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Cairo · Mysteries & legends

Moving Mountains and Cradles on the Nile

Coptic Cairo grew up inside a Roman fortress, and every one of its lanes keeps a legend. This short route visits them one by one, from the Hanging Church to the first mosque in Egypt, always separating what the records say from what faith or imagination has added.

  • 5 stops
  • 1.1 km
  • 1 h 30 min
  • Free
Start with GPS Read about this stop 1
White facade of the Hanging Church with its twin bell towers and crosses

The route

Stop by stop

  1. 1 The Hanging Church (al-Muallaqa)A church suspended over a Roman gate, where, according to Coptic tradition, a patriarch prayed for three days to move a mountain.
  2. 2 St George and the Roman Tower of BabylonA round church on a Roman tower, in a fortress that ancient writers said was founded by prisoners brought from Babylon.
  3. 3 Abu Serga and the Crypt of the Holy FamilyBeneath the altar of this church lies the cave where, according to tradition, Mary, Joseph and the infant Jesus rested on their flight into Egypt.
  4. 4 The Ben Ezra Synagogue and its GenizaA well linked to Moses by tradition, and a storeroom that kept hundreds of thousands of papers from medieval life for centuries.
  5. 5 The Mosque of Amr ibn al-AsEgypt's first mosque, on the spot where, according to tradition, a dove nested on a general's tent.

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Start with GPS

Guide mode

Walk it with GPS.

Open guide mode on your phone: you’ll see your position and the distance to each stop, and we’ll let you know when you arrive. Then read or listen.

Start with GPS

  1. Turn on your location

  2. Walk to the spot

  3. Check the photo and listen

What you’ll discover

Moving Mountains and Cradles on the Nile

Three faiths in a few steps

Coptic and Greek churches, a synagogue and the oldest mosque in Egypt.

Ancient legends

Mount Muqattam, the flight into Egypt, Moses on the Nile and Amr's dove.

Record and tradition

Every story comes with what we actually know.

Keep exploring

More routes in Cairo

Back to Cairo
HistoryCaliphs and Sultans: from Bab al-Nasr to Bab Zuwayla MixedFrom the Paris of the Nile to the Great Bazaar