Egypt: Monastery of Al-Suryani

Monastery of Al-Suryani


The monastery was bought by Syrian merchants to host their monks. It was destroyed in the 14th century after several raids from nearby Bedouin tribes. These continual raids forced the monks and the monastery inhabitants to flee the area. During the 15th century, Coptic and Syrian monks again inhabited the monastery. The monastery now has more than 3000 ancient and fairly new books. It plays an important role in global culture.