Monastery of St Simeon in Aswan

A spiritual experience awaits you on top of a hill opposite the south end of the Elephantine Island in Aswan. Reached by foot on the riverbank, the Coptic Monastery of St Simeon has been preserved from the 6th century, and is one of the largest Coptic monasteries in the world.

Its original name was "Anba Hatre Monastery", and due to a water shortage a century after it was built, it was abandoned and left untouched for many years.

There is a cliff that separates the monastery into two natural terraces on two levels. There is a relatively thin, six meter high trapezoid wall that encloses the terraces that occupy about a hectare of land, with two gates that give access to each terrace. This wall, with its lower portion made of rough stone and upper of unbaked brick, was equipped with towers and lookouts. Originally parts of the wall may have stood as high as ten meters, but today, most only the stone section of the wall remains intact, while the mudbrick is all but gone. The brown-ocher color of the brick contributes to the perfect harmonization of all the buildings with their desert surroundings.

There were a number of visible wall paintings in the main church that were still discernible at the end of the nineteenth century, but most of these are now badly damaged or even destroyed. It has been suggested that these paintings date to the eleventh or twelfth century, though below those that can still be seen are at least another layer of paintings in the apse of the church. In the eastern semi-dome their remains visible a scene of Christ enthroned within the mandorla, held by two angles, with flames rising to its base. Christ holds a book on one knee with his left hand, while his right hand is raised in blessing beyond the edge of the mandorla.

Take a look around the monastery and gaze at the view from the top of the hill: look down at the desert below; you’ll surely appreciate the wonders of nature and life.