OUR DESTINATIONS
Let us help you find your perfect holiday by phoning us on
We offer holidays to the four corners of the globe. If you want specialist advise please phone our travel team and we will be happy to help.
Alternatively, check out some of our holiday offers below.
- Destinations
- Africa
- Egypt
- Cairo
- Hanging Church (El Muallaqa, Sitt Mariam, St Mary)
Hanging Church (El Muallaqa, Sitt Mariam, St Mary)
The Hanging Church in Cario derives its name from its location
on top of the southern tower gate of the old Babylon fortress with
its nave suspended over a passage. It's the most famous Coptic
church in Cairo with the earliest mention of the church being a
statement in the biography of the patriarch Joseph, who lived from
831 to 849. It went on to become known to travellers as the
'staircase church' during the 14th and 15th centuries, because of
the twenty-nine steps that lead to the entrance. The visual impact
of the church's elevated position has been reduced due to the rise
of land surface by around 20 feet (6 metres) since the Roman
period. The Roman tower remains mostly buried below ground.
Information & Facts
Address
Shar'a Mari Girgis Street, Old Cairo
Admission
Language
Arabic is the official language although English and
French are widely spoken, especially in the tourist
areas.
Money
The unit of currency is the Egyptian Pound (EGP), which is
divided into 100 piastres. Most credit cards are accepted in major
hotels and restaurants. Visitors are advised to take travellers
cheques in US Dollars or Pounds to avoid additional exchange rate
charges. Banks are usually closed on Friday and Saturday, but
private exchange bureaux, called 'Forex', are open daily and banks
in major hotels are open 24 hours. Cairo branches of the Egyptian
British Bank and Banque Misr now have ATMs available that accept
Visa, MasterCard and Cirrus and are quite common in the main
tourist areas.
Opening Times
Daily 9am-4pm (except during
services).