Skip to main content

Visitors can begin to follow Jesus along Egypt's Holy Family Trail

Cairo has completed work on the first stops on the Holy Family Trail, a path connecting locations believed to have been visited by the Holy Family 2,000 years ago while fleeing King Herod’s soldiers.
This picture taken on October 19, 2018 shows camels belonging to Sinai bedouins waiting along the footpath leading down from atop Mount Catherine, above the 6th-century Greek Orthodox Christian monastery of Saint Catherine and near the Egyptian town of the same name in south of the Sinai peninsula. (Photo by Sally KANDIL / AFP)        (Photo credit should read SALLY KANDIL/AFP via Getty Images)

Marking the occasion of Egyptian Copts' traditional January Christmas celebrations on Jan. 5, the country’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities ceremoniously opened the first stop on its much-anticipated Holy Family Trail, a long-distance route tracing the locations thought to be visited by Jesus, Mary and Joseph 2,000 years ago during their flight into Egypt. The project has been under development since 2013 and is now ready for visits by international tourists.

The stop is located in Samannoud, a small city in Gharbeya governorate where according to the Virgin Mary is believed to have prepared bread and Jesus to have blessed bread for a local woman. The development works in Samannoud included the conservation and enhancement of St. Abba Noub Church, the surrounding landscape and a nearby square and commercial area. Signposts provide information about the history of the place, its location along the trail and different Christian points of interest.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.