Egypt, Ever a Wonder! (Part 4): Coptic Cairo and the Holy Family's Hiding Place

- March 31, 2026, Tuesday.

- Egypt is not just a significant country for early civilization and Islamic history. Though not a dominantly Christian country, Christianity has made its mark in Egypt through its significant Christian landmarks. A concentration of these landmarks can be found in Coptic Cairo, south of the downtown. All these places are conveniently located beside or near each other too!

- Coptic Cairo's Hanging Church (Saint Virgin Mary's Coptic Orthodox Church) stands out, and is often prioritized by tourists, because of its unusual structure. It is elevated from the ground because it was build over a passageway. It was one of the first churches in Egypt, being built in the 3rd century CE.

Hanging Church.

Prayer hall.

Pulpit.

It felt peaceful being there. Or maybe because I was the first visitor of the morning.

At the main entrance of the Hanging Church.

- Then then passed by the Babylon Fortress, built in the 4th century CE, and was the border between Upper and Middle Egypt. This ancient castle used to protect the canal that connected the Nile to the Red Sea. Today, the Babylon Fortress can be seen from the street.

Fortress of Babylon.

- The next church I visited was the Monastery and Church of St. George. The church dates back to maybe the 10th century CE. Most people forget that this isn't actually a Coptic church, but a Greek Orthodox one (and they try to tell you that more obviously with the big flag of Greece in front of the church.) 

Church of St. George.

Inside the main hall. Quite spacious and colorful.

Crypt.

The spiked wheel used to torture St. George because of his Christian faith.

- Right outside the church is small flight of stairs leading to St. George Alley (Harit Al Kidees Girgis). It is a sunken alley with endless book stalls! The alley leads to the other places of worship in Coptic Cairo. One of the churches I was most keen to visit was the Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus (Abu Serga). Although built only in the 7th century (and in a stunning design by the way,) the crypt was said to be a cave where the Holy Family rested while they were escaping to Egypt. It is possible they stayed there for some time while Joseph was working on the Babylon Fortress. The crypt has been maintained for centuries; today, the church was also nice enough to label the well where the Holy Family drank, and the place where Jesus probably slept as a baby.

St. George Alley.

Inside Abu Sergus.

This spot may be easy to miss since it's just in the middle of the church. Look out for this! (It's near the entrance to the crypt.)

The crypt where the Holy Family stayed.

They built over the old stones.

Sometimes I wonder how they were able to verify all these.

St. Sergius and St. Bacchus.

- Near Abu Serga is the Ben Ezra Synagogue. Perhaps founded in the 9th century CE, the synagogue now stands mainly as a museum because there is no big Jewish community in Egypt right now. It is said that this was the site where Moses was found as a baby, and probably where Mary drew water to bathe baby Jesus.

The only photo of the synagogue's interior that I was allowed to take. (Photographs are normally not allowed.)

Synagogue facade.

- Finally, I hopped over to St. Barbara Church for a short visit. Built around 5th century CE, the church contains the remains of the saint herself. She is also regarded as the saint of mathematicians and people working with explosives. This came from a legend where her father was struct by lightning after killing his own daughter for being a Christian.

Interior of St. Barbara Church.

Relics.

- Outside Coptic Cairo but within the district, stands the Amr Ibn Al-As Mosque. Built in the 7th century, it was the first mosque built in Egypt and in Africa. The mosque's founder, Amr Ibn Al-As, was an Arab commander who was a Muslim. The site of the mosque was where his tent once stood.

Amr Ibn Al-As Mosque.

Courtyard.

Mihrab and minbar.

- I had a brief stop at Souq El Fustat, which appears to be a slightly upscale souvenir center. It is located between the mosque and Coptic Cairo. I wasn't sure if I was just too early or if it was a holiday, but not many stores were open. Without much to do, I just rode an Uber to Ibn Tulun Mosque in Islamic Cairo.

Souq El Fustat.

It feels like a bazaar from centuries back, though this is actually a modern structure. The stores sell local Egyptian handicrafts.

- Built in the 9th century, the Mosque of Ibn Tulun was built in an Iraqi-style architecture, particularly of the Abbasid Caliphate. The mosque's minaret is also the oldest in Cairo, and appears different due to the stairs that go around its body. This is also the only mosque I know of where I could walk on its rooftop! (And the rooftop is part of the access point to the minaret.)

It does feel a bit different.

I like how much I matched the mosque's appearance.

Underneath the gazebo's dome. See the Arabic inscriptions? 

Mihrab and minbar.

The unusual minaret.

- Right beside the mosque is the Gayer-Anderson Museum. It was named after Major Robert Grenville Gayer-Anderson, a British major stationed in Egypt, who was a medic and more famously known as a collector of artifacts. His house is one of my favorite museums in Egypt and I'm glad I didn't skip it! It was both a home and a museum in itself, so it had a personal touch. Each room was also themed based on different countries and their cultures, so it felt like traveling around the world too! The house became a museum after Gayer-Anderson had to leave Egypt in 1942. By the way, what's cooler about the house is that a James Bond Film ("The Spy Who Loved Me", in 1977) was partly filmed in this museum too.

The museum is right beside the mosque.

To sit and have a view like this....in your own home!!

Main sitting room.

Rooftop.

Persian room.

The house's mini-museum (as if the whole house itself doesn't look like a museum.)

Replica of the Nefertiti bust. The real one is currently in Berlin's Neues Museum (I had the good fortune of seeing the actual bust in this museum back in 2018.)

Celebration hall.

- Thinking of spending some time at Khan El-Khalili market in the afternoon, I decided to visit another mosque in that area that I failed to visit the other day. The Al Azhar-Mosque, found right across the market. This mosque from the 10th century is also connected to a university of the same name, and is the world's second oldest continuously-run university. From what I know, and unsurprisingly, the university takes pride in its Islamic Studies program.

People praying midday.

It looks old and new at the same time.

- The rest of the afternoon was dedicated to going around Khan El-Khalili once more as I wanted to see more of its stores since I didn't spend too much time in the market during my first visit since my dad was getting tired that time. I had lunch there too, complete with live Egyptian music in the background!!

Iconic spot, this was an old door.

Why would the restaurant hang the dolls like this. They look like they died.

My lunch, kofta forever. I also had so much lemon and mint juice during my stay in Egypt.

One of the stores selling nice necklaces. If only they weren't too expensive I'd buy the whole store.

- I couldn't believe I was able to squeeze in so many things within one day without being in a rush. It was also a meaningful day, as a Catholic, since I got to visit some sites that the Holy Family visited. Although I had seen pretty much the most of Cairo's must-sees, I was really just getting started on my adventures in Egypt. For now I say goodbye to Cairo and head off to "Upper Egypt", which is actually the south of Egypt!

** Check out my other adventures in Egypt here!

Part 1: Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) and Giza Pyramid View Inn (Rooftop Cafe) - here

Part 2: Islamic Cairo - here

Part 3: Pyramids of Giza, Memphis, and Saqqara - here

Part 5: Luxor - here

Part 6: Aswan - here

Part 7: Abu Simbel - here

Part 8: Dendera and Medinet Habu - here     

Part 9: Egyptian Museum in Cairo and Abdeen Palace Museum - here

Egypt, Ever a Wonder! (Part 2): The Glory of Medieval Islamic Cairo

- March 29, 2026, Sunday.

- The whole of Egypt has seen so much history and has preserved as much as it could over the millennia. Cairo, for one, has pockets of communities that seem to immortalize some of these significant eras. Towards the east from the downtown is Historic Cairo, also known as Medieval or Islamic Cairo. This area is also home to one of Cairo's most popular bazaars, the Khan El-Khalili Market.

- My dad and I started the morning by visiting the Saladin Citadel, also known as the Cairo Citadel. It seat he seat of Egyptian government from the 1100s during Saladin's time, until the 1800s. Most of the buildings were built in the 1800s during Muhammad Ali's time, replacing many earlier buildings. Hence, majority of the buildings remind people of Ottoman-Turkish architecture as this period was during Egypt under Ottoman rule.

Muhammad Ali Mosque.

The interior really brought me back to Turkey!! (I hope to visit Turkey again some day. I miss it so much.)

Of course I had the look to match.

Courtyard.

With the flag of Egypt.

Various buildings of the citadel.

A peek at the Mosque of Al-Nasir Muhammad

Citadel gate.

Citadel walls.

- The citadel, on maps, appears to not be far from other places of interest in Islamic Cairo. However, as it is located on top of a hill, it takes a bit more energy to walk from the citadel to anywhere else. An Uber is the best and most convenient way to go to another location.

- Not too far from the citadel are the mosques of Al Hassan and Al Rifa'i (one ticket for two mosques). The Al Rifa'i Mosque, built in 1912, is dedicated to the Al Rifa'i family, who are known preachers that founded the Sufi order, Rifa'i Tariqa. The mosque is also known to be the resting place of the Pahlavi Dynasty (Reza Shah Pahlavi, and Mohammed Reza Pahlavi), rulers of Iran before Islamic rule. The former shah was reburied in Iran, while the latter shah remains in Al Rifa'i Mosque. Unfortunately the section where Mohammed Reza Pahlavi was under renovation when I was there so I wasn't able to see his tomb.

Al Rifa'i Mosque.

Two of the many tombs in the mosque.

Mihrab (niche that points towards Mecca) and Minbar (imam's pulpit) of the mosque.

Beyond this wall/door is the tomb of the Shah of Iran.

Al Rifa'i Mosque exterior.

A fuller view.

- Right beside, the Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hasan has stood far earlier, since the 1300s. This big complex is a prayer hall, a learning center, and a mausoleum. This mosque bears architectural styles from many cultures across the Muslim world.   

Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hasan exterior.

Courtyard.

Prayer hall.

Mausoleum (also see the amazing architectural details!!)

Left: Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hasan. Right: Al Rifa'i Mosque. 

- I feel, however, the main artery of Islamic Cairo starts from Bab Al Futuh in the historic quarter's north. Bab Al Futuh is one of the last historic city gates in Islamic Cairo, from 10th century CE. Entering the gate, one would just need to walk along Al Moez Street (Al Mu'izz Street) to see everything else!

Bab Al Futuh.

- Right beside the gate is the 12th-century Al-Hakim Mosque, one of the biggest Fatimid mosques in Cairo. The mosque is also known for its minarets protected by bastions, which is a rather unusual architectural feature.  

Al-Hakim Mosque.

Minaret is under renovation, but you can still clearly see the minaret and the bastion.

Marble fountain.

- There were honestly so many mosques, and smaller museums along Al Moez Street, it would take a day just to see all of them! But for those like me who don't have the luxury of time, one architecturally and historically significant places to visit is the Qalawun Complex. Built in the 13th century during Sultan al-Mansur Qalawun's time, it was built as a mosque, madrasa, mausoleum, and a hospital. Its enormity and the speed that it was built reveal controversies such as employing or attaining land illegally. Despite these, the complex was also, at that time, able to serve the community in both religious and medical reasons.

Al Moez.

So many things to see!! It's a feast for the senses.

Many Egyptians like raising pigeons by the way, so you'll sometimes see small pigeon homes, or big ones like in this photo.

Somewhere in Al Moez.

At Qalawun Complex. This is the mausoleum.

At the madrasa's courtyard.

Mosque.

What's left of the hospital (bimaristan).

- To cap off my tour of Islamic sites, I visited the Al Emam Al Hussein Mosque. The current mosque was built in the 1800s, though the original mosque stood in the 12th century. It is the burial place of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the prophet Muhammad. 

Inside the main prayer hall.

Tomb of Imam Al-Hussein.

Mosque exterior with its giant mechanically-operated canopies.

Another angle, with a clearer view of the minaret.

- After a quick lunch in the area, there was nothing else left to do in the afternoon but to shop at Khan El-Khalili Market! It is generally easy to navigate, but the small alleys lead one to an even deeper market with hundreds of shops. It can get overwhelming, but it does have a good variety of items for sale. As with any market, haggling is a useful skill, especially since prices can be at a premium for tourists.

Markets: a place that I love that my wallet does not.

So many things!!

- Islamic Cairo is perhaps the second usual image that one has of Egypt; the first being images of pyramids and ancient temples. It has alleys full of gold, smoke, carpets, fruits, and well-preserved historical landmarks. It does take a while to take everything in, but surely, immersing oneself in Islamic Cairo is a way to open the senses!!  

** Check out my other adventures in Egypt here!

Part 1: Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) and Giza Pyramid View Inn (Rooftop Cafe) - here

Part 3: Pyramids of Giza, Memphis, and Saqqara - here

Part 4: Coptic Cairo - here

Part 5: Luxor - here

Part 6: Aswan - here

Part 7: Abu Simbel - here

Part 8: Dendera and Medinet Habu - here     

Part 9: Egyptian Museum in Cairo and Abdeen Palace Museum - here