Old Cairo

The Hanging Church in Old Cairo

Carved Marble Pulpit in Hanging Church

The Old Roman Fort Walls

St Sergius The Oldest Church in Old Cairo

The Sign to Entrance of St Sergius

Entrance Below Street Level To St Sergius

Old Cairo also called Coptic Cairo - as the name suggests, is the oldest part of Cairo. It is believed that there was a settlement here as early as the 6th century BC. Later, the Romans built a fortress here which is known as Fort Babylon. Some of the Roman fort's walls still exist today.

After the spread of Christianity throughout Egypt, the area of Old Cairo became a Christian stronghold, with as many as twenty churches built within an area of just one square mile. Now only five remain, along with the earliest mosque ever built in Egypt. After the fall of Jerusalem in around 70 AD, the area saw an influx of Jews, and it's here where Egypt's oldest synagogue, Ben Ezra is located.

Apparently, the term Coptic is a corruption of the Greek word Aigyptos, which means Egyptian. Aigyptos springs from the Ancient Egyptian "Ha-ka-Ptah" which means "the house of the Ptah". From that came the Arabic word "qubt" or "qibt", and from there it was translated to Copt.The modern use of the term Coptic refers to both the Egyptian Christians themselves, and the last stage of the Ancient Egyptian language.

The Coptic Church is based upon the teachings of St Mark, who brought Christianity to Egypt in around 50 AD. St Mark was one of the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) and the gospel of St Mark is the oldest gospel.

The Hanging Church

The Hanging Church or its Egyptian name, El-Muallaqa dates back to 4th century, el-Muallaqa is the oldest Christian church in Cairo. This Coptic Church is within the old Babylon fortress and is called the 'Hanging Church' because it is built on top of a Roman gate and reached by a stairway that leads to the courtyard.

It was destroyed in the 9th century, and rebuilt in 11th century. The interior of the church features three vaulted aisles, inlaid ivory & bone altar screens and a beautiful, carved marble pulpit which is supported by 13 pillars which represent Jesus and the disciples. There is also a collection of a hundred plus icons in the church that date back to the 8th century.

Abu Serga Church (St Sergius)

The Church of Abu Serga (St Sergius) is another 4th Century church, (rebuilt in the 10th-11th centuries over the original church) dedicated to Saint Sergius and Bacchus. They were warrior saints and were executed on the orders of Maximian, the Roman Emperor. The Church is said to be built on the spot where Joseph, Mary and the infant Jesus Christ, rested in a cave at the end of their journey into Egypt.

There is a crypt below the curtained off sanctuary which contains part of the original church where it is said the cave the Holy Family lived in once was Unfortunately, this area was roped off due to the presence of subterranean water. The church exposed roof beams over the nave, a raised area for the choir and galleries It is considered the oldest of Cairo's Christian churches.

Although Old Cairo contains a number of Christian churches and monuments, most of the really ancient Christian churches of Egypt are to be found in the isolated monasteries of the Eastern Desert. What is believed to be the world's oldest monastery, St Anthony's, was established in the middle of the fourth century AD by the Red Sea coast in the Eastern Desert in Egypt.