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Today we got up and had a great breakfast, then Zaki came to pick us up and drive us to Mokattum. This is the area also known as Garbage City, and is a slum settlement on the outskirts of the city of Cairo whose economy revolves around the collection and recycling of the city's garbage. Although the area has streets, shops, and apartments like any other area of the city, it lacks infrastructure and often has no running water, sewage or electricity. Coptic Christians were originally the predominant inhabitants of Garbage City, though in recent decades the area's Muslim population has grown. The entire first floors of the high rise apartments are filled with garbage, waiting to be sorted through. Entire families work at sorting the trash. The Christians were once well known for herding swine within the city, which are fed edible pieces of garbage and marketed across Cairo to Coptic Christian establishments. However in the spring of 2009 the Egyptian government, in response to the worldwide threat of swine flu (and as a greater means of further persecuting Christians), embarked on a massive program to extinguish the herds of pigs being raised here. All the pigs were killed and thousands of Christians lost their livelihood.

The rooftops at Garbage City are also filled with trash.

The first floor of all the apartments house trash, not families.

Despite all this persecution, the Christians are thriving. In fact, at the top of Garbage City lies a pleasant surprise... churches. Three of them, in fact. They are sometimes called the "cave churches" becuase they are all carved into the side of the mountain. They are absolutely beautiful and breathtaking-- An incredible testament to the faithfulness of these persecuted people, and the goodness of God to bring such beauty out of ashes (or more appropriately in this case, garbage). The largest church can hold several thousand people.... can you imagine how beautiful their praises sound as they resonate off the stone surrounding them?? Beautiful carvings have recently been carved into the mountains, depicting various scenes from the Bible. An artist who visited the city saw that many of the Christians living here could not read the Bible, so he began carving the stories into the rock. They're huge and absolutely stunning.

Beautiful church at the top of the Garbage City.

Carving in the sanctuary at one of the churches...

This church seats several thousands!

After spending the morning in Mokattam, we went to a place where the people of the city create and sell crafts from things they've recycled. We saw how they separate fabrics and create beautiful bags and rugs. They also recycle paper and make beauitful paper products. It was pretty neat! To be honest, I have never really seen a nation that has such religious persecution of Christians. But here it was, right in front of me, plain as day. We'd just spent the previous three days exploring ancient temples that had been built for the false gods of the ancient Egyptians, and now, back in present-day Egypt, we are surrounded mausks and people praying every few hours again to a false god. It breaks my heart, and the hostility is visible between the Christians and Muslims. Zaki was a wealth of information about the subject. He is a Christian, and he knows all too well the differences that exist between the two groups. As a young boy, he received a tattoo of a cross on his inner forearm. All the Christians get them at a very young age. In fact, in Mokattam, we saw a tattoo booth where these are done. Christian men wear gold wedding rings, but Muslim men wear silver. There are huge splits between the two religions. If a Muslim were to kill a Christian convert, he would not be held accountable. He could kill him on the steps of the courthouse, and no action would be taken against him. I have never given much thought to that happening in other countries... afterall, this is 2010... isn't that a little archaic? This trip has opened my eyes to the truths that lie in worlds other than my own.

Supplies for making paper from recycled stuff

Tattoo booth where the Christians get tattoos.

Zaki took us to his favorite spot for lunch. It was a little hole in the wall restaurant and they serve a dish called Koshry. It was sooooooo good!!! Sean and I are going to have to try to make this when we get home! After lunch, Zaki took us to a church where the Holy Family is said to have stayed when they came to Egypt after Jesus was born. Not sure how they know this, but it was a pretty church, right on the Nile. After this, we went home for a little bit, then went shopping at Road 9. This is the main shopping area by where Mom and Dad live. It was really neat! A lot of the shop owners knew mom and gave us some deals on the goods we bought! Anything you want, they probably sell it on Road 9. There's even a guy who sell black market DVDs. :-) (They're hidden under the 3rd stack of rugs!) it was so much fun!! Sean also ate at the McDonald's there... and McD's even delivers here!!

Eating Koshary!

Candles lit at the church of the Holy Family.