Private Coptic Cairo: Hanging Church & Ben Ezra Synagogue Tour

What's Included

Meeting and pickup

Itinerary

• 1
  Coptic Cairo

  As Per Requested time Pick up from the Hotel by Tour guide to Start your Half day tour to Old Cairo that Also known as Coptic Cairo which is mean Christian Cairo it has been Recognized as a holy place because some of the locations there has been visited by the Holy Family where the spiritual impact of their presence is most felt still; though their stay was brief, for the Governor of what was then Fustat enraged by the tumbling down of idols at Jesus’ approach sought to kill the Child. But they took shelter from his wrath in a cave above which, in later years, the Church of Abu Serga (St Sergius) was built. This and the whole area of the Fort of Babylon is a destination of pilgrimage not only for the Egyptians but for Christians from around the world. An air of piety and devotion pervades the whole district there.

  30 minutes • Admission ticket not included
• 2
  The Hanging Church

  The Hanging Church is named for its location above a gatehouse of Babylon Fortress, the Roman fortress in Coptic Cairo (Old Cairo); its nave is suspended over a passage.[2] The church is approached by twenty-nine steps; early travelers to Cairo dubbed it "the Staircase Church".[2] The land surface has risen by some six metres since the Roman period, so the Roman tower is mostly buried below ground, reducing the visual impact of the church's elevated position

  30 minutes • Admission ticket not included
• 3
  Church of St. Barbara

  Saint Barbara Coptic known in the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Great Martyr Barbara, was an early Christian Lebanese and Greek saint and martyr. Accounts place her in the 3rd century in Heliopolis Phoenicia, present-day Baalbek, Lebanon. There is no reference to her in the authentic early Christian writings nor in the original recension of Saint Jerome's martyrology

  30 minutes • Admission ticket not included
• 4
  Synagogue Ben Ezra

  his was the synagogue whose geniza or store room was found in the 19th century to contain a treasure of forgotten, stored-away Hebrew, Aramaic and Judeo-Arabic secular and sacred manuscripts. The collection, known as the Cairo Geniza, was brought to the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England at the instigation of Solomon Schechter. It is now divided between several academic libraries, with the majority being kept at the Cambridge University Library.

  30 minutes • Admission ticket not included
• 5
  Mosque of Amr Ibn Al-As

  Step inside the Mosque of Amr Ibn Al-As, the first and oldest mosque ever built on the continent of Africa, founded in 641 AD upon the establishment of Egypt’s first Islamic capital, Fustat. Guided by your private Egyptologist, remove your shoes and walk through the expansive colonnaded courtyard, supported by hundreds of antique marble and stone columns salvaged from Roman and Byzantine structures. Admire the elegant prayer hall, tranquil open-air arcades, and traditional wooden ceiling beams while discovering the mosque's foundational role in the spread of Islamic civilization across North Africa.

  20 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 6
  Old Cairo

  Step into Old Cairo (Misr Al-Qadima), one of the world’s most historically significant cultural crossroads where ancient Christian, Jewish, and Islamic heritage converge. Led by your private Egyptologist, walk through the narrow stone-paved lanes built within and around the ancient Roman Fortress of Babylon. Learn about the district's foundation as Egypt’s early capital, discover how it provided sanctuary to the Holy Family during their journey through Egypt, and soak in the sacred, tranquil atmosphere that has endured for millennia.

  10 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 7
  Old Cairo Tour

  Option 1: Comprehensive & Highlights-Driven (Recommended) Embark on a guided walking tour through Old Cairo, tracing thousands of years of layered history across Egypt's ancient Christian, Jewish, and Islamic traditions. Accompanied by your private Egyptologist, navigate the cobblestone alleyways around the ancient Roman Fortress of Babylon. Learn the history of early Christian refuge during the Holy Family's flight into Egypt, discover centuries-old Coptic churches and historic synagogues, and experience the timeless architecture that defines this historic cradle of modern Cairo.

  10 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 8
  Cave Church

  Journey into the Mokattam Mountain cliffs to visit the breathtaking Monastery of Saint Simon, famously known as the Cave Church. Carved directly into the natural limestone cavern, this monumental amphitheater is the largest Christian church in the Middle East, seating up to 20,000 people. Accompanied by your guide, explore the cathedral-sized sanctuary, admire the striking religious reliefs and biblical scenes hand-carved into the rock walls, and learn the inspiring 10th-century Coptic miracle of moving the Mokattam Mountain attributed to Simon the Tanner.

  10 minutes • Admission ticket not included

Additional info

• Wheelchair accessible
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Specialized infant seats are available
• All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels

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