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El Amreya II District
El Amreya II District

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Places of worshipThe district today

Monastery of Saint Mina

A working Coptic Orthodox monastery beside the ancient site of Abu Mena, whose foundation stone Pope Kyrillos VI laid in 1959.
Around it on the map
The front of the cathedral of the Monastery of Saint Mina, its twin towers topped with crosses and its patterned façade around the arched entrance, under a blue sky

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The story

What sets it apart

A cathedral with twin towers in the desert, beside the ruins of Abu Mena.

  • 1The cathedral and its two towers
  • 2The foundation stone of 1959
  • 3Beside the site of Abu Mena

Pope Kyrillos VI laid the foundation stone of the Monastery of Saint Mina at Mariout on 27 November 1959, according to Al-Dostor (2018). It stands beside the ancient site of Abu Mena; Youm7 (2024) calls it the new Monastery of Saint Mina at King Mariout.

UNESCO notes that the neighbouring monastery is consulted informally on the management of the archaeological site. It is a working house of worship with its monks, so respect its prayers and its rules for visitors.

The district today1900 – today

Its place in time

  1. Before itAbu Mena5th to 7th century AD, over the tomb of the martyr Menas (AD 296)
  2. This landmarkMonastery of Saint Mina1959
  3. After itBorg El Arab Stadium2007

On the timeline of all the landmarks

Memories of the place

Every memory is taken from a published, documented source, named under it.

  1. 27 November 1959

    Pope Kyrillos VI laid the foundation stone of the Monastery of Saint Mina at Mariout.

    Source: Al-Dostor: Pope Kyrillos VI and the Monastery of Saint Mina at Mariout (6 Mar 2018)

The other memories 1

  1. Today

    The neighbouring monastery is consulted informally on the management of the Abu Mena site.

    Source: UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Abu Mena, list no. 90 (archived 2025)

Around it

  • This landmark
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Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors

Nearby landmarks

Distances are as the crow flies, and approximate.