Coptic Cairo
A walled quarter of Old Cairo inside the Roman Babylon Fortress, packed with churches, a synagogue and the Coptic Museum. Christian tradition holds that the Holy Family sheltered here, at the site of the church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus.
- Where
- Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
- Grade
- Local gem
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site
- Coordinates
- 30.0063, 31.2318
Get the Coptic Cairo stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Coptic Cairo. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Cairo volume with your photos and a note.
Near Coptic Cairo
Ben Ezra Synagogue 0.1 km
A former synagogue in the Fustat part of Old Cairo, where local folklore places the spot where the baby Moses was found. Its storeroom held the Cairo Geniza, a vast hoard of medieval manuscripts that told scholars about daily life around the Mediterranean.
Coptic Museum 0.1 km
The world's largest collection of Coptic Christian art, founded by Marcus Simaika in 1908 in the heart of Coptic Cairo. Carved wood, icons, textiles and manuscripts trace Egypt's Christian centuries, in rooms with painted ceilings and latticed windows.
Hanging Church 0.2 km
Saint Virgin Mary's Coptic Orthodox Church, one of the oldest churches in Egypt. It earned its nickname by being built over a gatehouse of the Roman Babylon Fortress, so its nave seems to hang above the passage below.
National Museum of Egyptian Civilization 1.6 km
A large modern museum in Old Cairo that tells the country's story from prehistory to the present. Its Royal Mummies Hall holds the pharaohs moved here in a grand procession through the city in 2021.
Manial Palace 2.4 km
A princely residence on Rhoda Island, built for Prince Mohamed Ali Tewfik, heir to the throne, and kept just as it was lived in. Its rooms mix Ottoman, Persian and Moorish styles, set among gardens of banyan trees beside the Nile.
Mosque of Ibn Tulun 3.0 km
Built between 876 and 879 by Ahmad ibn Tulun, the oldest well preserved mosque in Egypt. Its huge open courtyard and spiral minaret follow the mosques of Samarra in Iraq, and the arcades of brick and stucco are calm even in the middle of the city.
Muhammad Ali Mosque 3.7 km
The great domed mosque inside the Citadel, built between 1832 and 1857 for Muhammad Ali Pasha in the Ottoman style of Istanbul. Its slender twin minarets dominate the Cairo skyline, and its alabaster cladding gives it the name the Alabaster Mosque.
Al-Rifai Mosque 3.8 km
A grand mosque on Citadel Square, finished in the early 20th century to match the medieval Sultan Hassan mosque facing it. It is also the royal mausoleum of Muhammad Ali's family, and stands beside its older neighbour like a twin across a narrow lane.
More hidden gems in Cairo
Questions
Where is Coptic Cairo?
Coptic Cairo is in Cairo, Cairo, Egypt. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Ben Ezra Synagogue (0.1 km), Coptic Museum (0.1 km), Hanging Church (0.2 km).
How do I get the Coptic Cairo stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Coptic Cairo and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Cairo volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Coptic Cairo before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Cairo volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 20 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.