Old Cairo
Suspended Church (al Muallaqa, Sitt Mariam), actually the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, erected on the towers of a former Roman fortress (Water Gate) probably in the 5th / 6th century, in the time of the patriarch Isaac, and it was rebuilt during the pontificate of the patriarch Abraham (975-978).
In the 11th century it became the seat of the Coptic Patriarch of Alexandria. Roman fortifications (ok. I w. neither.) can be carefully viewed, walking around the temple from its right side. The church was rebuilt and extended many times, so today it is difficult to date its individual parts. The last major reconstruction was carried out after the 20th-century fire, after which a new entrance was created from the museum gardens. The façade with a carved frieze from the old decor is relatively new, because it comes from the 19th century. Travelers from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries called the sanctuary "the church on the stairs", because you had to climb inside 29 deficit. Next is a vaulted corridor (with a shop), leading to a small courtyard with a fountain. Entrance to the temple, decorated with glazed ceramic tiles with a geometric ornament, comes from the 11th century. The interior is covered with a barrel vault supported by rows of ancient columns with Corinthian capitals. There are icons of St.. George, Our Lady and St.. John the Baptist. Iconostasis made of cedar with delicate ivory inlays (XII/XIII w.) it separates the altar from the faithful. The upper part of the iconostasis is occupied by a row of icons. On the right side of the nave there is a marble pulpit from the 11th century. from 13 columns, symbolizing Christ and the apostles. Remnants of the church from the 4th century. there is the chapel of Tekla Haimanout on the bastion, the saint of Ethiopia, living in the thirteenth century. The iconostasis was also made in the 13th century.
Right next to the Coptic Museum stands the huge rotunda of the Greek Orthodox Church of St.. George. It was a Roman legionnaire, living in the 3rd century, who for refusing to worship idols was condemned to death during Diocletian. Probably the cult of St.. George came to Europe with the Crusaders. There is no mention of his fight with the dragon in his Coptic biography, but in XIV w. his biography was combined with that of St.. Theodora, so possible, that the Copts took this story from Western Christians. The first church of St. George was built here in the 10th century., and today's building was built in 1904 r., after the temple fire in the 10th century. Unfortunately, building foundations – roman tower – they are not very stable, so it has a steel clamp around it.
The dark interior is illuminated by crystal candelabra, and at the entrance, the venerated icon of St. George draws attention. There is an orthodox cemetery nearby, where the local Orthodox Greeks were buried.
Greek Orthodox Monastery of St.. George (Deir al-Banat; nuns), hidden behind the thick doors of old buildings, at the time of collecting information for the guide it was under renovation. The entrance to the vestibule opens in a small garden with a large mosaic depicting St. George. Chapel (on the left) is a former palace from the Mamluk era, where the faithful still venerate the miraculous icon of St.. Jerzy.
St.. st. Sergius and Bacchus (Abu Serga |) is probably the oldest and most respected church in Egypt, which owes to tradition, that it was built over the grotto, where the Holy Family lived. The building probably dates from the 5th century. built on a basilica plan, characteristic of the early Coptic temples. It was rebuilt many times, and most of the walls come from the 10th-12th centuries. The three-nave interior is covered with a special wooden barrel vault, imitating the structure of a boat, supported by two rows of ancient columns with Corinthian capitals. The altar is covered by an iconostasis from the 13th century. In the central apse, traces of frescoes and mosaics have been preserved.
The early-Christian martyr Barbara is the patron saint of another Coptic church in Cairo, Sit Barbara, from the 11th century, which was erected on the site of St.. John and Cyrus, when al-Fustat was demolished. A high wooden roof with skylights lets in the sun's rays. The nave is supported by Arabian arches and two rows of columns. There are icons on the walls (ok. 1750 r.) with scenes from the life of Jesus and St.. Barbary.
A holy place for Jews is the Ben Ezra synagogue. Judaic tradition connects this place with Moses, but the original building standing in this place was a church from the 6th century., destroyed 300 years later. The square was handed over to the rabbi of Jerusalem, Abraham Ben Ezra, who built a synagogue here. Aron Kodesh was decorated with marble and golden stalactites. During renovation works in the temple, a hiding place was found (geniza), where old documents and the 6th-century Torah written on the skin of a gazelle were found. At the back of the synagogue, you can see recently restored fragments of the Roman walls.
Amra Mosque and Dajr Abas-Sayfayn
The Amra Mosque rises to the northeast of the Coptic Quarter. He built it north of the Roman fortifications in 642 r. Amr Ibn al-As, commander of the Muslim army, who conquered Egypt. W 827 r. the temple was thoroughly rebuilt, but the old shape of the building made of dried bricks has still been preserved, with a roof covered with palm leaves, without mihrab, courtyard or minaret.
During Caliph al-Walecd Ibn Abdul-Malek the mosque was enlarged, added mihrab and wooden desktop (minbar). Many changes took place during the Turkish rule. Greek and Roman columns were set up in the temple (150) and three minarets were erected. The present mosque has a courtyard (copy) surrounded on four sides by a riwaq colonnade, the greatest of which is Qiblah. Many wooden plaques with Byzantine reliefs with plant motifs draw attention.