 Facade of the Church of St. Rebekah | ||
| Sunbāṭ · سنباط | ||
| Governorate | Gharbīya | |
|---|---|---|
| Residents | 20.599 (2006) | |
| height | 16 m | |
no tourist info on Wikidata:  | ||
| location | ||
| ||
The egyptian Village Sunbat (also Sumbat, Sanbat, Arabic:سنباط, Sunbāṭ, spoken: Sumbāṭ) is located at Nile Delta in the Governorateel-Gharbīya about 12 kilometers north of Ziftā. In the west of the village is the church of St. Rebekka (Rifqa) an important pilgrimage site. It is the only church for this saint in Egypt.
background
The village is located on the (left) west side of the Damitte-Nilearm. In 2006 there were 20,599 inhabitants.[1]
Every year on 7 Tut (September 18) St. Rifqa (Rebekah, Arabic:رفقة, Rifqa) and the 13 martyrs who were killed during the Diocletian persecution of Christians. The martyrs also included the five children of Saints Agathon, Amon, Peter, Johannes and their daughter Amuna. They came from the Upper Egyptian diocese Qūṣ, out Qamūlā. Christ appeared to them and informed them that they would be martyred at Alexandria. They were asked by the governor Dionysus in Qūṣ to renounce their faith. When they also withstood the torture, they were sent to Alexandria. The local governor Arianus repeatedly urged them to renounce, tortured them and finally executed them.
The church has existed since the 4th century and was originally dedicated to Abīrū and his brother Atūm. One of the first relics was that of the priest Abānū from Qamūlā. Most of the now venerated relics came here in the 13th century when the church was being renovated. In the 17th century the Church of St. Rebekah consecrated.
The church has been redesigned since 2007. The renovation work was not yet completed in 2010.
getting there
The easiest way to get here is from Ziftā from, that with minibuses e.g. from Cairo from over Banhā is attainable. Of Ziftā minibuses drive directly to Sunbāṭ. The latter trip costs around LE 1.
The journey from Samannūd is more complex. The 1 Bus station in Samannūd(30 ° 57 ′ 27 ″ N.31 ° 14 ′ 34 ″ E) is located near the historic bath (hammam). First you take a bus to el-ʿAzeizīya, Arabic:العزيزية, To there 2 Bus stop(30 ° 50 '47 "N.31 ° 12 ′ 17 ″ E). The journey costs approx. LE 1. You cross on the way 1 Abū Ṣīr Banā(30 ° 54 '48 "N.31 ° 14 '23 "E), Arabic:أبو صير بنا. In el-ʿAzeizīya you get into a minibus to Ziftā and reach Sunbāṭ after about 5 kilometers. The second trip costs around LE 0.50.
The rest of the way from the 3 Bus stop in Sunbāṭ(30 ° 48 ′ 30 ″ N.31 ° 12 '35 "E) you have to walk to the church.
A direct link with a felucca from Mīt Damsīs There is no longer. One must take the detour via Ziftā and Mīt Ghamr.
mobility
The streets in the village are sometimes very narrow. You can pass it with a car, it is not always enough for oncoming traffic. There are no problems on foot.
Tourist Attractions
To the west of the village is the 1 Church of St. Rebekah(30 ° 48 ′ 25 ″ N.31 ° 12 '14 "E), Arabic:كنيسة القديسة رفقة, Kanīsat al-Qiddīsa Rifqawhich is reached via a courtyard. The church consists of three aisles and four transepts, the ceiling is vaulted. There are two hot ones (holiest of holies), the left one is for St. Virgin, the middle one for St. Rebekah and the martyrs determined. The church interior is separated by inlaid wooden screen walls. The screen wall of St. Rebekah bears the representation of the Last Supper and the icons of Christ and the twelve apostles.
On the back wall (west wall) there are three more icon shrines, two for St. Rebekah and one for St. George.
The relics of the saints can be found in an old chancel to the south of the church. They are now shown on the south wall, the storage in a shrine in the middle of the room has been given up. Above the relics is a wooden icon depicting the martyrs: (from the right) Babnūda from Bandāra, Atūm, Bīrū, Yūḥannā (John), Amūn, Johannes, Amūna - the daughter of Rebekah - St. Rebekah, Aghāthū (Agathon), Buṭrus (Peter), the priest Abānū from Qamula, Samʿān (Simeon), Tūmās (Thomas) and Isḥāq from Diffra (Isaac).
There are two other churches near the church, one dedicated to St. Virgin and the Archangel Michael, the other for Abīrū and his brother Atūm.
activities
Every year on Tut 7th (September 17th) the Mulid, the festival of saints, is held in honor of Rebekah and the 13 martyrs. Another pilgrimage will be carried out as part of the St. George Pilgrimage on 16 Mesori (August 22). From the Georgskirchen in Mīt Damsīs the believers drive feluccas across the arm of the Nile and from there ride on donkeys to Sunbāṭ.
kitchen
accommodation
There is no hotel accommodation in the village. There are hotels in the nearby towns Ṭanṭā, ez-Zaqāzīq and el-Maḥalla el-Kubrā.
trips
The visit to the village can be combined with that of Samannūd and Ziftā connect.
literature
- : Christian Egypt, ancient and modern. Cairo: American University at Cairo Press, 1977 (2nd edition), ISBN 978-977-201-496-5 , P. 251 f.
- : Sitt Rifqah and her five children. In:Dragas, George Dion (Ed.): Aksum, Thyateira: a Festschrift for Archbishop Methodios of Thyateira and Great Britain. London: Thyateira House, 1985, Pp. 457-477.
- : Sanbāṭ. In:Christian Coptic Egypt in Arab times; Vol. 5: Q - S. Wiesbaden: Reichert, 1991, Supplements to the Tübingen Atlas of the Middle East: Series B, Geisteswissenschaften; 41.5, ISBN 978-3-88226-212-4 , Pp. 2275-2277.
Web links
- Church website
- Coptic Synaxarium (Martyrologium) for 7. Do (Coptic Orthodox Church Network)
Individual evidence
- ↑Population according to the 2006 Egyptian census, Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, accessed December 17, 2014.
