Newsletter
Stay updated!
Stay updated!
Subscribe to receive one email per week about travel related to Egypt.
Old Cairo is the oldest part of the capital city of Cairo (Masr el Qadima), combining antiquity with modern times. This is the place where primarily ancient fortifications and places associated with the birth of Christianity are concentrated. Usually, a trip to this part of the city involves visiting the Coptic district. Egyptologists believe that there was an urban settlement here as early as the 6th century BC. In Roman times, a fortress and the city of Babylon was built here. Christians living here began to spread their faith throughout Egypt, and its strength can be seen in over 20 preserved temples erected in a small area.
To this day, only five churches that can be visited have survived. Egyptian Christians are called Copts and they make up 10% of the Egyptian population. Their name comes from the Arabic word Qipt. The Arabs referred to it as all the inhabitants of Egypt who were Christians. Their hallmark is a small Coptic cross tattooed on the inside of their wrist. This branch of Christianity is based on the teachings of St. Mark, who wrote his Gospel in AD 40 in Alexandria. The Coptic Church has its own patriarch (it does not recognize the pope), rituals, liturgical and language (Coptic), traditional calendar - linked back to the time of pharaohs. Discover with us the most beautiful Christian monuments that you can visit during your Egypt vacation!
The Saint Virgin Mary's Coptic Orthodox Church, that was built at the turn of the 3rd/4th century owes its name to its location on the foundations of the Babylon Roman fortress. They are much lower than the street level today, giving the impression that the church is hanging in the air.
There are 29 steps to enter the Hanging Church.
The main element that distinguishes the Church of Our Lady, called the hanging church, or A-Mu'allaqa in Arabic, is a wooden roof, which was shaped to resemble an inverted Noah's Ark.
For six centuries (VII-XIII centuries), the temple was the residence of the Coptic patriarchs, it was witness to many religious ceremonies and elections. The interior of the church has three naves, and each nave ends with a small sancturium. The one on the left is dedicated to Saint George, on the right to John the Baptist, and the middle one is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The walls and wooden partitions are decorated with 110 icons. The oldest of them comes from the 8th century and shows the Virgin Mary, Jesus and John the Baptist.
Start your adventure! Book your luxury Egypt tour!
