Wonderful Coptic neighborhood

The best place you can visit when you come to Egypt. It is one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in ancient Egypt. It includes a wonderful Coptic heritage that you have never seen before. Coptic Cairo or the Coptic Quarter is located in a part of Old Cairo. Which includes the Babylon Castle, the Coptic Museum, the Hanging Church, the Greek Church of St. George, and many more.  Coptic churches and other historical sites.  It is believed in Christian traditions that the Holy Family visited this area and stayed at the site of the Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus (Abu Serga).  Coptic Cairo was a stronghold of Christianity in Egypt before and during the Islamic era, with most of its churches built after the Islamic conquest of Egypt in the seventh century.  Coptic Cairo is located in an important archaeological area, close to the Amr Ibn Al-Aas Mosque and the Ibn Ezra Synagogue.

The Hanging Church

The Hanging Church is one of the most famous and oldest Coptic monuments in Egypt. The church is characterized by a rare architectural style that you have not seen before. Which makes it one of the most beautiful churches in the Middle East. The church also represents the first seat of the patriarchs in Cairo.

It was called the Suspended Church because it was built on two of the ancient towers of the Roman fort. (Fortress of Babylon), and the Hanging Church is the oldest surviving church in Egypt. Therefore the church is a very important and absolutely unmissable stop on the tourist itinerary focused on the places linked to the Holy Family, which characterize the capital of Egypt. The internal decorations feature icons in Greek Orthodox style and have thirteen pillars, which respectively represent Christ and the twelve apostles.

Internal description of the church:

The entrance from the street is through iron gates under a pointed stone arch. Then you see a facade with two twin towers and a bell tower outside a narrow courtyard with neo-biblical designs.

Location

The Hanging Church is located in the Old Cairo district, St. George, near the Ezra Synagogue and the Amr Ibn Al-Aas Mosque. This church also represents the first patriarchal seat in Cairo, since the sixteenth patriarch known as “Christodulos” took the church as his headquarters. And many patriarchs from the 11th and 12th centuries were buried in this church, Many trials of priests and bishops were held in this church. You will see a wonderful rectangular church, characterized by the basilica style consisting of 3 wings and a structure divided into 3 parts. The main nave and two small wings, including 8 columns on each side of the church. Let’s find out why the Hanging Church is called by that name. The reason for its name “The Hanging Church” is due to its construction on two of the ancient towers of the Roman fortress known as the “Babylon Fort”

the Coptic Museum

Did you know that the Coptic Museum is one of the largest museums that includes Coptic antiquities in the world?

As it was opened in 1910, and the museum was established by the efforts of Marcos Samika Pasha. A prominent Christian figure who was interested in preserving the Coptic heritage. You can see different and beautiful views, as it includes a set of wooden furniture and inlaid doors. Includes the entry made of sycamore wood for the icon holder of the Church of St. Barbara. The panels can be distinguished, as they were installed in the Fatimid era during the eleventh and twelfth centuries.  And subjects, such as engineering designs, and finally the Coptic Museum. Includes manuscripts of the Bible dating back thousands of years, which is an architectural masterpiece.

Explore Egypt Tours Tripadvisor