28 July 2008: We hired a local guide to take us to Old Cairo which contains a concentration of Christian coptic monasteries and monuments. Old Cairo, Masr el Qadima, lies within the old Roman fortress of Babylon. It was a walled but heavily fortified city with narrow streets and cobbled alleys.

That’s our knowledgeable guide. He is a Muslim, and he believes Muslims and Christians should get along well together regardless of their religions. Our driver is a Coptic Christian. Religious harmony is hard to achieve in this country.

Roman remains at Babylon Fort, Old Cairo

The Hanging Church (el-Muallaqa) dates from around the 7th century and is actually built on top of the walls of the Roman fort. 

The church of St. Barbara is among the churches of Old Cairo of historic importance. It was originally dedicated to St. Cyrus and St. John who were worshipped for their healing powers. Documents from the 13th century mention that the relics of St. Barbara were kept in this church. Many of its precious items, like two door panels, a wooden screen, an icon and Bible caskets were transferred to the nearby Coptic Museum. The basilican structure and tripartite sanctuary of the church closely resembles the one of Abu Sarga. The church of St. Barbara houses some of the rarest icons.

Our guide also took us to the Saladin Citadel of Cairo.

This citadel lies in a location which was fortified by the Ayyubid ruler Salah al-Din (Saladin) between 1176 and 1183 AD, to protect it from the Crusaders.

Pillars from a Christian church were taken to be the pillars of the mosque. Here you can still see the Christian crosses.

Entrance to the Mosque of Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad at the Citadel in Cairo

Entrance to the Mosque of Muhammad Aliwhich was built in the 1830s.

We were amazed by the grandeur of this room, and we guess much of it had to do with the hanging lights!

In the centre of the ceiling hangs a huge chandelier presented to Egypt by king Louis Philippe V of France. Including the chandelier, the mosque has 365 electric lamps which used to be all oil lamps in the 19th century.

Beautiful lights

 The Great Pyramids in the background. If you don’t look hard enough past this smog, you might miss them!

Polluted air in Cairo

A fountain in the Citadel

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