The Holy Family's Journey Through Egypt

When an angel warned Joseph in a dream that Herod was searching for the child to kill Him, Joseph immediately rose in the night and took Mary and the baby Jesus on the long journey to Egypt. They traveled through Sinai and entered Egypt — the same land where their ancestor Joseph had once saved the world from famine, and where Moses had led the Israelites out of slavery. Now the Son of God Himself walked on Egyptian soil.

The Holy Family traveled a remarkable route across Egypt, blessed by tradition. They passed through the Delta region in the north, stopped at Heliopolis near modern Cairo, and traveled south along the Nile. Everywhere they went, miracles are said to have accompanied them — springs of fresh water appeared where Mary washed Jesus' clothes, trees bowed in worship, and idols fell from their pedestals.

They are believed to have traveled as far south as Qusqam in Upper Egypt, near modern-day Assiut, where they rested for several months. The Coptic Church has carefully preserved the memory of these sites — today, twenty-five churches mark the holy trail of the Holy Family across Egypt. This is why the Coptic people have always known with deep pride that the feet of the Lord Jesus walked upon their land.