OLD CAIRO aka COPTIC CAIRO

OLD CAIRO aka COPTIC CAIRO

Cairo, Egypt is an ancient city with a rich history and diverse culture.  Nowadays, most people recognize that Egypt is the most populous Arab country in the world.  Of its population, today the vast majority of Egyptians are Muslims.  But did you know that there are millions of Coptic Christians living in Egypt?  Of course thousands of years before Jesus Christ the ancient Egyptians were practicing their own forms of religion and theocracy.  But Christianity was introduced to Egypt by Saint Mark long before Islam ever formed.  For centuries, Christianity spread throughout Egypt before the introduction of Islam.  I have been surprised by the many similarities and shared principles between Christianity, Islam and Judaism, but that is a discussion for a separate blog post perhaps some other day. 

My family and I had the recent pleasure of exploring Coptic Cairo, one of Cairo's most ancient centers, also referred to as Old Cairo.  Just last night I was reading to my daughters the Old Testament story of baby Moses being discovered by Pharaoh's daughter concealed in a basket and floating in the Nile River among the reeds.  And then I find out as my husband is reading aloud to me from Lonely Planet's Discover Egypt guide book about the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Coptic Cairo, "The adjacent spring is supposed to mark the place where the pharaoh's daughter found Moses in the reeds, and where Mary drew water to wash Jesus."  As if that wasn't enough exciting history, the Church of St. Sergius & Bacchus is "built over a cave where Joseph, Mary and the infant Jesus are said to have taken shelter after fleeing to Egypt to escape persecution from King Herod of Judea, who had embarked upon a 'massacre of the first born'."  So without further delay, here are the highlights of our morning excursion:

ROMAN TOWERS OF THE BABYLON FORTRESS

Outside the ruins of the Roman Towers

THE HANGING CHURCH

Ornate hybrib Islamic/Christian details. Crosses are woven throughout otherwise traditional Arabic designs.

C figured she would help stoke the flames of the incense burning at The Hanging Church.

Inside The Hanging Church.

Apparently this is one of the most highly revered icons inside The Hanging Church.

Mosaics in The Hanging Church courtyard.

The Hanging Church. We love every detail of culture, art, architecture, design, etc. that surrounds us.

CHURCH OF SAINT GEORGE

This is the Church of St. George in Coptic, Cairo. It's Greek Orthodox.

We were admiring all the newly-restored artwork and chandelier inside the Church of St. George.

This is the little Chaplet of Saint George with an impressive mosaic mural. Somewhere before this photo C lost her enthusiasm for seeing all this "old stuff."

BEN EZRA SYNAGOGUE

Once a Christian church, the Jewish Ben Ezra Synagogue sits inside the greater Coptic Cairo grounds. Some say that the baby Moses was pulled from the basket in the Nile River near this spot (although the Nile no longer flows in this part of Cairo).

Although not on our itinerary because our little girls can handle only so much "old stuff" in one day, this part of town also includes the exquisite Coptic Museum and Africa's very first mosque, the Mosque of Amr ibn al-As.  I find hope in humanity's peaceful coexistence knowing that for centuries this little piece of real estate has been home to Christians and their churches, Muslims and their mosque and Jews and their synagogue.  I was treated to a sweet example of proof of this when Shaima, our Muslim tour guide, surprised each of my daughters with their own Coptic Cross necklace at the end of our tour.  We all really can - and should - get along.  I think it takes more effort to hate than it does to tolerate and even love.