Day Tour to National museum and Old Cairo

You will start your day tour with one of the important museums in Cairo. The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC). It is a large museum located in the ancient city of Fustat (the first Islamic capital built by the Arabs in Egypt in 641 A.D) now part of Cairo. The museum partially opened in February 2017 and will display a collection of 50,000 artifacts, presenting Egyptian civilization from prehistoric times to the present day.

The permanent collection is divided into two separate regions, one chronological and the other thematic. The chronological areas will be the following, Pharaonic, Greco-Roman, Coptic, Islamic, modern, and contemporary. The thematic areas will be the following: Dawn of Civilization, The Nile, Writing, State and Society, Material Culture, Beliefs, and Thinking, and the Gallery of Royal Mummies.

The Museum’s collections will be displayed in a core permanent exhibition of the principal achievements of Egyptian civilization, with six thematic galleries covering the Dawn of Civilization, The Nile, Writing, State and Society, Material Culture, Beliefs and Thinking, and the Gallery of Royal Mummies.

You will visit the Alabaster Mosque at the Citadel of Saladin, which sits on top of a limestone hill overlooking Cairo and is one of the most important mosques in the city. The lower part of the Mosque is clad inside and out with Alabaster while the top part is constructed from the limestone cladding removed from the Pyramids of Giza. Inside the mosque, your guide will introduce you to the basic beliefs of Islam, including a translation of the most common prayers. 

Then, you will discover the ancient sites and culture of Coptic Christians where you will learn about Christian life in Egypt, a country where Christianity is a minority. You will first visit the Hanging Church is built into the walls of the watergate of the Roman fortress and is possibly the oldest Christian church in Egypt. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary, it is one of Cairo's most beautiful churches. Continue to the Monastery and Church of Saint George. It is one of the few remaining circular churches in the Middle East. Your next stop is the Abu Serga, one of the places where the Holy Family rested after fleeing Israel from King Herod. At the turn of the century this little church, which dates from the 10th century, was the most important pilgrimage spot in Old Cairo for visiting Christian tourists. 24 marble columns are lining the central court and a series of 12th-century icons depicting the 12 apostles. You will then tour Ben Ezra Synagogue, which is one of the oldest synagogues in Egypt. Set in a shady garden, it was built on the site of the 4th-century Christian church.