Published on Jun, 2019
Medhat emailed me the afternoon before our tour to let me know when he was going to meet me.
He was waiting for me in the lobby of my hotel by 9AM and we met our driver. He drove us through Zableen to El Mokkatm. During the drive, he asked me if there was anything else I wanted to see and also gave me more information on the surrounding sites.
When we got to El Mokkatm, Medhat told me a story about the first monastery we went to (Saint Simon the Tanner) and about Saint Simon. After I learned about Saint Simon, we walked around the church and Ahmed and our driver (sorry forgot his name!) took photos of me. The church is decorated with carvings and paintings.
After wandering Saint Simon, we walked up the road to Saint Mark’s which is underground. They have an even lower section for baptisms.
While in Saint Mark’s, Medhat gave me the history of the church and transformation of Amen. I got some free time to wander around the church and see the carvings with bible verses.
When we finished the churches, we all sat down for coffee in the common area and had a chat. While we were talking, Medhat let me know we’d be going for takeaway food (as a gift from both of them) as the falafel is great.
Unfortunately, the restaurant was closed for Ramadan but we pulled over and Medhat got me some snacks and a guava juice before we parted ways.
The experience with Medhat was great. He is smart and kind. Our driver was very nice as well. I enjoyed getting to know them both.
