Part IV – The Fatimid Era and the Miracle of Mokattam Mountain
9.1 Historical and Religious Context
The reign of Caliph al-Muʿizz li-Dīn Allāh (953–975 CE) was marked by prosperity, intellectual debate, and religious tolerance. Within his pluralistic court, inter-faith disputations were encouraged as demonstrations of the empire’s scholarly sophistication. It is within this atmosphere that the Coptic narrative of the Moving of Mokattam Mountain takes form.
The chief Christian figure was Pope Abraham (Abraam ibn Zurʿah), the sixty-second Patriarch of Alexandria (r. 975–978 CE), while the hero of faith was a humble artisan known as Simon the Tanner (Sīmʿān al-Kharrāz). The earliest surviving account appears in the Coptic History of the Patriarchs of Alexandria, compiled between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries (Gawdat & Vivian 2013).
9.2 The Challenge of Faith: Matthew 17:20
The narrative begins when Caliph al-Muʿizz, reputedly impressed by Christian and Jewish disputants at his court, is intrigued by the Gospel verse Matthew 17:20:
“If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”
Seeking to test the literal truth of this statement, the Caliph demands that the Christian Patriarch prove it—or face expulsion or death for all Christians of Egypt. Pope Abraham, distressed, calls his people to fasting and prayer for three days, asking divine guidance.
9.3 The Appearance of the Virgin Mary
According to the Coptic sources, on the third night of prayer the Virgin Mary appears to Pope Abraham in a vision. She instructs him to find a man “bearing the mark of humility”—a one-eyed tanner who, she says, “serves God in secret.” The Pope discovers Simon the Tanner, whose lost eye, the legend recounts, was self-inflicted out of obedience to Matthew 5:29 (“If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out”). Simon agrees to accompany the Patriarch to the appointed place of trial, the Mokattam Hills east of Cairo.
9.4 The Three Movements of the Mountain
Before the Caliph and a great assembly of Muslims and Christians, Pope Abraham, following Simon’s instruction, raises the sign of the cross, kneels three times, and prays:
“Lord, have mercy.”
Each time, the mountain is said to have lifted from the ground, light appearing beneath it, shaking the city yet causing no destruction. On the third invocation, it settles back, leaving dust and awe. The Caliph, terrified, declares: “There is no faith like this faith.” He asks the Pope’s forgiveness and withdraws from the test (Meinardus 1965).
While no contemporary Muslim or secular chronicle records an earthquake or landslide, Coptic tradition insists on three distinct “movements,” symbolic of the Trinity. The miracle, whether literal or allegorical, became the central sign of divine vindication for Egypt’s Christians.
9.5 Aftermath and Disappearance of Simon
The story continues that Caliph al-Muʿizz secretly invited Pope Abraham to his palace to learn more of the Christian faith and expressed admiration for the humility of Simon. When the Pope sought to honour the tanner publicly, however, Simon had disappeared, preferring anonymity. His body was never found, giving rise to a local tradition that he was translated into heaven or buried somewhere beneath Mokattam’s slopes (Gawdat & Vivian 2013).
The Caliph, the narrative adds, granted the Patriarch permission to build new churches and to restore those previously destroyed. Whether historical or not, this epilogue reinforces the moral theme: faith rewarded by mercy, humility crowned with freedom.
9.6 Symbolism and Theological Interpretation
Scholars interpret the miracle at several levels:
| Dimension | Interpretation | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Literal | A supernatural elevation witnessed by contemporaries | Coptic Synaxarium (24 Kiahk) |
| Moral | Proof of unwavering faith in persecution | Meinardus 1965 |
| Political | Allegory of Christian endurance under Muslim authority | Mikhail 2014 |
| Mystical | Symbol of inner transformation—faith that “moves” the heart | Henein 2005 |
For the Coptic Church, the event encapsulates Christ’s teaching that humility precedes power. The tanner, a layman of lowly rank, becomes the instrument of God’s deliverance. For Muslims, who preserved no hostile record of the claim, the story did not threaten theological orthodoxy; instead, it survived as a local legend embodying Egypt’s shared reverence for piety and miracles.
9.7 Sites and Commemoration
From the medieval period onward, the Mokattam Hills became a sacred landscape. Pilgrims visited the caves believed to be associated with Simon. In modern times, the Monastery and Cave Church of Saint Simon the Tanner was established in the Zabbaleen district of Cairo during the late twentieth century. With a capacity of over 20 000 worshippers, it is now the largest church in the Middle East and a symbol of enduring Coptic faith (Saad 2018).
Each year, on 24 Kiahk (early January), the Coptic Church commemorates the miracle with fasting, liturgy, and public processions, proclaiming: “The faith of the mustard seed still moves mountains.”
9.8 Assessment: Faith and Humility as Transformative Forces
Whether regarded as legend, parable, or history, the story of Saint Simon the Tanner occupies a unique place in Egypt’s religious memory. It reflects the dialogue rather than conflict between Islam and Christianity in the Fatimid age. The Caliph’s open court provided the setting; the Coptic Church supplied the moral imagination; and the mountain itself symbolised the meeting point of divine power and human humility.
The narrative endures because it transcends sectarianism: it asserts that true strength lies not in political dominance but in faith expressed through obedience, service, and love—values that resonate across all Abrahamic traditions.
Key References
- Gawdat, G. & Vivian, T. (2013) The History of the Patriarchs of the Egyptian Church. Cairo: AUC Press.
- Henein, N. (2005) Le Miracle de la Montagne du Moqattam. Cairo: Dar el-Nashr el-Copt.
- Meinardus, O.F.A. (1965) Christian Egypt: Faith and Life. Cairo: AUC Press.
- Mikhail, M.S.A. (2014) From Byzantine to Islamic Egypt: Religion, Identity and Politics after the Arab Conquest. London: I.B. Tauris.
- Saad, G. (2018) “The Cave Church of St Simon and the Miracle of Mokattam.” Daily News Egypt, 5 April 2018.