Virgin Mary's Tree

The site is a walled garden in the dense northern suburb of Matariya holding an old sycamore fig and a well, venerated in Coptic tradition as a place where the Holy Family rested during the flight into Egypt and where Mary washed the child's clothes. The tree standing now is not the original; sycamores here have been replaced several times over the centuries, the current one grown from a shoot of an earlier tree, and pilgrims have carved and cut at it for generations. The garden was restored in recent years as part of a route linking the sites associated with the flight into Egypt across the country, which the church and the tourism ministry have promoted together. A small chapel and a visitor building stand beside it, and the well water is still drawn by pilgrims.

What you actually see

• The sycamore and its enclosure - the venerated tree in a walled garden.
• The well - the spring pilgrims still draw water from.
• The pilgrimage route panels - the Holy Family sites across Egypt.
• A quiet garden in Matariya - green ground in a very dense district.

When to go

October to April. Coptic feast days bring crowds of pilgrims and are the liveliest time; ordinary weekdays are almost empty. One hour is plenty. Matariya traffic is heavy so allow time to reach it.

Honest expectations

This is a devotional site rather than a monument and there is not much to see: a tree, a well and a chapel. The tree is a successor, not the original, which some visitors find deflating. The surrounding district is congested and there is nothing else nearby for a visitor. Respectful dress and quiet are expected.

Nearby

The Obelisk of Heliopolis is close; Heliopolis and the Baron Empain Palace are a short drive.