Amr Ibn Al-Aas Mosque and the historic Greek Orthodox Church…the most prominent tourist places in Damietta

Damietta Governorate has many historical places of a religious nature, which makes it the focus of interest for those seeking religious tourism. In Damietta Governorate, the second mosque was built in Egypt. The governorate also contained a church dating back to the Byzantine era, in addition to the presence of the temple of Saint Sidhom Beshay inside the Church of the Virgin, a mosque. Al-Maini is also one of the historical mosques within the governorate. In the following lines, we will present the components of religious tourism in Damietta

Amr Ibn Al-Aas Mosque is the second mosque in Egypt

It is the second mosque to be built in Egypt, following the entry of the Islamic conquest in the year 21 AH. Its center is a dome surrounded by four iwans, built by Al-Miqdad Ibn Al-Aswad, the commander of the Muslim armies during the reign of Commander Amr Ibn Al-Aas.

On the western side, the main entrance to the mosque, there is the square minaret hall, in addition to some of the mosque’s old columns that have been present since its construction.

It was transformed into a church after Jean de Brienne’s takeover, in 1219 AD. In 1221, the church was transformed into a mosque again, and in 1249 AD, during the occupation of the city of Damietta again, the mosque was transformed into a “cathedral”, and it continued until the Fatimids renovated it. “The Cathedral”, and he turned it into a mosque again under the name “Amr Ibn Al-Aas”.

The Greek Orthodox Church in Damietta is a relic dating back to the Byzantine era

In the city of Damietta is located the Greek Orthodox Church, which was built in the Byzantine era. In the year 1169, Egypt was facing attacks by the Byzantine Emperor Emmanuel Komnenos, who tried to regain Egypt again, but he did not succeed in attacking Damietta despite the attempts of the Byzantine armies to enter Damietta and control the Greek Orthodox Church, which… It existed in their previous eras.

The Greek Orthodox Church in Damietta contains a number of historical collectibles, including a collection of historical manuscripts and telephones, and the Holy Table is the most prominent of these collectibles inside the church.

The Holy Table inside the Greek Orthodox Church in Damietta contains an artophorion dating back to the year 1718, which is an icon decorated with Arabic art.

Inside the artophorion there is a wooden box in a circular shape in which the bread is placed, in addition to a silver box used during the Mass in Proyeghiadmini, in addition to a small spoon and a number of cups made of silver plated with gold and used by the people of the church for communion during the performance of the Mass.

There is also the Patriarch’s Chair, which bears inscriptions dating back to the time of the Byzantine Empire, as the chair bears the head of a falcon, which symbolized the emblem of the Byzantine State at that time, in addition to inscriptions dating back to the same time.

The church also contains many other historical icons that carry parts of the history of Damietta Governorate throughout the Middle Ages.

The Church of the Virgin Mary also witnesses a great demand for visitors to the church, especially this shrine that contains the temple of Saint Sidhoum Bishay, and the church’s historical holdings qualify it to be among the ranks of historical places visited by religious tourism pioneers.

Al-Muaini Mosque, history of the Great Street area

The “Al-Mu’aini” Mosque dates back to Muhammad Mu’in al-Dawla al-Fariskuri, one of the major merchants of the Mamluk era. It was built by “Mu’in al-Dawla” in the year 1310 AD, 710 AH, during the reign of the Mamluk Sultan al-Nasir bin Qalawun. Its purpose at that time was to obtain a greater status among the notables of the people. A historical account says that major merchants at the time used to buy the position of judge on the condition that they owned a school or “khanqah” as it was called in the past.

Al-Muaini Mosque is located in the area of ​​“Al-A’zam Street” Al-Sharbasi – currently, which was known in the past as the Al-Akaber area due to the presence of major state merchants in this place.

The mosque consists of four iwans, and its minaret is 6 meters high. The mosque was built without columns and its minaret rested only on its walls. The mosque was also built using a crane passed by the people to separate the walls of the Al-Maini Mosque from the Nile River, which still exists to this day under the walls of the mosque. .