Coptic Cairo Egypt
The Coptic area is a part of Old Cairo, It’s also known as “ Mogamma El Adyan” (Interfaith Complex). The Coptic word refers to the Coptic Orthodox Christians who are the majority of the Christians in Egypt and the Middle East. The word “Copt” originates from the word “ Hwt-Ka-Ptah” from the ancient language of ancient Egyptians and it is believed that it means House of the God Ptah. It is also believed that the word may refer back to the Greek language for using the “Aigyptos” for Egyptians and the Egyptian Christians use the word “Kyptos”.
The main things to see in Coptic Cairo
The Coptic area is a very valuable and authentic area rich with history and heritage. The area includes the fortress of Babylon, the Hanging church of the Virgin Mary, the Coptic Museum, the Abu Serga Church, the Ben Ezra Synagogue, and Greek and Coptic cemeteries. The visit to the Coptic Cairo is one of the most attractive tours of Cairo Day tours which has a historical and religious significance for the Egyptians.
The Roman fortress of Babylon
The fortress goes back to the nineteenth century, It was built during the age of the Roman Emperors Trajan to Arcadius. It was built in the same place where a canal was connecting the Nile and the Red Sea north of Memphis city. It is believed that the holy family visited the area and stayed for a time there; Therefore, the area is a holy site for Egyptian Christians and Christians around the world.
Church of St. George (Mar Girgis)
The church is designed and built upon one of the towers of the Roman fortress. It has a very unique decorations made of colorful glass and the decorations of wood shapes. It’s the only church that has a round shape in Egypt, The church also includes a unique icon of St, George surrounded by two angles descending from heaven. Seeing and visiting the unique church is one of the visits that makes your day tour during one of your Egypt Classic tours an unforgettable experience.
The “Hanging Church” - St. Virgin Mary Church
The church is considered the first basilica style in Egypt, it includes about 110 unique icons made of ebony and ivory back to the 18th century. It's one of the most attractive churches in Egypt and all over the world for visitors during Egypt tours during the whole year. The church is known as ‘the hanging church” or as in the Arabic language “ El Mualaqaa” because it was built above the Roman fortress pillars.
Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church (Abu Serga)
The church is associated with the holy family journey in Egypt where the holy family stayed after escaping from King Herod. The church is considered one of the oldest churches in Egypt, It is where the holy family visited and rested during their journey in Egypt. The church gained this name after St, Mark came to Alexandria and the spread of Christianity, the two martyrs died for the Christian belief.
Ben Ezra Synagogue
It's located near the hanging church, It’s believed that it was a church at first and after the coming of the Jewish religious scholar; However, he turned it into a synagogue for Jewish beliefs. The synagogue accumulated a geniza which are documents containing prayers and the name of God over 850 years, it is now housed and displayed in libraries around the world and is known as Cairo Geniza. After the decline in the number of Jews, now the synagogue is functioning as a museum.
The Coptic Museum
The museum includes the largest collection of Coptic artifacts, the artifacts and the museum built and gathered by the Coptic figure Simaika Pasha. He gathered the Coptic antiques and architectural elements from the sites and churches that were going through stages of renovations to build one of the largest museums for Coptic artifacts. The artifacts represent the merging between Coptic art and keeping the Greek, Roman, pharaonic, byzantine, and Ottoman arts and heritage. Seize the opportunity to see different kinds of art during your Easter tours when you can visit the enchanting and iconic sites of Coptic Cairo.
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