Coptic Cairo

After visiting the mosques of the citadel in Islamic Cairo yesterday, it was only right to visit the churches of Coptic Cairo today. We began by looking at the remains of the Roman tower upon which the hanging church is built. This is the oldest region of Cairo and the Nile used to lapping at the door of the tower. This small, intimate Church had an atmosphere of antiquity, a pervasive sense of calm and a radiant glow from sunlight through the narrow windows in the roof(shaped like an upside down boat). The walls were lined with intricate, inlaid patterning of geometric designs and pictures of Saints including St Dominia and the 40 virgins!!!(there must be a good story behind this). A lot of the paintings were obviously very old and dated A.D. 18. Technically those dates didn't add up to historical information (i.e. St Paul and St Peter were not both old men at the same time at this particular date!!!) Coptic time lines are probably more circular than linear! Leaving Cedar and Sandalwood incense behind we moved on to the St George Church where we visited the cell that held St George as a captive to be tortured (allegedly). This site has many local Copts visiting who leave written prayers, and is popular with courting couples as a rendezvous location. This led to the cemetery where tombs were more like terraced housing estates. There was a Virgin Mary Church inside the complex where the Holy family drank water from the well and sheltered on their flight into Egypt. A painting in the crypt showed them en route past Giza! This flight is a pilgrimmage trail for many Copts.