Church of the Virgin Mary in Haret Zuweila

The oldest building constructed in all of Cairo since its founding at the hands of Commander Jalawhar -Siqili in 969 AD, the Church of the Virgin Mary in Harat Zuwaila, which was built by a Coptic businessman named Al-Hakim Zilon in 352 AD, after he confirmed that there was a well from which the Holy Family, Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and Youssef Al-Najjar drank. During their escape from Palestine to Egypt, he built the church on the well in addition to the rest house where the family rested.

It was built in the shape of an ark with a wooden roof and low sides, like “Noah’s Ark” mentioned in the Bible. Its shape from the inside is in the form of a cross from east to west. It was built by the wise man Zilon in the fourth century 352 AD, after the name of the Virgin Mary after he confirmed that the Holy Family She visited it, and the church was built of limestone, and the columns and capitals on top were from the various eras that Egypt passed through, beginning with the Pharaonic era, passing through the Greek, Roman, Coptic, and Islamic eras.

• The reason for naming Zuwaila:
  The entire region was called Harat Zuwaila. The name goes back to a Moroccan tribe, “Zuwailah” whom Jawhar al-Siqilli sought help during his founding of the city of Cairo. After the demise of the Fatimid state and the advent of the Ayyubid state, the Zuwailah tribe returned to its original homeland in Morocco, and this region remained with the same name.

A well from which the Holy Family, Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and Joseph Al-Najjar drank, during their escape from Palestine to Egypt, and the church was built on the well.

• Holy Family Cistern:
  A cistern is an airtight, closed place for storing water, and it has openings for drawing water from it. The Roman cistern specifically has three openings, one for water intake, one for drawing water, and one for a ladder for cleaning. The type of cistern discovered here in the church is a large main Roman cistern, not a small cistern as was seen under houses in ancient times.

This cistern is located in the Zuwaila region. It is a Roman cistern, and when the Holy Family came to the region, they used the water from this cistern.

The Church of the Virgin Mary in Haret Zuweila is the oldest church in the district of Haret Zuweila, near the Fatimid section of Cairo. Church of the Virgin Mary in Haret Zuweila is a beautiful ancient church, the church is full of holiness and quietness. Visiting this church is a very interesting experience, highly recommended.

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