Coptic Cairo is a part of Old Cairo which encompasses the Babylon Fortress, , the Hanging Church, the Greek Church of St. George and many other Coptic churches and historical sites. It is believed in Christian tradition that the Holy Family visited this area and stayed at the site of Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church (Abu Serga). [ Coptic Cairo was a stronghold for Christianity in Egypt until the Islamic era, though most of the current buildings of the churches in Coptic Cairo were built after the Muslim conquest of Egypt in the 7th century.
The Ben Ezra Synagogue sometimes referred to as the El-Geniza Synagogue or the Synagogue of the Levantines (al-Shamiyin), is situated in Old Cairo, Egypt. According to local folklore, it is located on the site where baby Moses was found. This was the synagogue whose geniza or store room was found in the 19th century to contain a treasure of abandoned Hebrew, Aramaic and Judeo-Arabic secular and sacred manuscripts. The collection, known as the Cairo Geniza, was brought to the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England at the instigation of Solomon Schechter. It is now divided between several academic libraries, with the majority being kept at the Cambridge University Library.
Islamic Cairo , also called Historic Cairo or Medieval Cairo, refers generically to the historic areas of Cairo, Egypt, that existed before the city's modern expansion during the 19th and 20th centuries; particularly the central parts around the old walled city and around the Citadel of Cairo. The name "Islamic" Cairo refers not to a greater prominence of Muslims in the area but rather to the city's rich history and heritage since its foundation in the early period of Islam, while distinguishing it from with the nearby Ancient Egyptian sites of Giza and Memphis. This area holds one of the largest and densest concentrations of historic architecture in the Islamic world.
The Great Mosque of Muhammad Ali Pasha or Alabaster Mosque is a mosque situated in the Citadel of Cairo in Egypt and was commissioned by Muhammad Ali Pasha between 1830 and 1848.
The Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hassan is a monumental mosque and madrasa located in the historic district of Cairo, Egypt. It was built between 1356 and 1363 during the Bahri Mamluk period, commissioned by Sultan an-Nasir Hasan .
Al-Rifa'i Mosque is located in Midan al-Qal'a, adjacent to the Cairo Citadel. Now, it is also the royal mausoleum of Muhammad Ali's family. The building is located opposite the Mosque-Madrassa of Sultan Hassan, which dates from around 1361, and was architecturally conceived as a complement to the older structure
Khan el-Khalili is a famous bazaar and souq in the historic center of Cairo, Egypt. Established as a center of trade in the Mamluk era and named for one of its several historic caravanserais, the bazaar district has since become one of Cairo's main attractions for tourists and Egyptians alike.
Wonderful day out in old Cairo with Michael. He was professional, punctual and knowledgeable. He was eager and enthusiastic about the history of the city and explained it well. Would 10/10 recommend
Coptic Cairo and Islamic center are historic and old religiously centers in Cairo. There is several interesting church and mosque that I recommend to see like Hanging church, Synagogue and Saladin citadel and mosque of Mohamad Ali.
First, our driver Mustafa was great. He arrived early, drove safely and was always in the correct location. However, our guide Raina was 20 minutes late, so we sat outside the gates doing nothing. She didn’t provide very many interesting facts, and unfortunately wasn’t proficient at English, as everything was repeated like 3-4 times which totally takes you out of the experience. She insisted on taking like 10 photos of us. So whenever we got to a location, we spent time taking photos for her. At one point we were just sitting in the back of the car and she was taking selfies, and demanded that we smile for her photos, so we had to retake them multiple times. When we arrived at the synagogue she urged us to skip it. When we said we’d like to see it, she obliged, but only gave us negative comments about Jews. When we arrived at entrances, she just quickly went way ahead of us and didn’t provide any help entering, this was because she wasn’t a licensed guide. She later told us to just pretend we were friends, because of ‘issues with her license’. We never visited the Al Rifai Mosque, which at that point we were fine with it, because we just wanted it to be over, but it was in the agenda. We had Mustafa take us to the Khan el Khalili and we ended our tour there.
It was very informative city tour. Kirolos was very informative and passionate. He did the itinerary on time. The driver also was very good. Islamic and Christian day tour highly recommend. Kirolos showed us the history of religions in Cairo. We appreciate his effort.
It was a very informative tour. Kirolos was very knowledgeable and passionate about Egypt. Oyr driver was very careful and courteous. We learned a lot about the culture and the different religions. It was well worth it. Highly recommend the tour.
We had a wonderful tour today. Everything was done at our pace and we felt very safe and had time to explore the real Egypt. Our Guide Michael was so knowledgeable and the driver was so punctual, we felt very safe
It was a wonderful personally curated tour for my family and I by Pharaonic Vision Tours. They put efforts in designing the itinerary and then guide well with very good knowledge. Our guide Shady was super knowledgeable and made sure to provide all the information nicely throughout the tour. Very helpful nature and definitely recommend both the company and the tour guide for a wonderful experience.
We visited Grand museum in Cairo, Coptic and Islamic Cairo along with other historic places in Cairo. While the places are awesome and enriched with historical events, we couldn't enjoy the trip much because of our tour guide - Ersa Mostafa. She was rushing us in each place and wasn't able to explain the history properly. She was rushing us so much in the Grand Museum that we couldn't see the Tutenkhamun's gallery property. Her whole intention was to finish the visit quickly and take us to the shops and bazaars. I wouldn't recommend to book this tour guide.
A complete disappointment. Pharaonic Vision Tours had a very poor communication system and did not respond to emails in a timely manner. The accommodation they provided us was extremely dirty and unhygienic and the food was of very poor quality and smelly. We have never had such a disappointing experience in our lives. Definitely avoid.
Fantastic and enlightening experience. Learnt so much on islamic architecture and the scope and majesty of the stories of these ancient Islamic warriors who have carved and etched their memories into our souls.
Amira was our tour guide and everything was wonderful!! She brought us to some of the most historical churches and mosques in Cairo and gave a great explanation of everything. She is super knowledgable and so sweet and kind. She also took great photos for my husband and I! We finished with an authentic lunch and it was delicious!!
This was an amazing tour and I learned so much and saw some beautiful and amazing places. Mira was so considerate and knowledgeable and if you do this tour definitely recommend her!!
Absolutely amazing experience. Mira was the best guide and so knowledgeable and considerate. Highly recommend and ask for Mira!
Mo Salah and Shady were the best. Both are knowledgeable and interesting. I enjoyed their sense of humor. Mo can drive! And Shady loves a challenging question. Thank you both for an unforgettable day.
Amazing tour, our tour guide Tito was the best. If you’re in Cairo I highly recommend this tour. Tito s was very knowledgeable about the curry and its rich history. He took us all around and showed us different mosques. This was the best tour we have had and I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Cairo.
Tito was a great tour guide. He ensured we had the history of Cairo throughout the tour. We had delicious authentic cuisine and did some shopping. I recommend this tour.
Amira… Princess of the Nile and the best tour guide of Egypt! We spent two days with her, touring around sacred sites of Cairo and Giza followed by museums that are rich and ancient heritage and culture. She is incredibly knowledgeable and very passionate about the history of Egypt. We saw the pyramids of Giza, the national Museum, old Cairo, Citadel, The Hanging Church, St. George, a sacred Christian site where Jesus and Mary stayed for three months and so much more! We enjoy excellent foods, shopping and made a new friend that will forever be in my heart. I look forward to bringing more people back and seeing Amira again.
This was my favourite tour in Egypt because the tour guide was amazing. I recommend Amira highly! This excursion took us to various mosques, churches and a synagogue. Amira got us hooked with the way she explained the history and significance of each place. I was in awe after each stop. I can’t say enough good things about Amira because she really made the experience lovely. My husband and I went on other tours (prearranged with other tour companies before our trip), eg to the pyramids of Giza, but we liked this one the best. I found Pharaonic Tours to be the best tour company by far while in Egypt.
Mo Salah and Amica were fabulous! They really listened to what we were interested in and made it happen. The bazaar in Old Town was incredible. Would highly recommend both of these guides for your next trip.
Mo’s driving and navigation were terrific. We toured Old Cairo, two different mosques, several shops for oils and papyrus and the big market. Big thanks to Ameri, we would have been hopelessly lost in the maze of shops, but it was fascinating!!
The tour was fantastic and well balanced, where we saw thousands of years of civilization, culture, and history. The museums and Citadel are incredible places. Fatima, our tour guide was incredible and so was our driver Mufasa. Both spoke great English and shared with us many stories and history. Also, they were very personable, accommodated to our needs and fun! Great combination!
We had a very good holiday with Muhammed. If you come to Egypt you must find Mohammed and book wıth pharaonıc vısıon tours ıts The best ın egypt thank you Mohammed
The Pharaonic Vision really provided us with a wonderful service and added a lot to us about the Islamic and Coptic history of Egypt. All those in charge of the work were very friendly with us. I recommend booking the services and trips of the Pharaonic Vision. Truly a wonderful team. Thank you very much.
A wonderful experience! Our guide Shaabam Morshed has made us a very complete and great tour of all the majestic monuments of Cairo. The explanations have been very interesting, you can tell that he knows and likes what he does. We would repeat 100%.
The tour allows you to see the main attractions in Cairo regarding churches and mosques. The prepared guide provided simple and targeted information leaving time for photos. It didn't interact much and was a bit hasty at the market, but it was objectively very hot to enjoy the day to the full. Very attentive driver and guide in managing the logistics of the tour.
Everything was wonderful, our guide super friendly and helped us in everything!! Brought us to excellent places, very patient everything was very good
Were on a field trip in September 2024. At our request, the program was slightly reduced because it was severely limited in time. But we were happy with everything. Have had time to get an impression of Cairo, see iconic places and listen to some information about the city. Guide answered all our questions. Really liked the flexible approach and interesting tour.
Muhammed Tabak gave us a great guide. We traveled as a family and children, we were very pleased. He is a perfect person, a perfect Muslim, he helped us extraordinarily. We were very, very pleased with him. I seriously recommend you to come to Cairo and look for this perfect person. You will feel like you are in your own country. He is knowledgeable about all the events and knows every place very well. He helped us perfectly, especially while walking around the Grand Bazaar. Frankly, I can say that he acted as a bodyguard. We were pleased with him, thank you very much.
A magnificent day in an ancient world between two magnificent religions and a beautiful trip to the museum of the ancient civilization of Egypt!😇
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