El Bagawat

Ancient Coptic cemetery of domed mud-brick chapels and early Christian frescoes.

El Bagawat is one of the oldest Christian cemeteries in Egypt, a field of mud-brick domes and small funerary chapels just north of the Temple of Hibis. The best-known chapels preserve early frescoes, including biblical scenes painted in a style far removed from the polished art of Nile temples.

It is a place to walk slowly. The rough brick, desert light, and clustered domes make the site feel very different from Egypt's more famous pharaonic monuments.

things to do sight architecture