Old Cairo, which is said to originate from the 6^th century BC, contains memories of capitals before Cairo, like Fustat and Coptic Cairo. Copts are the Christian people in Egypt, dating back form the first century when the prophet Mark is aid to have landed in Alexandria. The Coptic church has a pope of its own. The Copts use the Pharaonic calendar and claim to be the descendants of the Pharaohs.
In Coptic Cairo. you will find numerous churches from many different backgrounds. There is the synagogue of Ben Ezra, a mosque, Coptic churches and Christian churches, amongst others. The synagogue is no longer used since most of the Egyptian Jews have left the country during the wars with Israel.
Apart from the mosque, which is barer on the inside because Islam does not fancy decorations, many churches have similarities on the inside, for instance they use the same ebony and ivory stars. According to my tour guide, that is the case because all were built by Egyptian artists, irrelevant of the religion. The "hanging church" (al-Muallaqah), the Coptic Church dedicated to the Virgin Mary, was built most probably in the 8th century on top of the Babylon tower, a part of the fortress built by the Romans. Then there is the round church, Mar Girgis, which is also built on top of a Roman Tower, which is Greek Orthodox and dedicated to St George. Actually, this is the wedding hall and it is the remainder of the original church which was burned down several times and which has been built in the 7th century. The church was Coptic but became Greek Orthodox in the 15th century. Next door there is a monastery for St George and you see a lively statue of a spotless St George pushing his not-at-all-bloody sword into the throat of the dragon.

The Babylon fortress used to stand on the border of the Nile, about 2000 years ago and is also known as Qasr el Shamee, the palace of candles. The candles were used to be lit on the towers at the beginning of each month. The strategic place on the Nile made it separate lower and middle Egypt and also provided a continuous supply of water. Inside the walls of this fortress lived the first Coptic population of Cairo. The fortress was built on the remnants of a Persian fort from 700 BC. The hanging church was added in the fourth century. On the same premises you will find the Coptic museum, located in a beautiful building and housing a number of interesting artifacts. Coptic Cairo is a convenient three steps away from the Mari Girgis subway station.