Christianity and Monasticism in Wadi al-Natrun—Essays from the 2002 International Symposium of the Saint Mark Foundation and the Saint Shenouda the Archimandrite Coptic Society

Wadi al-Natrun, a depression in the Western Desert of Egypt, is one of the most important centers for the development and continual thriving of the Coptic monastic tradition. Christianity and monasticism have prospered there from as early as the fourth century until the present day, when four major monasteries still flourish. Here, international specialists in Coptology examine various aspects of Coptic civilization in Wadi al-Natrun over the past seventeen hundred years. The studies center on aspects of the history and development of monasticism in Wadi al-Natrun, as well as the art, architecture, and archaeology of the four existing and numerous monasteries of the region.

Maged S.A. Mikhail is assistant professor of history at California State University, Fullerton, specializing in late antique and early Islamic history, and is the editor of Coptica.
Mark Moussa is completing his doctoral dissertation in Semitic and Egyptian languages and literatures at the Catholic University of America. He has published several articles on Egyptian monasticism.