Introduction:
Everyone knows that the Roman emperors in the second and third centuries were severely persecuting Christians. Christians were fleeing in all directions. Known are the hiding places in the catacombs of Rome and Alexandria. It is much less known that Christians of Egypt also fled en masse to the deserts were they were hiding in caves. Hardly anyone knows these caves can be seen. Inscriptions in those caves are the silent witnesses of those days. Christianity started in Egypt in the first century with the preaching of St. Mark in the first century. The new faith spread rapidly and around the middle of the third century Christianity was firmly based in Egypt. The Romans were concerned about the rapid spread of the new faith. The famous Roman historian Tacitus wrote about the persecution of Christians by emperor Nero " Their execution was made into a game: they were covered with the skins of wild animals and torn to pieces by dogs. They were hung on crosses. They were burned, wrapped in flammable material and set on fire as darkness fell, to illuminate the night."
The persecution in the days of Domitianus,Trajanus,Valerianus and Decius in the first three centuries were bad. Hundreds of thousands of Christians perished. Worst were the days of emperor Diocletian (284-304) who introduced the belief that the Roman emperor was god and needed to be worshipped by all subjects. Christians refused and the Romans responded with severe persecution costing in the ten years Diocletian reigned an estimated 140.000 Christians in Egypt their life. 700.00 others were put in prison or deported . So much blood fled in those days that the Coptic Orthodox Church decided to start its calendar in the year 284 AD. Martyrdom became the crown of faith and the Coptic Orthodox Church became known as ' the church of Martyrs'. Famous are the stories of the saints of those days, St. Dimyana , Mar Mina and ST. Timotheus all refused to worship the Roman emperor and paid their lives. Others tried to escape and went into hiding .Many of those went to the desert and those trails we'll follow.
Later, after the persecution had subsided, the caves in the desert became places where hermits withdrew in an effort to fly from the world and seek the presence of God.
God could be best found in the silence of the desert, listening to his voice in the wind. Later people gathered around hermits such as the famous st. Antonius and the first monasteries were founded. More and more people who wanted to seek God went to the monasteries. During the ages hermits always have been few in number. Hermits do not meet people . they live alone in caves without the company of other men in order to be even closer to God. Pope Kyrillos and Pope Shenouda were both hermits for many years before they were called to monastic life and later the function of Patriarch. Most holy men in the Church have been hermits for some time in their lives. On this trip we will be able to meet with two hermits in their caves who are willing their faith with you. That is a unique experience because since they left for the caves they have not allowed to meet with any strangers before.
This is what this safari is all about, Discovering the ancient hiding places of persecuted Christians and learning from the spiritual experiences of two hermits. Never before such a trip was possible...
The program:
- Departure from Cairo at 6:00 a.m heading to the most beautiful oasis in Egypt, the oasis of Fayoum, the largest and most rich oasis in the world from the pre-historic times, 60 kilometers south west of Cairo.
- Starting our road off trip., to discover the caves of Abu Lifa which once served as a monastery.The caves include some Coptic writings and inscriptions explaining how the Hermits lived in these places and how they were able to survive with the help of God. The caves will be entered by climbing a rope of 5 meters. Back for tea and some biscuits.
- Drive towards the north side of lake Karoun to overview this beautiful lake from the top of the mountains and to see the oasis from the top.
- Drive to Wadi el Rayan about 140 kilometers south west of Karoun lake across the desert to visit a small monastery with 2 Hermits living in caves beside the monastery, and they meet once a week for the morning prayers. This monastery is only 4 months old built on the ruins of the old monastery. The monastery is on top of a mountain and surrounded with more than 20 caves overlooking a beautiful green valley in the desert.
- After visiting the monastery and meeting the monks , we go to a natural spring just 3 kilometers away from the caves were it is possible to wash up and rest while preparing lunch around the spring .(There is a possibility to pray with the monks).
- Then we drive through the sand dunes heading back to the paved road and driving along the lakes of Wadi el Rayan until we reach the agriculture highway going to Cairo.(There is a possibility to stop for tea in one of the gardens on the way back.)
- Back to Cairo around 6:30 p.m.
Includes:
- Jeeps
- Food (lunch)
- Guiding
- Trail finder
- Cooking and cooking equipment
- Drinks (tea, coffee, soft drinks)
Excludes:
- Tips for the staff
Personal gear:
All participants should have good walking shoes, a hat and light clothes for the day. They should have water canteens that can hold 1 or 2 litters of water.