Egypt – Living The Q Life

Multiple Obelisks at the Karnak Temple in Luxor, Egypt

Obelisks can be found throughout the world, many of them originally coming from Egypt. Almost always, you will find them as a single obelisk that stands out on its own. The obelisks at Karnak Temple in Luxor is an example of having multiple obelisks at the same site. There are two remaining obelisks of the four that originally existed at the site. We took many different photographs of the obelisks during our time touring the temple and the pair of obelisks provides some interesting symmetry in the pictures that we took. There were also time when they could be seen framed between different columns and doors, which was probably the intention of the ancient Egyptians when the obelisks were erected.

Abu Serga Church in Cairo, Egypt

Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church, also known as the Abu Serga Church as well as the Cavern Church, is an important historical and religious landmark in Cairo, Egypt. The church is supposed to be built on the spot where Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus rested at the end of their journey into Egypt. The church is dedicated to Sergius and Bacchus who were soldiers in the 4th century that were killed by the Roman Emperor Maximian and achieved martyrdom and sainthood.

The church is one of the oldest in Egypt and dates back to sometime in the 4th or 5th century. It is located near the Babylon Fortress in Cairo and it was believed that Joseph may have been one of the people to work on the construction of the fortress. We visited the Abu Serga Church as part of a tour of the section of Cairo known as Coptic Cairo where there are a variety of historical sites.

The interior of the church is quite fascinating and contains a variety of ancient relics. It is a popular location for tourists to visit and you will find yourself in a line of people as you make your way through the actual cavern inside of the church. There is also a well within the church that is believed that the Holy Family drank from. With such historical, religious, and cultural significance, visiting the Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church is definitely worth doing while you are in Cairo.

The Flowers of Egypt

Mention Egypt to someone and images of desert sand and pyramids immediately come to mind. However, one of the images that will remain with us as we think back about our trip to Egypt were the orange blooms of the Poinciana trees and other flowers that we saw during our visit. Perhaps because so much of the trip was spent surrounded by sand and stone temples that every flower that we did see stood out even more. The pop of color was definitely a contrast to the surroundings and we saw these vibrant trees all around Egypt, but especially in Cairo as well as the surrounding suburbs.

Blooming Poinciana Trees with a Mosque in the Distance

One of our favorite memories of the Poinciana trees was during our tour of Old Town Cairo where we saw them all around the ancient mosques. The colors were so bright and vibrant that it was hard not to focus on the trees as much as the historical buildings that we were there to see. It is amazing how sometimes something as simple as a flowering tree can bring back such vivid memories of a location that you’ve visited. The Poinciana trees will always remind us of our time in Egypt.