Been to Dayr al-Maymun, or dreaming of it?
Join BucketList to rate it, put it on your bucket list, and see where your friends have been. It's free.
22,000+ places in 198 countries to rate and rank
Village in Giza Governorate, Egypt
Dayr al-Maymūn, more known by its former name Pispir as it is referred to by Athanasius of Alexandria in his biography of St. Anthony, is a mountain in Giza Governorate, Egypt, directly east of the Nile River. It is known to be the place where Anthony the Great settled from 286 – 305 AD after leaving his spoils in Alexandria to pursue a more ascetic lifestyle following his inspiration by a verse from Mark (10:21b), which stated, "Go, sell what you have and give it to [the] poor." During his stay, many followers of Anthony settled around the mountain. They waited there until he yielded to their request to start a monastic community of hermits. The movement travelled eastward from Pispir. The site of Dayr al-Maymūn was also at one point the location of a Roman fort, whose ruins Anthony settled in during his stay at Pispir.
