One of the famous stories related to this place, is the story of the unjust witch who fell from the top of the mountain with her books and iron chains, when the Child Jesus and the Virgin Mary came. Before the arrival of the Holy Family, a wicked witch lived in this area, and she used to impose tributes and payments on ships and sailing boats that cross the Nile River heading to Upper Egypt and the governorates of Lower Egypt, and if anyone refused to pay the money, she would dump the boats in the river. But this legend ended with the arrival of the Holy Family, where the witch wanted to take revenge on the Child Jesus and the Virgin, and while they were on the lower island, she used her magic to drop the rock on them, but the blessing of the Child Jesus broke the witch spell when he pointed with his hand to the rock, and it stiffened in its place and imprinted his palm on it without touching it, and the witch fell immediately with her books, magic and the iron chains that she was carrying from the top of the mountain and died.
There was a huge ficus tree with green leaves, 2 km south of Gabal al-Tayr, which the people of the region called the “Abed tree” (the worshiper).
It was mentioned by the late Bishop Samuel, Bishop of Shebin El-Qanater, in his book “The ancient churches and monasteries from Giza to Aswan.” That this tree had a unique and amazing shape, as all its branches tend to the ground and then rise again and are covered with green leaves, and it is said that this tree is the one that bowed to Christ when he passed to the neighboring Ashmunayn. This story was mentioned in the memorial of the coming of the Holy Family to the land of Egypt. But unfortunately, it was cut down by some farmers to keep warm in the 21century.
Famous Stories about Gabal Al Tayr
