	not a single
16975	Christian was found
16976	at
16977	the
16978	time
16979	to undertake
16980	its
16981	restoration
16982	;
16983	so
16984	that
16985	it
16986	has remained
16987	to
16988	this day
16989	in
16990	Fol. 27 b
16991	suspense between hope of revival and the prospect of utter
16992	ruin.
16993	The
16994	wall of the aforesaid fourth church was destroyed and
16995	levelled with the
16996	ground
16997	;
16998	and
16999	the church was profaned through the
17000	destruction
17001	of
17002	its
17003	wall, and became contiguous to the road, and was united with a pavilion
17004	in
17005	the
17006	garden, known
17007	as Duivairah
17008	Sandal'^.
17009	Part
17010	of the roof also
17011	disappeared, namely
17012	the
17013	timber above
17014	the
17015	sanctuary
17016	;
17017	therefore
17018	the
17019	Shaikh Al-Jullal Ibrahim undertook to restore
17020	it, with the help of some
17021	Babylon
17022	:
17023	' On each of these eleven ancient
17024	pillars
17025	is painted
17026	the
17027	life-size figure
17028	of a saint or apostle, now so begrimed and obscured
17029	that in the doubtful
17030	light all
17031	may easily escape notice, and
17032	it requires close
17033	attention
17034	to make them out when
17035	discovered.'
17036	Coptic Churches,
17037	i. pp. 187-8.
17038	(A.
17039	J. B.)
17040	^ 'Abd al-Latif says
17041	:
17042	' The lotus-tree is plentiful in Egypt, and
17043	its fruit
17044	is
17045	the Nahk, and
17046	is very sweet
17047	(ed. White, p. 58).
17048	Al-Makrizi mentions the
17049	lotus-tree among the principal
17050	objects of cultivation
17051	in Egypt ;
17052	see Khitat,
17053	i. p.
17054	1
17055	. r
17056	.
17057	(A.
17058	J. B.)
17059	^ This may be a proper name, or the correct
17060	translation may be
17061	' Pavilion
17062	of
17063	Sandal-wood.'
p. 126
17064	96
17065	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
17066	of the chief men.
17067	They put part of the church
17068	into order
17069	; and the
17070	liturgy was
17071	celebrated
17072	in
17073	it on
17074	one
17075	occasion.
17076	Part
17077	of
17078	it,
17079	however,
17080	remained neglected, but
17081	it continued
17082	to be visited twice or three times
17083	in the year.
17084	The partial restoration was carried out with much care and
17085	labour on the part of the tenants of the neighbouring garden
17086	; and
17087	it was
17088	completed on the 26th of Ba'unah^.
17089	It was arranged so that
17090	it no longer
17091	remained
17092	possible
17093	for men
17094	and women
17095	to
17096	enter the church from the
17097	garden,
17098	as they had been
17099	able
17100	to do on account of the union of the
17101	ground, which had formerly been within the enclosure
17102	of the church,
17103	with
17104	the
17105	garden.
17106	In
17107	the year 903
17108	of the
17109	Martyrs
17110	(
17111	.
17112	.
17113	.
17114	.
17115	910) the
17116	church
17117	was
17118	improved
17119	by
17120	the
17121	Shaikh Abu
17122	Sa'id
17123	ibn Andunah,
17124	the
17125	financial secretary of the Divan and chief notary, who rebuilt that which
17126	had been thrown down, and completed the dome, and whitewashed
17127	it.
17128	The consecration was performed by Anba
17129	Gabriel, bishop
17130	of Misr, in
17131	the presence of a body of bishops,
17132	priests, and
17133	deacons, of the
17134	chief
17135	men and of the orthodox
17136	laity of Misr and
17137	Cairo.
17138	The
17139	liturgy was
17140	established
17141	in the church
17142	for every festival and every Sunday and the
17143	night ^ of Sunday.
17144	The aforesaid Shaikh Abu
17145	Sa'id was present at
17146	all
17147	times
17148	in this church with a body of priests and deacons of the sons of
17149	the
17150	chief men
17151	;
17152	at
17153	all
17154	the
17155	festivals, and
17156	at
17157	the
17158	night and day
17159	services
17160	of Sunday.
17161	He also bought the courtyard
17162	in front of the church, and
17163	opened a road to
17164	it from the canal.
17165	Now the church
17166	returned to
17167	its
17168	proper condition
17169	;
17170	and a body
17171	of monks took up
17172	their abode
17173	there.
17174	The shaikh provided for the church and for them.
17175	Now a congregation
17176	of priests and
17177	deacons and
17178	Christian
17179	laity
17180	again
17181	began
17182	to
17183	visit the
17184	church
17185	every
17186	Sunday.
17187	All
17188	this
17189	took
17190	place
17191	in
17192	the
17193	patriarchate
17194	of
17195	Anba John^, the seventy-fourth
17196	in the order of succession.
17197	In the same street there
17198	is
17199	also a church of the
17200	Melkites.
17201	There
17202	were five churches
17203	in
17204	this street, from one of which a procession
17205	issues
17206	1 The Coptic Paoni (n<L(JU)rtl)=May 26-June
17207	24.
17208	^
17209	I.e. the vigil
17210	services of Saturday night:
17211	the
17212	nawvxi.hei or
17213	SwwKrfpeiio-etr
17214	of
17215	the early church (see e.g. Eusebius, H. E.
17216	ii. 17
17217	;
17218	vi.
17219	9).
17220	^ Occupied the see from a.d. i 189-1216
17221	;
17222	see Renaudot, Hist.Patr. pp. 554-67.
p. 127
17223	AHMAD IBN TULUN.
17224	97
17225	on Palm Sunday, and goes up
17226	to Cairo.
17227	The Ghuzz and Kurds took
17228	possession
17229	of four of the churches
17230	[of the
17231	Melkites], robbed them
17232	of
17233	their timber, and threw down
17234	their walls, so that they were
17235	level with
17236	the
17237	ground,
17238	on
17239	account
17240	of
17241	the weakness and
17242	small numbers
17243	of the
17244	Melkites
17245	;
17246	but
17247	one
17248	church
17249	of
17250	theirs
17251	remained,
17252	near
17253	the
17254	church
17255	of
17256	Saint George of the Copts
17257	in
17258	this
17259	quarter^.
17260	Ahmad ibn
17261	Ttihhi,
17262	The
17263	biography
17264	of Al-Mu'tamid^
17265	the
17266	fifteenth
17267	of
17268	the
17269	Abbaside
17270	Pol. 28 b
17271	caliphs,
17272	relates that the number of the persons
17273	killed by Ahmad
17274	ibn
17275	Tulun^ or by his troops was two thousand.
17276	Sayings of Mahoinet with j^egard
17277	to
17278	the
17279	Copts.
17280	§ The Book of Fadail Misr'^ states, among its narratives, that the
17281	Copts of Egypt are related by affinity to Abraham, the Friend of God^,
17282	and to Joseph the Truthful ''; and the chain of this tradition starts from
17283	^ Al-Hamra.
17284	^ Reigned from a.h. 256 to 279 = a. d. 869-892.
17285	' Wall of Egypt from a.h.
17286	2 54= a. d. 868 to a.h. 2 7o= a. d. 884, and builder
17287	of the famous mosque,
17288	still in existence, which bears his name.
17289	See Introduction.
17290	* By Al-Kindi;
17291	see
17292	fol. 26 b, &c.
17293	^ Through Hagar.
17294	The Arabs preserved the
17295	tradition of their descent from
17296	Ishmael,
17297	and
17298	prided
17299	themselves upon
17300	it;
17301	see
17302	Ibn
17303	Hisham,
17304	Strah
17305	Sayyidind
17306	Muhammad^
17307	ed. Wiistenfeld,
17308	i.
17309	p. f
17310	f., where the author
17311	quotes
17312	Ibn
17313	Ishak, who
17314	died A.H. i5i = A.D. 768.
17315	Cf. Abu '1-Maliasin,
17316	i. p.
17317	r-r
17318	.
17319	® Through Asenath, daughter of Potipherah, priest of On.
17320	As-Suyutt says
17321	:
17322	Jj-ki.a
17323	(j*«»w
17324	^e-
17325	(_>a.Lj
17326	OJ^.
17327	f7 5jj
17328	•
17329	•
17330	•
17331	•—''**^?.3
17332	_;=^^*
17333	L^i"*^
17334	•
17335	•
17336	^-^fey.'
17337	iJJ*.^
17338	^UAijIl
17339	dJ.U
17340	l^yjJ
17341	.
17342	.
17343	.
17344	4ii
17345	' Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam says
17346	:
17347	'Umar ibn Salih informed us that he had learnt from
17348	Marwani
17349	al-Kassas
17350	that
17351	three
17352	of the
17353	prophets were
17354	connected
17355	with
17356	the Copts
17357	by affinity
17358	;
17359	for Abraham had Hagar as
17360	his concubine
17361	; and Joseph married the
17362	daughter
17363	of the
17364	chief
17365	[priest]
17366	of 'Ain Shams
17367	[i. e. On
17368	or
17369	Heliopolis]
17370	; and
17371	the
17372	Apostle of God had Mary as his concubine.'
17373	[Hi/sn al-MuhdJarnh,
17374	i. p.
17375	v.)
17376	O
17377	[IT.
17378	7.]
p. 128
17379	98
17380	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
17381	the companions of Mahomet.
17382	Ashhab ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz ^ said
17383	:
17384	' When
17385	you
17386	conquer Egypt
17387	take
17388	charge
17389	[of
17390	the
17391	inhabitants],
17392	for
17393	truly they
17394	may claim your protection, and kinship with you
17395	!
17396	'
17397	Isma'il- ibn 'Abbas
17398	said, quoting
17399	from Ashhab
17400	:
17401	' Take
17402	charge
17403	of the Copts
17404	of
17405	Egypt,
17406	for you
17407	will
17408	find among them
17409	useful
17410	auxiliaries
17411	against your enemy.'
17412	Abu Salimah
17413	-^
17414	said
17415	:
17416	' Mahomet
17417	at
17418	his death
17419	said,
17420	" I
17421	charge you
17422	to
17423	drive away the Jews from
17424	the Arabian peninsula*."
17425	Then he added
17426	:
17427	^ Ashhab
17428	ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz
17429	is the
17430	authority quoted by Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam in
17431	his Futuh Misr,
17432	from
17433	which
17434	our
17435	author
17436	borrows
17437	the
17438	whole
17439	of
17440	this
17441	passage.
17442	Ashhab
17443	is
17444	said
17445	to have
17446	derived
17447	the tradition from MaHk ibn Anas, who quoted
17448	Ibn Shahab, who quoted 'Abd ar-Rahman ibn Ka'b, who quoted his
17449	father, who
17450	heard the words of the 'Apostle of God.'
17451	See As-Su}uti, Husn al-Muhddarah,
17452	i.
17453	p.
17454	0.
17455	Cf. Ibn Hisham, Sirah Muhammad,
17456	i. p. o, and Abii '1-Mahasin,
17457	i. p.
17458	ro.
17459	^
17460	As-SuyQti's words are
17461	:
17462	1^^
17463	JoJiio
17464	\yoy.u
17465	Jla
17466	.
17467	.
17468	.
17469	^1
17470	Jj-^
17471	^1 ^L.i ^ X^
17472	i^s
17473	Xil
17474	J.*C ^\ ^>lj
17475	' Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam quotes from Muslim ibn Yusar to the effect that the Apostle
17476	of God
17477	said
17478	:
17479	Take
17480	charge
17481	of
17482	the
17483	- Copts,
17484	for you
17485	will
17486	find
17487	them
17488	excellent
17489	auxiliaries in fighting your enemy.'
17490	{Husn al-Muhddarah,
17491	i. p.
17492	^ .)
17493	^ This is a mistake of the author or
17494	his copyist for Umm
17495	Salimah, the name
17496	of one of Mahomet's wives.
17497	As-Suyuti says:
17498	J_j-jp ^
17499	aU-*
17500	j»1 ^ ^^ J.:^
17501	isj^ll
17502	Jj^.i ^
17503	*^jtj
17504	j3l_5 jS^\ ^
17505	^J\;^^\ rA^
17506	ij* Si
17507	^jj'>y^^
17508	^As. ^jj^oZm
17509	JKiU y.£Lt, \^
17510	^i
17511	4Ul
17512	<iOJl
17513	JUi
17514	a-i'lij
17515	Jjc ^j\
17516	.
17517	.
17518	.
17519	di]\
17520	' At-Tabarani in Al-Kahir and Abu Na'im in Dald'il an-Nahfah quote, according
17521	to a genuine chain of tradition, from Umm Salimah to the effect
17522	that the Apostle
17523	of God
17524	.
17525	.
17526	.
17527	, at
17528	the time of his death, charged them,
17529	saying
17530	: God
17531	! God
17532	is with
17533	the Copts of Egypt
17534	;
17535	for you shall conquer them, and they shall be
17536	for you an
17537	increase
17538	of numbers and
17539	a body
17540	of
17541	auxiliaries
17542	in
17543	the
17544	path of God.'
17545	{Husn
17546	al-Muhddarah,
17547	i. p.
17548	i
17549	.)
17550	* This command of the Arabian prophet
17551	is handed down among the 'genuine'
17552	traditions
17553	collected by Al-Bukhari
17554	;
17555	see
17556	his Kildb
17557	al-Jdmi'
17558	as-SaJnh^
17559	ed.
17560	Krehl,
17561	pt.
17562	i. p. riF, under the
17563	title
17564	:
p. 129
17565	SAVINGS OF MAHOMET WITH REGARD TO THE COPTS.
17566	99
17567	" God
17568	!
17569	God commits
17570	the Copts
17571	of Egypt
17572	to your charge
17573	;
17574	for
17575	you
17576	shall rule over them, and they shall be to you an
17577	increase of numbers,
17578	and a body of auxiliaries
17579	in
17580	the path of God."
17581	He said also^
17582	: "Take
17583	charge
17584	of the men with
17585	curling
17586	hair,
17587	the
17588	Copts
17589	of
17590	Egypt,
17591	for
17592	truly
17593	they are your
17594	uncles and kinsmen, and your auxiliaries against your
17595	enemy, and your helpers in your religion."
17596	Then some one said to him
17597	:
17598	"But how shall they help us
17599	in
17600	our religion?"
17601	To which he replied:
17602	" They shall relieve you of the affairs of this world ^, so that you may be
17603	at leisure for
17604	religious worship."
17605	'
17606	According to the tradition handed
17607	down from 'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'Asi, Mahomet said":
17608	' The Copts
17609	^ As-Suyuti says
17610	^0% ^
17611	.
17612	.
17613	.
17614	4]1
17615	^yjj
17616	L!
17617	^Ujl
17618	pjSll
17619	Jljis
17620	dJi
17621	Jio
17622	Jlai
17623	ajJUJI
17624	sJic ^\ J
17625	dJi ^
17626	iljLxil
17627	,.<ft£,.fi^<
17628	* Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam quotes from Musa ibn Abi Ayy^b
17629	al-Yafa'i, who
17630	reports
17631	the words
17632	of a man of the
17633	tribe of Al-Marbad
17634	to
17635	the
17636	effect that the Apostle of
17637	God
17638	.
17639	.
17640	. fell sick and
17641	sw'ooned, and when he recovered, he
17642	said
17643	:
17644	Take charge
17645	of
17646	the men wnth
17647	curling
17648	hair.
17649	Then he swooned a second
17650	time, and when he
17651	recovered
17652	said the same words.
17653	Again he swooned
17654	for the
17655	third time, and said
17656	the same words.
17657	So the
17658	bystanders
17659	said
17660	: The Apostle of God commits to our
17661	charge
17662	the men with
17663	curling hair
17664	; and when he recovered they asked him
17665	his
17666	meaning.
17667	So he said
17668	: The Copts of Egypt are our uncles and our brothers-in-law,
17669	and
17670	they
17671	shall be your
17672	auxiliaries
17673	against your enemy
17674	and on
17675	behalf of your
17676	religion.
17677	Then
17678	they
17679	said: How
17680	shall they
17681	help us
17682	in our
17683	religion, O Apostle
17684	of God
17685	?
17686	Then
17687	he answered
17688	:
17689	They
17690	shall
17691	relieve
17692	you
17693	of
17694	the
17695	affairs
17696	of
17697	this
17698	world,
17699	so
17700	that
17701	you
17702	shall
17703	be
17704	at
17705	leisure
17706	for
17707	religious
17708	worship,'
17709	&c.
17710	(Husn
17711	al-Muhddarak,
17712	i. p.
17713	v
17714	.)
17715	^ See note on fol. 16.
17716	^ Abu '1-Mahasin
17717	quotes
17718	the
17719	following among
17720	the
17721	' sayings
17722	of
17723	the
17724	Prophet
17725	with regard to Egypt
17726	:'
17727	O
17728	2
p. 130
17729	loo
17730	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
17731	are the noblest of foreigners
17732	; the gentlest of them in action
17733	; the most
17734	Pol. 29 a
17735	excellent of them in character, and the nearest of them in kinship to the
17736	Arabs generally, and to the
17737	tribe of Kuraish in particular.'
17738	Mahomet
17739	also said emphatically^
17740	:
17741	' God
17742	!
17743	God
17744	is among
17745	the
17746	protected
17747	people,
17748	the
17749	people
17750	of
17751	the
17752	desert,
17753	the
17754	blacks,
17755	the men
17756	with
17757	curling
17758	hair^.
17759	They are
17760	related
17761	[to the Arabs] and akin
17762	to them, in distinction from
17763	all the other protected peoples.'
17764	Mission from Mahoinet
17765	to
17766	the Mtikaukis.
17767	Mahomet sent Hatib^ ibn Abi Balta'ah, of the tribe of Lakhm, to the
17768	Mukaukis, governor of Alexandria, to urge him
17769	to adopt the
17770	religion
17771	' 'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr ibn al-Asi says
17772	: The people
17773	of Egypt
17774	are
17775	the
17776	noblest
17777	of
17778	all
17779	foreigners;
17780	the
17781	gentlest
17782	of them
17783	in
17784	action,
17785	the
17786	most
17787	excellent
17788	of them
17789	in
17790	character, and the
17791	nearest of them
17792	in race
17793	to
17794	the
17795	Arabs
17796	generally and
17797	to
17798	the
17799	Kuraish in particular,'
17800	i. p. rr
17801	.
17802	^
17803	Cf. Ibn Hisham in his Life of Mahomet
17804	:
17805	Jla
17806	<*Jjl
17807	J_j-^
17808	^1
17809	lis. ^y j^s.
17810	^js.
17811	dx^^J
17812	j^.
17813	4Jll J^ ^
17814	i_^a5
17815	^J>,
17816	<<1]1
17817	J.*c
17818	Uj J^
17819	' 'Abd Allah
17820	ibn Wahb informed
17821	us, quoting from 'Abd Allah ibn Lahi'ah, who
17822	reported
17823	the words of 'Umar the freedman of Ghufrah, that the Aposde of God
17824	said
17825	:
17826	God
17827	! God
17828	is among the protected people, the
17829	natives of the
17830	black
17831	soil,
17832	the dark-coloured people, the people with curling hair,'
17833	i. p.
17834	t'.
17835	^
17836	It
17837	is said to have been
17838	the curling
17839	hair of Mary the
17840	Coptic maiden which
17841	attracted the admiration of Mahomet.
17842	^ The mission
17843	oT Hatib took place
17844	in
17845	a.h.
17846	6= a.d. 628,
17847	at
17848	the
17849	time when
17850	Mahomet
17851	also
17852	sent envoys
17853	with
17854	the same
17855	object
17856	to
17857	the
17858	king
17859	of
17860	Persia, Hera-
17861	clius, emperor of the Romans, the
17862	prince of Ghassan, the governor of Yemen,
17863	and
17864	the
17865	Negus
17866	of
17867	Abyssinia.
17868	Ibn Hisham compares
17869	this
17870	proceeding
17871	of
17872	the
17873	Arabian prophet with the sending out of the twelve apostles by Jesus Christ.
17874	See
17875	At-Tabari (ed. De Goeje), ser.
17876	i. p.
17877	1 col
17878	f.
17879	; Ibn Hisham, Sirah MiiJiammad, p. Sv
17880	1
17881	;
17882	An-Nawawi,
17883	Tahdhib
17884	al-Asmd,
17885	pp.
17886	iii
17887	and
17888	vor;
17889	As-Suyuti,
17890	i.
17891	p. oa
17892	flf.
17893	;
17894	Ibn
17895	al-Athir,
17896	ii. p. rr^
17897	ff.
p. 131
17898	THE THREE HAMRAS.
17899	loi
17900	of Islam
17901	;
17902	but he did not do so.
17903	Hatib, when he returned to Mahomet,
17904	brought him as a
17905	gift four maidens, among whom was Mary^ the Copt,
17906	and
17907	Sirin, her
17908	sister, and
17909	his mule
17910	Duldul-, and
17911	his
17912	ass
17913	Ya'fur, and
17914	a purse of money, and a eunuch^ whom the Mukaukis
17915	also
17916	sent with
17917	them.
17918	Mary became the mother of Ibrahim^.
17919	Her
17920	sister
17921	Sirin was
17922	given by Mahomet to Hassan^, the
17923	poet, and
17924	she became the mother
17925	of 'Abd ar-Rahm^n, his son.
17926	The
17927	Three Hamrds.
17928	§ Section
17929	in which are mentioned the three great Hamras^, which
17930	are Al-Kuswa, Al-Wusti, and Al-Hamra ad-Dunya.
17931	According to the
17932	Khitat of Al-Kindi,
17933	in
17934	a copy of the
17935	Fntiih Misr^
17936	the Hamra were
17937	a people of the Romans, among whom were the Banu Nabih and the
17938	Banu '1-Azrak and the Banu Rubil
17939	;
17940	or, perhaps, a people of the Persians
17941	;
17942	and *Amr ibn
17943	al-'Asi named them Al-Hamra, because
17944	they were not
17945	Arabs, and had become
17946	Christians.
17947	^ Mary
17948	is described as being exceedingly
17949	beautiful,
17950	of
17951	fair complexion, with
17952	curling
17953	hair.
17954	She
17955	became
17956	a
17957	IMahometan,
17958	and
17959	the
17960	prophet
17961	took
17962	her
17963	as
17964	his
17965	concubine.
17966	She died in a.h. 15 or 16.
17967	See
17968	authorities
17969	referred
17970	to
17971	in
17972	last note.
17973	The Surat at-Tahrim refers to Mary the Copt.
17974	^ This
17975	is
17976	said
17977	to have been
17978	the
17979	first mule seen
17980	in Arabia
17981	;
17982	see Ibn al-Athir,
17983	ii. p.
17984	rr/.
17985	^ The eunuch's name was Ma'bur;
17986	see Ibn al-Athir,
17987	ii. p. rrv
17988	.
17989	* Ibrahim, the son of Mahomet and Mary the Copt, lived to the age of fifteen
17990	months, and
17991	died
17992	in
17993	a.h. 10= a. d.
17994	631, so
17995	that Fatimah was the only child of
17996	Mahomet who
17997	survived him.
17998	^ Hassan ibn Thabit
17999	died
18000	at Madinah a.h. 54= a. d. 674;
18001	see An-Nawawi,
18002	Tahdhib al-Asmd, p. r.r
18003	f.
18004	® The three quarters named Hamrd, a word which
18005	is apparently the feminine
18006	of ahmar,
18007	' red,'
18008	lay between
18009	Al-Fustat and
18010	Cairo.
18011	The
18012	quarters
18013	or
18014	suburbs
18015	of Al-'Askar and Al-Kata'i' were subsequently built upon their site.
18016	The Hamras
18017	were founded
18018	at
18019	the
18020	time
18021	of the conquest of Egypt by the Arabs, but
18022	fell
18023	into
18024	decay about
18025	the time of the
18026	fall
18027	of the Omeyyad
18028	dynasty.
18029	Al-Makrizi {Khitat,
18030	i. p. ru) and Ibn Dukmak
18031	(iv. p. F f.) mention the foundation of the three Hamras
18032	in terms similar to those employed by our author here and below,
18033	fol. 32 a
18034	ff.
p. 132
18035	I02
18036	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
18037	Fol. 29 b
18038	The Hamra al-Wusta, which is known as Al-Kantarah\ is the place
18039	where
18040	the Red
18041	Standard
18042	stood
18043	at the time of the conquest of Misr
18044	by the Arabs
18045	; and around
18046	it were gathered
18047	those who asked protection
18048	[of the Muslims], and marched
18049	in
18050	their rear-guard.
18051	On
18052	this account
18053	the place was called Al-Hamra^.
18054	Monastery and Chnrch of Saint Mennas.
18055	§ The monastery^ named after the martyr Mennas*, the owner of the
18056	three crowns'^, which came down to him from heaven, who was a native
18057	^ See above,
18058	fol. 23 b.
18059	^ In
18060	this
18061	passage we have
18062	a
18063	different account of the
18064	origin
18065	of the name
18066	Al-Hamra,
18067	deriving
18068	it
18069	not from
18070	the
18071	appellation
18072	of
18073	a
18074	tribe, but from
18075	the Red
18076	Standard {Ar-Rdyat al-Hamrd).
18077	^ Between Al-Fustat and
18078	Cairo,
18079	in
18080	the Hamra, which was
18081	afterwards
18082	called
18083	Kanatir
18084	as-Saba'.
18085	A church and monastery of Abfi Mina are
18086	still
18087	existing, but
18088	better known to-day as IMari Mina.
18089	They are fully described in Coplic Churches,
18090	i.
18091	p. 47; and
18092	in
18093	ii.
18094	p. 362
18095	a
18096	brief legend
18097	is
18098	given, identifying the
18099	saint with the
18100	church
18101	at
18102	Maryut.
18103	Under
18104	the
18105	Sultan An-Nasir Muhammad
18106	ibn
18107	Kala'un,
18108	the
18109	monastery and church of Abii Mina were wrecked
18110	;
18111	but
18112	they have
18113	since been
18114	restored;
18115	see Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
18116	ii. p. oir.
18117	(A. J. B.)
18118	* The
18119	festival of
18120	St. Mennas
18121	is
18122	kept by
18123	the Copts on Hatur i5 = Nov.
18124	11,
18125	and by
18126	the Roman Church on
18127	the same
18128	day.
18129	It
18130	is
18131	said
18132	that
18133	his
18134	father was
18135	a native of Nakyus, but was appointed governor of the province of Africa.
18136	Under
18137	Diocletian,
18138	Mennas, who
18139	was
18140	then
18141	serving
18142	in
18143	the
18144	army,
18145	was beheaded
18146	on
18147	account of his attachment to the
18148	Christian
18149	religion, and was
18150	buried near Lake
18151	Mareotis.
18152	See Bib. Nat. MS. Arabe 256 {Synaxarium),
18153	ff. 53 b-54 b.
18154	Am^lineau,
18155	Actes des MM. de Vtglise copte, p. 88
18156	ff.
18157	;
18158	Eutychius, Annates,
18159	i. p. 402.
18160	St. Mennas
18161	is represented in Coptic paintings accompanied by camels, because some
18162	beasts
18163	from
18164	the sea
18165	like camels prevented
18166	his body from
18167	being carried away from
18168	the
18169	spot where
18170	it was destined to be
18171	buried, and when
18172	the body was laid on the back
18173	of
18174	three
18175	camels
18176	in
18177	succession,
18178	each
18179	refused
18180	to move
18181	in
18182	spite
18183	of blows;
18184	see
18185	Synaxarium.
18186	^ This is an allusion to the legend that
18187	St. Mennas saw heaven open, and the
18188	martyrs wearing beautiful crowns, such as were afterwards bestowed upon him.
p. 133
18189	MONASTERY AND CHURCH OF SAINT MENNAS.
18190	103
18191	of
18192	Nakyus\
18193	and
18194	whose
18195	pure
18196	body
18197	is
18198	buried
18199	in
18200	the
18201	church ^
18202	at
18203	Maryut^, was
18204	restored
18205	in the caHphate of Hisham
18206	ibn 'Abd al-MaHk
18207	ibn Marwan, when Al-Walid
18208	ibn Ruf^'ah was waH,
18209	at
18210	the expense of
18211	all
18212	the
18213	Christians who
18214	lived
18215	in
18216	that
18217	quarter,
18218	in
18219	A. H. 106
18220	(a. D. 725).
18221	This was
18222	after
18223	the
18224	conflict with the Arabs, when
18225	the Christians com-
18226	plained
18227	to
18228	the
18229	wall
18230	that
18231	their women and
18232	children were
18233	not
18234	secure
18235	from
18236	molestation
18237	while
18238	going
18239	to
18240	and
18241	returning
18242	from
18243	the
18244	churches
18245	in
18246	Misr, especially on the
18247	nights
18248	of the
18249	Forty Days'
18250	Fast.
18251	In conse-
18252	quence
18253	of these
18254	outrages
18255	a
18256	great number
18257	of
18258	the
18259	Arabs were
18260	killed.
18261	There were
18262	in
18263	this
18264	quarter many chief men among
18265	the
18266	Christians
18267	;
18268	so
18269	they were
18270	allowed
18271	to
18272	restore
18273	their
18274	churches,
18275	and
18276	they began
18277	to
18278	rebuild Al-Hamra, and to renew what had been destroyed there.
18279	They
18280	renewed
18281	the
18282	church
18283	[of
18284	Saint
18285	Mennas]*, and
18286	made
18287	for
18288	it
18289	beautiful
18290	^ The Arabic Nakyus was called NtKtouy or 'NikIov by Greek authors, and Niciu
18291	in
18292	the
18293	Itinerary
18294	of Antoninus.
18295	It
18296	is
18297	a town
18298	frequently mentioned by
18299	Coptic
18300	writers.
18301	It
18302	is
18303	also
18304	called
18305	Ibshadi ((^.iLtjl)
18306	in
18307	the Copto-Arabic
18308	lists of names,
18309	and
18310	is the Coptic nciJ<L'f'.
18311	The modern
18312	village
18313	of Ibshadi, which in 1885 had
18314	1,059 inhabitants, is probably on the site of the ancient Nakyus
18315	;
18316	it
18317	is in the district
18318	of Manuf, in the province of Al-Manufiyah, and a little
18319	to the east of the Rosetta
18320	branch
18321	of the
18322	Nile.
18323	See Yakiat,
18324	Geogr.
18325	Wort.
18326	iv.
18327	p.
18328	a
18329	1
18330	.
18331	;
18332	Quatremere, Mem.
18333	i.
18334	pp. 420-446; Am^lineau, Giogr. pp. 277-283.
18335	^
18336	It
18337	is
18338	said
18339	that
18340	the
18341	grave
18342	of
18343	St. Mennas
18344	at Lake
18345	Mareotis
18346	remained
18347	for
18348	some time unknown,
18349	until
18350	a princess was
18351	cured
18352	of leprosy by mould from
18353	it.
18354	The emperor
18355	then
18356	erected
18357	a
18358	church
18359	over
18360	it, which was
18361	replaced by
18362	a
18363	larger
18364	church built by Arcadius and Honorius.
18365	See Synaxarium, he. at., and Amdlineau,
18366	Actes des MM. p.
18367	90.
18368	^ This town, the Coptic JUL^piCOTHC „ and
18369	the
18370	classical
18371	Marea
18372	(Mapfi'a),
18373	on
18374	the
18375	shores of Lake
18376	INIareotis, was
18377	flourishing
18378	after
18379	the Arab
18380	conquest,
18381	but
18382	seems to have fallen into decay before
18383	a. d. 1376, as
18384	its name does not appear in
18385	the revenue-lists of that date.
18386	Some ruins on
18387	the borders
18388	of the
18389	lake, however,
18390	still bear the name.
18391	Am^lineau, Geogr. pp. 241-3.
18392	* Al-Makrizi mentions as the chief act of Al-Walid ibn Rufa ah, wall of Egypt,
18393	that in A. H. 117 he allowed the Copts to rebuild the
18394	church of
18395	St. IMennas in the
18396	Hamra.
18397	According
18398	to Al-Makrizi, Al-Walid died
18399	in
18400	a.h.
18401	ii7 = a. d.
18402	735,
18403	after
18404	governing Egypt
18405	for nine years and five months.
18406	Sec Khit at,
18407	i. p. r.r
p. 134
18408	I04
18409	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
18410	vessels of silver and other
18411	things.
18412	They
18413	also bought much property,
18414	Fol 30 a
18415	besides a
18416	garden
18417	in which were two wells with waterwheels
18418	;
18419	and
18420	all
18421	this
18422	property was
18423	occupied
18424	by
18425	houses.
18426	In
18427	the
18428	church was
18429	a
18430	large
18431	tank.
18432	Several
18433	churches
18434	in
18435	the
18436	upper
18437	story
18438	[of
18439	Saint Mennas]
18440	were
18441	rebuilt, namely
18442	the
18443	church
18444	of Saint George\ which
18445	is
18446	said
18447	to
18448	have
18449	been
18450	originally dedicated
18451	to
18452	Saint Theodore 2;
18453	and
18454	a
18455	church named
18456	after
18457	the
18458	martyr
18459	Saint
18460	John^.
18461	There
18462	was
18463	in
18464	it,
18465	[I mean]
18466	in
18467	the
18468	Great
18469	Church
18470	of
18471	Saint Mennas,
18472	the body of the martyr
18473	Saint John,
18474	on
18475	a
18476	stand of
18477	solid wood'^.
18478	The
18479	river was
18480	near
18481	to
18482	this
18483	church, but
18484	afterwards
18485	receded
18486	from
18487	that
18488	place,
18489	and
18490	changed
18491	its
18492	bed
18493	until
18494	it
18495	reached
18496	the
18497	church
18498	of Theodore
18499	at Damanhur^ upon
18500	the
18501	river, and
18502	did
18503	damage
18504	to
18505	that
18506	church, and
18507	afterwards removed
18508	to
18509	the
18510	church
18511	of
18512	the Lady
18513	at
18514	Shubra.
18515	The
18516	church
18517	of
18518	Saint
18519	John was
18520	restored,
18521	after the
18522	fire^, by the most honourable Shaikh Ibn Abd '1-Fada'il ibn
18523	^
18524	For
18525	the
18526	arrangement
18527	of
18528	these
18529	satellite
18530	churches
18531	or
18532	chapels,
18533	see
18534	Coptic
18535	Churches,
18536	i.
18537	p. 137.
18538	(A. J. B.)
18539	^ Our author does not state whether this
18540	is St. Theodore the Greek or Western
18541	(Amshir
18542	28= Feb.
18543	22),
18544	St.
18545	Theodore
18546	the
18547	Eastern (Tubah i2=Jan.
18548	4), or
18549	St.
18550	Theodore of Shutb (Abib 2o=July
18551	14).
18552	'^ There are four martyrs
18553	of the name of John
18554	in
18555	the Coptic
18556	calendar, com-
18557	memorated
18558	respectively on Abib ii=July
18559	5,
18560	and i9=july
18561	13, Ba'unah
18562	14=
18563	June
18564	8, and Tiit 7 = Sept.
18565	4.
18566	*
18567	Similar reliquaries may still be seen in some of the churches
18568	:
18569	as a rule, how-
18570	ever, relics are enclosed in small bolsters of silk and placed in an aumbry.
18571	One
18572	moveable reliquary such as that of the
18573	text, the only one at Cairo,
18574	is to be found
18575	at
18576	the church
18577	of Al-Mu'allakah
18578	in
18579	the Roman
18580	fortress.
18581	In
18582	the Natrun
18583	desert,
18584	Dair as-S(iriyani contains another, and a third belongs to the chapel of Al-'Adhra
18585	adjoining the church of Anba Bisha'i ;
18586	while several bodies are preserved
18587	at Dair
18588	Abii Makar.
18589	See Coptic Churches,
18590	i. pp. 219, 304, 320-1, 338, &c.
18591	(A. J.B.)
18592	° Damanhur
18593	Shubra, close
18594	to
18595	Cairo;
18596	not
18597	to be confounded with Damanhur
18598	in the Delta.
18599	These alterations of the course of the river are partly but imperfectly
18600	indicated upon
18601	the plan in vol.
18602	i. of Me'm. de la Mission Arche'ol. Frang., showing
18603	the topography of Cairo.
18604	But the plan
18605	is incomplete.
18606	(A.
18607	J. B.)
18608	" The burning of Al-Fustat by order of Shawar.
p. 135
18609	MONASTERY AND CHURCH OF SAINT MENNAS.
18610	105
18611	Abu
18612	Sa'id,
18613	in
18614	the caliphate of Al-Adid, and
18615	the vizierate of Shawar.
18616	The church of the Holy Nativity looks upon the courtyard of the Great
18617	Church,
18618	and
18619	so
18620	does
18621	a
18622	very
18623	small
18624	church
18625	which was
18626	renewed
18627	by
18628	Abu
18629	Ghalib
18630	ibn Abi
18631	'1-Makarim
18632	al-Bilbaisi, and named
18633	after
18634	Saint
18635	Mercurius.
18636	In the Great Church^
18637	there
18638	is an ambon of coloured
18639	marble, the
18640	greater part of which
18641	is red and transparent
18642	;
18643	it is supported by marble
18644	pillars,
18645	of
18646	skilful
18647	workmanship.
18648	There
18649	is
18650	also an
18651	episcopal
18652	chair
18653	of
18654	wood.
18655	Near [the ambon], on the north side, there
18656	is an altar, dedicated
18657	to the martyr Mercurius, and provided by the Shaikh Abu '1-Fadl,
18658	son
18659	Tol. 30 b
18660	of the bishop, which has a wooden tablet^ upon
18661	it.
18662	Above the altar
18663	in
18664	the sanctuary, there
18665	is a wooden cupola ^ supported by marble
18666	pillars
18667	;
18668	and upon this altar too there
18669	is a wooden tablet.
18670	Near
18671	this
18672	church
18673	is
18674	the
18675	monastery,
18676	entered by
18677	a
18678	separate door
18679	;
18680	and here there are a number
18681	of nuns,
18682	in separate habitations.
18683	In the
18684	monastery there
18685	is a well of running water, which was dug and sounded
18686	and furnished
18687	at the expense of the Shaikh Abu Zakari As-Sairafi, in
18688	the caliphate of Al-Hafiz.
18689	§ Within
18690	the sanctuary was
18691	[the
18692	entrance
18693	to] the bakehouse*,
18694	in
18695	which
18696	is an ancient tomb.
18697	This bakehouse was selected by the Shaikh
18698	Al-As'ad Salib
18699	ibn
18700	Mikha'il, the son of the hegumen^, who separated
18701	^ We are
18702	still occupied with the church of St. Mennas.
18703	^ The wooden
18704	tablet
18705	is a common feature
18706	of the
18707	Coptic
18708	altars
18709	to-day
18710	;
18711	see
18712	Coptic Churches,
18713	ii. pp. 3-5, and the woodcut there given.
18714	(A. J. B.)
18715	^ This
18716	is a reference to
18717	the baldakyn so
18718	often
18719	seen
18720	in
18721	the Coptic
18722	churches.
18723	(A. J. B.)
18724	* The Bai/ al-Ajm
18725	or 'House
18726	of
18727	Do'ugh'
18728	is
18729	the
18730	chamber
18731	in which
18732	the
18733	eucharistic breads are prepared.
18734	(A.
18735	J. B.)
18736	® The Greek
18737	r)yov\x^vos, borrowed through the Coptic.
18738	A commoner form of
18739	the word in Arabic is ^ji£^i {himmus). The hegumen is properly, of course, the abbot
18740	of a monastery
18741	; and the office of ordination of the hegumen refers entirely to the
18742	duties of an abbot;
18743	see e.g. the office in MS. Bodl. in.
18744	The
18745	tide of hegumen,
18746	however,
18747	is often given to priests of a superior
18748	rank, as, for
18749	instance, to the priest
18750	in charge of the patriarchal church of Cairo.
18751	Cf. Vansleb, Hist, de I'liiglise d'Alex.
18752	p. 178.
18753	P
18754	[II. 7-]
p. 136
18755	io6
18756	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
18757	it off, and made
18758	it a church, dedicated
18759	to Saint George, with a separate
18760	door near the Great Church, and also a door from the sanctuary.
18761	When
18762	he had completed this church,
18763	it was consecrated by the bishop Anba
18764	Mark, bishop
18765	of Cairo,
18766	in the presence of Anba Jonas \ the patriarch;
18767	and the liturgy was celebrated in
18768	it.
18769	Much
18770	opposition
18771	was
18772	made
18773	by evil-minded
18774	Muslims
18775	during
18776	the
18777	furnishing of this church, and so the Christians explained that
18778	it right-
18779	fully belonged
18780	to
18781	this
18782	[Great]
18783	Church, and was
18784	not
18785	a new building
18786	;
18787	and God helped the
18788	right, and
18789	those among the Muslims who knew,
18790	testified
18791	that
18792	it had been
18793	a chamber within
18794	the church, according
18795	to
18796	the testimony of those who lived near the church.
18797	This church stands among gardens, and
18798	is beautifully situated
18799	; and
18800	is much frequented by the monks and others.
18801	§ In
18802	the month of Jumada
18803	the
18804	First,
18805	in
18806	the
18807	year 559, when
18808	the
18809	Kurds and the Ghuzz came with Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub, and
18810	the king of the Franks^ was appealed
18811	to for help against them, then
18812	this monastery and
18813	this church were burnt
18814	to the ground, except the
18815	apse^, and the northern and southern sides of the sanctuary, which were
18816	preserved
18817	intact.
18818	These were
18819	restored, and
18820	domes and
18821	arches were
18822	built, and
18823	piers
18824	[were
18825	set
18826	up]
18827	instead of the marble
18828	columns,
18829	in
18830	the
18831	caliphate of Al-'Adid, and
18832	in
18833	the vizierate of Shawar.
18834	The expenses
18835	were
18836	paid by
18837	the
18838	most
18839	excellent
18840	Shaikh
18841	Salib,
18842	already
18843	mentioned,
18844	and
18845	by Karim
18846	ad-Daulah
18847	ibn 'Ubaid
18848	ibn
18849	Kurrus
18850	al-jullal, and
18851	by
18852	Mansur ibn
18853	Salim
18854	al-Jullal, of Cairo, and by others
18855	;
18856	and
18857	out of the
18858	money brought by Makarim ibn AbCl '1-Minna, the priest of the Church
18859	of the Lady, called Al-Mu'allakah, at Misr, to Anba Jonas, the patri-
18860	arch,
18861	as
18862	a
18863	consecration
18864	fee"*,
18865	that
18866	he
18867	might
18868	make
18869	him
18870	bishop
18871	of
18872	^ Otherwise
18873	called
18874	John,
18875	the
18876	seventy-second
18877	patriarch,
18878	a. d.
18879	1147-1167;
18880	Renaudot, Hist. Patr. pp. 517-530.
18881	^ See Introduction.
18882	^ See note on
18883	fol. 5 a.
18884	TO
18885	^ O
18886	-^
18887	.
18888	* Shartumyah (l^jjis^i)
18889	is
18890	the Greek
18891	x^^po'^'^"^'^, used as an ecclesiastical term
18892	for 'ordination' or 'consecration.'
18893	The
18894	fact
18895	that
18896	it had acquired the secondary
18897	meaning which
18898	it
18899	bears
18900	in
18901	the
18902	text points
18903	to
18904	the existence of simony
18905	to a con-
18906	siderable extent among the Copts.
p. 137
18907	MONASTERV AND CHURCH OF SAINT MENNAS.
18908	107
18909	Tunbudha\ although
18910	the acceptance
18911	of such
18912	fees
18913	is forbidden by the
18914	canons.
18915	So the patriarch accepted the money for this
18916	object, and [the
18917	priest] was consecrated bishop.
18918	[The expenses were
18919	also paid] out of
18920	the money
18921	raised by
18922	the
18923	sale of
18924	the
18925	silver
18926	vessels
18927	belonging
18928	to
18929	the
18930	church.
18931	By the restoration, the church was completely furnished, as
18932	it
18933	had been before
18934	; and
18935	it was consecrated, and the liturgy was said in
18936	it.
18937	§ The church of Saint John, which has already been mentioned, built
18938	Tol. 31 b
18939	above the Great Church^, was restored by the Shaikh Khassat ad-Daulah
18940	Abu
18941	'1-Fada'iI, known by
18942	the name
18943	of Ibn Dukhan, and was
18944	conse-
18945	crated, and the
18946	liturgy was
18947	said
18948	in
18949	it.
18950	He also
18951	rebuilt, in front of it,
18952	a
18953	tower,
18954	close
18955	to
18956	it, which was
18957	old and had
18958	fallen
18959	to
18960	ruin
18961	;
18962	he
18963	built
18964	it
18965	in
18966	three
18967	stories
18968	in a place which belonged to the monastery.
18969	This
18970	and the furnishing were [partly] paid for by the most excellent Shaikh
18971	Salib, the above
18972	mentioned.
18973	The tower was
18974	not, however, completed
18975	;
18976	and
18977	the cause of the
18978	delay was Abij
18979	""l-Barakat, son
18980	of the
18981	excellent
18982	Shaikh Abu '1-Fakhr ibn Sibuwaih.
18983	While the
18984	aforesaid church was being restored,
18985	the greater part of
18986	the monastery was destroyed.
18987	[The Shaikh Salib] also dug a great well
18988	for a water-wheel.
18989	He also built the first story of the tower, and half
18990	of
18991	the
18992	second
18993	story
18994	;
18995	and
18996	he was making
18997	efforts
18998	to
18999	finish
19000	it, when
19001	he was addressed by the aforesaid Abu
19002	'1-Barakat, who
19003	said
19004	:
19005	' None
19006	shall
19007	finish
19008	this work but
19009	I, with my own money.'
19010	In the courtyards
19011	outside
19012	this
19013	church
19014	there
19015	are
19016	burying-grounds.
19017	The
19018	rest
19019	of
19020	the
19021	monastery and
19022	the
19023	pavilion
19024	have
19025	not
19026	been
19027	finished up
19028	to
19029	this
19030	time.
19031	Five wells have been dug in this monastery, and in the courtyards which
19032	surround
19033	it and are its property.
19034	The
19035	greater
19036	part of
19037	the
19038	houses
19039	and
19040	the
19041	shops,
19042	bought
19043	for
19044	this
19045	monastery when
19046	it was restored, were ruined
19047	; and those which remained
19048	^ Or
19049	Tanbadhah
19050	(iiJllL),
19051	see Yakut,
19052	Geogr.
19053	Wor/.
19054	iii.
19055	p.
19056	00., whereas
19057	in
19058	i.
19059	p.
19060	rAO he
19061	gives
19062	u'jll^.
19063	It was the Coptic T^ftc^COT, and
19064	is now
19065	in
19066	the
19067	district of Bam Mazar in
19068	the province of
19069	IMinyah,
19070	with
19071	a
19072	population
19073	in
19074	1885
19075	of
19076	1,487.
19077	See Am^lineau, Geogr. p. 479.
19078	Tunnudha and Ishnin were called the
19079	' Two Brides' (^J^5,t!l) on account of their beauty
19080	;
19081	see Yakut, op.
19082	ci'L
19083	i. p. tao
19084	.
19085	- Of St. Mennas.
19086	P
19087	2
p. 138
19088	io8
19089	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
19090	were left deserted, and were surrounded by ruins.
19091	Then they were sold
19092	Fol. 32 a by Anba Mark, bishop of Misr, to a certain man, who demolished them,
19093	and
19094	carried away the
19095	bricks and
19096	the timber
19097	;
19098	so
19099	that
19100	this monastery
19101	remained in the midst of ruins, among the mounds of rubbish.
19102	§ Among
19103	the
19104	dependencies
19105	of the
19106	church, within
19107	the
19108	wall which
19109	surrounds
19110	it, and on the northern
19111	side, there
19112	is a church, named
19113	after
19114	Saint Theodore, which
19115	is suspended^ and supported on marble columns.
19116	This church was wrecked, and
19117	its columns were carried away, and
19118	it was
19119	turned into a mosque, in the caliphate of Al-Hakim
19120	; and a minaret was
19121	built for it.
19122	The architectural features and the wall of this church remain
19123	outside
19124	the
19125	fabric.
19126	There
19127	is
19128	also,
19129	in
19130	the Hamra al-Wusta,
19131	a church
19132	named
19133	after
19134	Saint Coluthus^,
19135	built
19136	in
19137	the
19138	caliphate of Al-Amir, and
19139	under the government of Suwarr ibn Rufa'ah, on ground bought by the
19140	Christians from the tribe of Banu Fahm
19141	;
19142	it stood near the baths of Ibn
19143	Najah, and the alley named Zukak ibn 'Akil^.
19144	TJie
19145	Three Hamrds.
19146	According
19147	to
19148	the
19149	Book
19150	of
19151	Al-Khitat,
19152	by
19153	Al-Kindi,
19154	the
19155	three
19156	Hamrds^ were
19157	the Hamra
19158	al-Kuswa,
19159	the Hamra
19160	al-Wusta, and
19161	the
19162	^ Any building resting upon columns
19163	is called 'suspended' ((ji^).
19164	(A.J. B.)
19165	^ This saint, whose festival
19166	is kept by the Copts on Bashans 25 = May 20, was
19167	a priest, and
19168	his
19169	sister was married
19170	to Arrianus, governor
19171	of the Thebaic! under
19172	Diocletian.
19173	Coluthus suffered martyrdom by decapitation
19174	after
19175	terrible
19176	tortures.
19177	See Georgii, De viiraculis S. Colidhi, &c., Rome, 1794; Zoega, Catal. Codd. Copt.
19178	p. 237, cod.
19179	xli
19180	;
19181	Amelineau, Actes des MM. p. 21.
19182	The form of the name Kullah
19183	(ixls) is analogous to Jirjah (i>.^), Sirjah (ia-y*.),
19184	Tadrah (i^:>lj'), Kurrah (i^), Andunah (ijjjol), &c., and to Syriac forms such as JJq.3,
19185	derived from
19186	the Greek
19187	vocative;
19188	see Noldeke, Sjr. Gram.,
19189	p. 79.
19190	Cf. Coptic
19191	KoXee,
19192	&c.
19193	^ Ibn Dukmalv
19194	calls
19195	it '\jX-\
19196	JJic
19197	^.
19198	J^-^
19199	jlsj
19200	' The Alley of Sahl ibn 'Akil
19201	in the Hamra;'
19202	see Kitdb al-Intisdr li-wdsitah 'tkd al-anisdr.,
19203	iv. p.
19204	rf
19205	.
19206	* Here follows an account of the laying out, at
19207	the time of
19208	tlie Arab conquest
19209	and of the
19210	first foundation
19211	of Al-Fustat, of the
19212	three
19213	quarters called respectively
19214	the Further, Middle, and Nearer Hamras. A similar account of the
19215	first laying out
p. 139
19216	THE THREE HAMRAS.
19217	109
19218	Hamra ad-Dutiya, and
19219	the
19220	first
19221	part of them was
19222	that which was
19223	laid
19224	out by the tribe of Bill ibn al-'Umar ibn al-Haf ibn Kuda ah, from the
19225	street
19226	called Darb Az-Zajjajin, by which the market-place called Suk
19227	Wardan
19228	is
19229	entered,
19230	to
19231	the
19232	alley
19233	called Zukak Abu
19234	Farwah,
19235	or
19236	its
19237	vicinity, and
19238	it ends
19239	at
19240	the passage
19241	called Khaukhat
19242	al-Istabl
19243	in
19244	the
19245	Hamra.
19246	That
19247	which was
19248	laid
19249	out
19250	by
19251	the
19252	tribe
19253	of Banu
19254	Bahr
19255	ibn
19256	Suwadah
19257	ibn Afsa extends from
19258	the Hamra ad-Dunya, opposite
19259	the
19260	Fol. 32 b
19261	mosque
19262	of Al-Kurun,
19263	to
19264	the
19265	covered
19266	passage
19267	called
19268	Sakifat
19269	as-Sari
19270	or its vicinity.
19271	That
19272	part of the Hamra al-Wusta which was
19273	laid out
19274	by
19275	Hadhil
19276	ibn
19277	Madrakah
19278	extends
19279	from
19280	the
19281	guard-house
19282	of Abu
19283	'1-Mahajir or
19284	its
19285	vicinity
19286	to
19287	the
19288	place
19289	called
19290	Bain
19291	al-Kumain^.
19292	That
19293	of these quarters
19294	is given by Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
19295	i. p. ru, and by Ibii Dukmak,
19296	iv.
19297	p. f
19298	f.
19299	It is difficult at the present day to identify many of the points described.
19300	^ Bain al-Kumain
19301	is
19302	south
19303	of the Roman
19304	fortress where Dair Bablun and
19305	Dair Tadrus
19306	are
19307	situated.
19308	Jabal al-Kabsh
19309	is
19310	a rocky
19311	elevation
19312	in
19313	the
19314	quarter
19315	of Ibn
19316	Tulun, and upon
19317	it
19318	stood
19319	the well-known
19320	Kal'at
19321	al-Kabsh,
19322	of which
19323	a
19324	good
19325	illustration
19326	with an
19327	interesting
19328	note
19329	is given
19330	in
19331	R. Hay's
19332	Illustrations of
19333	Cairo, London,
19334	1840,
19335	fol.
19336	The
19337	hill on which
19338	this
19339	castle
19340	stood was
19341	also called
19342	Jabal Yashkur.
19343	As far as I am aware there
19344	is no moat or canal at the foot of the
19345	hill now.
19346	But
19347	it
19348	is evident so far that Abu Salih is speaking of a quarter extending
19349	from the Bab Ibn Tulun
19350	across
19351	the
19352	present rubbish-mounds
19353	in a south-westerly
19354	direction to Dair Bablun.
19355	The mention of St. Mennas below gives another fixed
19356	point,
19357	if
19358	it may be
19359	idendfied with
19360	the present Dair Mari Mina
19361	; and
19362	this would
19363	show that Al-Hamra extended
19364	also west of the line from Bab Ibn Tulun to Dair
19365	Bablun, in the
19366	direction of the
19367	Khalij.
19368	Finally Dair Abu 's-Saifain, lower in the
19369	text, is described as situated in the Hamra ad-Dunya.
19370	Al-Makrizi states that under
19371	the Abbaside caliphs the Further Hamra was again built over, and called Al-'Askar,
19372	so that a plain which had grown bare save
19373	for the
19374	Christian monasteries
19375	dotted
19376	over
19377	it
19378	was
19379	once
19380	more
19381	covered
19382	with
19383	houses.
19384	See
19385	Hamaker's
19386	Expugnatio
19387	Memphidis, notes, p. 102.
19388	In the Memoires de la Mission ArcMologique Fra?i(aise
19389	au Caire,
19390	1 881-1884, there
19391	is an essay on the early topography of Cairo, illustrated
19392	with
19393	four
19394	plates, which
19395	are exceedingly interesting and,
19396	as
19397	far as they go, most
19398	valuable.
19399	But
19400	the author has
19401	strangely neglected
19402	this region of Old Cairo and
19403	Al-Hamra, devoting
19404	all his learning and
19405	talent to the Fatimide
19406	city.
19407	On
19408	p. 417
19409	(torn, i) there
19410	is a brief note upon Al-Hamra, which certainly makes the boundaries
p. 140
19411	no
19412	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
19413	part which was laid out by the tribe of Banu '1-Azrak extended from the
19414	Hamra al-Kuswa to the
19415	street
19416	of Yashkur ibn Jazihih ibii Lakhm, and
19417	to Al-Kantarah and
19418	its
19419	road, down to the moat or canal,
19420	at
19421	the
19422	foot
19423	of the Jabal al-Kabsh, and
19424	to Al-Maja'iz and the monastery of Mary
19425	or
19426	its vicinity
19427	; and the
19428	flat below the
19429	hill
19430	is
19431	all named after Yashkur,
19432	from the cemetery and the mosque of AI-Khaluk and the pool of Karun
19433	and the hill of Yashkur ibn 'Udwan ibn Lakhm.
19434	The Book of Al-KJiitat also relates that the tribe of Banu Kin^nah
19435	ibn 'Amr
19436	ibn
19437	al-Kibr
19438	ibn
19439	Fahm
19440	laid
19441	out
19442	that
19443	part
19444	of
19445	the Hamra
19446	al-Wusta which extends from the alley of Sahl
19447	ibn 'Akil to the conduit
19448	where
19449	the
19450	wheat-sellers
19451	are, and
19452	the
19453	alley
19454	called
19455	Zukak
19456	at-Turmus,
19457	opposite the church of Saint Mennas; and that the tribe of Banu Rubil,
19458	whose ancestor Rubil was a Jew,
19459	laid out part of Al-Hamra, as far as
19460	the monastery of Mary, north of the gardens of Hawi and the mosque
19461	of Al-Khaluk on the flat.
19462	The sons of Yashkur ibn Jazilah ibn Lakhm
19463	laid
19464	out
19465	part
19466	of
19467	the Hamra
19468	al-Kuswa, namely
19469	the
19470	open
19471	place
19472	of
19473	Ad-Dunya and that
19474	of Ar-Rayah, and
19475	the road of Khulan from the
19476	Darb al-Kantarah
19477	to the
19478	market-place
19479	of Wardan, and from the road
19480	of Al-Hamra and
19481	the
19482	part
19483	beyond
19484	it
19485	on
19486	the
19487	Nile,
19488	which
19489	is
19490	called
19491	•the place of Al-Kaba'il,
19492	to the
19493	stable and
19494	to the baths of 'As-Salib'
19495	or
19496	' the Church^.'
19497	of ihe district too narrow
19498	:
19499	and
19500	it
19501	is not even marked on ihe plan which professes
19502	to show Fustat Misr in the year 969 a.d.
19503	Tlie old bed of the river
19504	is well shown
19505	in contrast with the present line
19506	:
19507	but there again the plan seems to me erroneous,
19508	inasmuch as for the whole river frontage of Old Cairo the present line of the bank
19509	is given, and the divergence of the
19510	old channel from the present channel
19511	is made
19512	to begin
19513	at a point by
19514	the Fum al-Khalij and to extend only northward of that
19515	point, whereas there can be
19516	little doubt that even in the tenth century the bed
19517	of
19518	the
19519	river southward from Fum
19520	al-Khalij
19521	to Kasr ash-Shama' was
19522	still eastward
19523	of the present line.
19524	(A. J. B.)
19525	^ The
19526	baths of Al-Fustat and Cairo often changed
19527	their names.
19528	The
19529	baih
19530	of 'the Church'
19531	(iu,..*j50l) was named after the church of St. Sinuthius, which stood
19532	near
19533	it.
19534	This
19535	bath was
19536	also
19537	called
19538	the
19539	'Bath of
19540	the
19541	Vault'
19542	{y£\
19543	f.La-).
19544	See
19545	Ibn Dukmak,
19546	iv. p.
19547	\ .^
19548	.
p. 141
19549	CHURCH OF SAINT ONUPHRIUS.
19550	iii
19551	Church of Saint OmipJirius.
19552	In the Hamra also
19553	is the church^ of Saint Onuphrius^, the holy man,
19554	the pilgrim, the contemplative, which was
19555	restored by a woman named
19556	Turfah, according
19557	to the testimony of an
19558	[inscribed] board which was
19559	put up
19560	at the door of
19561	it, near
19562	the well which
19563	is now
19564	filled up
19565	; and
19566	through
19567	this
19568	door
19569	the women
19570	entered.
19571	Near
19572	this
19573	church
19574	were
19575	the
19576	houses where lived Amin al-Umana Abu '1-Yaman Surus ibn Makrawah,
19577	son of Zanbur, who was
19578	nazir
19579	of
19580	the
19581	Delta, and
19582	his son
19583	the incom-
19584	parable
19585	vizier, the
19586	lord
19587	of those that
19588	wield
19589	the
19590	sword
19591	and
19592	the
19593	pen,
19594	Abu Sa d Mansur ^.
19595	The latter was sent out to meet Nasir ad-Daulah
19596	ibn Hamdan and
19597	the
19598	tribes of Kais^ and Lawatah^,
19599	the
19600	traitors, and
19601	a body of the chief officers of the army were with him
19602	;
19603	this was
19604	in the
19605	caliphate of Al-Mustansir.
19606	Abu
19607	Sa'd remained
19608	vizier for a short time
19609	only,
19610	for the
19611	soldiers demanded
19612	their pay of him, and
19613	he promised
19614	it
19615	and then fled, and his career came to an end.
19616	At the entrance of the sanctuary in this church [of Saint Onuphrius],
19617	there was a threshold of black granite, upon which were figures carved
19618	^ Ibn Dukmak
19619	(i. p.
19620	i .a) mentions this church as
19621	C»JUa
19622	t^jJl
19623	AsT*^'
19624	iWsr^-
19625	'i\S^\
19626	Jfli:^-
19627	(J2-U5''
19628	l/**"^. i—^Jl
19629	iJ^
19630	f-'^
19631	(c^.'j
19632	'—ijso L^^
19633	' The church called after Abu Nafar
19634	:
19635	this church
19636	is
19637	in
19638	the
19639	INIiddle Hamra in the
19640	street of Kibarah, near the mosque which
19641	is there.'
19642	'' This saint, called in Arabic Abu Nafar. whose festival
19643	is kept on Ba'unah 16
19644	= June
19645	10, and by the Roman church on June
19646	12, was a herm.it in Upper Egypt.
19647	His
19648	life was written by
19649	St. Paphnutius (see
19650	below,
19651	fol. 65 b), of whom Onuphrius
19652	was an
19653	elder contemporary.
19654	See Sy?taxarium, Paris MS. Arabe 256,
19655	fol. 228;
19656	Acta
19657	SS.
19658	at
19659	June
19660	12,
19661	where
19662	versions
19663	of
19664	the
19665	life
19666	by
19667	Paphnutius
19668	are
19669	given.
19670	Onuphrius would seem to have died about a. d. 400,
19671	^
19672	Vizier
19673	for
19674	a few
19675	days only
19676	to
19677	Al-Mustansir.
19678	See
19679	As-Suyuti, Husn
19680	al-
19681	Miihddarah,
19682	li. p.
19683	101=;
19684	Quatremere, Mem.
19685	ii. p. 353.
19686	* The Kais were an Arab tribe who settled in Egypt soon after the Mahometan
19687	conquest.
19688	See Al-Makrizt, translated by Quatremere, Me'in.
19689	ii. p. 207
19690	ff.
19691	* The Lawatah were a tribe of North Africa, of Berber origin, who
19692	settled in
19693	Egypt.
19694	According
19695	to
19696	Al-Makrizi they
19697	pretended
19698	to be
19699	of Arab
19700	descent
19701	and
19702	connected with the great tribe of Kais.
19703	See Yakut,
19704	ii. p. riv
19705	;
19706	Al-Makrizi, trans-
19707	lated by Quatremere, ISIeni.
19708	ii. p. 207.
p. 142
19709	112
19710	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
19711	and painted
19712	in
19713	the
19714	style of those
19715	in
19716	the ancient
19717	temples, and
19718	it was
19719	placed there
19720	to prevent the
19721	little birds from going
19722	into
19723	the sanctuary,
19724	or
19725	into the tank
19726	;
19727	and
19728	it
19729	is
19730	said
19731	that a man from Upper Egypt, who
19732	visited
19733	this church, passed
19734	the night
19735	here, and imagined
19736	that he could
19737	decipher
19738	certain
19739	letters upon
19740	the
19741	stone ^.
19742	In
19743	this way the
19744	tank was
19745	freed from the
19746	little birds which went into
19747	it.
19748	Pol. 33 b
19749	The church was burnt during the
19750	fire of Misr, in the month of Safar,
19751	A.H. 564
19752	(a.d. 1169),
19753	in the caliphate of Al-'Adid, and
19754	the vizierate of
19755	Shawar.
19756	It was afterwards restored, with
19757	its domes and
19758	arches, by the
19759	Shaikh Abii '1-Makarim ibn Hanna the
19760	scribe, and by other Christians.
19761	Among the churches attached to
19762	this church of Saint Onuphrius, there
19763	is, on the ground floor, a church dedicated to Saint Coluthus,
19764	restored
19765	by Abu '1-Fakhr ibn Furaij ibn Khuwair, [who was priest]
19766	in the church
19767	of
19768	the
19769	Island
19770	of
19771	Misr-;
19772	and,
19773	in
19774	the
19775	upper
19776	story,
19777	is
19778	the church
19779	of
19780	Saint
19781	Mennas,
19782	built by
19783	the
19784	Shaikh
19785	Sa'id ad-Daulah
19786	ibn
19787	Munja
19788	ibn
19789	Abu Zakari ibn as-Sarid.
19790	There
19791	is also a church of the Pure Fathers,
19792	Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, restored by the Shaikh Abii Sa id Gabriel
19793	ibn Buktur, known as Ibn al-A'raj, and afterwards by Abii '1-Fakhr, the
19794	scribe of salaries^, known as Sa'idan.
19795	There
19796	is also the church of Saint
19797	Or*,
19798	restored
19799	by the
19800	Shaikh Abu
19801	'1-Fakhr,
19802	the
19803	scribe
19804	of salaries
19805	of
19806	^
19807	This may, of course, have been a mere exercise of fancy, or
19808	it may point
19809	to
19810	a traditional knowledge of the
19811	ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics
19812	as well
19813	as of the
19814	hieratic
19815	and
19816	demotic
19817	scripts,
19818	long
19819	preserved
19820	in
19821	Upper
19822	Egypt.
19823	The
19824	bishop
19825	Pisentius,
19826	in
19827	the
19828	seventh
19829	century,
19830	learnt
19831	in
19832	a
19833	monastery
19834	to
19835	decipher
19836	demotic
19837	papyri containing
19838	the names of mummies
19839	;
19840	see Amelineau, Contes
19841	et romans de
19842	V^gypte chre't.
19843	i. p. xxxix.
19844	^ The Island of Misr is north of Raudah or Roda, the large island in the Nile
19845	nearly opposite to Old Cairo.
19846	There was a Coptic monastery upon this island called
19847	Dair ash-Shamd, doubtless from
19848	its proximity to the A'asr ash-Shamd .
19849	(A. J. B.)
19850	^
19851	I. e. one of the secretaries who superintended the payment of the
19852	officials of
19853	the government.
19854	* Hur, whose
19855	festival
19856	is kept on Kihak
19857	2 = Nov. 28,
19858	is a saint famous
19859	in
19860	the
19861	annals
19862	of Egyptian
19863	monasticism.
19864	His name
19865	appears
19866	as 'flp
19867	in
19868	Greek, and
19869	as
19870	^(JOp in Coptic, and Or in Latin.
19871	He was an abbot in Upper Egypt.
19872	Sayings
p. 143
19873	CHURCH OF SAINT ONUPHRIUS.
19874	113
19875	the Diwan
19876	al-MajHs^.
19877	The Great Church- [of Saint Onuphrius] was
19878	restored by Abu
19879	'1-Faraj
19880	ibn
19881	Zanbur,
19882	in
19883	Barmahat
19884	of the
19885	year
19886	899
19887	of the Righteous
19888	Martyrs
19889	(a.d.
19890	1183);
19891	and
19892	it became
19893	a
19894	patriarchal
19895	church
19896	in Tubah
19897	of the year 900 (a.d.
19898	i 183-4), through the agency
19899	of the aforesaid.
19900	It
19901	is stated, in the Guide to the Festivals'^, that, on the 7th of Kihak,
19902	Ibn Katib al-Farghani was beheaded.
19903	It was he who
19904	superintended
19905	of his
19906	are among the Apophthegmaia Patrum.
19907	See
19908	his
19909	life
19910	in Rosweyde,
19911	Vitae
19912	Patrum, p. 714 f.;
19913	of. Zoega, Cat. Codd. Copt. p. 299; Synaxarium (Paris MS. Arabe
19914	256), ad diem
19915	; Acta SS. at Aug.
19916	7. The prefix Aba (Ul) is the Coptic ^n^, and
19917	appears
19918	in Greek
19919	as
19920	a-na (Greek
19921	inscriptions
19922	at
19923	Philae),
19924	or nWa (Callimachus,
19925	Hymji.
19926	in Dianam
19927	6, and Greek papyrus quoted by Karabacek).
19928	Whether
19929	it
19930	is
19931	a form of Abba, the Syriac
19932	)ir>/, generally written in Coptic as 6,&.&.^,
19933	is disputed.
19934	It was sometimes applied to secular officers.
19935	^ The preposition has been omitted by the scribe before
19936	^j\y,:>.
19937	The Diwan
19938	al-Majlis was the
19939	chief of the Divans or government boards
19940	in Egypt, and was
19941	subdivided
19942	into
19943	several
19944	smaller boards, employing many
19945	scribes or
19946	secretaries
19947	;
19948	see Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
19949	\. pp. r'iv-t«..
19950	.
19951	^ The Great Church means, of course,
19952	the
19953	principal church, to which these
19954	smaller churches or chapels were added, whether above
19955	it, or contiguous
19956	to
19957	it on
19958	the same level.
19959	^
19960	It appears
19961	that
19962	there
19963	were
19964	several 'Guides
19965	to
19966	the
19967	Festivals' among
19968	the
19969	Copts.
19970	The Synaxarium says at Hatur
19971	1 7
19972	:
19973	'The
19974	17th
19975	day
19976	of
19977	Hatur,
19978	on
19979	which,
19980	as
19981	it
19982	is
19983	agreed
19984	by
19985	the
19986	Guides
19987	of
19988	Alexandria, and the Guide written by Anba Jonas, bishop of Kift, and the Guide
19989	of the
19990	Melkites,
19991	the death
19992	of
19993	Saint John
19994	Chrysostom
19995	is
19996	commemorated,'
19997	&c.
19998	(Paris MS. Arabe 256.)
19999	The
20000	ordinary
20001	Synaxaria, however, do
20002	not mention
20003	the death
20004	of
20005	this Coptic
20006	martyr Ibn Katib.
20007	q
20008	[11. 7.]
p. 144
20009	114
20010	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
20011	Fol. 34 a
20012	the
20013	construction
20014	of the
20015	Kilometer^
20016	in
20017	A, H. 347 ^
20018	(a. D,
20019	864), and
20020	his
20021	body
20022	is
20023	in the church of Saint Coluthus, which was a separate church
20024	in
20025	the
20026	caHphate
20027	of Al-Amir,
20028	and
20029	has
20030	already been
20031	mentioned,
20032	in
20033	connection with the church of Saint Mennas in the Middle Hamra.
20034	At the time
20035	of the
20036	fire already mentioned, the threshold
20037	of black
20038	granite, which
20039	has been
20040	described, was
20041	removed
20042	and
20043	placed
20044	at
20045	the
20046	outer entrance, near a well of running water, where there
20047	is a burying-
20048	ground.
20049	The garden which
20050	lies
20051	opposite
20052	to
20053	this
20054	church was
20055	its
20056	property,
20057	until
20058	it was
20059	sequestrated
20060	by
20061	the
20062	Diwan
20063	of the government,
20064	in
20065	the
20066	caliphate of Al-Amir.
20067	The
20068	material of
20069	all
20070	the houses
20071	in
20072	the
20073	neigh-
20074	bourhood, the property of Ibn Zanbur, was
20075	sold, and
20076	the ground was
20077	turned into a single courtyard, in which was a well with a water-wheel,
20078	skilfully constructed.
20079	All
20080	this
20081	property was
20082	bought, and
20083	devoted
20084	to
20085	the
20086	use
20087	of the
20088	church, by the
20089	Shaikh Sanfat al-Mulk Abu
20090	'1-Faraj,
20091	^ This was in the caliphate of Al-Mutawakkil, the Abbaside, and under Yazid
20092	ibn 'Abd Allah the Turk, governor of Egypt.
20093	^ The
20094	date
20095	here
20096	given
20097	corresponds
20098	with
20099	that
20100	generally recorded
20101	by Arab
20102	historians
20103	for
20104	the completion of the Nilometer.
20105	Some
20106	repairs were
20107	carried out
20108	by Ahmad ibn Tulun
20109	twelve years later, but Al-Makrizi, As-Suy(iti, and Al-Ishaki
20110	agree that the Nilometer had been very little
20111	altered up
20112	to
20113	their own time, and
20114	there is no doubt that
20115	it remains substantially the same now.
20116	The pointed arches
20117	used in the construction of this Nilometer are about sixteen years older than those
20118	in the mosque of Ibn Tulun, and they are of course much older than any example
20119	of the pointed arch in Gothic architecture.
20120	Lane thinks
20121	it probable that both
20122	the
20123	mosque and the Nilometer were
20124	built by the same architect.
20125	It was known
20126	that
20127	the mosque of Ibn Tfllun was built by a Copt, and if Lane's theory is
20128	correct, we
20129	have
20130	his name in Ibn Katib
20131	al-Farghani, the
20132	Coptic
20133	architect
20134	of the
20135	Nilometer.
20136	See
20137	Lane's Modern Egyptians, vol.
20138	ii. p. 341 (App. F)
20139	;
20140	S. Lane Poole's Art of the
20141	Saracens
20142	in Egypt,
20143	pp.
20144	54-55
20145	;
20146	Murray's
20147	Egypt, vol.
20148	ii. pp. 174, 232 (6th ed.).
20149	Pococke (vol.
20150	i. p. 29) gives a cut showing a plan and section of the Nilometer,
20151	and claims
20152	special
20153	credit
20154	for
20155	its accuracy
20156	;
20157	but he exhibits circular, not pointed
20158	arches.
20159	Norden's
20160	section
20161	is
20162	better
20163	;
20164	see
20165	his
20166	Voyage
20167	d'^gypte
20168	et
20169	de
20170	Nuhie,
20171	Copenhagen, 1755,
20172	fol., plate xxvi.
20173	(A.
20174	J. B.)
p. 145
20175	CHURCH OF SAINT ONUPHRIUS.
20176	115
20177	son of
20178	the
20179	Shaikh
20180	'Ilm as-Su'ada Abu '1-Yaman,
20181	son
20182	of
20183	the Shaikh
20184	Sanfat
20185	al-Mulk Abu
20186	'1-Faraj
20187	ibn
20188	al-Wazir, who
20189	handed
20190	over
20191	the
20192	management
20193	to the
20194	Shaikh Abu
20195	' 1-Makdrim ibn Hanna, and
20196	to those
20197	whom he
20198	should choose
20199	after him.
20200	This church was
20201	included
20202	within
20203	the
20204	fortress
20205	built by
20206	Shawar
20207	the
20208	vizier, who
20209	constructed
20210	a
20211	passage
20212	leading
20213	to
20214	the
20215	church,
20216	at which you
20217	arrive from the entrance of the
20218	mosque of Al-Kurun'\
20219	in the nearer Hamra,
20220	This mosque was
20221	built
20222	by As-Sahri ibn Al-Hakam.
20223	To
20224	this church belonged
20225	the hegumen
20226	Fol. 34 b
20227	Bashir ibn an-Nashr, a native of Munyat al-Umara"-^, who was wise and
20228	learned,
20229	a good
20230	priest,
20231	sweet-voiced,
20232	beautiful
20233	in countenance,
20234	perfect
20235	in
20236	stature, respected by men.
20237	The Shaikh Abu
20238	'1-Fadl
20239	ibn
20240	al-Uskuf,
20241	scribe
20242	of
20243	Al-Afdal
20244	Shahanshah,
20245	was
20246	assiduous
20247	in
20248	his
20249	prayers
20250	in
20251	this
20252	church, and
20253	communicated
20254	in
20255	it
20256	; and when he had
20257	received
20258	the
20259	eucharist, each day that he came, he threw into the plate^ a dinar
20260	for
20261	this priest, on account of the pleasure which he took
20262	in his ministration
20263	and the sweetness of his voice.
20264	This priest was drowned
20265	in the Bahr
20266	al-Jizah
20267	; may God give rest to his soul
20268	!
20269	^ According
20270	to Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam, whom our author
20271	is probably
20272	following,
20273	this mosque was rebuilt by As-Sahri (or As-Sirri) ibn al-Hakam, after
20274	it had been
20275	burnt
20276	down, and was
20277	called Mosque
20278	of
20279	the Horns
20280	((j«/), because
20281	its
20282	pillars
20283	resembled horns!
20284	See Ibn Dukmak,
20285	iv. p.
20286	ai
20287	.
20288	^ A small town in
20289	the neighbourhood of Cairo, on
20290	the road
20291	to
20292	Alexandria.
20293	Yakut places
20294	it one parasang from
20295	the
20296	capital.
20297	It was famous
20298	for
20299	its
20300	Sunday
20301	cattle-market, and
20302	for
20303	the wine which was made
20304	there
20305	in
20306	large
20307	quantities.
20308	Of
20309	the
20310	latter commodity no
20311	less than 80,000
20312	jars
20313	are
20314	said
20315	to have been
20316	destroyed
20317	in
20318	the
20319	inundation
20320	of
20321	a. h.
20322	7i8=:a. d.
20323	1318.
20324	' As
20325	it may be
20326	inferred
20327	from
20328	this
20329	statement, most
20330	of the
20331	inhabitants were
20332	Christians.
20333	The place was
20334	also
20335	called
20336	Munyat al-Amir and Munyat
20337	al-Shiraj.
20338	There
20339	seem
20340	to
20341	have
20342	been
20343	two
20344	other
20345	places called Munyat al-Amir.
20346	Mina '1-Amir is now included within the district of
20347	Badrashain
20348	in the province of Al-Jiziyah, and had in 1885 a population of 2,935.
20349	See Yakut, Mushiarik, p. t'.'i;
20350	Revenue-list of a. d. 1375 in De Sacy's Abd-Allatif,
20351	pp.599 and 676
20352	;
20353	Al-]\Iakrizi, Khitat,
20354	ii. p.
20355	ir.
20356	;
20357	Ibn Dukmak,
20358	v.
20359	p.
20360	i«v
20361	;
20362	Rec.
20363	de
20364	VEgypte,
20365	ii. p. 218.
20366	Cf. below,
20367	fol. 61 a.
20368	^ For the tabak or 'plate' see Coptic Churches,
20369	ii.
20370	p. 33.
20371	(A.
20372	J. B.)
20373	q 2
p. 146
20374	I]
20375	6
20376	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
20377	Church of Saint Merctirius or Abii
20378	's-Saifain.
20379	The Hamra ad-Dunya was formerly called Al-Bawasir, and the river
20380	ran by
20381	it, and
20382	it was
20383	also
20384	called the Bank of As-Sa ir.
20385	The book of
20386	Al-Khitat hi-Misr testifies [that near]
20387	the Kaisariyat al-JamaP stands
20388	the important church dedicated to the martyr Mercurius^; and this church
20389	was upon the bank of the
20390	river, which
20391	has now receded from
20392	it.
20393	The
20394	church
20395	was
20396	restored
20397	by the
20398	father Anba
20399	Ephraim,
20400	the
20401	Syrian,
20402	the
20403	[sixty-second]
20404	in the order of succession^, in the caliphate of Al-Imam
20405	Al-'Aziz
20406	bi-'llah,
20407	son
20408	of Al-Imam Al-Mu'izz
20409	li-dini
20410	'llah.
20411	In
20412	ancient
20413	times
20414	there had been
20415	a church
20416	dedicated
20417	to
20418	Saint
20419	Mercurius, on
20420	the
20421	bank
20422	of the
20423	river, but
20424	it was ruined and turned
20425	into a storehouse for
20426	sugar-canes.
20427	Then,
20428	in the time of this
20429	patriarch, enquiries were made
20430	about the creed
20431	of the
20432	Christians, whether they believed
20433	in the truth
20434	^ The passage is slightly corrupt.
20435	The reference
20436	is, of course, to the Khitat
20437	Misr of Al-Kindi, from which our author
20438	so
20439	frequently borrows.
20440	There were
20441	many Kaisdriyahs
20442	in Cairo and Fustat Misr; and accounts of them
20443	are given
20444	by Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
20445	ii. pp. ai-I], and Ibn Dukmak,
20446	iv. pp. rv-F..
20447	They were
20448	quadrangles, enclosed by a colonnade, and used as market-places or bazaars.
20449	The
20450	name was
20451	borrowed
20452	by the
20453	Arabs from
20454	the
20455	famous
20456	Caesarium
20457	{Kaiadpiov) of
20458	Alexandria, mentioned by Strabo, xvi.
20459	c.
20460	i. and by Pliny, H N. xxxvi. 14, 4.
20461	^ We are now coming to the
20462	history of the present church
20463	of Abu 's-Saifain.
20464	The tradition that
20465	the
20466	Nile came near
20467	it consists
20468	with
20469	the
20470	similar
20471	tradition con-
20472	cerning
20473	Kasr
20474	ash-Shama'
20475	(see R. Hay's
20476	Illustrations
20477	of
20478	Cairo,
20479	where
20480	is
20481	an
20482	excellent sketch
20483	of the great Roman gateway and
20484	the two
20485	bastions adjoining
20486	;
20487	see
20488	also
20489	note upon
20490	the
20491	plate).
20492	The main, and
20493	I
20494	think
20495	decisive, reason for this
20496	identification lies in the absolute certainty of the association of the existing church
20497	of
20498	St.
20499	Mercurius
20500	or
20501	Abu
20502	's-Saifain
20503	with
20504	the
20505	legend
20506	attached
20507	to
20508	the
20509	church
20510	of
20511	St. Mercurius of the
20512	text.
20513	The
20514	story
20515	as
20516	related
20517	to me by the
20518	priest
20519	of the
20520	church, and the legend recorded by AI-Makin in the fourteenth
20521	century, are both
20522	given
20523	in Coptic
20524	Churches,
20525	i. pp. 124-127: and the one-eyed
20526	water-carrier of the
20527	legend
20528	corresponds
20529	with
20530	the
20531	one-eyed
20532	tanner of Abu
20533	Salih's
20534	earlier
20535	version.
20536	(A.J.B.)
20537	^ Occupied
20538	the
20539	see from
20540	a. d. 977
20541	(?)
20542	to 981
20543	(?)
20544	;
20545	see
20546	Renaudot,
20547	Hist. Patr.
20548	PP- 366-373-
p. 147
20549	CHURCH OF SA INT 31ERCURIUS.
20550	1 1
20551	or in a lie.
20552	So the Christians assembled and went out
20553	to the mountain,
20554	Fol. 35 a
20555	and the Muslims and Jews went out
20556	at the same time, on account of
20557	a certain event which
20558	is related
20559	in the history of the church.
20560	Many of
20561	the Muslim
20562	sayyids'^ came forward, and prayed, and cried AlWm akbar,
20563	and
20564	implored
20565	the
20566	assistance
20567	of God, but no
20568	sign
20569	appeared
20570	to
20571	them.
20572	Then
20573	the Jews followed them, and
20574	still no
20575	result followed.
20576	Then the
20577	patriarch came forward, and
20578	the tanner, for whom God had performed
20579	a miracle, followed him
20580	;
20581	and
20582	all the orthodox people followed them.
20583	They prayed
20584	to
20585	the
20586	most
20587	high God,
20588	and
20589	burnt
20590	incense, and
20591	cried
20592	Kyrie
20593	eleisoii^
20594	three
20595	times
20596	;
20597	and
20598	God
20599	showed
20600	his wonders, and the
20601	mountain moved
20602	:
20603	namely,
20604	that
20605	part of the Mukattam
20606	hills which
20607	is
20608	near
20609	the
20610	hill
20611	of Al-Kabsh, between
20612	Cairo
20613	and
20614	Misr.
20615	This
20616	miracle
20617	took
20618	place
20619	through
20620	the
20621	faith
20622	of
20623	the
20624	tanner, who
20625	had
20626	plucked
20627	out
20628	his own
20629	eye by the
20630	root, and
20631	in
20632	the presence
20633	of Al-'Aziz^ and
20634	the
20635	chief men
20636	of
20637	his government, and
20638	the
20639	cadis
20640	of
20641	the Muslims.
20642	When
20643	Al-'Aziz had
20644	witnessed
20645	this
20646	great
20647	miracle, he
20648	said
20649	:
20650	'It
20651	is
20652	enough,
20653	O patriarch
20654	; we recognize what God has done for you
20655	;
20656	' and then he
20657	added
20658	:
20659	' Desire of me what
20660	thoii choosest, and
20661	I
20662	will do
20663	it
20664	for
20665	thee.'
20666	The patriarch, however, refused with thanks
20667	;
20668	but Al-'Aziz begged him
20669	to ask
20670	for something, and did not cease
20671	until the patriarch had asked
20672	for
20673	a
20674	certain
20675	church,
20676	which
20677	had
20678	fallen
20679	into
20680	ruin.
20681	So
20682	Al-'Aziz
20683	Pol. 35 b
20684	commanded
20685	that
20686	this
20687	church
20688	should
20689	be
20690	restored
20691	for
20692	the
20693	patriarch,
20694	and
20695	it
20696	is said
20697	to have been the church
20698	of Saint
20699	Mercurius.
20700	When the patriarch was about to begin
20701	to work upon
20702	this church,
20703	the common people of the Muslims attacked him.
20704	F.or the church had
20705	fallen into ruin, and nothing was left to mark
20706	it except 'the walls, which
20707	were also in a state of decay
20708	; and
20709	it had been turned into a storehouse
20710	for sugar-canes.
20711	So the command was issued that
20712	it should be restored
20713	by
20714	the
20715	patriarch, and
20716	that
20717	money should
20718	be allowed him
20719	from
20720	the
20721	^ Or members of the family of the prophet Mahomet.
20722	^
20723	It
20724	is well known that this
20725	liturgical formula of the
20726	first Christians has been
20727	preserved in the original Greek in the Coptic ritual, as it has been in the Latin mass.
20728	^ The
20729	caliph
20730	Al-'Aziz
20731	bi-'llah Abu
20732	Mansur
20733	Nazar,
20734	fifth
20735	of
20736	the
20737	Fatimides,
20738	reigned from
20739	a. h. 365 to 386 = a. d. 975 to 996.
p. 148
20740	ii8
20741	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
20742	treasury, as much
20743	as he should ask
20744	for.
20745	The patriarch, however, took
20746	the decree, but returned
20747	the money, with apologies, saying
20748	:
20749	' God, to
20750	whom be
20751	praise, who has shown
20752	his great power,
20753	is able to
20754	assist
20755	in
20756	the
20757	erection of houses
20758	for his worship, and has no need of this world's
20759	money.'
20760	And he begged
20761	Al-'Aziz
20762	to
20763	restore the money to
20764	its
20765	place,
20766	and not to force him to accept it
20767	; so the caliph consented to his request.
20768	And when
20769	the
20770	patriarch was
20771	hindered, by
20772	those who attacked
20773	him,
20774	from
20775	restoring
20776	the church
20777	to
20778	its
20779	original
20780	state, and when they raised
20781	disturbances and showed
20782	their
20783	indignation
20784	at
20785	the
20786	matter, news was
20787	brought to the prince of the faithful, Al-'Aziz bi-'llah, that the common
20788	people would
20789	not allow the patriarch
20790	to carry out the decree
20791	for the
20792	restoration of the church.
20793	Then Al-'Aziz commanded that a body of
20794	his
20795	troops and
20796	his mamelukes
20797	should
20798	go
20799	and
20800	stand
20801	by
20802	during
20803	the
20804	rebuilding of the
20805	fabric, and should repulse any who
20806	tried to hinder
20807	it,
20808	and punish them
20809	as they deserved
20810	for opposing
20811	'that which we have
20812	decreed
20813	to
20814	them^.'
20815	When
20816	the
20817	people saw
20818	this,
20819	they
20820	refrained from
20821	their attacks.
20822	Thus the work was begun.
20823	Now
20824	it
20825	happened
20826	at
20827	that
20828	time
20829	that
20830	the
20831	Shaikh Abu '1-Yaman
20832	Kuzman ibn Mina, the scribe, travelled to Palestine and the surrounding
20833	districts, and remained
20834	there a considerable time, employing himself in
20835	the work to which he had been called
20836	; and in this way he gained much
20837	money.
20838	He
20839	lived
20840	a
20841	solitary
20842	life,
20843	for he was not married
20844	;
20845	and none
20846	lived with him except
20847	his servants
20848	; and he was abstemious and con-
20849	tented with
20850	little, and economical
20851	in
20852	his way of
20853	life.
20854	So he
20855	brought
20856	the money which he had
20857	laid by
20858	to
20859	the
20860	aforesaid
20861	patriarch, when he
20862	was about
20863	to return
20864	to
20865	Syria,
20866	to continue the work
20867	to which he had
20868	been
20869	called
20870	by
20871	the government
20872	of
20873	the
20874	caliph
20875	;
20876	and
20877	he
20878	said
20879	to the
20880	patriarch
20881	:
20882	' Spend
20883	all
20884	this money
20885	in
20886	the
20887	path
20888	of God
20889	;
20890	in
20891	building
20892	churches, and
20893	in other pious works
20894	for the sick and orphans and the
20895	poor, according to the will of the most high God
20896	; and may he impute
20897	it
20898	to me as a good deed
20899	!
20900	'
20901	So he departed to go to Syria
20902	; but before
20903	he
20904	left he gave two thousand dinars
20905	to the monasteries
20906	in the desert
20907	^ The first person
20908	is used in
20909	this last clause
20910	only, apparently a quotalion from
20911	the decree.
p. 149
20912	BURNING OF THE CHURCH OF SA INT MER C URIUS.
20913	t
20914	r 9
20915	of Saint Macarius\ and he begged the monks to remember him in their
20916	prayers, and to pray for the continuance of peace and a good end.
20917	So
20918	the
20919	patriarch began the
20920	restoration'^, and a body of
20921	the
20922	chief
20923	men and the orthodox
20924	laity helped him
20925	in this work, and brought him
20926	that which he needed of various kinds for the restoration
20927	; and the pages
20928	and
20929	soldiers and mamelukes of the prince of the faithful stood by with
20930	him, to
20931	prevent attacks that might be made upon him, until the work
20932	was finished with the help of God.
20933	Then the church was consecrated,
20934	and the first liturgy was celebrated
20935	in
20936	it, on the middle altar
20937	; and that
20938	Fol. 36 b
20939	was a day of great joy and exultation over
20940	that which God had done
20941	from the beginning to the end.
20942	After this the patriarch began to
20943	restore
20944	dilapidated
20945	churches, and
20946	to renew those
20947	parts of them
20948	that were
20949	falling
20950	into
20951	decay.
20952	All
20953	this
20954	is related in the Lives of the Patriarchs^ ; but
20955	I abridge the account of
20956	it here, that
20957	it may not be tedious.
20958	Thus the churches were put
20959	into
20960	good order.
20961	Burning and Restoration of the Chnrch of Saint Mercurius.
20962	§ After the fire of Misr, caused by the mob of Mahometans
20963	of that
20964	city and of Alexandria, in the caliphate of Al-'Adid, and in the vizierate
20965	of Shawar, in the month of Safar, in the year 564 (a.d. 1168), [the church
20966	of Saint Mercurius also was burnt]. Now the patriarch Anba Jonas*, the
20967	seventy-second
20968	in
20969	the order of
20970	succession, had
20971	foretold
20972	that the
20973	last-
20974	named church should be burnt, and that
20975	this should take place in the
20976	time of another patriarch
20977	; and
20978	so
20979	it came
20980	to pass.
20981	The cause of the
20982	burning of this church was that the Christians had brought many gifts
20983	to
20984	it, and
20985	had
20986	made
20987	for
20988	it many
20989	splendid
20990	vessels
20991	;
20992	so
20993	the mob
20994	of
20995	Muslims desired to
20996	pillage
20997	it thoroughly, but were unable
20998	to do
20999	this.
21000	^ That
21001	is
21002	the Nitrian
21003	desert, or Wadi Natrfin, where the principal monastery
21004	is dedicated to St. Macarius.
21005	(A.
21006	J. B.)
21007	^ Of St. Mercurius or Abu 's-Saifain.
21008	^ See Renaudot, Hist. Pair. pp. 368-371.
21009	* Or John; he occupied the see from a.d. 1147 to 11 67.
p. 150
21010	I20
21011	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
21012	Fol. 37 a Then a large multitude of them assembled and gave way to their fury,
21013	and set
21014	fire to the church, so that nothing remained except the walls,
21015	and a small chapel within
21016	it, which was not
21017	burnt.
21018	This chapel was
21019	dedicated
21020	to John the
21021	Baptist^, and here the
21022	liturgy continued
21023	to be
21024	said, until the Christians decided
21025	to restore the Great Church aforesaid.
21026	So they restored
21027	it, and completed the sanctuary, and substituted for the
21028	roof of timber cupolas and arches of baked brick.
21029	The wooden baldakyn
21030	over the middle
21031	altar was
21032	renewed, and a wooden
21033	tablet was
21034	placed
21035	upon the
21036	latter.
21037	The wooden
21038	baldakyn over
21039	the
21040	middle
21041	altar was
21042	exceedingly handsome, of skilful workmanship, and supported on
21043	four
21044	pillars of hard
21045	marble^.
21046	All
21047	this was
21048	provided by
21049	the Shaikh Abu
21050	'1-Barakat
21051	ibn Abu Sa id Hablan,
21052	the
21053	scribe,
21054	in
21055	the year 892
21056	of the
21057	Righteous
21058	Martyrs
21059	(a. D.
21060	1175-6)^,
21061	at
21062	his own
21063	expense;
21064	except the
21065	pillars, which were paid
21066	for out of the funds of the church, consisting
21067	of that which the chief men subscribed
21068	towards
21069	it, and
21070	that which was
21071	brought by the bishops, who were appointed to vacant sees, as a present
21072	from them.
21073	For this was
21074	in the patriarchate of Anba Mark"*, who was
21075	known, before his promotion, as Abu '1-Faraj ibn Zar'ah, the scribe
21076	; and
21077	this patriarch forbad the acceptance of bribes for consecration, in obedience
21078	to the command of the law,
21079	' Cursed
21080	is he who receives, and cursed is he
21081	' There is now no chapel of St. John the Baptist attached to the Great Church
21082	of Abii 's-Saifain, though there is a chapel
21083	dedicated
21084	to
21085	St. John
21086	the
21087	Evangelist.
21088	See
21089	the plan of Abu 's-Saifain
21090	in
21091	Coptic
21092	Churches,
21093	i. p. 78.
21094	It
21095	is
21096	possible that
21097	the
21098	chapel named
21099	in
21100	the
21101	text occupied
21102	the
21103	east end of
21104	the
21105	south
21106	aisle
21107	:
21108	and
21109	this conjecture
21110	is borne out by the subsequent statement
21111	of Abu
21112	Salih
21113	that
21114	the
21115	chapel
21116	of
21117	St. George
21118	also escaped
21119	the
21120	fire
21121	:
21122	for
21123	the
21124	chapel
21125	of Mart
21126	Jirjis
21127	is
21128	in
21129	the
21130	triforium,
21131	i. e. on
21132	the
21133	first
21134	floor
21135	directly over
21136	the south
21137	aisle
21138	;
21139	see plan, ibid.
21140	p. 119.
21141	(A.J.B.)
21142	^ This description of the altar-canopy resting on marble columns corresponds
21143	with
21144	that now
21145	existing.
21146	The wooden
21147	tablet
21148	or
21149	altar-board
21150	has
21151	already been
21152	explained.
21153	(A.
21154	J. B.)
21155	^ This
21156	date, with
21157	that given
21158	below, roughly
21159	fixes
21160	a. d. 1170-90
21161	as
21162	the
21163	date
21164	of the present building, although parts are earlier.
21165	(A.
21166	J. B.)
21167	•* The seventy-third patriarch;
21168	he occupied the see from
21169	a. d. 1174 lo 1189.
p. 151
21170	RESTORA TIOX OF THE CHURCH OF SAINT MERCURIUS. 121
21171	who gives
21172	;
21173	' and this was one of the good deeds of this patriarch.
21174	This
21175	was in the caliphate of Al-'Adid, and the vizierate of the most glorious
21176	Yflsuf an-Nasir ibn Ayyub, brother of Asad ad-Din Shirkuh\ the Kurd,
21177	Fol. 37 b
21178	under the dynasty of the Ghuzz.
21179	This
21180	restoration was superintended
21181	by three architects, among the principal architects of Cairo.
21182	This church
21183	had
21184	been
21185	the
21186	episcopal
21187	church,
21188	until
21189	the
21190	death
21191	of Anba
21192	Philotheus,
21193	bishop
21194	of Cairo
21195	;
21196	but
21197	Christodulus- transformed
21198	it
21199	into a patriarchal
21200	church^, and appointed an income
21201	for Anba
21202	Gabriel, the successor of
21203	Philotheus, which he continued
21204	to
21205	receive from
21206	it
21207	; and arranged that
21208	he should say liturgies here at fixed times continually, as the vianzarah^
21209	bears
21210	witness.
21211	In the upper story of
21212	this church was the chapel^ of
21213	^ Salah ad-Din
21214	(Yfisuf ibn Ayyub)
21215	was,
21216	of course, nephew,
21217	not
21218	brother, of
21219	Asad ad-Din Shirkuh.
21220	"^ The sixty-sixth patriarch; he occupied the see from
21221	a. d. 1047 to iioo.
21222	^ This would be quite a century before the
21223	restoration
21224	of the
21225	church.
21226	The
21227	existing tribune and
21228	patriarchal throne show how the restorers marked the char-
21229	acter conferred on
21230	the church by Christodulus.
21231	See
21232	Coptic Churches,
21233	i. p. iii,
21234	and plan on p. 78.
21235	(A. J. B.)
21236	* This passage refers to some inscription in the manzarah of the church. The
21237	manzarah was a gallery in
21238	the upper story of a house, church, or mosque, open
21239	at
21240	the
21241	side
21242	like an
21243	Italian
21244	loggia.
21245	There
21246	is
21247	a well-known example
21248	of
21249	such
21250	a 77ianzarah in the
21251	still
21252	existing mosque of Ka'it Bey.
21253	The word
21254	also denotes,
21255	as
21256	here,
21257	a reception-room on
21258	the ground
21259	floor:
21260	and even a
21261	separate
21262	pavilion.
21263	(A.
21264	J. B.)
21265	^ The chapel
21266	of
21267	St. George (Abu
21268	Jirj or Mari Jirjis)
21269	is in the south triforium
21270	of the church of Abii 's-Saifain, and the cupola referred to
21271	is part of the external
21272	fabric, although
21273	it
21274	rises over the
21275	sanctuary.
21276	It
21277	is
21278	curious
21279	that Abu
21280	Salih here
21281	specifies
21282	this chapel as escaping the
21283	fire which
21284	destroyed
21285	the main
21286	fabric, when
21287	he had a little earlier singled out the chapel of St. John
21288	as remaining uninjured,
21289	and so seemed to imply that no other part of the church survived.
21290	The expression
21291	'whole and untouched' is remarkable, and would seem to show, what is otherwise
21292	probable, that
21293	the
21294	fire was of a very partial
21295	character
21296	:
21297	unless
21298	the conjecture of
21299	a previous note
21300	holds good, that the chapel of St. John was
21301	actually under
21302	that
21303	of
21304	St. George.
21305	It
21306	must, however, be noticed
21307	that Abu
21308	Salili's expression
21309	only
21310	applies to the haikal and dome, and seems
21311	to imply that
21312	the
21313	rest
21314	of
21315	the
21316	chapel
21317	r
21318	[II.
21319	7-]
p. 152
21320	122
21321	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
21322	Saint George^, with the lofty cupola, erected by the Shaikh Abu '1-Fadl
21323	Yuhanna, son of Kiil, the bishop
21324	; whose father received the name of John
21325	at the time of his promotion as bishop to the see of Atrib^.
21326	The cupola
21327	and the sanctuary, that
21328	is to say the altar, and the walls of this chapel
21329	remained
21330	whole
21331	and
21332	untouched
21333	at
21334	the
21335	time
21336	of the
21337	fire.
21338	Ibn Abu
21339	'1-Fada'il ibn Farruj
21340	built
21341	an enclosure around
21342	this church, which he
21343	also whitewashed and paved
21344	; and
21345	it was solemnly opened
21346	in the year
21347	570 (a. D. 1175).
21348	Church of the Archangel Michael.
21349	The church of the
21350	angel Michael^ was
21351	the
21352	patriarchal
21353	Cell
21354	from
21355	westward was burnt.
21356	I may be pardoned for quoting a description of the existing
21357	chapel
21358	written twelve years before
21359	I had seen Abu
21360	Salih.
21361	' The
21362	choir of this
21363	chapel
21364	retains
21365	part
21366	of the
21367	ancient panelled
21368	roof which
21369	probably once
21370	covered
21371	the whole triforium.
21372	The beams and coffers are sumptuously gilt, and coloured
21373	in the style of the thirteenth
21374	century
21375	:
21376	but only faint
21377	relics
21378	of
21379	its former beauty
21380	remain.'
21381	By putting the
21382	date somewhat
21383	earlier—and merely architectural
21384	dates
21385	in
21386	these
21387	churches
21388	are
21389	not very certain—one may
21390	possibly
21391	identify
21392	this
21393	ceiling
21394	as previous to the general restoration.
21395	If not,
21396	it certainly dates from
21397	that epoch.
21398	(A. J. B.)
21399	^ The Arabic
21400	forms
21401	of
21402	the name
21403	George
21404	are
21405	various,
21406	but
21407	correspond
21408	to
21409	different Coptic forms of the same word.
21410	We have
21411	in Arabic
21412	Jirjiyus
21413	(,_^v^»ya.),
21414	Jirjis
21415	((_j-j>.^),
21416	Jirj
21417	(j^j*-), Jirjah
21418	(i;.), and
21419	the
21420	diminutive form
21421	Juraij
21422	(-r!/*-)
21423	!
21424	and in Coptic we find veoopvioc, vecDpvi, veopve, veojpve, vecjopv,
21425	reopv, and veop.
21426	See Mr. W. E. Crum's
21427	Coptic MSS. from
21428	the Fayyum,
21429	Index
21430	I.
21431	(A. J. B.)
21432	^ The
21433	classical
21434	Athribis and
21435	the
21436	Coptic ^LOpH^I,
21437	the
21438	site
21439	of which
21440	lies
21441	a little to the north-east of the modern Banha al-'Asal on the eastern bank of the
21442	Damietta
21443	branch.
21444	Atrib was
21445	still a town or village in the fourteenth century and
21446	later.
21447	See
21448	Yakut,
21449	Geogr.
21450	Wort.
21451	i.
21452	p.
21453	iii;
21454	Al-Makrizi,
21455	Khitat,
21456	i.
21457	p.
21458	ivo
21459	f;
21460	Quatremere, Mdm.
21461	i. pp. 1-25
21462	; Am^lineau, Geogr. p. 69 f
21463	^ Abu
21464	Salih now
21465	mentions
21466	three
21467	churches,
21468	the
21469	church
21470	of
21471	St. Michael, the
21472	neighbouring
21473	church
21474	of Aba Nub
21475	which
21476	was
21477	destroyed
21478	by
21479	the
21480	fire,
21481	and
21482	the
p. 153
21483	CHURCH OF SAINT ANOb.
21484	123
21485	the time of the promotion of Anb^ Gabriel^ Abu 'l-'Ula, son of Tarik
21486	the
21487	scribe,
21488	the
21489	seventieth
21490	in
21491	the order
21492	of
21493	succession, and
21494	after him
21495	under Anba Jonas ^, the seventy-second.
21496	This Tarik was a priest, who
21497	lost
21498	his
21499	wife, and
21500	then
21501	solicited
21502	the
21503	rank of bishop
21504	;
21505	but when the
21506	patriarch demanded money of
21507	him, he refused
21508	to gain promotion
21509	to
21510	a rank
21511	in the hierarchy by bribery.
21512	Then, since he had much wealth,
21513	he built
21514	this church, and ceased to solicit the dignity of bishop.
21515	This
21516	Fol. 38 a
21517	was in the patriarchate of Anba MichaeP the Sinjarite^
21518	The church
21519	was
21520	restored by the Shaikh As-Sadid Abu
21521	'1-Fadail, known
21522	as
21523	Ibn
21524	Sittumi'ah(?), the scribe of the Emir 'Ali ibn Ahmad, the Kurd,
21525	in the
21526	caliphate of Al-Mustadi, the Abbaside, and
21527	in the vizierate of An-Nisir
21528	Yusuf ibn Ayyub,
21529	in the year 568
21530	(a. D.
21531	1172);
21532	and
21533	it was solemnly
21534	opened on the feast of the angel Michael, the 7th of Hatilr, in the year
21535	809 ^ of the Blameless Martyrs, when the liturgy was said in
21536	it.
21537	Chw'ch of Saint Annb.
21538	Adjacent to the last-named church, there
21539	is a church dedicated
21540	to
21541	church of St. Anthony, built on the same site as Aba Nub.
21542	These, I think, were
21543	separate buildings,
21544	i.e. not part of Abu 's-Saifain; indeed this
21545	is proved by the fact
21546	of
21547	St. Michael
21548	being
21549	the
21550	patriarchal Cell, and having
21551	its own
21552	courtyard, and by
21553	the fact of Aba Nub being turned into a summer residence.
21554	But
21555	it
21556	is remarkable
21557	that
21558	these
21559	three names
21560	are found
21561	attached
21562	to
21563	three chapels
21564	side by side
21565	in
21566	the
21567	upper
21568	story of Abu 's-Saifain
21569	:
21570	see
21571	Coptic
21572	ChurcJies,
21573	i.
21574	p. 119,
21575	plan.
21576	There can
21577	be
21578	little
21579	question
21580	that
21581	these
21582	three chapels
21583	are meant to
21584	preserve
21585	the names
21586	of
21587	the
21588	three churches which have perished.
21589	(A. J. B.)
21590	^ Occupied
21591	the
21592	see
21593	from
21594	a.d. 1131
21595	to
21596	11 46.
21597	See
21598	Renaudot,
21599	Hist.
21600	Pair.
21601	pp. 500-513.
21602	2 Or John.
21603	^ The sixty-eighth
21604	patriarch; he occupied
21605	the
21606	see from
21607	a.d. 1093
21608	to 1102.
21609	See Renaudot, Hist. Patr. pp. 471-483.
21610	*
21611	I.e. of Sinjar, the Coptic TlCtJinvepI, in the northern Delta, between Burlus
21612	and the marshes.
21613	See Amelineau,
21614	Ge'ogr. p. 375.
21615	°
21616	It would seem that this date should be 889 = a. d. 1172.
21617	r 2
p. 154
21618	124
21619	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
21620	the glorious martyr Saint Anub\ to the expenses of which the patriarch
21621	Anba
21622	Gabriel
21623	contributed.
21624	It
21625	is
21626	said
21627	that
21628	it
21629	was founded by Abu
21630	Nasr,
21631	brother
21632	of Abii
21633	'l-'Ula
21634	ibn
21635	Tarik,
21636	but was
21637	not
21638	finished
21639	;
21640	and
21641	then was newly built by the Shaikh As-Safi
21642	Butrus
21643	ibn Muhna, the
21644	scribe.
21645	Afterwards the priest Abu '1-Khair, known
21646	as Ibn al-Amadi,
21647	chose
21648	to pass the summer at
21649	the church of Saint Anub, and
21650	in
21651	part
21652	of the courtyard in front of [the adjacent church of] Michael
21653	; and here
21654	the
21655	patriarchs
21656	generally sat on a wooden
21657	dais, to
21658	enjoy the coolness
21659	during the days
21660	of summer.
21661	[Saint Anub] was restored as a church
21662	after the
21663	fire,
21664	under the name
21665	of
21666	Saint Anthony, and was solemnly
21667	opened by Anb^ John, the seventy-ninth^ patriarch,
21668	at
21669	the beginning
21670	of his
21671	patriarchate, in
21672	the
21673	year 903^ of the Righteous Martyrs
21674	(a.d.
21675	1187).
21676	All
21677	those named
21678	contributed
21679	to the
21680	expenses of the annual
21681	[dedication] festival.
21682	The [last-named] patriarch died
21683	in the year 92-5*
21684	of the Righteous Martyrs (a.d. 1207), on Thursday, the ist of Bashans^
21685	;
21686	and in this very year his elder brother the priest died.
21687	ChnrcJi of Saint Sophia.
21688	There
21689	is
21690	also an
21691	ancient church, broad and
21692	spacious, the walls of
21693	which became weak, and some of the paintings
21694	fell to pieces.
21695	It was
21696	' The Arabic Aba Nub represents the Coptic <^n^ ^IIOtK,
21697	The
21698	saint,
21699	whose
21700	festival
21701	is kept on Abib 24= July 18, was beheaded
21702	in
21703	his youth, under
21704	Diocletian, after enduring horrible tortures.
21705	See Synaxariw7i (MS. Arabe 256), at
21706	Abib 24; Zoega, Cat. Codd.
21707	C(?//. Cod. xxiv ; Amdiineau, Actes des AIM. p. 145
21708	AT.
21709	"^ This should be 'seventy-fourth.'
21710	^ There
21711	is some difficulty about this date, as the Patriarchal History and Abu
21712	'1-Barakat assign the
21713	election
21714	of John, the seventy-fourth patriarch, to a.m. 905=
21715	A.D.
21716	1 189,
21717	and Al-Makrizi
21718	makes
21719	it
21720	only
21721	one year
21722	earlier;
21723	see
21724	Renaudot,
21725	Hi'sl. Patr. pp. 554-5.
21726	Our author, however,
21727	is a contemporary witness.
21728	* The
21729	other writers give
21730	a.m. 93 2 = a.d.
21731	12 16
21732	as
21733	the
21734	date
21735	of John's
21736	death,
21737	which was followed by a vacancy of the
21738	see
21739	lasting
21740	for many
21741	years.
21742	Oriental
21743	chronology is full of discrepancies
21744	!
21745	^ The Coptic n^.^a)n = April 26-May 25.
p. 155
21746	CHURCH OF SAINT MACARIUS.
21747	125
21748	formerly named Agia
21749	SopJiia^;
21750	and
21751	the
21752	building was wonderful
21753	for
21754	its
21755	plan and
21756	its
21757	construction and
21758	its symmetry.
21759	It
21760	was
21761	restored
21762	at
21763	the expense of the Shaikh
21764	Safi ad-Daulah
21765	ibn Abu Yasir ibn 'Alwan,
21766	the scribe.
21767	CJiurcJi of Saint Macaruis.
21768	There
21769	is a church named after Saint Macarius^, attached to the last-
21770	named
21771	church.
21772	Those
21773	parts
21774	of
21775	it
21776	which
21777	had
21778	fallen
21779	to
21780	decay were
21781	renewed by the deacon Abu Ishak
21782	ibn 'Abd al-Masih.
21783	CJnirch of the Four Living
21784	CrcatiiJ'cs.
21785	There
21786	is
21787	the
21788	church
21789	of
21790	the
21791	Four
21792	Angels, who
21793	are
21794	the
21795	Living
21796	Creatures which support
21797	the most high
21798	throne'^.
21799	It was
21800	restored by
21801	the Shaikh Ibn Amin al-Mulk ibn al-Muhaddith Abu Sa'id ibn Yuhanna,
21802	the Alexandrian, the
21803	scribe, who constructed
21804	for
21805	it a wooden
21806	roof of
21807	skilful
21808	workmanship,
21809	in
21810	the
21811	year
21812	893
21813	of
21814	the
21815	Righteous
21816	Martyrs
21817	(a.d.
21818	1 1 76);
21819	[and
21820	it was opened]
21821	on Wednesday,
21822	the 8th
21823	of Hatur,
21824	which
21825	is
21826	the
21827	festival
21828	of
21829	the
21830	Four
21831	Creatures.
21832	The
21833	church
21834	contains
21835	their special
21836	altar
21837	; and
21838	the
21839	altar named
21840	after the
21841	Presentation
21842	of the
21843	Lord
21844	in the Temple
21845	; and an altar dedicated
21846	to the martyr, the valiant
21847	Fol. 39 a
21848	^ There
21849	is no remaining church of this name near Cairo.
21850	It would seem to
21851	have been named after Justinian's famous church at Constantinople.
21852	The rough
21853	breathing
21854	is, of course, not pronounced in modern Greek.
21855	^ There are three Saints Macarius especially celebrated in Egyptian hagiology
21856	:
21857	St. Macarius the
21858	Great, monk of the
21859	Nitrian Desert
21860	;
21861	St. Macarius
21862	the abbot, of
21863	Alexandria
21864	; and St. Macarius the bishop of Jerusalem.
21865	'^ The festival of the Four Incorporeal
21866	Living Creatures (Apocalypse
21867	iv. 7-9
21868	;
21869	Ezekiel
21870	i. 5 and x)
21871	is kept on
21872	Ilatfir 8=Nov.
21873	4.
21874	See Synaxarium (MS. Arabe
21875	256) ad diem.
p. 156
21876	126
21877	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
21878	Theodore Basradiladus^.
21879	The church was restored by Al-Mu'alh'm Zavvin,
21880	who was damin^ of
21881	Cairo
21882	in the caHphate of AI-Hafiz.
21883	Afterwards
21884	it
21885	fell
21886	into decay and
21887	ruin, and was
21888	restored by
21889	the Shaikh Al-Makin
21890	AbA
21891	'1-Barakat, known as Ibn Kitamah
21892	;
21893	and when
21894	it again
21895	fell
21896	into
21897	decay,
21898	it was restored by Amin ad-Daulah ibn al-Musawwif, who added
21899	on
21900	the south
21901	side
21902	of
21903	it a
21904	sanctuary named
21905	after
21906	the
21907	glorious
21908	angel
21909	Michael.
21910	The church was
21911	consecrated
21912	by Anba
21913	Gabriel,
21914	bishop
21915	of
21916	Misr, under the government of Salah ad-Din Yusuf^, the Kurd.
21917	Other Chmxhcs
21918	in
21919	the Hamras.
21920	§ There is the church of Pocmen* the
21921	Confessor, adjacent to which
21922	is a sanctuary named
21923	after the Lady, between
21924	it and
21925	the church
21926	of
21927	Saint Coluthus^, which has already been described.
21928	* Basradiladus is a transcription of the Coptic r[eCTp^T"HX^THC, which
21929	is the Greek
21930	aTpaTTJXdTrjs with
21931	the
21932	Coptic
21933	article
21934	prefixed.
21935	This word
21936	translated
21937	the Latin Magister mililum or general
21938	of troops (in Arabic J^L^J^), a post held
21939	by Theodore under
21940	Licinius.
21941	The
21942	saint
21943	is
21944	also
21945	called St. Theodore of Shutb,
21946	after the native town of his parents; and his festival
21947	is kept on Abib 2o=July
21948	14.
21949	See Synaxaruim (IMS. Arabc 256) at that day
21950	; Amdlineau, Acles des MM. p. 182
21951	fF.
21952	St.
21953	Theodoras Dux
21954	[aTparr]kuTr]i)
21955	is commemorated by
21956	the Roman church on
21957	Feb.
21958	7
21959	(see Ac/a SS.)
21960	;
21961	but, akhough he
21962	suffered under
21963	Licinius,
21964	his
21965	history
21966	is
21967	different from that of the Coptic martyr.
21968	The Greek church also commemorates
21969	him.
21970	2 See note on fol. 12 b.
21971	^
21972	I. e. Saladin.
21973	* The
21974	Arabic Bamin
21975	is
21976	intended
21977	as
21978	a
21979	transcription
21980	of
21981	the
21982	Graeco-Coptic
21983	noiJULHrt.
21984	This saint, whose festival
21985	is kept by the Copts on Kihak 9= Dec. 5,
21986	was one of the famous hermits of Egypt
21987	in
21988	the fourth and
21989	fifth centuries.
21990	Some
21991	of the acts and sayings of Poemen or Pastor are to be found recorded in Rosweyde
21992	;
21993	Synaxarium (MS. Arahe 256) ad diem
21994	;
21995	Zoega, Cat. pp. 290, 299, 319, and
21996	340.
21997	The Roman church commemorates Poemen on Aug. 24.
21998	He
21999	is said
22000	to have
22001	died in a. d. 451, at a very great age.
22002	See Acta SS. at Aug. 24.
22003	® See
22004	fol. 32 a
22005	If.
p. 157
22006	MONASTERY OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST.
22007	127
22008	There
22009	is the church of the glorious angel
22010	Gabriel.
22011	There
22012	is
22013	also,
22014	over the tank, a church named
22015	after Saint John the
22016	Baptist^, restored
22017	by Abu
22018	'1-Fath,
22019	of Upper
22020	Egypt, who was
22021	priest
22022	at
22023	the
22024	church
22025	of
22026	Al-Mu'allakah^.
22027	It was roofed with great beams.
22028	On a recent occasion
22029	the blacks determined to pillage this monastery, and they attacked
22030	this
22031	roof, so that they succeeded in ruining the building.
22032	Afterwards
22033	it was
22034	restored by the aforesaid persons^, and was solemnly opened on Sunday,
22035	the 32nd
22036	of
22037	Barmahaf*,
22038	in
22039	the
22040	year
22041	900
22042	of
22043	the
22044	Blameless
22045	Martyrs
22046	(a.d. 1184), by Gabriel, bishop of Misr, and Anbi
22047	Peter, bishop
22048	of the
22049	Fayyum.
22050	Near
22051	it
22052	is the tower, which
22053	is entered from the church, and
22054	Fol. 39 b
22055	beneath which
22056	lies the garden;
22057	it overlooks the lake of Al-Habash, and
22058	the river Nile, and Al-Bustan.
22059	Monastery of Saint John
22060	the
22061	Baptist.
22062	[Attached
22063	to
22064	the
22065	last-named
22066	church
22067	is]
22068	the
22069	monastery
22070	of Saint
22071	John, which
22072	is of beautiful aspect, and wonderful
22073	for
22074	its situation near
22075	the
22076	lake
22077	of Al-Habash,
22078	especially
22079	in
22080	the
22081	time
22082	of high
22083	Nile^, and
22084	in
22085	spring, and in the ploughing season and seed-time of summer.
22086	Yahya
22087	ibn
22088	al-'Ubaidi
22089	the
22090	scribe was superintendent of
22091	this
22092	monastery
22093	;
22094	but
22095	Gabriel, the seventieth patriarch, called Abu l-'Ula Sa'id, son
22096	of Tarik
22097	the
22098	scribe, was informed that the conduct of this man was worthy of
22099	blame,
22100	and
22101	that
22102	he
22103	treacherously allowed
22104	many Muslims
22105	to
22106	attend
22107	the
22108	liturgies.
22109	Accordingly
22110	the
22111	patriarch
22112	rebuked him
22113	for
22114	this
22115	time
22116	after
22117	time, but
22118	yet he
22119	did
22120	not amend
22121	;
22122	and
22123	at
22124	last he was expelled
22125	from
22126	the
22127	monastery, and
22128	was
22129	obliged
22130	to
22131	give
22132	it up
22133	until
22134	he should
22135	^ This church as well as the two previously mentioned and those subsequently
22136	named as
22137	standing near
22138	the
22139	lake of Al-Habash
22140	are unknown, though
22141	obviously
22142	existing at the time of our writer, in different degrees of repair.
22143	(A. J. B.)
22144	^ See note on fol. 9
22145	b.
22146	^ Only one has been named.
22147	* The Coptic c^^.JULe^:a3e = Feb. 25-March 26.
22148	^ Because
22149	the
22150	lake
22151	of Al-Habash, like the other
22152	then
22153	numerous
22154	pools
22155	of
22156	Cairo, was full of water only at the time of high
22157	Nile.
22158	Most
22159	of the pools within
22160	the
22161	city were
22162	filled up by Muhammad 'Ali, who
22163	is
22164	said
22165	thereby greatly to have
22166	improved the health of the place at the expense of its picturesque character.
22167	(A. J. B.)
p. 158
22168	128
22169	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
22170	return
22171	to
22172	his
22173	faith.
22174	Yahya
22175	suffered
22176	much
22177	from
22178	this,
22179	and
22180	at
22181	last
22182	repented,
22183	and
22184	consented
22185	to
22186	abandon
22187	his
22188	evil
22189	habits
22190	;
22191	and
22192	so
22193	the
22194	monastery was restored to him.
22195	Nevertheless, he returned to his repre-
22196	hensible practices, and the remedy employed was of no profit.
22197	Therefore
22198	Yahya was expelled again, and another was appointed in his place.
22199	It is
22200	said that through Abu Shakir, the scribe, of Alexandria, the removal of
22201	Yahya was facilitated by the condition that he should be allowed to live
22202	in the tower, and to have the enjoyment of the garden.
22203	Satan induced
22204	Yahya to abandon the Christian
22205	religion, and he became a Muslim, and
22206	made a kiblah^ in the bakehouse, and another kiblah over the entrance
22207	into the monastery
22208	; and he did much injury to the monastery.
22209	He took
22210	Fol. 4.0 a
22211	possession of the road by which the
22212	monastery was
22213	entered, and
22214	he
22215	separated the tower and the garden from
22216	the monastery, and allowed
22217	all except Christians to enter them
22218	; but the Christians took measures
22219	to open another door, near the
22220	first, leading
22221	into the monastery only.
22222	This was
22223	in
22224	the
22225	caliphate of Al-Hafiz.
22226	Thus Yahya had
22227	possession
22228	of the tower and the garden.
22229	When that apostate died, after repenting
22230	and neglecting the matter of his
22231	religion, his sons acquired possession
22232	of the garden and the
22233	pavilion, and made use of them
22234	; and they also
22235	were Muslims.
22236	Beside
22237	the same
22238	lake", near this
22239	monastery, stands the monastery
22240	named
22241	after
22242	Saint John
22243	the
22244	Baptist,
22245	celebrated
22246	for
22247	its
22248	beautiful and
22249	pleasant
22250	situation, but now
22251	in the possession of the
22252	Melkites.
22253	It was
22254	formerly restored by Abu '1-Fadl
22255	ibn al-Baghdadi and Abu Nasr ibn
22256	'Abdun, known
22257	as Ibn
22258	al-'Addas, the metwalli of the Divan of Syria,
22259	in the caliphate of Al-Hakim.
22260	Ibn al-'Addas
22261	rose high
22262	in
22263	the
22264	affairs
22265	of the government and became
22266	Nizir
22267	;
22268	his sobriquet was
22269	Al-hamdit'^
22270	lilldhi
22271	'^ald md yastahikkii.
22272	^ The term
22273	Idblah
22274	is commonly applied to the niche in the wall of a mosque,
22275	showing the direction of INIecca, although this
22276	is properly called mthrdb, and kiblah
22277	denotes the point to which the eyes are directed
22278	in prayer.
22279	The meaning here
22280	is
22281	that Yahya set on these two places the symbol of Mahometan worship.
22282	(A. J. B.)
22283	^
22284	I. e. the lake of Al-Habash.
22285	^
22286	' Praise to God as He
22287	is worthy,'
p. 159
22288	MONASTERY OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST.
22289	jzg
22290	In the upper story of this building was the remarkable manqarah,
22291	prepared
22292	for
22293	the
22294	assembling
22295	of
22296	the
22297	novices.
22298	Here
22299	were
22300	a
22301	large
22302	number
22303	of
22304	Melkite
22305	nuns,
22306	who
22307	were
22308	supported
22309	by Abu
22310	'1-Fada'il
22311	ibn
22312	Abi
22313	'1-Laith,
22314	the
22315	scribe,
22316	the
22317	owner
22318	of
22319	a
22320	garden
22321	near
22322	this
22323	place, which he
22324	rented from
22325	the Divan of Upper
22326	Egypt, and
22327	which
22328	contained
22329	fine palm-trees,
22330	pomegranates,
22331	myrtles, and many kinds
22332	of
22333	Fol. 40 b
22334	trees, bearing excellent
22335	fruit, such as are
22336	not
22337	to be seen together else-
22338	where.
22339	When
22340	this Abu
22341	'1-Fada'il
22342	died, he
22343	left a nephew named Abil
22344	'I-Makarim Mahbub, son of Abu '1-Faraj al-'Abudi, whose wife was the
22345	sister of Abii
22346	'1-Barakat
22347	ibn Abu
22348	'1-Laith.
22349	Abu '1-Makarim deserted
22350	the Christian
22351	religion, and became a Muslim, and was circumcised
22352	at
22353	the age of nearly
22354	forty years.
22355	He
22356	laid
22357	his hand upon
22358	the
22359	aforesaid
22360	garden, and took possession of
22361	it as part of his inheritance
22362	;
22363	he forced
22364	the nuns to depart from
22365	it, and he dismantled the mansarah, and turned
22366	it into a mosque.
22367	He also weakened the monastery.
22368	There he enter-
22369	tained the Imam Al-Hafiz, who visited him
22370	there.
22371	So the monastery
22372	was weakened more and more
22373	; and the Melkites were prevented from
22374	visiting
22375	it.
22376	Then troubles followed one after the other, and the greater
22377	part of the monastery and the church fell into decay and perished.
22378	The
22379	Melkites had a bishop at Misr, named Joseph, who did what lay in his
22380	power to renew and restore this monastery; but the restoration remains
22381	to this day unfinished, on account of the weakness of the sect, and their
22382	small numbers, and the remissness of their head, and his neglect of the
22383	supervision
22384	of
22385	this
22386	place
22387	and
22388	others.
22389	The
22390	bishop
22391	of
22392	this
22393	sect
22394	at
22395	Misr began once more to
22396	visit
22397	this monastery on the Monday of the
22398	second
22399	week
22400	of
22401	the
22402	Great
22403	Fast,
22404	together
22405	with
22406	a
22407	great number
22408	of
22409	Melkites and Copts who assemble to hear the Lenten charge, and the
22410	Fol. 41 a
22411	instructions which are given them as to what must be done during that
22412	season.
22413	Moreover, festival
22414	is kept
22415	in this monastery on the second day
22416	of the feast of the bathing^.
22417	^ The festival of the bathing
22418	is otherwise
22419	called 'Id al-Maghtas or
22420	' feast
22421	of
22422	the tank,' because of the custom of bathing in the church tank, formerly observed
22423	by the Copts on that day.
22424	The festival
22425	is observed
22426	in memory of the Baptism of
22427	Christ, and
22428	it
22429	coincides with
22430	the western Epiphany, being kept on Tubah ii =
22431	Jan.
22432	6.
22433	At
22434	the
22435	time of our
22436	author, the custom of bathing
22437	in
22438	the Nile on
22439	the
22440	S
22441	[II.
22442	7-]
p. 160
22443	130
22444	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
22445	The Book of the
22446	i^/t'^rt^i'/m^j', by Ash-Shabushti^, bears witness that
22447	this monastery is on the bank of the lake of Al-Habash, near the
22448	river,
22449	and
22450	that beside
22451	it are several gardens, one of which was
22452	laid out by
22453	the emir Tamim,
22454	brother
22455	of
22456	Al-'Aziz
22457	bi-'llah
22458	;
22459	and
22460	in
22461	this
22462	there
22463	is
22464	a
22465	pavilion,
22466	the
22467	roof
22468	of which
22469	is supported
22470	by
22471	pillars.
22472	The
22473	pavilion
22474	is beautifully designed, skilfully constructed and adorned, and decorated
22475	with paintings
22476	; near
22477	it
22478	is a well
22479	called
22480	Bir
22481	Naja'i, beside which grows
22482	a
22483	tall sycamore affording much shade
22484	; and here the people assemble
22485	to enjoy the shade, and saunter around the
22486	spot, when the Nile
22487	is high
22488	and the lake
22489	is
22490	full, and also when the crops are green and the flowers
22491	are blooming.
22492	Near the aforesaid sycamore
22493	is the bridge which leads
22494	to many roads, and
22495	at which men set
22496	lines for fishing during the days
22497	of high Nile
22498	;
22499	and
22500	this
22501	is a pretty
22502	sight.
22503	Al-Hakim seized upon part of this monastery and church, and rebuilt
22504	it as a mosque, with a minaret
22505	; and his name was
22506	inscribed upon
22507	it.
22508	Now 2 the
22509	first who constructed minarets^
22510	in mosques was Mukhallad
22511	al-Ansari*.
22512	night
22513	of the Epiphany was
22514	still observed
22515	; and
22516	not only the
22517	Christians but
22518	the
22519	Mahometans also followed
22520	the practice, and marked
22521	the
22522	festival by illuminations,
22523	and a
22524	fair with
22525	its
22526	usual accompaniments; many of them
22527	pitching
22528	tents beside
22529	the river.
22530	Al-Mas'udi, who witnessed the festival in a. h. 33o= a. d. 942, describes
22531	the illuminations and festivities on this night ordered by Al-Ikhshid, then governor
22532	of Egypt
22533	; and Al-Masihi describes the observance of the festival by the Fatimide
22534	caliph Az-Zahir
22535	in
22536	a. h. 4I5= a. d.
22537	1024.
22538	See Al-Mas'udi, Miirilj adh-Dhahab
22539	(ed. Barbier),
22540	ii.
22541	p, 364 f;
22542	Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
22543	i. p. >«1F.
22544	^ See Introduction.
22545	^
22546	I have changed the order of the sentences to avoid
22547	the awkward parenthesis
22548	in the text.
22549	^ In
22550	a paper which I wrote some
22551	years ago
22552	in the Athenamm, 1881, I
22553	tried
22554	to show that
22555	the minaret
22556	(i,lju= lighthouse) took
22557	its
22558	origin from
22559	the Pharos
22560	at
22561	Alexandria
22562	(dj.jj^^l
22563	i,lij>), and
22564	that
22565	theory has
22566	been
22567	rather strengthened
22568	than
22569	shaken by subsequent
22570	research.
22571	AI-Makrizi
22572	relates
22573	that
22574	all
22575	the
22576	early minarets
22577	were
22578	of
22579	brick, and
22580	that
22581	the
22582	first
22583	stone
22584	minaret
22585	was
22586	that
22587	of the mosque
22588	of
22589	Al-Maridani
22590	;
22591	see S. Lane Poole's Art of the Saracejis, p. 59.
22592	(A. J. B.)
22593	*
22594	It was not Mukhallad, but
22595	his
22596	son Maslamah
22597	ibn Mukhallad, governor of
22598	Egypt under the caliph Muawiyah from a. h. 47 = a. d. 668
22599	to
22600	a. h. 62 = a. d. 682
22601	;
p. 161
22602	CHURCH OF SAINT VICTOR.
22603	131
22604	§ The church of Saint George, the property of the Copts, was near
22605	the monastery of Saint John the Baptist.
22606	It was very large.
22607	Afterwards
22608	Fol. 41 b
22609	the river flooded
22610	it, and not a trace of
22611	it remained.
22612	§ The
22613	district of Al-Habash\ and the Well of the Steps ^, beside
22614	which grows a great sycamore, which throws a broad shade and
22615	is round
22616	like a
22617	tent, and the Well of Al-Ghanam^, and three feddans of black
22618	soil.
22619	It
22620	is
22621	said
22622	that these two wells and
22623	the land were the property
22624	of Taj ad-Daulah, the Syrian, son of Sabil, known as the
22625	' Golden Nose.'
22626	It
22627	is also said that
22628	all this land belonged
22629	to the vizier, Abu '1-Faraj, the
22630	West-African,
22631	in
22632	the
22633	caliphate
22634	of
22635	Al-Mustansir,
22636	besides
22637	quarries
22638	of
22639	yellow
22640	clay
22641	at
22642	Al-'Adawiyah,
22643	of
22644	which
22645	the
22646	[pots
22647	called]
22648	Khazaf
22649	are made.
22650	Church of Saint
22651	Victor.
22652	§ The church^ dedicated to the martyr Saint Victor^ stands
22653	in the
22654	see above,
22655	fol. 23 b.
22656	Maslamah was the first who made additions
22657	to the mosque
22658	of 'Amr, by building in
22659	a. h. 53 = a. d. 673 new structures on
22660	the north and
22661	east
22662	sides of it, and by adding a minaret.
22663	He also decorated the walls and roof of the
22664	mosque.
22665	See Yakut,
22666	Geogr.
22667	Wort.
22668	iii.
22669	p. aSa;
22670	Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
22671	ii,
22672	p.
22673	ri'v
22674	f.;
22675	As-Suyfiti, Husn al-Muhddarah,
22676	ii. p. v
22677	.
22678	^ The district of Al-Habash was adjacent
22679	to
22680	the
22681	lake of Al-Habash, and was
22682	called
22683	in
22684	Coptic rtieo^LTOJ (Amdlineau,
22685	Geogr. p. 162).
22686	It
22687	is mentioned, not
22688	only
22689	by 'Abu
22690	Selah,'
22691	as M. Amelineau
22692	remarks,
22693	but by
22694	Yakut, who
22695	speaks
22696	{Geogr.
22697	Wdri.
22698	i. p. oi 1) of
22699	' Gardens named Al-Habash, after which the pool of Al-Habash is so called;' and
22700	by Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
22701	ii. p.
22702	lor
22703	.
22704	^ So
22705	called because a flight of steps
22706	led down
22707	into
22708	it.
22709	This well was con-
22710	structed by Al-Hakim.
22711	See Al-IMakrizi, Khitat,
22712	ii. p.
22713	i^i
22714	.
22715	.
22716	^ Also called 'Well of Abu Salamah.'
22717	It
22718	is said to have been situated
22719	in
22720	the
22721	most beautiful spot near the lake of Al-Habash.
22722	See Al-Makiizi, Khitat,
22723	ii. p. i^i
22724	.
22725	.
22726	* This church
22727	is named in two Copto-Arabic
22728	lists of churches and monasteries
22729	as <LTl4L KtKTCOP ItlGO^LTCy
22730	^J:JJ^_ Jajo_
22731	bl, 'The church of Saint Victor
22732	at Al-Habash.'
22733	See Amdlineau, Geogr. pp. 579 and 581.
22734	^
22735	St. Victor, whose
22736	festival
22737	is kept on Barmudah 27= April 22, was a soldier
22738	S 2
p. 162
22739	133
22740	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
22741	district
22742	of Al-Habash,
22743	near
22744	the Well
22745	of
22746	the
22747	Steps.
22748	On
22749	the
22750	wall
22751	of the apse of this church, a Coptic inscription was found, giving the
22752	date of the paintings upon
22753	it, namely the
22754	year
22755	759
22756	of the
22757	Martyrs^
22758	(a. D. 1043),
22759	in the patriarchate of Anba
22760	Sinuthius^, the
22761	sixty-fifth
22762	in
22763	the
22764	order
22765	of
22766	succession.
22767	At the end
22768	of
22769	the
22770	church were
22771	built
22772	two
22773	altars:
22774	one of them named after the martyr Saint Cosmas^, with
22775	his
22776	brothers and
22777	his
22778	mother, and
22779	the
22780	other named
22781	after Saint John,
22782	the
22783	martyr of Aswan
22784	; and these were built at the expense of Abu "1-Barakat,
22785	the above mentioned, in the year 572
22786	(a. D. 1177).
22787	In the upper story
22788	is
22789	a church named
22790	after George
22791	the
22792	Martyr,
22793	erected by
22794	the
22795	Shaikh
22796	Al-Makin Abu
22797	'1-Barakat
22798	ibn
22799	Kitamah,
22800	the
22801	scribe,
22802	in
22803	the
22804	caliphate
22805	of
22806	Al-Fa'iz^;
22807	and
22808	the
22809	said
22810	shaikh
22811	also
22812	rebuilt,
22813	in
22814	the
22815	year
22816	573
22817	(a. D.I 178), beside
22818	the church of Saint Victor, a
22819	church named
22820	after
22821	Fol. 42 a
22822	the martyr Saint Mennas, containing a well
22823	of running water.
22824	Near
22825	this church there
22826	is a garden, which belongs to
22827	it, but
22828	is now a desert,
22829	and nothing is
22830	left standing in
22831	it except palm-trees.
22832	Opposite this church, and within the enclosure of the garden known
22833	as that which was founded by the vizier Abu^ '1-Faraj, the West-African,,
22834	in the Roman army
22835	; and he was beheaded after manifold tortures in the persecu-
22836	tion of Diocletian.
22837	See Synaxarinm (Paris MS. Arabe 256) ad diem
22838	; Amdlineau,
22839	Acies
22840	des MM.
22841	p. 177 ff.;
22842	Zoega, Cat. pp. 113,
22843	239.
22844	There are other saints of
22845	the name in the calendar.
22846	^ These paintings are
22847	again
22848	wall-paintings, or 'frescoes;' although
22849	the term
22850	is
22851	not
22852	technically
22853	correct, as the Coptic
22854	artists worked
22855	in distemper, not
22856	in
22857	the
22858	fresh plaster.
22859	But this date, fixing the middle of the
22860	eleventh century of our era
22861	for the execution of the work,
22862	is exceedingly interesting.
22863	(A. J. B.)
22864	^ Occupied the see in the middle of the eleventh century, but the date
22865	of his
22866	election and death are uncertain
22867	;
22868	see Renaudot, Hist. Patr. pp. 408-417.
22869	•''
22870	Saints
22871	Cosmas
22872	and Damian
22873	with
22874	their mother
22875	and
22876	their
22877	brethren were
22878	popular saints in Egypt.
22879	Their festival
22880	is kept on Hatfir
22881	2 2=Nov.
22882	18.
22883	* The thirteenth of the Fatimide caliphs;
22884	reigned from
22885	a. h. 549-555= a. d.
22886	1154-1160.
22887	^ Abu '1-Faraj Muhammad
22888	ibn Ja'far al-Maghrabi became
22889	vizier
22890	in a. h. 450,
22891	and remained in office about a year.
22892	See Al-Makrizi, Khiiat,
22893	i. p. rei
22894	; As-Suyuti,
22895	Hum al-Mtihddarah,
22896	ii. p.
22897	100
22898	.
p. 163
22899	CHURCH OF SAINT VICTOR.
22900	m
22901	in the caliphate of Al-Mustansir, there
22902	is another church named
22903	after
22904	Saint Victor, which
22905	is now furnished and complete with
22906	its domes and
22907	walls.
22908	For a long time there was no liturgy there, and when
22909	this state
22910	of things had long continued, the vizier Tala'i'^ ibn Ruzzik commanded
22911	that some of the columns should be taken
22912	to build the mosque which
22913	he founded in that part of Misr named Kardfah.
22914	The tribe of Karafah
22915	were
22916	called Banu Hajas
22917	or Banu Yusuf ibn
22918	Wa'il, and
22919	they took up
22920	their quarters
22921	at
22922	this
22923	place, when
22924	the Arabs
22925	conquered Egypt.
22926	The
22927	place was called Karafah^, a word which means 'copyist,' or
22928	' copyist of
22929	books
22930	;' and there were many monks here in hermitages and monasteries,
22931	and many churches, which the Muslims destroyed when they came with
22932	'Amr ibn
22933	al-'Asi ibn 'Adi,
22934	in the month of Muharram
22935	of the year 20
22936	(a. D. 641).
22937	Those of the hermitages which remain have been turned
22938	by the Muslims
22939	into
22940	minarets.
22941	Then
22942	their hands were stretched
22943	out,
22944	until they
22945	built of part of the walls of the hermitages the foundations
22946	of this garden, which at the present time
22947	is
22948	still
22949	in cultivation.
22950	After-
22951	wards, Al-Ajall Taj al-Muluk Buri'^ the Kurd, brother of Salah ad-Din
22952	Fol. 42 b
22953	Yusuf,
22954	built
22955	many
22956	pavilions
22957	in
22958	this
22959	garden
22960	and
22961	outside
22962	it,
22963	and
22964	embellished them
22965	with
22966	marble and
22967	gilding, and
22968	spent much money
22969	upon them.
22970	^
22971	See note on
22972	fol. 7 a.
22973	^ The Greater and
22974	Lesser Karafahs were
22975	the
22976	principal
22977	bur3-ing-grounds
22978	of
22979	Cairo and
22980	Fustat, and
22981	the name
22982	is
22983	still
22984	retained
22985	for
22986	the well-known
22987	cemetery
22988	where the
22989	' tombs of the
22990	caliphs' and the
22991	' tombs of the mamluks' stand.
22992	The
22993	place was
22994	selected
22995	as a burying-ground
22996	immediately
22997	after
22998	the Arab
22999	conquest.
23000	Various accounts are given of the origin of the name
23001	:
23002	that
23003	it was the name of an
23004	Arab woman;
23005	or of a branch
23006	of the
23007	tribe of Banu
23008	Maghafir
23009	;
23010	or,
23011	as
23012	the
23013	text
23014	suggests, a word of Greek
23015	origin {ypacfxvs), meaning
23016	'writer' or
23017	'copyist.'
23018	See
23019	Yakut, Geogr.
23020	Wort.
23021	iv. p. Fa
23022	;
23023	Al-IMakrizt, Khitat,
23024	ii. pp.
23025	Pi'i—Ff
23026	.
23027	^ A younger
23028	brother
23029	of
23030	Saladin.
23031	He was
23032	slain
23033	at the siege of Aleppo
23034	in
23035	A. H. 579= A. D.
23036	1 183
23037	:
23038	a disaster which elicited from Saladin the lament
23039	:
23040	(Jm«)
23041	(05*5
23042	duO^j
23043	VJLaIc i^l*
23044	VllAJcJ9a
23045	I*
23046	' The
23047	fall of Aleppo has been dearly bought by the death of Buri.'
23048	(Abu ITida,
23049	Awidk's,
23050	iv. p. 58.)
p. 164
23051	134
23052	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
23053	Monastery of the Nestorimis.
23054	§
23055	In
23056	this
23057	quarter also
23058	is
23059	the monastery known
23060	as
23061	the
23062	monastery
23063	of the
23064	Nestorians, dedicated
23065	to
23066	Saint
23067	George,
23068	and
23069	enclosed
23070	within
23071	a surrounding wall
23072	of hewn
23073	stone.
23074	It
23075	is
23076	beautifully and
23077	artistically
23078	constructed, and greatly celebrated as a place of resort.
23079	The Shaikh
23080	Abu
23081	""l-Fada-'il, the
23082	Nestorian, known as
23083	the physician of the
23084	tribe of
23085	Al-'Azamiyah,
23086	in
23087	the
23088	caliphate
23089	of Al-Amir,
23090	restored
23091	it
23092	at
23093	his
23094	ov/n
23095	expense, and renewed
23096	it
23097	in an excellent
23098	style, with hewn stone
23099	;
23100	and
23101	there
23102	were
23103	here many
23104	Nestorian
23105	monks.
23106	But when
23107	Al-Amir was
23108	informed of this
23109	restoration, he issued a decree against Abu
23110	'1-Fada'il,
23111	and
23112	acted
23113	extortionately
23114	towards
23115	him, and
23116	seized
23117	all
23118	his
23119	money
23120	;
23121	and the decree remained
23122	in force
23123	until
23124	the caliph had built a mosque
23125	within
23126	the
23127	monastery.
23128	The
23129	originator
23130	of
23131	this
23132	act
23133	of
23134	tyranny was
23135	Abu '1-Fadl Ja far ibn 'Abd al-Mun'im, known as Ibn Abu Kirat, the
23136	metwalli of the Diwan al-Khass^ of Al-Amir.
23137	There was some land
23138	attached
23139	to
23140	this monastery and belonging to
23141	it, outside the
23142	enclosure,
23143	and this land was farmed by Abii '1-Barakat ibn Kitimah, the Jacobite
23144	scribe.
23145	There was now -no one
23146	in the monastery, which was empty,
23147	Fol. 43 a and deprived of liturgies and prayers.
23148	One of the stewards of Kitamah
23149	lived
23150	there,
23151	in
23152	a garden which was
23153	the
23154	property of
23155	his
23156	master
23157	;
23158	but
23159	the
23160	priest Yusuf, the
23161	Nestorian, gained
23162	possession of
23163	it, and
23164	let the
23165	land
23166	to
23167	Muslims,
23168	and
23169	sold
23170	the
23171	upper
23172	story
23173	of
23174	the church
23175	at
23176	Misr,
23177	including the bakehouse, and
23178	let most of the property with which the
23179	Nestorian churches were endowed at low rents to the Muslims, for long
23180	periods.
23181	There are no Nestorians with him
23182	; but they live
23183	in the east,
23184	and
23185	in
23186	Persia, and
23187	in
23188	Al-'Irak and Al-Mausil, and by the Euphrates,
23189	and
23190	in Mesopotamia
23191	;
23192	and
23193	in Egypt they are few
23194	in
23195	number and of
23196	a low
23197	class.
23198	This monastery
23199	[of which we have been
23200	speaking] came
23201	into the
23202	possession of the Copts of Misr
23203	in the patriarchate of Anba Mark ibn
23204	Zar'ah,
23205	the
23206	seventy-third
23207	in
23208	the
23209	order
23210	of
23211	succession, who made
23212	it
23213	^ The board which regulated matters connected with the privy purse.
p. 165
23214	MONASTERY OF THE NESTORIANS.
23215	135
23216	patriarchal,
23217	and
23218	dedicated
23219	the
23220	church
23221	in
23222	it
23223	to
23224	Saint
23225	Philotheus^
23226	of
23227	Antioch.
23228	In the upper story of the monastery there are manzarahs
23229	;
23230	and
23231	the whole
23232	building
23233	is
23234	of hewn
23235	stone,
23236	within
23237	and
23238	without.
23239	The
23240	church was solemnly opened and the liturgy was said in
23241	it the first week
23242	of the blessed fast, namely on Tuesday, the i6th of Amshir, of the year
23243	899
23244	of
23245	the
23246	Righteous
23247	Martyrs, which
23248	is
23249	equivalent
23250	to
23251	the
23252	24th
23253	of
23254	Ramadan of the year 576 (a. D. ii8j).
23255	[This change of ownership took
23256	place] because no Nestorians were
23257	left in Misr except one or two men.
23258	The
23259	monastery was solemnly opened by Anba
23260	Peter, bishop
23261	of the
23262	Fayyum.
23263	It
23264	contains
23265	three
23266	altars
23267	:
23268	one
23269	named
23270	after
23271	Philotheus
23272	of Fol. 43 b
23273	Antioch
23274	; the second after John the Evangelist
23275	; the third after Thomas
23276	the Disciple.
23277	Its expenses were paid by the Shaikh Abu '1-Mansur ibn
23278	Bulus, who also paid for the
23279	liturgies and the eucharistic elements and
23280	the rest, and did not cease to supply all that was needed until the day
23281	of his death.
23282	His son continued
23283	to provide
23284	for
23285	[the expenses of this
23286	monastery],
23287	as
23288	his
23289	father had
23290	done—may God
23291	rest
23292	his
23293	soul
23294	!—and
23295	appointed ministers, both
23296	priests and deacons.
23297	The monastery is now
23298	prosperous, and the people of Upper Egypt come to
23299	it, and open
23300	its door.
23301	There
23302	is also a burying-place
23303	for the Coptic Jacobite Christians and
23304	the bishops of Misr, in the district of Al-Habash
23305	; and the body of Anba
23306	Zacharias^,
23307	the sixty-fourth
23308	patriarch,
23309	is buried there, and the people
23310	receive blessings from
23311	it
23312	;
23313	[and
23314	it was taken
23315	there]
23316	because he com-
23317	manded
23318	at
23319	his death
23320	that he should be
23321	buried among the people of
23322	Misr, on account of his knowledge of the pre-eminence of their
23323	faith,
23324	and what they had suffered in the caliphate of Al-Hakim^.
23325	In [the same
23326	burying-ground] also
23327	are the tombs of the bishops of Misr;
23328	and near
23329	^ The
23330	festival of this martyr
23331	is kept on Tubah 16= Jan. n.
23332	He was con-
23333	verted to Christianity in his youth, and martyred in the persecution of Diocletian.
23334	See Synaxarium ad diem.
23335	"^ Occupied
23336	the
23337	see
23338	from
23339	a. d. 1002
23340	(?) to 1032;
23341	see
23342	Renaudot, Hist. Pair.
23343	pp. 386-408.
23344	On p. 401 Renaudot refers to this passage of Abu Salih.
23345	^ See Al-Makrizi, Khitat,
23346	ii.
23347	p.
23348	i^io, and Renaudot, Hist. Pair, p. 390
23349	ff., for
23350	an account of A 1- Hakim's
23351	terrible persecution of the
23352	Christians, and
23353	the plunder
23354	and destruction of their churches.
23355	(A. J. B.)
p. 166
23356	136
23357	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
23358	it there are two wells of running water
23359	: one constructed by Abii
23360	'1- Hasan
23361	Sa'id ibn Mansiir, the scribe, and the second made by Nasir, the grave-
23362	digger.
23363	In
23364	this
23365	burying-ground
23366	there
23367	is
23368	a conspicuous monument
23369	of
23370	syenite, sculptured with a
23371	cross of points^.
23372	Near the burying-ground
23373	is the Well of the
23374	Steps, with the sycamore beside
23375	it, and
23376	the guard-
23377	house.
23378	At the upper end of this ground, there
23379	is a cemetery of the Jews
23380	Fol. 44 a and Samaritans, and when they come near the
23381	Christian cemetery they
23382	see the sign of the cross, and then they return to that part of the ground
23383	which Anba Michael, the fifty-sixth
23384	patriarch^, sold to the Jews, at the
23385	time when Ahmad ibn Tulun extorted money from him.
23386	This patriarch
23387	also
23388	sold a church to the Jews^
23389	in the Kasr ash-Shama', besides
23390	the
23391	property of the churches at Alexandria, and the herds of camels of the
23392	monks of the monastery of Saint Macarius.
23393	The Melkites, however, have
23394	no cemetery in the
23395	district of Al-Habash, but
23396	their burying-places are
23397	within their churches, and on the hill where the monastery of Al-Kusair
23398	stands.
23399	The Armenians and
23400	the
23401	Nestorians
23402	likewise
23403	[bury]
23404	in
23405	their
23406	churches.
23407	Church of Al-Mariiltt
23408	§ The
23409	garden
23410	called
23411	Al-'Adawiyah^,
23412	or
23413	Munyat
23414	as-Sudan'', was
23415	* The 'cross of points'
23416	is doubtless the Coptic cross, such as
23417	that represented
23418	on the cover of my Coptic Churches.
23419	(A.
23420	J. B.)
23421	^ Occupied
23422	the
23423	see from
23424	a. d. 881
23425	to
23426	899 (?);
23427	see
23428	Renaudot,
23429	Hist.
23430	Pair.
23431	pp. 319-398.
23432	He was the second of the name.
23433	^ The church, sold by Michael or Kha'il to the Jews in a.d. 882,
23434	still belongs
23435	to that community, and
23436	is used as a synagogue, after a possession of 1,000 years.
23437	An account of
23438	it is given
23439	in Coptic Churches,
23440	i. p. 169, and
23441	its position shown on
23442	the plan facing p. 155.
23443	(A. J. B.)
23444	'^ Al-'Adawiyah and its monastery stand about eighteen miles to the south of
23445	Old Cairo, on the same bank of the
23446	river.
23447	The church of Al-Martuti, however,
23448	is not now in existence, possibly because
23449	the
23450	confiscation recorded by Abu Salih
23451	was
23452	permanent.
23453	Yakut
23454	calls
23455	Al-'Adawiyah
23456	a
23457	village
23458	on
23459	the
23460	eastern
23461	bank,
23462	possessing many gardens
23463	; and he
23464	suggests
23465	other derivations of the name
23466	;
23467	see
23468	his Geogr. Wort.
23469	iv. p. irF
23470	.
23471	(A.
23472	J. B.)
23473	^ Two villages of this name are now in existence, but
23474	neither of them
23475	is near
p. 167
23476	CHURCH OF AL-MARTUTL
23477	137
23478	named
23479	after
23480	a woman
23481	called 'Adawiyah, who came
23482	from
23483	Western
23484	Africa
23485	in the days of Al-Mu'izz.
23486	She had much money, and she took
23487	up her abode in this place, which was named after her.
23488	§ The church of the Pure Lady Mary, called Al-MartiUi,
23489	is
23490	sur-
23491	mounted by a
23492	cupola.
23493	In
23494	ancient days
23495	this was a place of worship
23496	of the
23497	Israelites when they were
23498	in bondage
23499	in Egypt
23500	; and when our
23501	Lord Jesus Christ came down
23502	into Egypt from
23503	Syria, with his mother
23504	in the flesh, our Lady the Pure Virgin, and the righteous old man Joseph
23505	the carpenter, they sat
23506	in
23507	this
23508	place, where there
23509	is now a
23510	picture of
23511	the Lady before the holy altar.
23512	The church was founded by the Copts
23513	Fol. 44 b
23514	under the name of the Lady, and was called Al-Martuti, which
23515	is the
23516	Greek word Matir-id'^, and means
23517	' Mother of God the Word.'
23518	When
23519	this church grew old
23520	it fell into decay, and was restored by the Shaikh
23521	Abfj '1-Yaman Wazir, a native of Sanhur-, and
23522	metwalli of the Divan
23523	of the Delta, and by Abu '1-Mansur,his son, in the caliphate of Al-Amir,
23524	and
23525	in the vizierate of Al-Afdal Shahanshah.
23526	In
23527	its upper story Abii
23528	'1-Yaman built a beautiful mansarah, called As-Salukiyah, and the priests
23529	assembled there, and he conversed gaily with them
23530	; this was in the lunar
23531	year 478 (a. d. 1086), in the patriarchate of CyriP, and the episcopate of
23532	Daniel.
23533	He also caused a complete set of vessels of goldsmiths' work to
23534	be made for this church, for the liturgy and the incense and all the needs
23535	of the church.
23536	In the upper story of the church he
23537	built several depen-
23538	Al-'Adawiyah
23539	;
23540	see
23541	Rec.
23542	de Vigypte,
23543	p.
23544	222,
23545	Cf. Yakut,
23546	Mushtarik,
23547	p.
23548	f.i.
23549	Al-Idrisi, however, mentions
23550	the
23551	place named by
23552	our author,
23553	saying, according
23554	to Jaubert's translation
23555	:
23556	' Quand on part de Missr pour se
23557	rendre en remontant
23558	le Nil dans I'Egypte superieure, on va de Fostat a Miniet es-Soudan, joli port situ6
23559	sur
23560	la
23561	rive occidentale (sic!) du Nil
23562	et
23563	environ a 15 milles de
23564	Missr.'
23565	(Tome
23566	i.
23567	P-3I1-)
23568	^
23569	MrjTTjp Qeov.
23570	^ A town between Alexandria and Damietta, now included
23571	in the
23572	district of
23573	Dasuk,
23574	in the province of AI-Gharbiyah.
23575	See Yakut,
23576	Geogr.
23577	Wori.
23578	iii. p.
23579	1 v
23580	.
23581	;
23582	Amelineau, Geogr. pp. 415-417.
23583	' The sixty-seventh patriarch; occupied the see from a. d. 1078 to 1092;
23584	see
23585	Renaudot, Hist. Pair. pp. 449-470.
23586	t
23587	[II.
23588	7.]
p. 168
23589	138
23590	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
23591	dences and
23592	offices.
23593	A small garden was attached
23594	to the church, and
23595	was entered from the interior of the building
23596	; and the door gave proof
23597	of
23598	its
23599	existence.
23600	So the government
23601	laid
23602	its hand upon
23603	this
23604	garden,
23605	and
23606	it was taken away from the church.
23607	A
23608	certain
23609	Jew, named Abu
23610	'1-Fakhr
23611	ibn Azhar
23612	as-Sani', became
23613	a Christian, and was converted
23614	to the religion of the Messiah, and was
23615	baptized
23616	in
23617	this
23618	church by Anba John, bishop
23619	of Tamwaih,
23620	in
23621	the
23622	province of Al-Jiziyah, assisted by the priest Abii Y^sir
23623	ibn Abu Sa'd
23624	Fol. 45 a
23625	ibn
23626	al-Kustal,
23627	in
23628	the
23629	caliphate of Al-Fa'iz,
23630	in
23631	the vizierate of Tala'i*
23632	ibn
23633	Ruzzik, and
23634	in
23635	the
23636	patriarchate
23637	of Jonas,
23638	the
23639	seventy-second
23640	in
23641	the
23642	succession
23643	;
23644	this
23645	took
23646	place
23647	in
23648	the month
23649	of Rajab, in
23650	the year
23651	554 (a. D.
23652	1 159).
23653	God
23654	enlightened
23655	this Jew
23656	so
23657	greatly that he
23658	learnt
23659	to read
23660	Coptic, and
23661	translated
23662	it
23663	into Arabic
23664	;
23665	and
23666	he was ordained
23667	deacon, on account of his peculiar
23668	merits,
23669	in
23670	the
23671	church
23672	of the Pure
23673	Lady^j
23674	in the Harah
23675	Zawilah,
23676	in the city of Cairo, by Anba
23677	Gabriel,
23678	bishop of Mi§r, on
23679	the 15th
23680	of Abib,
23681	in
23682	the year of the
23683	church
23684	901
23685	(A.D.
23686	1 1 85).
23687	Adjacent to this church of Al-Martilti,
23688	is a church which had fallen
23689	into decay, but was restored by Abu '1-Fada'il ibn Ash-Shubramuray-
23690	yiki^, with the assistance of a body of Christians, in the year 902 of the
23691	Righteous
23692	Martyrs
23693	(a. d.
23694	i \ 86).
23695	The
23696	furnishing
23697	of
23698	the
23699	church
23700	was
23701	completed
23702	by
23703	the
23704	Shaikh Abu
23705	'1-Faraj
23706	ibn
23707	Zanbur,
23708	the
23709	scribe
23710	of
23711	As-S(jbasi the Turk, wali of Cairo
23712	; he paid the expenses
23713	himself, and
23714	he provided
23715	for
23716	it
23717	a dome and a
23718	roof, and constructed over the dome
23719	a beautiful dome
23720	of timber
23721	;
23722	and he
23723	built
23724	in
23725	it two altars, one named
23726	after Saint George, and the other after the angel Michael.
23727	In the midst
23728	of the church he erected a long vaulted transept, in which he also opened
23729	a door which led to the altars in the old church
23730	; and he separated them
23731	from one another.
23732	The number of altars
23733	in
23734	this church amounted
23735	to
23736	Fol. 45 b
23737	five, ancient and modern.
23738	Abu '1-Faraj completed the restoration of the
23739	church by whitewashing and
23740	painting
23741	it, and
23742	it was solemnly opened
23743	^
23744	See
23745	fol. 3 a and note.
23746	^ The town of Shubra Murayyik (jj^ U-^), in the province of Al-Gharbiyah, is
23747	mentioned by YakGt, I\lnshfarik, p.
23748	i-rv.
p. 169
23749	CHURCH OF AL-MARTUt!.
23750	139
23751	on Monday, the 21st of Barmahat, the second day of the
23752	fifth week of
23753	the holy
23754	fast, in the presence
23755	of Anba Mark
23756	ibn
23757	Zar'ah,
23758	the seventy-
23759	third
23760	patriarch, and
23761	Michael,
23762	bishop
23763	of Bastah and Al-Khandak, and
23764	Anba Gabriel, bishop of Misr, and Anba Simon, bishop of Al-Bahnasa\
23765	and Anba Peter, bishop of the Fayyum, and an assembly of the clergy
23766	and of the chief men.
23767	In the upper story of this church, the steward, Sayyid al-Ahl, son of
23768	Thomas, the archdeacon, built a church in the name of Saint Mercurius,
23769	with a wooden altar-, and
23770	it was consecrated by Anba John, the seventy-
23771	fourth^
23772	patriarch,
23773	on
23774	the
23775	loth
23776	of
23777	Bashans,
23778	in
23779	the
23780	year
23781	910
23782	of
23783	the
23784	Righteous
23785	Martyrs
23786	(a. D.
23787	1194).
23788	The
23789	Shaikh Abu
23790	'1-Yaman
23791	Wazir
23792	removed the body of Saint John from
23793	the church
23794	at Damanhur, near
23795	Cairo, to
23796	this church, because, so
23797	it
23798	is
23799	said, when he was
23800	in the neigh-
23801	bourhood of
23802	it on a certain
23803	night, he heard
23804	a voice from
23805	the shrine of
23806	the martyr, saying
23807	:
23808	' I cannot remain in the church of the Lady
23809	;
23810	there
23811	is no church for me except that
23812	in which
23813	I was at
23814	first.'
23815	Accordingly
23816	the body was restored thither.
23817	Fol. 46 a
23818	In
23819	this neighbourhood, the Nestorians had
23820	a
23821	large monastery
23822	like
23823	a great castle, within an enclosing wall of hewn stone, and
23824	containing,
23825	a large church, separate and conspicuous, of which
23826	all the architectural
23827	features remain to this day
23828	; but the apse has been turned into a Kiblah,
23829	and above
23830	it
23831	rises a lofty minaret, and, around
23832	it, the chambers, which
23833	belonged
23834	to the monks, are inhabited by Muslims
23835	;
23836	and
23837	this change
23838	took place in the caliphate of Al-Hakim.
23839	^ The
23840	classical
23841	Oxyrhinchus, and
23842	the
23843	Coptic TieJULXe
23844	;
23845	then
23846	the
23847	capital
23848	of a province.
23849	It stands on the western bank, at some distance from
23850	the stream.
23851	It was said that our Lord and
23852	his mother
23853	sojourned
23854	at Al-Bahnasa.
23855	The town
23856	is now ruined and contains about
23857	sixty inhabitants
23858	;
23859	it
23860	is
23861	in
23862	the
23863	district of Bani
23864	Mazar, in the province of Minyah.
23865	See Yakut, Geogr. Wort.
23866	i. p. wi
23867	; Al-Makrizi,
23868	Khitat,
23869	i. p. rry
23870	; Amelineau, Geogr. p. 90.
23871	^ This is the only definite instance known to me of a Coptic altar constructed
23872	of wood;
23873	see Coplic Churches,
23874	ii. p. 3
23875	if.
23876	(A. J. B.)
23877	^ Occupied
23878	the
23879	see from
23880	a. d.
23881	1189
23882	to
23883	12 16;
23884	see
23885	Renaudot,
23886	Hist.
23887	Pair.
23888	PP- 554-567-
23889	t 2
p. 170
23890	I40
23891	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
23892	At the church of Al-MaT'tilii, the history of which has been related,
23893	there was a priest named Abu Yasir, son of the priest Abu Sa'd, known
23894	as Ibn
23895	al-Kustal, who maintained customs at variance with those pre-
23896	scribed by the pure Fathers
23897	: such as growing the hair long, and baring
23898	the
23899	head
23900	at
23901	the time of the liturgy \ and
23902	christening
23903	infants without
23904	circumcision^, and
23905	giving
23906	permission
23907	to the
23908	bridegroom
23909	to
23910	see
23911	the
23912	bride before marriage ^
23913	If a priest with shaven hair and covered head
23914	said the
23915	liturgy, he would not communicate from his hand, but he had
23916	a second
23917	liturgy
23918	for
23919	himself.
23920	Thus he
23921	divided
23922	the church
23923	into two
23924	parties
23925	;
23926	and, although
23927	he was
23928	often
23929	rebuked
23930	for
23931	this, he would
23932	not
23933	repent
23934	or change
23935	his
23936	opinions.
23937	The
23938	state of affairs
23939	required
23940	that
23941	in
23942	order to maintain the canons, he should be expelled from the church
23943	;
23944	may God reconcile him to himself!
23945	To the church of this
23946	priest there was a garden attached, as
23947	it has
23948	Fol. 46 b
23949	already been
23950	related.
23951	This garden was seized by the emir Jabril, son
23952	of the Imam Al-HS.fiz, who
23953	built opposite to the church, near the river,
23954	in the place called Al-KJiaimat
23955	al-kibliyaJi, for the survey of the taxes,
23956	a manzarah^ which was
23957	visited by the Imam Al-Hafiz and
23958	the Imam
23959	Az-Zafir*, his son, during the
23960	lifetime of this emir Jabril; and after his
23961	death the Imam Al-'Adid came here.
23962	Each of them contributed to the
23963	support of this church, and received the food
23964	that was brought to him
23965	from the monastery. This church stands in the midst of the gardens, and
23966	from
23967	its upper story a view of the blessed Nile
23968	is obtained, as far as that
23969	part of the river bank on which Tamwaih, in the province of Al-Jiziyah,
23970	is
23971	situated, and
23972	as
23973	far as Munyat ash-Shammas^ and other places on
23974	^ These two customs of wearing long hair and uncovering during the liturgy
23975	seem
23976	to refer to the priests only
23977	:
23978	neither of ihem
23979	is now practised.
23980	See above,
23981	fol. 9 b and 15 a.
23982	(A.
23983	J. B.)
23984	^
23985	I have before stated that circumcision on the eighth day is customary, but not
23986	obligatory, with the Copts
23987	;
23988	while circumcision
23989	after baptism was always regarded
23990	as forbidden.
23991	See Renaudot, Hist. Patr. pp. 286, 497, 588.
23992	(A.
23993	J. B.)
23994	^ In prohibiting this the Copts seem to have followed the Muslims.
23995	* The
23996	twelfth of the
23997	Fatimide caliphs, who succeeded
23998	his father Al-Hafiz in
23999	A. H. 544 = A. D.
24000	1 149 and died in
24001	a. h. 549=:a. d. 1154.
24002	' There were two places of this name
24003	in
24004	the
24005	province
24006	of Al-Jiziyah, but
24007	this
p. 171
24008	TURA.
24009	141
24010	the western bank.
24011	It
24012	is a place of devotion and of pleasure
24013	; and the
24014	church
24015	is much
24016	visited
24017	because
24018	intercessions
24019	are
24020	accepted
24021	here, and
24022	visible
24023	miracles
24024	are performed
24025	for the
24026	faithful.
24027	§ Al-Ajall
24028	Saif
24029	al-Islam
24030	Tughtikini,
24031	brother
24032	of Al-Malik
24033	Salah
24034	ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub, the Kurd, acquired possession of the garden,
24035	and of Al-'Adawiyah, and
24036	the church of As-Sildan, and
24037	the bank
24038	of
24039	the river near it
24040	; and he rebuilt the mansarah, and added a gallery to
24041	the upper part of it; and he planted many trees in the garden and spent
24042	much money here.
24043	At Al-'Adawiyah are the quarries of yellow clay,
24044	of which the
24045	[pots called] khazaf are made
24046	; and they are to the north,
24047	on the estate of the vizier Abu '1-Faraj al-Maghrabi.
24048	1 lira.
24049	The
24050	district known
24051	as
24052	Tura^, which
24053	leads
24054	to
24055	Itfih^, by way of
24056	the
24057	monastery
24058	of
24059	Shahran*.
24060	Under
24061	the
24062	southern
24063	sycamore,
24064	in
24065	the
24066	Fol. 47 a
24067	southern part of Tura, Moses the prophet prayed—upon him be peace,
24068	— and in the town there are monuments of 'Abd al-Aziz ibn Marwan^.
24069	Tura was
24070	allotted
24071	as a
24072	fief to
24073	the Ghuzz and the Kurds, when they
24074	conquered Egypt.
24075	Itfih
24076	is the name of one
24077	of the sons
24078	of Mizraim.
24079	Shahran
24080	is
24081	a
24082	large
24083	village, and was flourishing and
24084	populous.
24085	It
24086	is
24087	is probably that one which was
24088	also
24089	called Dair ash-Shama'
24090	;
24091	see
24092	fol. 65 b.
24093	It
24094	is
24095	still
24096	existing
24097	in
24098	the
24099	district
24100	of Badrashain
24101	in
24102	that
24103	province,
24104	and
24105	in
24106	1885 had
24107	a
24108	population
24109	of
24110	883.
24111	See YSkut, Mushiarik
24112	,
24113	p.
24114	t=.v; De
24115	Sacy,
24116	Ahd-Allaiif,
24117	p. 676
24118	;
24119	Rec. de I'Egypie,
24120	ii. p. 221.
24121	^ Ruler of Yemen after a.h. 577
24122	;
24123	died a.h^ 593.
24124	"^ To
24125	the
24126	south of 'Adawiyah and
24127	to
24128	the north of Hulwan, on
24129	the
24130	eastern
24131	bank.
24132	It
24133	is now
24134	in
24135	the district of Badrashain, and in the province of Al-Jiziyah,
24136	and
24137	in
24138	1885 had
24139	1,335
24140	inhabitants.
24141	See
24142	Yakut,
24143	Geogr.
24144	Diet.
24145	iii.
24146	p.
24147	01 •;
24148	Al-
24149	Makrizi, Khz'tat,
24150	ii. p.
24151	o
24152	.
24153	1
24154	; Amdlineau, Geogr.
24155	p. 519.
24156	(A. J. B.)
24157	^ See
24158	fol.
24159	2 b, and note.
24160	* The site of Shahran cannot be identified.
24161	(A. J. B.)
24162	^ Son of the caliph Marwan
24163	I, and wall of Egypt from a.h. 65 = a. d. 685 to
24164	A.H. 86 = a.d. 706.
24165	He attempted
24166	to make Hulwan the
24167	capital of Egypt;
24168	see
24169	below.
p. 172
24170	142
24171	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
24172	built on
24173	the side of the river
24174	; and they say that Moses the prophet
24175	upon him be peace—was born^ there, and
24176	his mother
24177	cast him thence
24178	into
24179	the
24180	river,
24181	in
24182	the wooden
24183	ark.
24184	Shahran
24185	is
24186	celebrated
24187	as a
24188	spot
24189	frequented by
24190	visitors, on account
24191	of the beauty
24192	of
24193	its
24194	situation, and
24195	the views obtained from
24196	it of Misr and
24197	the river Nile;
24198	so the Book of
24199	the Monasteries, by Ash-Shabushti,
24200	testifies.
24201	Opposite
24202	this monastery
24203	of Shahran,
24204	in
24205	the
24206	mountain on
24207	the
24208	east,
24209	there
24210	is
24211	a
24212	large cavern 2,
24213	supported by pillars like a house, which has been hollowed out
24214	in the
24215	side of the mountain, and
24216	is exceedingly extensive
24217	; and
24218	it
24219	is said
24220	to be
24221	called
24222	' the city,' and the end of it is unknown.
24223	^
24224	Monastery of Shahran, near
24225	Turd.
24226	The monastery called Shahrin was
24227	restored by Poemen, the monk,
24228	who had been perverted
24229	to the religion of the Muslims, but returned to
24230	his own faith
24231	in
24232	the caliphate of Al-Imam al-Hakim, and became once
24233	more abbot of the monastery.
24234	This monk was the cause of the opening
24235	Fol, 47 b
24236	of
24237	the
24238	churches which had
24239	been
24240	closed, and of the
24241	changing of the
24242	costume^ which Al-Hakim had
24243	injoined, and which he had maintained
24244	for nine
24245	years, during which
24246	Zacharias, the sixty-fourth
24247	patriarch, was
24248	imprisoned^, and thrown to the
24249	lions, which did him no harm
24250	;
24251	for God
24252	forbad the
24253	lions to touch the patriarch, on account of his holiness, and
24254	the strength of his faith in God.
24255	The instigator of this persecution was
24256	a monk from the monastery of Saint Macarius^ named Jonas*', because
24257	^ On
24258	fol. 19 b, Askar
24259	is said to be the birthplace of Moses.
24260	^ Doubtless one of
24261	the subterranean
24262	quarries
24263	in the IMukattam range
24264	near
24265	Tura.
24266	These caverns were cut out by ancient Egyptian workmen quarrying for
24267	stone
24268	for
24269	the
24270	pyramids and
24271	other
24272	buildings.
24273	The Arabs have
24274	a
24275	great horror
24276	of mining
24277	in
24278	the
24279	dark, and
24280	tell marvellous
24281	legends
24282	of
24283	these openings
24284	into
24285	the
24286	heart of the mountain.
24287	(A. J. B.)
24288	^ Al-Hakim had forced the Christians
24289	to wear black clothes and turbans, and
24290	to
24291	use
24292	black trappings
24293	for
24294	their mules and
24295	asses, forbidding them
24296	to
24297	ride on
24298	horseback.
24299	(A. J. B.)
24300	*
24301	See Renaudot, Hist. Pair. p. 391
24302	if.
24303	^
24304	In the Niirian desert.
24305	^ Or John.
24306	Sec the story in Renaudot, HisL Pair. p. 388
24307	f.
p. 173
24308	MONA STFRY AND CHURCH AT TURA
24309	1 43
24310	he had
24311	solicited
24312	a
24313	bishopric from
24314	that
24315	patriarch, but was
24316	prevented
24317	from obtaining
24318	it by Michael, the patriarch's nephew, who had demanded
24319	money from Jonas, [but did not receive
24320	it]
24321	;
24322	the whole of this story
24323	is
24324	told in the Lives of the PatriarcJis.
24325	In
24326	the aforesaid monastery there
24327	is a tower, entered
24328	through
24329	the
24330	monastery, and
24331	it had a garden attached
24332	to
24333	it, measuring six feddans,
24334	in which were fruit-bearing palms and
24335	corn-plots.
24336	Al-Imam al-Hakim
24337	was fond of visiting the country at this monastery, and of taking the air
24338	here
24339	; and from
24340	it he went out to the mountain, and made journeys into
24341	the country.
24342	Monastery and Church at Turd.
24343	.
24344	§ The monastery known as the Monastery of the Potter
24345	is dedicated
24346	to
24347	Saint
24348	Mercurius.
24349	It
24350	is
24351	said
24352	also
24353	to
24354	have
24355	been
24356	named
24357	after the
24358	martyr Theodore.
24359	There
24360	is
24361	also
24362	a
24363	church, named
24364	after the glorious
24365	Saint George, which
24366	is in the district of Tura, on the bank of the
24367	river.
24368	This
24369	church was small when
24370	it belonged
24371	to the Jacobite Copts
24372	;
24373	but
24374	at the time when Gregory^, the patriarch of the Armenians, came to
24375	Egypt, and Amir al-Juyush Badr was surrounded by Armenians, in the
24376	patriarchate of Anba Cyril, patriarch of the Jacobites, and the district of
24377	Fol. 48 a
24378	Tura was
24379	allotted to the Armenians, then they seized
24380	this church, and
24381	pulled it down, and built instead
24382	of
24383	it a large and spacious church, with
24384	several
24385	cupolas, which
24386	was
24387	dedicated
24388	to the name
24389	of Saint
24390	George.
24391	Above
24392	it there rose a tower, the door of which was within the church
24393	;
24394	and
24395	the
24396	latter was
24397	enclosed within
24398	a
24399	wall^ and within
24400	the
24401	enclosure
24402	there was a
24403	well and
24404	a water-wheel.
24405	Around
24406	the church
24407	there was
24408	a space planted with orange-trees, and two dnivairahs, which are fruit-
24409	bearing
24410	palms, and other
24411	trees.
24412	When, however, the series of misfor-
24413	tunes
24414	befell the Armenians, the church came back
24415	to the Jacobites,
24416	in
24417	the
24418	patriarchate of Anba Mark^ known
24419	before
24420	his promotion
24421	as Abu
24422	'1-Faraj ibn Zar'ah, the scribe
24423	; he was the seventy-third
24424	in the succes-
24425	^
24426	See
24427	note on
24428	p. 3.
24429	This passage
24430	is
24431	referred
24432	to by Renaudot (Hist, Pair.
24433	pp. 459 and 508), who writes Dora for Tura.
p. 174
24434	144
24435	CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.
24436	sion.
24437	In
24438	this church the
24439	priest named Abu
24440	Yasir, whose history has
24441	been related with reference to the church of Al-Martuit, which
24442	is called
24443	Al-'Adawiyah, restored
24444	all
24445	that was required
24446	for the furnishing of
24447	it
24448	;
24449	and
24450	the people began
24451	again
24452	to
24453	frequent
24454	it
24455	at
24456	all times.
24457	Outside
24458	it,
24459	there are stone foundations visible on the surface of the ground, which
24460	are
24461	said
24462	to have been made
24463	for
24464	the purpose of building upon them
24465	a manzarah ;
24466	but
24467	it was never
24468	fully prepared, and now there
24469	is only
24470	one fragment of building
24471	in a cracked condition.
24472	When the patriarch
24473	came to this church to consecrate
24474	it, an assembly of bishops and priests
24475	and of the Christian laity were present.
24476	In another copy
24477	it is said that the monastery of Saint George came
24478	into
24479	the possession of the
24480	aforesaid
24481	priest Abu
24482	Yasir, known
24483	as Ibn
24484	Fol. 48 b
24485	al-Kustal, and was solemnly opened
24486	in
24487	the month of
24488	Ba'iinah,
24489	in
24490	the
24491	year 559 (a. D. 1164), in the patriarchate of Anba John, with the consent
24492	of the Armenians.
24493	Abu Yasir built in the upper story a church to the
24494	martyr
24495	Saint
24496	Mennas, and
24497	a church
24498	in
24499	the name of the great
24500	saint
24501	John the Baptist and of Gregory.
24502	The
24503	latter church was to the south
24504	of the great
24505	central
24506	sanctuary,
24507	in the monastery of the Armenians
24508	at
24509	Tura, and
24510	it was consecrated on the 30th of Ba'unah,
24511	in the year 903
24512	of the Righteous Martyrs (a. D.
24513	i 1 86)
24514	; and the expenses of the building
24515	were paid
24516	at
24517	first by Ibn Mashkur, and
24518	at the time of its consecration
24519	by Abii Mansur, the superintendent of the building of the walls of Cairo
24520	and
24521	Misr.
24522	In
24523	the same monastery there
24524	is a
24525	tower, and a
24526	mill, and
24527	a garden which belonged
24528	to
24529	the Armenians
24530	;
24531	and, when
24532	it ceased
24533	to
24534	belong to them,
24535	it came
24536	into the possession of the Jacobites, after the
24537	year 600 (a. D.
24538	i 204).
24539	When the priest Abu Yasir died, the monastery
24540	became the
24541	property of
24542	his
24543	disciples, and
24544	of the
24545	Copts, permanently
24546	down to our own time.
24547	TJie Eastern and
24548	Western Ranges.
24549	The eastern
24550	hills known
24551	as Al-Mukattam, which was the name of
24552	the son of Mizraim, the son of Misr, the son of Ham, the son of Noah.
24553	Mukattam was the first who worshipped on this spot, and here he gave
24554	himself up to the service of God
24555	; so that after
24556	his time the mountain
p. 175
24557	MELKITE MONASTERY OF AL-KUSAIR.
24558	145
24559	was known
24560	as Al-Mukattam.
24561	It
24562	is
24563	situated near Tura, by the
24564	stone-
24565	quarry, and
24566	is contiguous to Tura lengthwise, and
24567	it is a holy place.
24568	§ The western range unites
24569	itself to the mountain chain of Western
24570	Fol. 49 a
24571	Africa and to the western
24572	shores, which at
24573	last reach the land of Ibn ^
24574	Ghawatah, and the Dark Sea^.
24575	The river Nile flows between these two
24576	mountain-ranges.
24577	Melkite Monastery of Al-Kusair.
24578	The monastery known as Al-Kusair is on the summit of the eastern
24579	mountain-range.
24580	From
24581	this monastery there
24582	is a view of the blessed
24583	Nile, and of the
24584	district
24585	of Tura.
24586	It was founded by Arcadius^, the
24587	Great, son
24588	of Theodosius
24589	the
24590	Great,
24591	emperor
24592	of
24593	the
24594	Romans,
24595	over
24596	the tomb
24597	of his
24598	teacher.
24599	Saint
24600	Arsenius,
24601	after whose name he
24602	called
24603	it.
24604	This Arsenius
24605	had
24606	fled
24607	from
24608	the
24609	emperor, and
24610	devoted
24611	himself
24612	to religious worship in the desert of Saint Macarius in the Wadi Habib
24613	;
24614	but afterwards he removed
24615	to
24616	this
24617	mountain, and
24618	spent
24619	his
24620	time
24621	in
24622	worship there.
24623	This monastery was known as Kusair*. A great festival
24624	' A mistake for Baraghwatah
24625	(aLjI^c^j), which was
24626	a
24627	district
24628	in north-western
24629	Africa, inhabited by a tribe of the same name
24630	;
24631	see Yakfat, Geogr. Worl.
24632	i. p.
24633	1 F
24634	;
24635	Al-Idrist (ed. Rome) [p. 87];
24636	Ibn Khaldun,
24637	vi. p. r.v
24638	,
24639	2 The Atlantic.
24640	^ Arcadius can hardly have founded this monastery in memory of his teacher,
24641	who
24642	is
24643	said
24644	to
24645	have
24646	outlived him
24647	by some
24648	forty
24649	years
24650	at
24651	least
24652	;
24653	see Gibbon
24654	(Edinburgh, 1832), vol. v. p. 148 n.
24655	Tlie association of Arsenius with the monas-
24656	tery
24657	is, however, probably
24658	authentic.
24659	The
24660	ful{ name
24661	of the convent, according
24662	to Al-Makrizi, was monastery
24663	of John
24664	the Dwarf (Yuhannus
24665	al-Kasir or
24666	Al-
24667	Kusayyir), i.e.
24668	St. John Kolobos;
24669	see Khitat,
24670	ii. p. 0.1
24671	.
24672	(A. J. B.)
24673	* Our author probably borrows
24674	this account of the foundation of Al-Kusair
24675	from Eutychius, with whose
24676	narrative
24677	the
24678	statements
24679	in
24680	the
24681	text
24682	agree;
24683	see his
24684	Annales (ed. Pococke),
24685	i. p. 537.
24686	Quatremere gives an
24687	article on
24688	this monastery
24689	in Mem.
24690	ii. pp. 499-502, which
24691	consists
24692	of translations from Al-Makrizi, Khttat,
24693	ii. p.
24694	. r
24695	, where Ash-Shabushti
24696	is quoted, as by our author.
24697	Yakfit also describes
24698	the monastery of Al-Kusair among
24699	the few monasteries which he writes of;
24700	see
24701	his Geogr. Worl.
24702	ii. p. iao.
24703	U
24704	[II. 7.]

Provenance

title: Evetts & Butler – The Churches and Monasteries of Egypt attributed to Abû Ṣâliḥ (Oxford 1895) — archive.org text layer
dialect: none
source: text layer of corpus/incoming/histories/historians/abu-salih-churches-monasteries/churchesmonaster00abusuoft.pdf (archive.org OCR; tools/build_repository.py histories())
licence: public domain in Canada (author died ≤ 1971, verified; LICENCES.md §7) — US position (recorded, does not gate the class; PD-CA 2026-09-26): PD-US (published ≤1930)
share: public
attribution: Evetts & Butler – The Churches and Monasteries of Egypt attributed to Abû Ṣâliḥ (Oxford 1895); public domain in Canada (death years verified: Evetts d.1919 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q93252584) or 1929 (http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/nr95022016) — both ≤1971; Butler d.1936 (LC heading 1850-1936 in https://archive.org/metadata/churchesmonaster00abusuoft; https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15856323) — staged at corpus/incoming/histories/historians/abu-salih-churches-monasteries/churchesmonaster00abusuoft.pdf from https://archive.org/details/churchesmonaster00abusuoft (HIST-1, 2026-09-29)); OCR text by the Kemetic project, Yousef Hanna 2026.
file: History/Historians – Christian Egypt/Abū l-Makārim (formerly -Abū Ṣāliḥ the Armenian-) — Taʾrīkh al-kanāʾis wa-l-adyira (Churches and Monasteries of Egypt)/churchesmonaster00abusuoft.text-layer.L0.txt

Cite as:

Evetts & Butler – The Churches and Monasteries of Egypt attributed to Abû Ṣâliḥ (Oxford 1895) — archive.org text layer. text layer of corpus/incoming/histories/historians/abu-salih-churches-monasteries/churchesmonaster00abusuoft.pdf (archive.org OCR; tools/build_repository.py histories()). Layers as published by the Kemetic project (Yousef Hanna), 2026: Coptic · Cairene · Kemetic, /doc/history/historians-christian-egypt/abu-l-makarim-formerly-abu-salih-the-armenian-ta-rikh-al-kana-is-wa-l-adyira-chu-b326ae/churchesmonaster00abusuoft.text-layer/. Evetts & Butler – The Churches and Monasteries of Egypt attributed to Abû Ṣâliḥ (Oxford 1895); public domain in Canada (death years verified: Evetts d.1919 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q93252584) or 1929 (http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/nr95022016) — both ≤1971; Butler d.1936 (LC heading 1850-1936 in https://archive.org/metadata/churchesmonaster00abusuoft; https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15856323) — staged at corpus/incoming/histories/historians/abu-salih-churches-monasteries/churchesmonaster00abusuoft.pdf from https://archive.org/details/churchesmonaster00abusuoft (HIST-1, 2026-09-29)); OCR text by the Kemetic project, Yousef Hanna 2026.

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L0 witness
The text as its witness or edition has it, original spelling; its dialect is a description and is never standardized.

L0.5 transliteration
For Egyptian texts: the transliteration with the editors' marks turned into the symbols ° * < > _ ^ (ruled 2026-09-10). For papyri: the edition's Leiden marks as the same symbols, and the editors' readings beside the scribe's as ‹scribe→editors› (ruled PAP-3).

L1 Cairene
Standardized Greco-Bohairic spelling and grammar, generated by code from the layer above under the rulings of the project.

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English
Quoted translations where they exist, credited; otherwise model drafts, marked as drafts.