Built more than 1,100 years ago, the Mosque of Ibn Tulun still looks largely the way it did when first constructed, although the entire city that was built around it was destroyed just 26 years later.
Coptic Cairo occupies the oldest part of the oldest part of a very old city, and is of historical import to no less than four empires, three world religions, the two most important men in the Bible, and one of the oldest languages still spoken. It is the heart of Old Cairo and the birthplace of the city itself.
The architecture of Coptic Cairo tells the story of the passing of the ancient world and the drama of how the East and the West established a delicate coexistence, sometimes violent, sometimes peaceful, all within the space of a few city blocks.
This article looks at the history of the Coptic Quarter with special attention given to the Churches of Saints Sergius and Mary, and the Synagogue of Ben Ezra.
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Tags: Abu Serga, Babylon Fortress, Ben Ezra Synagogue, Cairo, Church of St. Mary, Church of St. Sergius, Coptic Cairo, Coptic Christianity, Fort Babylon, Hanging Church, Kheraha, Old Cairo, Roman Egypt
For seven centuries the Citadel was the seat of Islamic supremacy in Egypt. Like the pharaohs of old, the sultans built magnificent symbols of power and piety, pushed the boundaries of architecture and engineering, and wrote their history in stone and gold. If the pyramids are the most obvious symbols of ancient royalty, the Citadel of Salah al-Din is clearly the emblem of the Muslim dynasties.
