Now that we’ve seen the Islamic side of Cairo, it is our turn to view the Coptic side of Cairo. Coptic refers to the Christianity religion in Egypt. Coptic Cairo is the oldest part of the city. It’s a form of Christianity is relatively similar to Orthodoxy, which is the main Greek faith. From the pictures, yet to come, the Coptic area is very different from the other parts of Cairo.

For one thing, the Coptic area is very close knit, with its buildings built close together…or at least this was the case in the area with the churches. There are crosses on the buildings, as there are on Orthodox and other Christian based faith buildings.

Going inside Coptic Cairo, I was a bit excited. For this day of the trip, it was kind of selectively my world, my setting, and my faith which I could relate to. I consider myself to be a very open minded person, and as far as intertwining my faith with the views of other faiths, bringing my friends into the Coptic area to view a similar Orthodoxy faith put a big smile on my faith.

We went from church to church, and each church was similar to the next and previous, with high opened rooms, pews in two columns (normally done in Orthodoxy) and pictures of saints and biblical stories. Tubs for baptizing were present, candles could be lit as an offering, and icons and other religious ornaments could be bought within the holy houses.

One special place that we did attend was the Church of St. Sergius, which legend says, the Holy Family sheltered in a cave below the alter. This was probably the time when the (I don’t remember the King’s name) but a King heard a son would be born who would change the world…in hearing this, the King ordered all the firstborn males to be slaughtered. Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus escaped and used the cave under the altar for shelter. At the time we went inside the church, the altar and lower portions of the building were under renovation. However though, just being inside and/or near the location was enough to grasp the importance of the area.

Another important church which we went to was the Hanging Church, called so because it was built on top of the Water Gate of the old Roman fortress of Babylon. The original structure was built around 4th century A.D., was destroyed and rebuilt in the 11th century. Once there, you could see the Roman Towers underneath the church as you walk up the entrance flight of stairs. This church was very beautiful and was very large. Not as large as a St. Demetrios on the north side, or a St. Basilios in the UIC area, but large enough the church was still in service and held a great number of people.

At each church, I placed a donation in the tray and lit a couple candles for me and my friends. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take any pictures of the insides of the churches, and being that the while neighborhood was built so close together, you couldn’t really get a good picture of the churches themselves. So, this entry will be a little neglected.

Another good thing about the Coptic area in Cairo, it has a church, synagogue, and mosque all within 300 meters or so of each other. This was very interesting. Why? Because you have an array of the three most popular religions in one of the most wonderful locations on Earth….Egypt. All three religions can be noted in the bible. As far as the Torah and Quran, I am not familiar with either, but can ask a few friends and have the answers within a short period of time.

Afterwards, we went to get something to eat and made a trip of the day browsing different areas of Egypt, looking for some deals, and looking for interesting people to chat with. There wasn’t anything special or particular after the Coptic session, but the time spent with each other was still good.

Tomorrow, the pyramids…I’ll have a lot to say on this matter. Also, from my previous entry, please do not get discouraged about the Egyptian Museum., it is still a fascinating place and you can learn a lot about Egyptian and Greco-Roman history. I was just a bit salty with the funds they charged and the no camera or video policy. The same with Coptic Cairo, but still a remarkable place. If you’re ever there, check them both out, they are worth the wait and the cash.

Cheers!