Photos
1-4 Hanging Church
5- Coptic Museum
6-7 saints Sergius and Bacchus Church.
We had arrived in Cairo a day early and our tour did not officially start until Friday evening so we decided to take a half day tour that looked at Cairo's main Coptic Churches and museum. On our way to the first stop of the tour we encountered a crowd spilling out from a local railway station. As there had been recent violent protests in Cairo's Tahrir Square which led to the fall of the Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, our guide was quite concerned and quickly led us away. Most of the protest we saw during our time in Egypt were peaceful, non-violent civil resistance.
Our first stop was 'the Hanging Church' or in Arabic al Muallaqah (the suspended) on Shar'a Mari Girgis Street in Old Cairo. The Hanging Church was built in the 7th century, probably on the site of a 3rd or 4th century church for the soldiers of the bastion. It has been rebuilt several times since then including a major rebuild under Patriarch Abraham in the 10th century.
Entrance is via beautifully decorated gates which lead to an open court yard flanked by mosaics. From the courtyard there are 29 steps leading into the church. The church itself is remarkable for its marble pulpit, inlaid screens, icons and murals. The timber roof of the nave recalls Noah's Ark. The 11th century marble pillar surmounts 13 pillars representing Jesus and the 12 disciples. As is customary in Coptic churches, one pillar is black representing Judas and one is grey for doubting Thomas. At the eastern end of the church are three sanctuaries with altars dedicated to the Virgin Mary (centre); St George (left) and St John the Baptist (right).
The central iconostasis (sanctuary screen) dates fro the 12th or 13th century. It is made of ebony inlaid with ivory, carved with geometric designs and crosses and has a row of seven large icons. The centre icon depicts the Christ enthroned; to his right is the Virgin Mary, the archangel Gabriel and St Peter; to his left are John the Baptist, the Archangel Michael and St Paul.
The left screen has a design of squares with crosses in alternate ivory and ebony, surmounted by 17 icons depicting scenes from the martyrdom of St George.The right screen dates from the 13th century and has a cruciform pattern. Across the top are seven small icons representing the life of St John the Baptist. All icons on these screens are the work of Armenian artist, Orhan Karabedian, and date from 1777. It was a day where services where being held and it was a delight to see families interact at the end of services.
Our next stop was the Coptic Museum, founded in 1910 by Marcus Simaika Pasha, which houses the largest collection of Egyptian Christian artifacts in the world. The museum traces the history of Christianity in Egypt from its beginning to the present day and was erected on 8 000 square meters offered by the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria under the guardianship of Pope Cyril v. It contains examples of stonework from many old ruins, ivory and bone carvings, metalwork, glass objects, ceramic and terracotta objects, wall paintings, icons, epigraphy and manuscripts, textiles and Nubian material rescued during the construction of the Aswan High Dam. It was a fascinating place to visit.
The third stop was the interesting Saint Sergius and Bacchus Church (Abu Serga) which dates back to the 4 th century. It is believed to be built on the spot where the Holy Family rested at the end of their journey into Egypt. An interesting feature is the crypt where Mary, Joseph and Jesus are said to have rested. It is 10 meters deep and when the Nile levels are high it often floods. The most precious and ancient of the icons are on the southern wall and the vast central hall is divided into three naves by two rows of pilasters.
Our final tour stop was the Synagogue Ben Ezra which was originally a Christian church which the Coptic Christians had to sell to the Jews in 882 AD in order to pay the annual taxes imposed by the Muslim rulers of the time. Numerous restorations and renovations were made over the centuries and the present building dates from 1892 and is a faithful reconstruction of the building that had collapsed. During the reconstruction, a medieval geniza (a hiding place for sacred books) was discovered, revealing thousands of original documents from the Middle Ages.
The synagogue has a basilica-style plan and two floors, the lower one for men and the upper one for women. The main floor is divided into three parts by a steel bard, and in the centre is an octagonal marble bima (platform for Torah reading). The synagogue is decorated with geometric and floral patterns in the Turkish style.
On returning to the Mena House Oberai Hotel we enjoyed a late lunch lounging on sun chairs by the beautiful pool. Later that afternoon we joined a tour of the hotel visiting many of the meeting rooms and even the presidential suite which has direct views through the garden to the pyramids.
The hotel was originally built in 1869 as a hunting lodge for Egyptian King Isms'il Pasha. It has hosted famous visitors such as Prince Albert Victor of Wales, Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle, Winston Churchill, Agatha Christie, Roger Moore, Cecil B DeMille, Charlton Heston, Frank Sinatra and Charlie Chaplin. In December 1977 it was the site where representatives from Egypt and Israel met together in quest for a peace settlement.
In the evening we joined our other tour members for dinner and a briefing by our delightful guide, Hanan.
