Deir el-Muharraq
Abbot's residency and guesthouse in the Muharraq Monastery complex
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 Location within Egypt
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| Monastery information | |
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| Other names | ad-Deir al-Muḥarraq, Burned Monastery Virgin Mary monastery |
| Established | 4th century |
| Dedicated to | Virgin Mary |
| Consecrated | 1st century by baby Jesus |
| Diocese | Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria |
| People | |
| Founder(s) | Holy Family in Egypt |
| Site | |
| Location | El-Qusiya, Asyut Governorate |
| Country |
 Egypt
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| Coordinates | 27°26′40″N 30°49′00″E / 27.444444°N 30.816667°ECoordinates: 27°26′40″N 30°49′00″E / 27.444444°N 30.816667°E |
| Public access | Yes |
Deir el-Muharraq (Arabic: الدير المحرق, ad-Deir al-Muḥarraq), is also known as the Muharraq Monastery, the Burned Monastery, the Virgin Mary monastery, and the Mount Koskam monastery.
It is an Orthodox Coptic Christian monastery complex, one of the oldest monasteries in the world, located and still operating in Egypt.
The Deir el-Muharraq complex is located on the Nile just south of El-Qusiya, in the Asyut Governorate of the Upper Egypt region. It is south of Greater Cairo. The monastery is unusual, being one of the few Coptic ones in Egypt not located in the Sahara Desert.
The monastery is within the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria diocese, with about 100 monks of Koinonia or community monasticism in residence.
The stone fortress on Mount Koskam at Muharraq Monastery was built in the 6th or 7th century. The fortress chapel has a 12th-century lectern, dating to when the fortress was first repaired.
The monastery's library has two entities, an ancient Coptic manuscripts library and archives, and a contemporary research and reading library.
The monastery complex has three churches:
The Church of al-Adhra (Church of the Virgin) at the monastery was built over an ancient cave. It is claimed that Mary and Jesus spent six months and ten days here on their flight into Egypt from King Herod. The altar stone is dated 747 CE.
Many Coptics hold this church in high veneration, believing it to be one of the first Christian churches in ancient Egypt. It was associated with a Marian visionary event claimed in the early 2000s.
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Wikipedia