Ancient Heliopolis and El-Matariya

Ancient Heliopolis was the Egyptian town of Yuno, which was one of the earliest towns in Egypt and, from the Old Kingdom onwards, the spiritual hub of the entire nation. This is not to be confused with the Cairo neighborhood of the same name. Only the most passionate amateur archaeologists should visit this site because there are so few remains of the town and the Temple of Re-Harakhty that formerly stood here.

Over the years, the majority of the stones were used to construct Cairo. The sole remaining structure from the temple is a 20-meter-tall red Aswan granite obelisk. The Necropolis of Heliopolis, from the Middle and New Kingdoms, located about five kilometers east of the obelisk. The abundance of weaponry discovered as burial goods was a prominent characteristic of the Middle Kingdom tombs.

The so-called Virgin's Tree can be seen in El-Matariya Church, which is 13 kilometers northeast of central Cairo. The Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus, according to local belief, rested under this sycamore during their escape into Egypt. It was planted in 1672 to replace an older tree.

A spring that is claimed to have been created by the child Jesus waters the small garden where the tree is located. The spring produces excellent fresh water, in contrast to the slightly brackish water from all the other springs nearby. The Virgin's Tree mythology is related to an older cult since the ancient Egyptians revered a tree in Heliopolis where it was thought that Isis nursed the child Horus.

Location: Cairo, Egypt

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