A few kilometres south of Asyut, the Monastery of the Virgin at Durunka clings to a limestone cliff above the Nile valley. A modern complex of churches, cells, and pilgrim guesthouses has grown up around an ancient grotto where, according to tradition, the Holy Family sheltered during their flight into Egypt.
The site is most extraordinary during the August moulid, when the cliff face is covered in tents and the population of the village multiplies many times over. Outside the festival it's quiet and easy to visit — a taxi from Asyut takes about twenty minutes.