Gatekeeperdi

Hiya,
Just wondering if anyone can tell me which are the best old churches and mosques to visit in Cairo? We`re not sure what time we`ll have too see any this trip, with so many other things we want to see, but thought you might be able to pick one of each that are too good to miss.
Any help will be most appreciated.
Best wishes,
Di

JackieSun

Citadel will get you the main mosque and the church of the Holy Family will get you the main church.

patinegypt

We lived in Cairo for a couple years and saw many of the old mosques. I think the Ibn Tulun is worth seeing -- it's huge. And visiting Old (coptic) Cairo you'll see many early Coptic churches. I would recommend that you try to get a local guide, as my experience everywhere in Egypt is that things are not really marked or described in writing so you know what you are looking at, as in museums or historic sites here. Also, if you have a guide there is less chance you will be hassled by the many folks just trying to make a living, but...it is pretty intense in Cairo. When we lived there, we used an agency called SeeEgypt that provided excellent guides and transportation for a very low-cost. I agree with the Citadel recommendation, but sure to see the other smaller mosques on that same site; they are beautiful! Have a good trip.

AprilA

Just returned from Egypt on Sunday!! It was wonderful and you will love it. I agree with the Citadel. I loved Coptic Cairo especially St Sergis (crypt below is where the holy family stayed during flight thru Egypt). It is easy to do. Because of the higher land elevation today all of Coptic Cairo is surrounded by a wall and easy to navigate. All the old churches are there and a nice little museum. You can take a taxi, just tell them to drop you at Coptic Cairo. Plan on 2 or 2 1/2 hours and will have plenty of time to see it all, including the Ben Ezra Synagogue. Most taxi drivers will offer to wait on you at no extra charge and then return you return you to your hotel or take you somewhere else you want to go. If you want the metro station is right there also. We did not use the metro because the taxis were so cheap. There is also a huge Mosque right outside Coptic Cairo and you can go in it also while you are there. Be sure and take a long sleeve shirt and a hair cover so you don't have to borrow.
Have a wonderful trip,
April

MariaL

We returned from Egypt yesterday. We hired a driver through our hotel concierge to take us to Islamic sites and Coptic Cairo. We used the Cadogan and Lonely Planet Guides to choose the mosques: The Mohammed Ali Mosque in the Citadel, The Sultan Hassan Mosque and the Ibn Tulun Mosque and the attached Gayer-Anderson House (Don't miss!). We also used the guides for the Coptic churches and mosque. In addition to St. Sergius, be sure to see the little church back in the Coptic Cemetery at the level of the St. George Church/Monastery, where in the crypt there is a spring supposedly used by the Holy Family while in Egypt. Egyptian Copts come to drink the water there.