the Seven Monasteries (Wadi al-Natrun)

The seven monasteries in the Wadi al-Natrun in the northern part of Egypt, stretching west along the side of al-Batiya between the lands of al-Buhayra and al-Fayyum. Ibn Fadl Allah al-Umari passed by them in the company of Sultan al-Nasir. They lie in cut-off sand and salt marshes, and their residents drink from cisterns. al-Umari describes their way of life as austere and with little food, and reports that Christians bring many vows to them, and that the scribes of the Copts and the servants of the sultan take refuge with them when the state oppresses them. ²