Abu Mina

Abu Mina is the ruin of an early Christian pilgrimage city built around the tomb of St Menas, about 45 km south-west of Alexandria. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1979, opens 8 am – 4 pm, and charges a small fee on site.

Abu Mina drew pilgrims from right across the early Christian Mediterranean. A whole desert town grew up around the grave of St Menas, an Egyptian soldier in the Roman army who was martyred around 296 AD. Between the late 4th and the 7th century, people travelled from as far as Britain and Gaul to drink the water at his burial chapel. Small clay flasks, or ampullae, stamped with his figure have turned up in digs as distant as Marseille and Cologne, which shows how far his cult spread.

UNESCO added the site to its World Heritage list in 1979. Excavations have exposed the footings of the Great Basilica of Emperor Arcadius, a baptistery, monasteries, pilgrim hostels, a forum and the saint's underground crypt. A modern Coptic monastery now stands beside the ruins, and pilgrims still come.

The ancient town is currently on UNESCO's List of World Heritage in Danger, because groundwater from surrounding farmland is undermining its foundations.

What to see

• The foundations of the Great Basilica of Arcadius
• The crypt of St Menas
• The pilgrim baths and baptistery
• The modern Coptic Monastery of St Menas next door

Visiting

• Opening hours: 8 am – 4 pm
• Tickets: a modest fee, paid on site
• Best plan: a day trip from Alexandria
• Nearby: Alexandria, Borg el-Arab, the Wadi El Natrun monasteries