Western Desert Monastery
This is the ancient Coptic Monastery of Anba Bishoi, part of a complex of about 6 Coptic monasteries in the western desert. The massive buildings are very recent as the monastery has grown with many new monks. To become a monk you must be a college graduate, have completed your mandatory military service, and be over 26 years of age. Despite these strict requirements, the number seeking to become monks continues to grow. This is in line with the increasing turn to religious observance of Muslim youth. Both faiths find solace from difficult economic and social conditions in religious faith.
The last picture is the shrine of St. Bishoi and that is supposed to be his uncorrupted body, hundreds of years after his death.
This was an interesting side trip. One tends to think of Egypt as Islamic but about 20% of the population are Coptic Christian and other Christian faiths. And the western desert (along with the Sinai) is the site of some of the earliest monastic communities of the Christian faith. The tourist guides make much mention of the story of Mary, Joseph and Jesus and the Flight to Egypt and point out ancient Christian sites.
As for military service, it is mandatory for men. If you are functionally illiterate and/or did not graduate from secondary school, you serve 3 years. Two years of this are classes designed to make you literate. If you graduated secondary school, you serve two years. And if a college graduate, one year or less. It is easy for college graduates to buy their way out after serving only a few months. In a way the military is used to compensate for the deficiencies of a deplorable educational system. And it provides work for what would otherwise be unemployed young men. The masses of T&A police come from the ranks of the military.
