On a private tour that also takes in some of the spectacular Coptic Cairo churches, stop by the Monastery of St. Simon or the El Mokattam Mountain Cave Church. Along with visiting some of Cairo’s most significant Christian landmarks, such as the Church of Saint Barbara, the Hanging Church, and the Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church, you’ll also get a closer look at ‘trash city,’ a fascinating Cairo district that most tourists completely miss.
Starting Point
accommodations in Cairo or Giza
Arrival Time
at 8:00 am
Duration
5 to 6 hrs
Return Information
identical pick-up spot
Added Information
When making a reservation, confirmation will be sent. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Languages are available for tour guides in Cairo (live), and the dress code is smart casual.
Spanish and English
OLD CAIRO CHURCHES AND SAINT SIMON’S CAVER CHURCH
You must be prepared in the foyer of your Cairo hotel by 8:00 am. Your knowledgeable tour guide will be waiting for you with your name on a sign. You will first go to the “Cave Church” in Egypt, one of the biggest churches in the nation, where more than 70,000 Christians congregate each week to worship and thank Jesus and where one of the earliest Christian communities in the world is located. The cave, which is also known as the Monastery of Saint Simon, is situated in the Mokattam mountain in southeast Cairo, in an area referred to as “garbage city” because of the sizable Zabbaleen (waste collectors) community that resides there.
The Zabbaleen are farmers who began migrating to Cairo in the 1940s from Upper Egypt. They came to the city in search of jobs and established impromptu communities all across the metropolis as a means of escaping terrible harvests and poverty. They initially continued to raise pigs, goats, chickens, and other animals as per tradition, but later discovered that collecting and sorting waste created by city people was more profitable. The Zabbaleen rummage through trash to find valuable items to salvage and sell, while the organic waste serves as a fantastic supply of food for their animals. In fact, this arrangement was so successful that subsequent waves of migrants from Upper Egypt came to Cairo’s newly established garbage villages to live and work.
Visit Old Cairo to view the Church of Abu-Sergah and St. Barbara, the Hanging Church, and the Ben Ezra Synagogue, some of the earliest Christian churches in the Middle East dating back to 300 AD. then make your way back to the hotel around 1:00 p.m.
