The Hanging Church of Coptic Cairo


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Last Updated on July 23, 2017 by Audrey Scott

Coptic Cairo. The name alone exudes ancient, mysterious, almost mystical. People still live, work and worship in the same place as they have for thousands of years. It's a humbling walk back in time in this secluded Old Cairo neighborhood, whose tranquility belies the 22-million strong bustle of modern Cairo just outside.

One of the highlights of Coptic Cairo: The Hanging Church, suspended above firm ground on palm tree trunks connecting two ancient Roman fortress towers. Although the church has been renovated and rebuilt throughout the centuries to its current form, the original structure dates all the way back to the 3rd century.

Hanging Coptic Church in Cairo, Egypt.
A fisheye from inside the Hanging Church in Coptic Cairo, Egypt.

Try to imagine the light from prayer candles and the scent of aging wood. Be sure to look up at the roof — in the shape of an inverted Noah's Ark, spilling over to walls covered with more than 100 original icons whose ages span more than 1,000 years from the 8th to 18th centuries.

An old place. A beautiful place.

About Daniel Noll
Travel and life evangelist. Writer, speaker, storyteller and consultant. Connecting people to experiences that will change their lives. Originally from the U.S. Daniel has lived abroad since 2001 and most recently has been on the road since 2006. When he's not writing for the blog you can keep up with his adventures on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. And you can learn more about him on the About Page and on LinkedIn.

7 thoughts on “The Hanging Church of Coptic Cairo”

  1. Beautiful church and i must say that i was simply mesmerized after watching this pic. Its just amazing. Thanks a lot for sharing it.

    Reply
  2. @Nomadic Chick: Why, thank you! This church was a special place – glad it came through in the panorama.

    @Pooja: You’re welcome!

    Reply
  3. This is beautiful. Thanks for sharing the view. I don’t think I visited here while in Cairo. Did you all have a chance to go to the Coptic “Garbage City” in Mokattam while you were there? If you go to the back, there is an amazing church with ampitheatre and Biblical scenes and passages carved into the sides of cliffs. It’s such a beautiful reward after driving through one-lane mud alleys of such a sad community. Thanks again for sharing — looking forward to seeing more highlights from the trip.

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  4. @Ellen: We didn’t visit the Coptic “Garbage City” during this trip to Cairo, but I will add it to the list for when we return. Sounds like a rather emotional visit. We look forward to sharing more from our Egypt trip!

    Reply
  5. @Erica: Aww, you’re too kind! Loved having you with us when we did shoot this panorama! Sorry we had to move you out of the way to avoid having you as a “ghost” 🙂

    Reply

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