Cave Church in Garbage City and Coptic Quarter of Old Cairo.
Description
In the morning pick up from your hotel in Cairo and visit the Monastery of Saint Simon, also known as the Cave Church of Zabbaleen. It is located in the Mokattam Mountain, a short drive through the so called “Garbage City’ – a large population of garbage collectors or Zabbaleen that live there. Several churches have been built into the caves found in Mokattam, First we visit, Saint Simon the Tanner Hall and St. Mark’s Church. This huge cave was discovered in the year 1974. It was full of hundreds of tons of stones even up to the ceiling of the cave (which is 17 meters high from the ground), and was later prepared to contain two stores: 1. The upper story is the St. Simon the Tanner Hall, with seating capacity of 2000 people for spiritual meetings. The walls are decorated with many wonderful pictures engraved on the rocks representing scenarios from the Bible Then we continue and visit the Cathedral of Virgin Mary and St. Simon the Tanner. After the tour transfer back to your hotel.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The church is dedicated to Sergius and Bacchus, who were soldier-saints martyred during the 4th century in Syria by the Roman Emperor Maximina. The most interesting feature is the crypt where Mary, Joseph and the infant Jesus are said to have rested. The crypt is 10 meters deep and, when Nile levels are high, is often flooded.
The Hanging Church is named for its location above a gatehouse of Babylon Fortress, the Roman fortress in Coptic Cairo (Old Cairo); its nave is suspended over a passage.The church is approached by twenty-nine steps; early travelers to Cairo dubbed it "the Staircase Church". The land surface has risen by some six meters since the Roman period, so the Roman tower is mostly buried below ground, reducing the visual impact of the church's elevated position.
The Ben Ezra Synagogue (Hebrew: בית כנסת בן עזרא; Arabic: معبد بن عزرا), sometimes referred to as the El-Geniza Synagogue (בית כנסת אל גניזה) or the Synagogue of the Levantines (al-Shamiyin), Is situated in the Fustat part of Old Cairo, Egypt. According to local folklore, it is located on the site where baby Moses was found.
LARGE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES ARE NOT abundant in Muslim-dominated Egypt. One of the more populous groups is the garbage scavenging Zabbaleen, who have retained their Coptic beliefs and established the largest Christian church in the Middle East at the Monastery of Saint Simon.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Hotel pickup and drop-off in Cairo or Giza
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Reviews(20)
Garbage City is a part of Cairo not all visitors experience. Winding through the city on our way to Cave Church was interesting & fascinating. I'm sure I've not seen so much bagged garbage in one place! The drive through the city was worth it. Cave Church was inspiring & impressive, with scenes from Scripture carved inside the walls, & ampitheater style seating. I'm glad we didn't miss out on this opportunity.
Dina loves her country and has spent her life learning all she can to share her knowledge with others. We traveled with our 9 year old son and his favorite part of the tour was our trip to the oil store. Learning and creating our own scents, who knew?! My husband and I enjoyed seeing inside the church cave, hanging church and synagogue. Our driver was very kind and safe. We did feel like Dina was preoccupied at times and we would suggest guides pointing things out while driving (mosques, ancient artifacts, etc) as we felt rude continually asking what things are that we are driving by.
Great! So friendly . Thank-you for taking us around
Following an excellent tour the previous day with our guide. Dina, we decided to book this tour also. There is so much to see in Cairo, but we are really delighted that we took the time to visit the hanging Church, the underground church, and the Nunnery of St. George. This historic and unique area is steeped in the atmosphere of faith and prayers over centuries. The history, architecture and art are so full of meaning that will be potentially missed without a guide. And we were grateful to Dina who Is knowledgeable and passionate about the history, as well as being a lovely person.
Excellent tour! We have had nothing but exceptional service from Twitter Egypt Tours. Starting with our airport pickup and continuing with the local tours that we have taken with them! Out tour guide Joseph was a wealth of knowledge and gave us a super tour of coptic Cairo and the wonderful Museum of Civilization! Seeing the mummies is something one should not miss! Again an excellent company to deal with. Issac was quick to answer our requests. Kyrllios is an amazing driver in this traffic madness! Super!! Super!!
We booked a private tour in Cairo visiting Cairo's National Museum, old city, and felucca ride. Our tour guide Gina was extremely professional and knowledgeable in Ancient Egyptian history. She told us many interesting facts and fascinating stories. She made our tour adventurous and filled with fun. Gina also recommended what else to visit while in Cairo. I totally recommend spending one day with Gina, no matter the places you go. Biggest Thanks to Gina for a wonderful day in Cairo. Jurate
This was an amazing tour and one filled with the perfect amount of activities/sites for anyone who is looking to see the amazing history in Cairo. Highly recommend the team from Twitter Egypt Travel who organised everything from tours, bookings and transport to and from the hotel.
Hoda was an excellent, interesting and professional guide! Our driver was excellent, too. Thank you Hoda for an exceptional experience!
Another great tour of Cairo with my excellent guide Simon, who was able to bring the tour to life. Would recommend to anyone interested in the history of Cairo. Thoroughly recommended
Twitter Egypt provided us with a 1 day private Cairo tour exploring the GEM museum, Coptic’s Cairo and the St Simon Monastry Cave Church. I would recommend Twitter Egypt for all tours they provide.. felt completely safe in their hands. Guide Gina had a wealth of Egyptian knowledge and passionate about her country. Our driver Kyrolos was an outstanding driver in the chaotic streets of Cairo… we felt incredibly safe… Kyro had a great sense of humour and between he and Gina, we had a great day in Cairo. Would absolutely recommend this company owned by Isaac. 5/5. Driver and guide Kyrolos also took my husband and I and our 2 travelling friends on a traditional felucca boat ride at sunset… it was a great ending to our visit in Cairo before we travelled further on the Nile. 5/5
