The ancient Nilometer in Dair El-Garnus

Dair El-Garnus is a small village 6 Kilometer west of Ishnin. A well in Dair El-Garnus was blessed by the Lord Jesus , when he was a child , during the escape of the holy family to Egypt .Later on , this well was used by the Copts as a nilometer to foretell the height of the annual inundation of the river nile.
At the time of the prayer at which Copts offered up incense at mid-day to God by that well, as soon as the reading of the Gospel was ended, the water of the well would rise up and come to the mouth of the well.The Copts used to receive a blessing from it.Straightway the water would recede until it reached its former level, and the people used to measure by the cubit the height to which it rose above its normal level at the bottom of the well.
If the height were twenty cubits, there would be great abundance in the land of Egypt, if the height were eighteen or seventeen cubits, there would also be abundance, but if the height were only sixteen cubits, there would be a great famine throughout the Land of Egpt.

Maqrizi adds to this tradition , by saying , that this well was situated in the church of the Monastery of Arjanus,and that on the night of the 25th of Bashons (June 2nd) the people would assemble to remove the stone cover from the well, when they would discover that the water within had risen and begun to sink again.

The fact that an older church existed at this site is testified by M. de Maillet (1703), French Consul-General, who developed a keen interest in all things pertaining to Egypt.
He mentioned a village called by the Arabs "Bir El-Gernous", and stated that in this place the Copts had a sacred well, by which they foretell the height of the annual inundation.
With an elaborate ritual, a cotton cord marked at regular intervals by threads of white and blue is let down into the well, so that the end touches the water. Then a table is placed over the mouth of the well, and the bishop celebrates the Divine Liturgy. When the Liturgy is finished, the table is taken away and the cord is examined. According to Coptic belief, the height to which the water has penetrated the cord marks the height to which the water will rise. This is a reference to an ancient Nilometer.

ISHNIN CHURCH SITE