Dayr al-Maymūn
Dayr al-Maymūn, more known by its former name Pispir as it is referred to by Athanasius of Alexandria in his biography of St. Anthony, is a mountain in Giza Governorate, Egypt, directly east of the Nile River. It is known to be the place where Anthony the Great settled from 286 – 305 BCE after leaving his spoils in Alexandria to pursue a more ascetic lifestyle following his inspiration by a verse from Mark, which stated, "Go, sell what you have and give it to poor." During his stay, many followers of Anthony settled around the mountain. They waited there until he yielded to their request to start a monastic community of hermits. The movement travelled eastward from Pispir.
The site of Dayr al-Maymūn was also at one point the location of a Roman fort, whose ruins Anthony settled in during his stay at Pispir.
East of the site in the Eastern Desert is the Monastery of St. Anthony.
