About this tour

The itinerary: Day Tour to Coptic and Islamic Cairo
08:30 AM Our Egypt Tailor Made tour guide will escort you by an air conditioned vehicle to a new era “The Coptic Cairo” where you will visit
the “Hanging Church” which is dating back to the 3rd Century AD and was dedicated to Virgin Mary ,It’s called “Hanging” because of its location above the gatehouse of the ancient Roman fortress “Babylon” .It contains 110 Holy icons depicting beautiful religious scenes. Then visiting “Saint Sergius and

Bacchus Church” which is believed to have been built on the spot where the
holy family rested at the end of their journey into Egypt.
Then heading the marvelous Coptic buildings in Cairo, The Monastery of St. Simon the Tanner or “The Cave Church” which is located in el Mokattam hills area near the Zabbaleen slum or Garbage City which is Cairo’s largest informal garbage collectors settlement, where garbage recycling is central to its population’s economy. The Monastery of St. Simon the Tanner is the largest and it has an amphitheater with a seating capacity of 20,000.This church is the largest church in the Middle East. It is named after
the Coptic Saint, Simon the Tanner, who lived at the end of the 10th century and is associated with the legend of the moving of the Mokattam Mountain. The Monastery of St. Simon the Tanner include the St. Bola’s Church, St. Marks Church, and St. Simon the Tanner’s Hall.
Then heading to visit Islamic Cairo starting with visiting El Moez Street which starts at the northern Bab El Fotouh (one of the original gates to the old walled city), then meanders south for a bit until it intersects with Al Azhar street. Cross Al Azhar, and El Moez continues through the El Ghouri Complex (El Ghoureya in Arabic), ending at Bab Zuweila and the Tentmakers’ Market in the south.
Firstly we will visit Bab El Fotouh which is one of the last three remaining gates to the original walled city of Cairo, built by a Fatimid caliph. It has arrow slits and shafts for pouring boiling water or oil on attackers.

Then visiting
minarets are the oldest surviving minarets in Cairo. During certain periods after its construction during the Fatimid dynasty, it was used as a prison for Latin Crusaders, a fortress for Napoleon and a school before returning to its original function as a mosque.
Then visiting Mosque-Sabil of Sulayman Agha Al-Silahdar, This religious complex of Sulayman Agha Al-Silahdar is a mosque, sabil (a building with the purpose of providing free drinking water to the public) and kuttab (a religious elementary school). Its design is known as ‘Ottoman baroque’.
Al Hakim Mosque, short for Al-Hakim Bi-Amr Allah. Its
Al Aqmar Mosque
Translating to ‘Moonlit Mosque’, this
Then visiting ,
mosque served the residents of early Cairo as well as the Great Fatimid Palace (no longer standing). It was the earliest mosque to have such an elaborate exterior facade and decoration.
Then visiting Mosque-Madrassa of Sultan Barquq, This religious complex was built by the Mamluk Sultan Al Zaher Barquq and houses not only a mosque but a ‘madrassa’ — a religious school dedicated to the four Islamic schools of thought. It’s adjacent to the madrassa of Al Nassir Mohamed, an earlier sultan. These two structures are thought to be some of the greatest Mamluk architecture in Cairo, alongside the Qalawun Complex (below).
Then visiting Al Muayyad Mosque, Close to Bab Zuweila, the Al Muayyad

Mosque is considered the last great hypostyle mosque in Cairo. The interiors
of the mosque were some of the most richly decorated at the time, although it’s said that some pieces were illegally taken from other mosques; Al Muayyad Mosque’s door and chandelier is said to come from the famous Sultan Hassan mosque.
Then heading to Tentmakers’ Market (El Khayemeya) A covered market (one of Cairo’s very last) selling all different kinds of beautiful textiles: carpets, pillow cases, tapestries and colorful tent material that’s used all over Egypt in mosques, weddings, homes and holidays. The market itself is a small alley with a high roof with skylights for sunlight and ventilation. The goods sold at the different stalls are great examples of Egyptian handicrafts, and are super reasonably priced.
After finishing the tour you will be picked up back to your hotel in Cairo.