Naqlun Monastery

Deir al-Malak Ghubrail at Naqlun is a monastery of the Archangel Gabriel on the low desert hills at the southern rim of the Faiyum, and it has been occupied more or less continuously since the fourth or fifth century. The church holds wall paintings uncovered by conservation work, and Polish excavations on the slopes above have documented dozens of hermit cells cut into the rock, small chambers with sleeping niches and oratories where individual monks lived, along with a cemetery that produced remarkably preserved textiles and manuscripts. It is a living monastery with a community in residence and a steady flow of Coptic pilgrims, particularly at the feast of the Archangel, so it functions as a place of worship first and a monument second.

What you actually see

• Rock-cut hermit cells - dozens of individual chambers in the hillside.
• Wall paintings in the church - uncovered by conservation of the old fabric.
• A resident monastic community - the monastery still in use after sixteen centuries.
• The desert-edge setting - the hills where the cultivation stops.

When to go

October to April. Weekday mornings are quiet; the feast days of the Archangel bring large pilgrim crowds. Two hours including the walk up to the cells. Ask at the gate before climbing the hill.

Honest expectations

This is a functioning monastery and access to parts of it depends on the community's permission on the day. Modest dress is required and photography inside the church is often not allowed. The hermit cells are up a rough slope with no path. There is no interpretation for visitors.

Nearby

Faiyum city is north; Medinet Madi lies west across the depression.