Coptic Cairo

By Paul Bryers

Our itinerary for the day includes visiting two Coptic Orthodox Christian churches and a Jewish Synagogue.

For religious context, Egypt’s population stands at approx 108 million, with 25% identifying as Christian, 300 as Jewish and the remaining population is Muslim.

The term “Coptic” refers to the Coptic language, the final stage of ancient Egyptian, or the Coptic Orthodox Church, the largest Christian community in the Middle East, which utilizes the Coptic language in its liturgy. Additionally, “Coptic” pertains to the Coptic culture and people, who are indigenous to Egypt and share a heritage tied to ancient Egypt, Christianity, and their unique history.

Hanging Church
The Hanging Church is also known as the Suspended Church or Al-Moallaqa. Its name derives from its construction on the southern gate of the Roman Fortress.

There are many modern mosaics in the courtyard.

Steps lead you up to the church.

At the top of the steps is the Bishop’s Office.

The church’s foundation consists of logs of palm trees and layers of stones built above the ruins of the Roman fortress.

The impressive pulpit of the Church, dating back to the 5th century, rests on 15 slender columns. On either side of the pulpit, a cross is depicted above three steps, symbolizing the three days Jesus Christ spent in his tomb and his subsequent resurrection.

The church houses a total of 110 icons, including the “Coptic Mona Lisa,” which dates back to the 8th century A.D. and depicts Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ, and John the Baptist. As per Mona Lisa, those eyes follow you and remind you of your many sins.

There was some small and pretty stained glass windows.

I encountered the priest of the Hanging Church hanging outside, who greeted me with a friendly “Hi.”

The experience was truly fascinating.

Abu Sarga (Cavern) Church
Abu Sarga is built on a basilican structure with a nave and two side aisles.

The west end of the church features a return aisle. Twelve columns, eleven of which are made of white marble and one of red granite, separate the nave from the aisles. Some of the marble columns display clear traces of figures, likely representing saints. Corinthian capitals, originating from older buildings, are placed between the column shafts and the wooden architraves.

On the east side of the church, a tripartite sanctuary is separated from the congregation hall by an impressive wooden screen, beautifully decorated with ebony and ivory, with its oldest part dating back to the 13th century.

Exceptional icons depicting various scenes from the life of Christ, Virgin Mary, and diverse saints adorn the walls of Abu Sarga.

Inside its main sanctuary, a wooden canopy supported by four pillars is placed above the altar, painted with biblical scenes, including Jesus Pantocrator and Archangel Gabriel appearing to Virgin Mary. The apse behind the altar is richly decorated with strips of marble and mosaics.

And then to The cavern…

Ben Ezra Synagogue
(No photography was allowed; the image shown is a low-quality one from online)
The Synagogue of Ben Ezra was originally a church. However, it was sold to pay the annual taxes imposed on the church by the government in 882 A.D. The synagogue is named after Abraham Ben Ezra, who purchased the church for 20,000 dinars. The basilican structure, featuring a nave and two aisles, is still recognizable. The synagogue has gained fame for its Geniza, an archive of ancient Jewish manuscripts comprising thousands of rare texts. While the synagogue may not have been particularly impressive, this may be attributed to the fact that it is government-run and there are only 300 Jews in the entire country of Egypt, according to the census.

Once again, we were faced with the challenge of seeing so much in such a short amount of time.

So, now we bid farewell to Cairo for seven nights as we fly to Luxor to embark on our ship, the AMA Lilia, for our Nile cruise.

We will return to Cairo for one last night on October 23.