for yet more devastation. coming up a d w documentary looking at the copts in egypt original christians and how the community has shaped egypt's history and culture that's coming up in a few minutes right here on t.v. . saying. here's what's coming up for the book honestly plenty to talk about here. as cut to look a little bit means for the people of course. the bundesliga every weekend here on w.

there are one thousand steps in the staircase that leaves from the monastery to the cave or st anthony is said to have lived in the fourth century. for father lucas and the other monks at st anthony's monastery in egypt the cave is a holy place this is where it all began. father lucas came to st anthony's in two thousand and ten the monastery played an important role in his decision to become a monk today a small alter stands at the place where saint anthony once prayed when this on the horror that the bible says i forget what is behind me and to reach toward what is ahead. i have always been moved by that. this is where i spent my first time in

seclusion and where i prayed before deciding to become arc one of the. desert monasteries like st anthony's remain one of the most visible symbols of the coptic orthodox church a christian community with a long history and tradition in egypt and northeastern africa. but the coptic tradition is also thriving in cairo a bustling metropolis of some twenty million not far from the musky market district in the middle of old cairo accompted churches holding easter services security is tight. and in recent years islam is the extremists have carried out numerous deadly attacks against the coptic community the egyptian government has put coptic church is under police protection especially during the religious holidays. palm sunday is celebrated with a procession through the church. this is also part of the conflict tradition as it

is the participation of the men of the community in the liturgy. most coptic women cover their heads in church and during prayer. talking more curse has served as priest at this historic church of the virgin mary in haaretz a while for many years in this very unofficial so you know i mean yeah and i will try as i'm from this region. i was baptized at the baptismal font in this church. this is always been my church since i was a child out of my years in the church of the holy virgin that's the way to has a very special spirituality and everyone from this area even if they've moved away come here to celebrate special occasions in that church. enough out of the series.

i look at this i've got a must but it must on their flight the holy family came to egypt. they passed through the country from east to west from north to south following the path of a cross. this is one of the places they rested when they came from old cairo has he. no. we're not a minority in our church the coptic orthodox church is the native church of the christians of egypt it is thank god the strong the growing the church yes it is growing to me as you can see from the fact that there are copts all over the world . for many here the attacks carried out by members of the muslim brotherhood in twenty thirteen are still fresh in their memory. in the field. bothered among the muslims there are admittedly some fanatical groups

but we don't deny that lost going to hell in the most of them brotherhood was in power a door was open to fanaticism but. we saw that during the riots in the ra nada district city of a few many coptic church as an egypt were also set on fire. thank god things have improved under our current president abdel fatah el-sisi. ordinary egyptians do not feel hate. this is an enormous opportunity to live together without peace be about the usual definition a feeling that. although there are no official figures between ten and twenty million copts live in egypt between ten and twenty percent of the population there are hundreds of coptic churches in cairo but exactly how many is unknown.

the most important churches are in the cities compted district at the church of surgeons and baucus there's a crypt where mary joseph and the infant jesus are said to have rested. on the heart of the well come to the holiest place in the world in the world's oldest and smallest church. it will the cavern is where the holy family stayed for three months a church was built here during the apostol a cage and the cavern church of saint sergius and backus is one of the very oldest churches and has a special altar house these are the original stones on which the messiah rested. and received. the most famous come to church is next door known as the hanging church that is named for its construction on top of the ruins of an old roman fortress. the hanging church contains many icons which are revered there is also

a collection. relics of the saints which draws many believers to worship and prayer . even here in the old muslim city center the narrow streets and alleyways of the bazaar are dotted with comp tick merchants and shops. in. case someone steps silver works shop is a city institution. as is was self himself among the many objects in his shop are coptic hand crosses. the sleeves have a shot at the him this is an old cross from abyssinia that wow it is about a hundred years old or not it's made entirely by hand and out of silver almost the only overseas handmade you don't see work like this anymore today so not even the

crafts people in egypt can do this if you also want to make a cross like this they say no it's too much effort and takes too much time you look oh no i can't it costs too much if you have to understand every one minutes tonight if you gave it without a thought i'll go. for . it someone also sells bracelets many of which he buys from bedouins first and then of the total it deal with daily commute to shop has been in my family for three generations my grandfather my father and now my brother and me there what do you know we've always been silver match and so now half the family sell silver the alpha gold. or the profitable part of the business is the trade in silva. we have traditions to maintain. i can't always do whatever i might

please since there are certain ways of doing things and yet. that's how we've evolved out of the war. unlike the market district there are many other places in the sprawling capital that tourists rarely venture. like this small known as the garbage city. garbage city is one of the city's poorest neighborhoods the people here most of whom are called survive by sorting and recycling kairos waste. sacks of garbage are everywhere the residents live alongside the great that they earn a living from. overlooking the slum district the coptic community

has established a place of worship the cliffs are decorated with scenes from the bible an enormous complex contains several churches and a large assembly hall all adorned with cardinals. they are the work of mario who is originally from poland. high above the district and with little by way of safety equipment bush spends his days carving new reliefs and sculptures it has become his life's work. it's thank. you thank you. and there for how i started this here in one thousand nine hundred

five i've been in egypt since one thousand nine hundred used to work at the don bosco catholic school i taught there when i worked at a place run by the sisters of mother teresa. that is one of her nuns told me about father saw the priest here she sent me to him. i was drawn to father saw money from the start so i said to him father i have never worked in stone. only thing i've ever made is a wooden decoration for a church in giza. and then he said to me well why don't you give it a try meanwhile i've been giving it a try for twenty three years. in the one of the things that motivates me is that sculptural art isn't really prized

in islamic countries. regard me as an unbeliever because in their mind i carved idols and just stone which you can worship. i don't really understand my art. is. in the beginning i couldn't make sense of the prayers of the coptic church i didn't even like the coptic church i only came here because i enjoyed being a teacher for the catholic church. but over time our lord opened my eyes to the coptic church once i understood the depth of this faith i began to appreciate it. if the shaft you know utilized that the eastern churches are more profound than the western european churches that i mean the. i have such strong faith. and every sentence that crosses their

lips you will hear the word god. at times in my life that i live surrounded by rubbish that does about our lord has sent me to it god knows best to figure out if you can see what has been made out of carbon. was made up by garbage collectors and i want to know why no one had. most egyptian copts wear a small cross tattoo on their wrist as a visible mark of their face. as does come thick artist honey somewhere. with hundreds of churches in the city the icon painter and glass artist has more than enough work. yet this is the holy family with jesus mary and joseph depicted as

a composite when they came to egypt. the background needs a few details that show their egypt so we have the pyramids palm trees and the pharaoh nick temple. i always create a design before i start cutting the glass design like this one. first i drop in pencil then i trace and black. then i change the colors so the virgin mary for example always wears blue first caucus she represents the second heaven i never use only a single shade of blue i begin with the different types of glass that i work with for example i ask myself what the messiah should wear and then i begin choosing the colors i want to use. many to. cops are drawn to the small church of st mary in cairo's site to own

district. honey sawiris and his wife know how often come here with their son tony they have a deep faith in the blessings of the virgin mary and the other saints. and that this is. only one hundred sixty eight the virgin mary appeared at this church it was april second to a tuesday that it would give me a good dental but there was a wonderful apparition on the dome and that's why this is a very special place for us that it's a fact that. it was an amazingly beautiful apparition that's why this place is holy . to st oh it's right. by the sea. it may. be also. we feel. like. it's.

going to. space should be flying pretty quick at the end of them long as it heals the virgin performs many miracles anyone who is sick who need something receives her support either have. i come here when i have a problem or i'm worried i tell her everything you mention and i pray and when i go home my heart is it peace that i feel her interceding in my life and taking care of my problems will help. and. i like most every cup to church there is a small shop with devotional objects including pictures of the coptic popes and the saints. the current pope of the coptic orthodox church the second also paid the church a visit while the catholic pope regards himself as

a. accessor of st peter the coptic pope sees himself as the inheritor of st mark. at the church of st simon overlooking the garbage city mario leaves to attend a community meeting. that's. going to the church option where there will be an assembly. first vespers then we'll sing a coptic song. that i mean that it does show i invented father samana hold a sermon and after the sermon god willing there will be prayers the prayers can drive out the spirits will show in our language we would call it an exorcism it's not the how do we share in. every thursday evening a group of believers gathers to listen to father some man's preaching.

or over. here. they include not just the gyptian copts but also parts from ethiopia as well as muslims who believe in the priest's power to banish evil spirits. plus a lot of. the the sick come. here believe that the lord the messiah will heal them. we pray for them the longer the bible says lay your hands on the sick and they will be healed. and as we say at the very start of the gathering the gospel of our teacher mark has this same chapter sixteen he said unto them along with i will go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation without the well it believes it is baptized will be saved whoever does not believe will be condemned in the most of the ever believes and is baptized will

be saved whoever does not believe will be condemned. and these signs with a company those who believe in my name they will drive out demons it is me they will speak in new tongues when they pick up snakes with their hands or drink deadly poison it will not hurt them later when they lay their hands on the sick they will get well that is what the holy bible says we do not heal he heals we only act in accordance with his word was there are. those who believe they are possessed by evil spirits come to the front where the priest performs an exorcism. profanity very last the word will be confirmed through science through miracles i'm not just saying that because it. will kill you know what proves it.

is a miracle it was his. desert monasteries of wadi el not true are located about an hour's drive outside cairo one of the best known is the st makarios monastery. sake makarios of egypt founded the monastery in the fourth century pattern or curios has been here for twenty two years before becoming a monk he studied engineering and architecture this is the fourth function was to save the monks life of the berbers at this windows are new the only and riginal entrance was on the second floor they were going up using the stewards who are then going in by this road bridge then they pull the bridge like this that no one can follow them the walls are very thick about two meters thick they had a water well inside head start to crops enough for a man's head m.-l.

a big career a chapel on the third floor all of their needs that they keep inside the fort this building is from the twelfth century but it's replaced another one was from the fifth century. the monastic cells are steeped in history. in mind thing in sixty lines and the monks number in this monastery was six months just six months now we are one hundred forty the number increased in these last forty nine years in credibility from six to one hundred forty and the same rate of growth is like that in all of the other monasteries to the monasteries and then honorees as well actually when somebody wants to join the monastery we have two conditions for him the first he has to finish his university the second he has finished his military service then he comes with them one and the monastery the elders meet him

examine him if they found him for this life they permit him to be inside them honestly for three years. for him to examine himself and also for the old amongst all of them in. the end of this three years as if everything is ok they are doing him as among the stay of the monastery for the rest of his life. father carrillo tends to the library he was ordained just a few years ago before that he worked for a large market valuation company spending time in london and frankfurt for many his decision to join a monastery came as a surprise yes at the beginning people thought that they were. doing good beautiful good. and even people in my company thought that he was. making this up fool to. do with a priest and i'm supposed to. i think in each stage in life when you realize that. all the different that you have whether the

kidneys money success. they're going to go in feeling thoughts and beliefs and stuff so short that it's in bit less worth. i used to come here when i was very young when i was two years old. and i found in this want to do something very special for thirty quite and you always know how close we need the monks from this is to us. and by being isolated from the world it had sure to tool to go back to your roots and to see what are you doing in this whole what your purpose what you look at this life. this is gone the other think it's. some kind of small office offer something of a special for its efficiency. and just for the fifth so if they did that. for the study it would be there but for the wealthy that.

fridays sundays and holidays are traditional days for visitors to come to the monastery they come to pray and receive the monks blessings for many cops the monasteries are a bulwark of their faith and a spiritual guide. was. moved . not far from the monastery of saint makarios another comp to community is staking out new ground. founded twenty years ago the ana for a retreat is a place where laypeople and clerics of all faiths can come together in

contemplation and prayer the retreat also serves as a training ground for social engagement. to enter. communal religious services are held according to coptic tradition i i i here to the service conducted after easter features a celebrate torrie procession through the church bishop thomas who founded the retreat is still its driving force the. i tell you that we are like a train a train that has very good brutes. and this roots is very strong we are very much a coptic orthodox church we are very much into the more nasty tradition which we feel very proud of but at the same time look at the truth if the tree is first home game the rules they would have their branches or this branches that is everywhere

every birds was common to that and this is not a threat for the three that's three has it's all in the. rules and that's why we are very much secure the holy are and we are all control of the whole words . and of for one has also established a program for young coptic women from the bishop's diocese the initiative aims to empower the young women who come from a community and society places many barriers in their way many come from very poor families where their own needs take a back seat and on a fora they enjoy a rare opportunity to be front and center and we cannot walk up to give them. what i. mean a woman who lives in egypt they feel like to live in maid me to society this is normal this is something used to have to live with this for

a long time and they feeling this is very very low so i would work together here in this program is for them like say that we want to to lead them to take out of these traumas of the of this suffering of their life so we work on different levels we work on their. own their values song they are valuable you out of loyalty to be something to be a different person as a society we make this transformation in their in their lives. and how come we see the needs of the people and we don't. i think there is enough resources in the holy words it's only that we don't see other. we pay a visit to the village of el or south of cairo in february twenty fifth teen twenty one young men were killed in libya by islamist militants all but one were cops from

egypt they had been kidnapped forty days earlier but had refused to renounce their faith the coptic orthodox church has canonized the men as martyrs most of the men came from villages in this area. a large church has been built in the area three years after the massacre the bodies are said to be returned for burial the brutal murders shocked all of egypt. honey so where is painted the icons for the church. the work here moved him deeply. photographs of the young men have been placed before the altar crowns of the martyr have been put on the photographs in their honor honey so whereas i can does not depict the men as individuals in their shared martyrdom they are all equals at the shrine the artist meets bashir as the funhouse

two of his brothers were among those killed. of shia how are you good and you good god protect your may god protect you how was your family thank god very well thanks be to god i'm visiting the martyrs this is bush. is that him yes and this is the second brother the mater samuel he's your brother yes the whole both of them they're both my brothers. this should be showing the shore's the older samual the younger cannot tell us about we surely you must be very sad. that . the worst was that we heard not. i think while they were being held captive most . of them but after they were martyred all that changed thank god. every thing changed. and so i knew that they had gone to a good place. i know but they got to most of the world once when i was sitting with

my mother i asked her what she thought about these murders also that this is a. museum is a god she said she asked her god to touch their hearts to touch the hearts of these people and the light in them anyone could do such a thing is not a normal human being. who could just slaughter another person like that and first call on god's name either they keep that animal that you eat you slaughter it but a person. we've never heard of slaughtering a human being. that's a person who doesn't know god or anyone who claims they're following god's orders when they do such a thing as a liar. as. we say to them turn around return to the teachings understand the world us understand the true basis of faith and then you'll be able to speak of faith and mercy again. not

about london but of the one falling and we also pray for the killers whatever happened we still pray for them we say lord open their eyes so they can see the light of our lord well a little not loaded up on. think . the other thing. that's what the show and sam world war when they perform their church service is obvious in one hundred one belongs to the other some well they were the month sundays fridays and wednesdays. on those days they didn't go to work or to church yeah on the amish mission they were christians before and now they're martyrs

shoemark on the message. we've been christians for generations they go through their religion we're now the order to show you had his books with him he bought all of the books the pope published or wrote so that he could read them. and of course he read the holy scripture. where they were both acolytes and were permitted to carry the candles and services. and i was somewhat on moment i. want them to see me when they return and take their proper place in their church around the corner and then we'll visit them that's all that i want we can see them and only for miles i want them to return here to be with us so that we can visit them. out of sight and that. it's in god's hands. and one name we did our lord is reaching out his hand to bring them here but we

know nothing it's in god's hands. in the one nine hundred sixty s. the city of nakata in upper egypt was sent to have had a coptic majority today there are no official statistics for the number of copts in the area the government prefers not to give precise statistics in part for security reasons but cops are still a major presence in the area some still maintain the old traditions such as textile manufacturing. the city was once home to some three hundred weaving mills nearly every family had a limited time today there are only about thirty weaving businesses in operation one belongs to philip somewhere many of the weavers have worked here for decades. hey how's it going. are you up there let me take a look at you funny our house is exactly how i feel at home when i say i've got

things i said look to the floor and. the fact. that i was eight when i started working here. now i'm seventy five. but only god knows my exact age a. lot of women are getting off and i learned how to we from my father and grandfather would you and. i give us a lot of another. good year this right here this is where i got my start. for. me it's about how old this pattern is calling them barbara that you know what are you going to look auto market if i since you don't know the word bara i will tell

you that it's a pyramid pattern of how the craft. that you would call a pyramid one short of that and i mean this is our craft working with colors this type of work goes back a hundred or one hundred fifty years. or originally it goes back all the way to the age of the pharaohs we founded here and took it up and now we are not living from it and the workers here are continuing the tradition. we are in here that this was once a christian place and this type of handicraft is typically coptic but nowadays you won't find many traditional coptic handicrafts outside of the coptic museum we no longer weave fabrics using coptic pads. that's how it is traditional coptic handicrafts the old handicrafts have been largely forgotten there was no one who could show us how to do it even. if.

we return to where our journey began the monastery of st anthony on the red sea. it is a quiet place far from the bustle of the city a fitting location for saint anthony who in the fourth century came here to live a life of prayer and solitude. father always has been a monk for more than forty years this whole. best place to live in the world. that monks were assembled. by the beginning of the fourth century and. they. all fight that's why. we gave the name of the father of all monks in the world of present and her.

father did the most calls the monks to the service. i. as in other comp decor the nox monasteries st anthony's has no shortage of new recruits there are about one hundred twenty months here and new ones continue to arrive i for the coptic monks here it is hard to believe that some monasteries in europe stand empty their buildings put up for say. thank the coptic orthodox church and here's firmly to its rituals for many copts these traditions form a ball work against a changing and at times hostile world for coptic egyptians places like st anthony's monastery remain a kind of touchstone. thank. you

however secluded the monastery may appear monks like father marco's are well aware of the world around them. before coming here father marco studied medicine and trained as an ophthalmologist. before entering the church shoes must be removed also a coptic tradition. for a. few.

here we can find mark since it's a place where as a monk live on the new confines of thought understeers continue to rocks is a book told in between to make fire for cooking. this place only for one monk is from the fifth century its old. church was built over this but. the monastery has an artistic treasure the old church of st anthony we did frescoes . after something. so he put his body on the ground of all those there and the birth of the church at the end of the four centuries this church was destroyed many times people say came and supposed to destroy and make fire was put everything but in

boss so it was not a story so make new idea under new birth to exist for. the first player from the first century but the last one from the fifteenth century what you see. by this is . from seventeen century up to twenty years ago all the cherish was black like this black square it was a meticulous when we just clean this icons to be like says. we'll see the difference between the first on the last year and this alteration. of the law of the father from the fifteenth century from the first century there is a big difference even in cars we move all three players from this world the prions the first layer of. this icon doesn't. when you look you will find. that all black so. you

see the sign but you says it's alpha and omega the first and last the three optic i mean the beginning of the end what are faced with us you don't like this so pissing come from resource for himself. father marcos tends to the visitors to the monastery including those who are sick and come here to receive medical care. for. everyone who comes here whether coptic or muslim is treated free of charge and receives free medications for many people in the region especially the bedouin community this is their only source of medical care there is even a dentist here. maybe

your friend is part of this place tommy it's my home. i left to live here cause it's called please. it makes me prime time to hear it cuts for years. but this one means come as quite. so and quite close you can know yourself you can't leave your mind. oh no no no it's your normal no kids you know all families know all that money we are real cute got. fishers.

to africa. for the preparing for the durban ard full swing you're standing here so that any of the last money was so certain of this particular european problem because we'll have a new one coming make and the result of that election is going to be closely monitored in africa this is the continent after all that she has years of a complex relationship with europe you allege so why the matter of her go fifteen minutes on d w. and without any colleagues.

is that possible scientists have been university researching the future of agriculture strips of wild flowers you could reply space decide from the plans for . fertilizes kind of balance between high needs on how do first. to be found. to do it. all the more. i'm not laughing at the germans because sometimes i am but mostly i'm nothing with . the germans think deep into the german culture of. nudity ridiculous drama they all do you know it's all out there no i'm rachel join me to meet the japanese of

course. this is the day of the news coming to you live from mozambique seize the roles of a giant psycho and winds the heavy rains have destroyed homes and pushed thousands inland seeking shelter. kenneth's comes just six weeks after the tycoon died north of death and destruction to the country.