About Saint Simon the Tanner:
Officially known as Saint Samaan, Simon the Tanner was a Coptic saint who lived in the 10th century AD and is associated with the moving of the Mokattam Mountain by order of the Islamic Fatimid Caliph Al Muizz toward the end of the 10th century. Many Coptic Christians in Egypt were engaged in handicrafts. Saint Simon worked in tanning, a craft known there till this day.
This profession involved other crafts that depend on the process, from whence Simon carried several titles related to skins: Tanner, Cobbler, Shoemaker.
About Saint Simon the Tanner Monastery (known as the monastery of Samaan Al Kharraz) in Cairo, Egypt:
Although not a Catholic Church (the Coptic Orthodox Church is not in communion with Rome), is certainly worth a visit. The Cave Church, also called Saint Simon the Tanner Monastery as well as the monastery of Samaan Al Kharraz is situated at the top of the Moqattam Mountain in Zabbaleen City, also known as “The City of Garbage,” on the east bank of the Nile River in Cairo, Egypt.
The history of the Cave Church dates back to the time of the Holy Family’s journey in Egypt, and it was constructed in the 10th century AD during the rule of Caliph Al Muizz.
The Cave Church is a remarkable piece of art, adorned with sculptures and carvings that depict biblical stories, including the birth of Jesus, the resurrection of Lazarus, the story of Zuleikha and Joseph, and more. This church is one of the largest not only in Egypt, but the entire the world, with a seating capacity of 20,000.
In the heart of this magnificent monument are the immortal tales and history of some of the most incredible miracles and honorable men of faith the world has ever seen.
He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes, with the princes of their people.” (Ps 113:8)
The Trash Collectors living on a Hill on the Mokattam:
At the end of 1969 the governor of Cairo issued a decree to the end of removing all the trash collectors of Cairo to one of the hills of the Mokattam to live there. So they built themselves primitive houses, simply huts of tin that are called in their vernacular “Zaraayib” (namely pigsties). They were thus named after the place where donkeys and pigs live, and all the other livestock they reared up; such as goats and cattle.
The number of the trash collectors that live in that area reached about 15,000 according to the research of the International Bank which was carried out in July, 1987. Every person had a primitive trash cart that looked like a wooden box carried on two wheels and pulled by two donkeys, or more, because of the difficult hill up to the mountain which was not paved in the past.
These trash collectors collect trash from the houses of most sectors of Cairo, and upon returning to their huts, they sort out the trash and classify it. They pick out from the trash all that is fitting for pigs and cattle to eat, as for the paper, glass, plastic, cloth and stuff like that, they are resold to specialized tradesmen, after they are sorted out, and the trash collectors live on what they get from selling them.After choosing the place, work was begun on a church made of tin, with a roof made of reeds, just like the roofs of the rest of the area, which brought back memories of the manger in Bethlehem.
The ministry to the Sunday School children started, and on the first day eleven kids attended. After that a general meeting for men and women was started. The attendance on the first day, which was April 13. 1974, was nine people.
June 18, 1977. Was an unforgettable day in the history of the church, for on that day H. H. Pope Shenouda III visited the church. His visits to the church were repeated every year on the feast of Saint Samaan the Tanner from 1978 till 1980.
Traveling to Saint Simon the Tanner Monastery in Cairo, Egypt:
Click here for the official website of Saint Simon the Tanner Monastery in Cairo, Egypt.