Alexandria: A History and a GuideForster, E. M. (Edward Morgan)
History
Alexandria: A History and a Guide
Forster, E. M. (Edward Morgan)
Alexandria (Egypt) -- Guidebooks; Alexandria (Egypt) -- History
The other point of interest in the district is _Burg el Arab_ (Modern
Bahig). It lies some miles west of Bahig village (_see_ above) but is
easily located by the tower of the new carpet factory. Here is to be the
capital of the Eastern District of the Western Desert Province Frontier
Districts Administration; it is being planned and executed with great
taste, thanks mainly to the genius of the Officer Commanding, W. E.
Jennings Bramly, M.C. The factory consists of a great cloister and of
two halls, one each side of the big tower. Fragments of antique
sculpture and architecture have been cleverly introduced. The carpets
are woven from camels’ and goats’ hair by Bedouin and Senussi women—the
industry was started at Amrieh, during the late war. Specimens can be
had in the Alexandrian shops. Further to the west other buildings are
rising, including a small walled town. It is all most interesting, and
one of the few pieces of modern creative work to be seen in these parts.
ST. MENAS.
Seven and a half miles south of Bahig Station, in the loneliness of the
desert, lie the ruins of a great Christian city. They can be visited
between trains on a good horse, but it is better to camp out. The track
passes over gently undulating expanses of limestone. The scenery grows
less interesting, the flora scarcer, as the coast is left behind. At
last the monotony is broken by the square hut where the excavators used
to live. The ancient name of the place is preserved in the
modern—Abumna.
[Illustration: ST. MENAS - PLAN I.
The Sanctuary Group_
Subterranean work thus .........]
Menas, a young Egyptian officer, was martyred during his service in Asia
Minor because he would not abandon Christ (A.D. 296). When the army
moved back into Egypt his friends brought his ashes with them, and at
the entrance of the Lybian Desert a miracle took place: the camel that
was carrying the burden refused to go further. The saint was buried and
forgotten. But a shepherd observed that a sick lamb that crossed the
spot became well. He tried successfully with another lamb. Then a sick
princess was healed. The remains were exhumed, and a church built over
the grave.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account