Abu Mena

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Abu Mena
UNESCO world heritage UNESCO World Heritage Emblem
Abu Mena Ancient Monastery 04.JPG
Ruins of the late ancient monastery of Abu Mena
National territory: EgyptEgypt Egypt
Type: Culture
Criteria : (iv)
Surface: 182.72 ha
Reference No .: 90
UNESCO region : Arabic states
History of enrollment
Enrollment: 1979  ( session 3 )
Red list : since 2001
The Abu Mena monastery

Coordinates: 30 ° 50 ′ 27.8 ″  N , 29 ° 39 ′ 48.6 ″  E

Map: Egypt
marker
Abu Mena​
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Egypt

Abu Mena ( Arabic أبو مينا, DMG Abū Mīnā ) is a place in the Mariut desert , in the Burg al-Arab district ( Egypt ). It is one of the most important Christian pilgrim sanctuaries of late antiquity . In 1979 it became a World Heritage Site by UNESCO . A newly founded Coptic monastery in Abu Mena has been one of the most important places of Christian life in Egypt since the middle of the 20th century . The central building complex consists of the Martyr's Church, the large basilica and the baptistery, to which a pilgrims' courtyard and a semicircular extension with accommodation for the pilgrims for healing sleep are attached. Folk festivals in honor of the martyr, which were celebrated there, have a long tradition in Egypt and continue to the present day (now called Mudil ), they are attended by both Christians and Muslims.

history

Since the end of the 4th century, a pilgrimage center developed at the grave of Saint Menas , which was expanded according to the city by the beginning of the 7th century. It was destroyed around 619 during the Persian occupation . Little reconstruction work has taken place since 629 and in 643 the square was handed over to the Monophysite -oriented Coptic regional church . In the following time a completely new settlement based on different maxims was built over the ruins of the old city. The latter was abandoned in the 10th or 11th century. Mina is still a titular bishopric of the Roman Catholic Church today .

Research history

The site was discovered and initially explored by Carl Maria Kaufmann from 1905 to 1907. Further investigations were carried out on site by the Greco-Roman Museum in Alexandria in 1925 and 1929 and by JB Ward Perkins in 1942. New excavations began in 1959 by the Coptic Museum in Cairo . The Cairo Department of the German Archaeological Institute has been carrying out excavations there since 1961 .

In addition to numerous church buildings, a complete city from late antiquity has been preserved.

Danger

In 2001 Abu Mena was added to the Red List of World Heritage in Danger, as it is threatened with destruction by agricultural irrigation measures funded by the World Bank . The rising groundwater changes the mechanical properties of the clay subsoil. Since they can no longer support the buildings, the Egyptian authorities had to partially backfill the foundations of monuments with sand. It was also necessary to close the crypt of St. Menas to the public.

literature

  • Josef Engemann : The end of the pilgrimages to Abu Mina and the dating of early Islamic glazed ceramics in Egypt. In: Yearbook for Antiquity and Christianity . No. 32, Aschendorff , Münster 1989, pp. 161-177.
  • Josef Engemann: The late settlement of Abu Mina. An addendum. In: Yearbook for Antiquity and Christianity. No. 33, Aschendorff, Münster 1990, pp. 240-241.
  • Peter Grossmann : Abu Mina. Volume 1: The crypt church and the crypt. von Zabern, Mainz 1989, ISBN 3-8053-0508-7 ; Volume 2: The Baptistery. von Zabern, Mainz 2004, ISBN 3-8053-0609-1 .
  • Andreas Kilb : Fortunately, the sheep suffered from scabies. In: FAZ, March 8, 2018, No. 57, p. 12. Exhibition: Two camels and a saint - the ancient pilgrimage center Abu Mina in Egypt. In the Bode Museum , Berlin; until January 31, 2019. No catalog.

Web links

Commons : Abu Mena  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Siegfried G. Richter : The Coptic Egypt. Treasures in the shadow of the pharaohs. (with photos by Jo Bischof). Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt 2019, ISBN 978-3-8053-5211-6 , pp. 64–72.