Religious Community Cairo - Islam, Christianity and Judaism

Описание: Religious Community, Cairo, Egypt - The old city of Cairo is the place where the three different religions are found through the historical sites and buildings; Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.

For the Egyptians, those who are always driving through the streets of this city, there are lots of places which they might pass by regularly without ever thinking about the history laying down there, but for tourists who are coming to visit this city for the first time, these places might be considered hidden gems and will always feel the need to pass by them.

Old Cairo for some people is just about Khan El Khalil (   • Khan Khalili in Cairo; The Egyptian Khan K...  ) and El Moez street area (   • El Moez Street -  An Old Street in the Isl...  ), but there are treasures found in this place, which was once known as Al Fustat in the old times, that combine between seeing Islamic mosques, Christian churches, and Judaism Synagogues.

The old city of Fustat, which people now refer to as old Cairo, hosts the place known as Mogamaa El-Adyan (Complex of religions) and this is the place where the religious community and combination in Cairo, Egypt, was first born.

There are some religious buildings found in this area and it is also the place where the three different religions are found. In Mogamaa El-Adyan, you will find the famous Amr Ibn El-Aas mosque, you will get across the hanging Saint George church, and you will eventually come to the point where you will see Ben Ezra Synagogue.

Of course, like any other place in the world and in Cairo mainly, you could reach this religious community and Mogamaa El-Adyan from different directions - and could even reach it through using the metro and reaching a station called Mar Girgis right in the middle of the place - but the whole place have one gate only to enter from.

Before you reach the main gate, you will find the huge mosque of Amr Ibn El-Aas on the left and this is considered the oldest mosque to be built in Africa by General Amr Ibn El-Aaas, the commander of Muslim army, but which has been rebuilt over time.

Once you enter the security gate, the walk will start with some historical old buildings and souvenir shops before you are taken a few steps below the main street to where the seven old churches are found and which include Saint George, Saint Barbara, and Abu Serga churches.

At the end of that passage that let you see all those different churches found out there, you will come at the point where you will see Ben Ezra synagogue and will be welcomed to the Jewish community in Egypt. This is considered one of the only Jewish surviving remnants in Egypt and it is also the only synagogue that is open to the public to come inside and see it.

Whenever you enter any of these religious sites, you should always take in how the whole thing has been built, pay attention to the ceilings, and try to take in every single part related to the place as a whole, because those ancient people used to pay attention to the smallest of details.

Even though there are a lot of historical things one could actually see in this religious community area, Mogamaa El-Adyan, those seven churches along with the mosque and the synagogue are considered the highlight of the whole trip and at the same time the landmarks of the area as a whole.

This area is not far away from Cairo Citadel (   • Salah El-Din Citadel - Cairo Citadel - Egypt  ) which holds Muhammad Ali Mosque (   • Muhammad Ali Mosque, Cairo; An Old Histori...  ) and Al Azhar park (   • El Azhar Park; One of the largest Public S...  ), it needs about half an hour by car if there is traffic and a little bit less if the streets are moving, so you could get the chance to visit another historical place after finishing this religious community of Cairo, Egypt.

Coming to the days which are supposed to be better for visiting this place, we have to say that doing it during the days of the week is always better than weekends and if you don't have the chance to do that then try to stay away from Fridays because they are considered the most crowded.

The best thing about visiting these historical religious places is the fact that they are free of charge, you could get inside without having to pay anything and they are usually working until 4 PM.

Some of these places ban taking pictures in them, so you should always read all the signs to know whether you are allowed or not; Ben Ezra synagogue ban taking any pictures inside.

This is a beautiful place to visit in Egypt because it feels good seeing the three different religions in the same area. Being close to a residence area known as Maadi, which is located by the Nile river, you could always go and enjoy a good meal by the Nile after you finish your trip, if not, then you could complete with other historical destinations such as going to the downtown area and visiting the Egyptian museum (   • The Egyptian Museum in Cairo; Ancient Egyp...  ) or the Islamic Art Museum (   • Islamic Art Museum, Cairo; Artifacts from ...  ).

Egypt is always a good idea!