After your breakfast, we pick you up for one of our most beautiful cultural Cairo excursions, starting with a visit to one of the oldest districts in Cairo, El Matareya. Here is a “living” testimony of Christian history, the
Virgin Mary Tree
Here in
El Matareya is the so-called “
Virgin Mary Tree”, a plane tree under which the
Virgin Mary rested according to a story while fleeing from
Herod before she and her son continued their way to
Palestine. To this day, the tree is considered one of the famous pilgrimage sites by Christians and every Christmas it attracts many pilgrims.
From here, we continue our
Old Cairo tour by visiting the
Coptin Church El Zeitoun Cairo
El Zeitoun Cairo, a small copy of
Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, got its fame because the presence of the
Virgin Mary in Egypt was mentioned for the first time at this location, hence the name
St. Mary Cairo. It is a beautiful building in
Old Cairo and worth a visit. Before our tour takes us to the oldest part of
Cairo, we take a lunch break in a local restaurant and make our way to the
Hanging Church – Old Cairo
Here in the
Masr el Adima, the multi-religious area of
Cairo, as it's called in Egypt, is probably one of the most famous Coptic Churches.
The basilica-style "
Hanging Church" (El Muallaqa) got its name from its position on the old city walls of
Cairo. Every year the "
Hanging Church" attracts visitors to
Old Cairo. From here we start our way to
Abu Serga Church
the famous place where the
Holy Family rested during their journey in Egypt. With its founding in the 5th century, the
St Sergius and St Bacchus Church (also called
Abu Serga Church) is one of the oldest churches in Egypt. Inside there is a cave in which the
Holy Family sought protection during their escape.
After this informative
Coptic Cairo - Old Cairo - Cairo Excursions, we will return to your accommodation in
Cairo.
Important:
When visiting holy places, we advise you to wear covered clothing and to take a scarf with you.
