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The Hanging Church is considered the oldest and most famous church in Egypt. It lies in Coptic Cairo beside the Babylon fortress.

The history of this church: This building was originally a Roman temple, but in the fourth century AD, after Christianity entered Egypt, it was transferred to be a church.

The Hanging Church became the seat of the Coptic Pope at the beginning of the eleventh century AD. Now, it is transferred to Abbasiya.

Let’s take a tour on the church: The first thing you will see is a group of mosaic icons referring to important events in Christianity as the miracle of transferring Mount Mokattam and the Journey of The Holy Family.

After that, you will see its Truss roof distinguishing this church. It is said that this roof referring to Noah’s Ark as a symbol of salvation and peace.

Then, you will enter the building of the church. It takes the Basilic design. At the end of the nave, there are three shrines for Mar Girgis, Virgin Mary, and John the Baptist.

At the end of this article, we will tell you why this church is called a hanging church. Originally, this church was called the Virgin Mary Church, but after that, it is called the Hanging Church because it was founded on two towers of the Babylon fortress, so it appeared as hanging.

Visit the oldest church in Egypt with Egypt Vacation Tours team with Day Tours to Coptic Cairo.

Ben Ezra Synagogue in Coptic Cairo is one of the most important and famous synagogues in Egypt. It is considered the oldest synagogue in Egypt. It dates back to the 9th century AD.

This synagogue had an old copy of the Old Testament, and it is believed that it was written by the prophet Ezra or Al-Azir, so it is called with Ben Ezra Synagogue.

The history of this Synagogue: Originally, this building was a Christian church called El-Shamieen Church. But in 882, it was being sold to a group of Jews led by the Jewish religious scholar and philosopher Abraham Ben Ezra for 20,000 dinars.

It is built in the shape of a basilica style. It includes two floors. The first floor is dedicated to men and it contains the bimah, while the second one is dedicated to women.

It is decorated in Arabesque style and inlaid with mother of pearl, displaying a merge of artistic traditions.

Stories about this synagogue: It is said that this place of this Synagogue was where the box of Baby Moses was found.

Visit Ben Ezra Synagogue with Egypt Vacation Tours team Cairo day tours.

El Moez Street or El Moez li-Din Allah al-Fatimi Street is one of the oldest streets in Cairo city. It was founded within the construction of Cairo city during the Fatimid period under the caliph Al-Mu’izz li-Din Allah.

El Moez St. runs from the north, where the gate of Bab al-Futuh to the south, where the gate of Bab Zuweila. Both entrances were established by the vizier Badr al-Jamali in the 11th century when he rebuilt some buildings in Cairo city, including its walls. Its length is approx. one kilometer long, which makes it considered one of the longest streets in the walled city.

The vital role of this street made people were building in it souqs as Khan El khalili Bazaar, religious buildings as Al-Hakim Mosque, and charitable buildings as Madrasa of Barquq. These buildings date back to different Islamic periods such as the Abbasid, Fatimid, Mamluk, and Ottoman periods.

Let’s go on a tour in El Moez Street to see some of its sightseeing
• Madrasa of Barquq: This complex contains a mosque, a mausoleum, and a school. This school or madrasa (in the Arabic language) was for teaching the four Islamic schools.
• Al-Hakim Mosque:It lies beside the gate of Bab al-Futuh in the north of Cairo city. This mosque originally built by Al-Aziz, the father of Al-Hakim, but Al-Hakim completed it, so the mosque is called Al-Hakim Mosque.

  

• Sabil of Sulayman Agha al-Silahdar: This sabil is a good example for displaying how people used to drink in old times while walking around the street.

  

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Khan El khalili Bazaar is the most famous souq, It was built in the Mamluk period as a center of trade.

Also, it includes workshops for the Egyptian artisans, who create and produce traditional crafts and souvenirs.

Let’s know about the history of this bazaar When the Fatimids founded Cairo city, they divided it into two sections. The first one contained the eastern royal palace, while the second houses the western royal palace. Today, the location of Khan El-Khalili Bazaar is the southern end of the eastern Fatimid Palace.

Dajaharks Al-Khalili founded this bazaar in the 14th century, so it is called El khalili Bazaar.

The design of the bazaar was multi-storied structures. The bazaar centered around an inner peristyle courtyard, where traders could store their merchandise, while the upper levels were used for housing.

The bazaar contains several coffeehouses, shops, and restaurants. The most famous traditional Arabic coffee there is El Fishawi. In this coffee, the Egyptian author Naguib Mahfouz spent a lot of time.

Enjoy your time in this fabulous bazaar and buy a unique souvenir making you do not forget this unique tour with Egypt Vacation Tours team.

Salah El-Din Citadel or Cairo Citadel is built by Salah El-Din Al-Ayoubi, the founder of the Ayyubid Dynasty in 1176 to be a fortress and seat of rule for nearly 700 years. It stopped being the seat of the rule when Khedive Ismail transferred it to Abdeen Palace in 1874.

Salah El-Din Al-Ayoubi decided to construct this citadel on Mokattam hills for use this strategic position allowing him to expose the whole city and made it difficult to attack. In 1976, UNESCO considered it one of the heritage sites in Islamic Cairo.

This citadel houses several museums as the National Military Museum and the Police Museum and mosques as Sultan Al-Nasir Muhammad Mosque, Mosque of Suleiman Pasha El Khadim, and Muhammad Ali Mosque.

Al-Nasir Muhammad Mosque It was built in the Mamluk period in 1318. It distinguishes with its green Dom.

Muhammad Ali Mosque Muhammad Ali Pasha began its construction in 1830, but it was completed in 1857 by Said Pasha, son of Muhammad Ali Pasha. Muhammad Ali Pasha willed to be buried in this mosque so you can see his cemetery inside the mosque.

Muhammad Ali Mosque is also known as the Alabaster Mosque due to its walls are coated with alabaster. It was established in the Turkish style, as the mosque is divided into two parts. The first part is the courtyard, while the second is the house of prayer. Also, it distinguishes with its domes and minarets taking the pencil shape. Some opinions believe that this mosque is similar to the blue mosque belonging to Sultan Ahmed in Turkey.

Enjoy visiting Salah El-Din Citadel and Islamic Cairo sightseeing with Egypt Vacation Tours experts.