9 Best Sights in Old Cairo (Coptic Cairo), Cairo

Opened in 1910 and home to the world's largest collection of Coptic antiquities, this museum traces Coptic history from its beginnings to its full rise, providing a link between ancient and Islamic Egypt, as most of the city's population remained Christian until the 11th century, a half millennium after the Arabs brought Islam to the country.

The insightful displays are more or less arranged by medium. The first floor has carved stone and stucco, frescoes, and woodwork. The second floor includes textiles, manuscripts, icons, and metalwork. In some cases, chronological divisions are made within each grouping to show the evolution of the art form.

The collections also demonstrate how eras can beautifully overlap to produce exceptional artistry, as is evident through the slight Pharaonic, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman influences detected across the museum. Many carvings and paintings, for instance, help to trace the transformations of the ancient key of life, the ankh, to the cross. Depictions of the baby Jesus suckling at his mother's breast are also striking in their resemblance to pharaonic suckling representations.

Egypt’s first museum to focus on all its different civilizations truly takes you on a trip through history. The collections are designed to tell a story, some chronologically and others thematically. The chronological collections follow the Archaic, Pharaonic, Greco-Roman, Coptic, Medieval, Islamic, modern, and contemporary eras. Thematic collections map a route through the Dawn of Civilization, The Nile, Writing, State and Society, Material Culture, Beliefs and Thinking, and the Gallery of Royal Mummies.

There are currently around 1,600 pieces on display, with plans to display 50,000 artifacts over time, and they range from monumental to the more mundane, like one of the first-ever prosthetics—an artificial toe from the Pharaonic era that predates the Roman Capula Leg. The museum is also the new home of the royal mummies of ancient Egypt. Designed to feel like a tomb, the Gallery of Royal Mummies has the remains of 22 rulers, including 18 kings and four queens. Displays are interactive: you can scan QR codes to learn about each royal.

One of the largest and finest churches in Cairo was named after a young Nicodemian woman who was killed by her pagan father for converting. First built in 684, it was originally dedicated to Cyrus and John (in Arabic, Abu Qir and Yuhanna, respectively), two martyrs from the city of Damanhour who were killed for not renouncing their Christianity.

The church, which was destroyed by fire and rebuilt in both the 11th and 12th centuries, has the standard layout consisting of a narthex, a nave, side aisles, and three sanctuaries. Technically, there are two churches on the site, as a separate sanctuary was built when the relics of St. Barbara were brought here. The sanctuary screen currently in place is a 13th-century wooden piece inlaid with ivory—the original screen is in the Coptic Museum. The icons above the screen include a newly restored Child Enthroned and a rare icon of St. Barbara. To the left of the sanctuary is the chapel dedicated to Cyrus and John, a square structure with a nave, transept, two sanctuaries (one for each saint), and a baptistry. Access to Coptic Cairo's cemetery is through an iron gate to the left of the church.

What's known in Arabic as Abu Serga is considered Cairo's oldest church, originally constructed in the 5th century. Though it was destroyed and rebuilt several times, including during a major restoration venture in the Fatimid era, it is, nevertheless, a model of early Coptic church design. Dedicated to two Roman officers, Sergius and Bacchus, both martyred in Syria in 303, the church sits above a cave where the Holy Family was said to have stayed the night during their flight from King Herod. Hence, it was once a major pilgrimage destination for 19th-century European travelers. A special ceremony is still held here every June to commemorate the event.

The entrance leads to the side of the narthex, at the end of which is a baptistry. At the ceiling of the nave, 24 marble pillars that were taken from an earlier site and possibly date from the Ptolemaic era (304–30 BC), support a series of arched timbers. Most of the church furnishings are modern replicas of older pieces. The originals are in the Coptic Museum—pieces from a rosewood pulpit and the sanctuary canopy are among the museum's prized possessions. To the left of the sanctuary is the crypt in which the Holy Family is believed to have hidden.

This church's namesake holds a special place in the hearts of Copts. The remains of this Roman legionary, who was martyred in Asia, were brought to Egypt in the 12th century. Images of St. George (Mar Girgis) abound in Egyptian Christianity (he's most commonly depicted on a steed crushing a dragon beneath him), so it’s no surprise that this district has a church, a monastery, and a convent dedicated to the dragon slayer.

Medieval historians described the complex as huge, and though it's less impressive in its present-day form, it's still worth a visit. The stairway on the left of the courtyard leads down to a structure that dates from the Fatimid era. Inside is a huge reception hall with a beautiful wooden door about 23 feet (7 meters) tall. Behind the door, a shrine contains the icon of St. George and a set of chains used for the chain-wrapping ritual said to represent the sufferings of St. George at the hands of the Romans.

The Babylon Fortress—which now encompasses the Coptic museum, six Coptic churches, and a convent—did not always stand at its current location. The Roman emperor Trajan had it moved here when access to a steady water supply became an issue. At that time, the Nile ran by Old Cairo; it has since changed its course northward by almost 1,300 feet (400 meters). It is also sometimes called Qasr al-Shama'e (Candles Palace) because its towers were illuminated with candles at the beginning of every month.

Known as the first mosque on the African continent, it was built by its namesake in 642 following the conquest of Egypt and the founding of Fustat—the first Islamic capital. One of the first companions of Prophet Muhammad, Ibn al-As designated the mosque as a place for communities and troops to come together. Because the original structure probably had mud-brick walls and a palm-thatch roof, it did not survive for long. It was restored and expanded in 673 and again in 698, 710, 750, and 791. Finally, in 827, it was expanded to its current size. The structure’s architectural features naturally changed, but there was an attempt in the 1980s to restore its interior to its 827 appearance.

Mercurius, or Abu Seifein (Of the Two Swords), is named for a Roman legionary who converted to Christianity after dreaming that an angel gave him a glowing sword and ordered him to use it to fight paganism. He was martyred in Palestine, and his remains were brought to Cairo in the 15th century. Today, this site is of great importance to Coptic Christians; when the seat of the Coptic Patriarch moved from Alexandria to Cairo, Saint Mercurius was the chosen location. The complex actually contains a monastery, a convent, and three churches: Abu Seifein, Abna Shenouda, and a church of the Virgin.

What's known in Arabic as al-Muallaqah (The Suspended Church) is consecrated to the Blessed Virgin. It sits atop a gatehouse of the Roman fortress, was originally built in the 9th century, and has since been rebuilt several times. Only the section to the right of the sanctuary, above the southern bastion, is considered original. Nevertheless, it is one of the city's most impressive churches.

The entrance gates open to a flight of stairs that lead onto a covered courtyard, the narthex, paved with glazed geometrical tiles dating from the 11th century. Beyond the narthex is the nave, the main section of the church where services are held. Most columns in Coptic churches were painted with pictures of saints, but few of the paintings survived. Those in the Hanging Church are no exception; only one column still has traces of a figure on it.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this space is the marble pulpit. Considered the oldest existing pulpit in the country, it was constructed in the 11th century, though some of its components are older. The pulpit is supported by slender columns arranged in pairs of which no two are alike. Some say this represents the sacraments; others describe it as being symbolic of Christ and his disciples.

The sanctuary screen is made of cedar and ivory cut in small segments and then inlaid in wood to form a Coptic cross. The top of the screen is covered with icons: Christ is depicted in the center; the Virgin, the archangel Gabriel, and St. Peter are on the right; and St. John the Baptist, St. Paul, and the archangel Michael are on the left. Behind the screen is the sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin Mary. To the right is another screen dating from the 13th century and made of wood and mother-of-pearl. It glows dark pink when a candle is held behind it. Behind this is a small chapel attached to the Ethiopian St. Takla Haymanot Church. A stairway leads from this chapel to one above it, dedicated to St. Mark. This area is probably the oldest part of the church, built in the 3rd century when this was still a bastion of the old Roman fort.