I continued my tour of the Mokkatam Hills Coptic Churches, and visited the largest Coptic Church in Cairo that seats 10,000. Like the first one I visited, it was built within the caverns of Mokkatam Hills but I thought it was more aethestically pleasing because of the colored lines of earthly limestone that naturally painted the walls of the church. It was set up like an outdoor amphitheatre with holy figures etched on the cavern walls. While this type of church would not be suited in locales where 4 seasons would bring inclement weather, it is perfect in Cairo where 2 benign seasons are the climates of choice. I especially liked the outside of the church, which had more etchings and holy scripture written in Arabic that graced the rocky hill side. I was privileged to visit this hidden jewel that is not mentioned in the tourist books; an advantage of being a "local". Bonus!
