Sightseeing

The Southern Tomb Location and dimensionsIn the southern end of the Great Court is a long building with a low, vaulted roof known as the South Tomb. The elements of the substructure are very similar to those of the pyramid (although on a reduced scale) but differ somewhat in their arrangement. The burial chamber was at the bottom of a vertical shaft, 7 x 7 metres and 28 metres deep—the same dimensions as the one under the pyramid and on more or less the same North-South axis. It was made out of the same pink granite and there is even evidence for an earlier limestone version with stars carved into the ceiling. The interior of the tomb was far less disturbed by robbers than the Step Pyramid and the ‘manoeuvre chamber’ has survived reasonably intact. Even the beam used to lower the granite plug was still in place. The walls were of limestone and the ceiling had been carved in imitation of palm logs.

The Southern Tomb Substructure: In the South Tomb at Saqqara, a descending corridor led down to the tomb—although from the west rather than the north, as was the case with the step pyramid. About halfway down was a rectangular gallery about 30 metres long, filled with pottery and stone jars. On top of them was a wooden stretcher, a wooden box and a set of poles from a canopy—still bearing traces of gold leaf. Lauer assumed the stretcher was used to carry the vessels into the tomb and then simply left behind but, given the other equipment found, transportation of a statue seems a little more plausible.

The Southern Tomb Decorations:There was a similar arrangement of galleries, including a number with the same faience decoration mimicking the appearance of reed mat panels and doorways—again, probably representing the private apartments of the royal palace. There is every reason to believe that this suit of rooms was constructed before those under the pyramid, which were far less accomplished and less complete. As was the case in the latter, the false doorways contained reliefs of the pharaoh taking part in various rituals. On the door jambs and lintels were carved the name and titles of the king. He is invariably referred to by his Horus name, Netjerykhet. Apart from much later graffiti, the name Djoser does not appear anywhere in the complex.

The king is shown wearing only a skimpy loincloth (at most), a false beard and the crown of Upper Egypt. In his right hand he is carrying a flail, an agricultural tool used in threshing grain but also an important symbol of power for the pharaoh. In his left hand he is holding a fishtailed object, presumably the flint version that figures so prominently in the predynastic archaeological record and is thought to have been used in the ‘Opening the Mouth’ ceremony to reanimate the deceased. Hovering over his head is Horus, the god of kingship, holding an ankh symbol (the hieroglyph for ‘life’) in his talons. In front of him is a standard bearing the image of a jackal (Wepwawet, the ‘Opener of the Ways’). He is striding between two pairs of horseshoe-shaped territorial markers.

The Southern Tomb Function:Secondary tombs can be found at some, but by no means all, Old Kingdom pyramids. In some cases, they are thought to belong to the pharaoh’s principal wives. but the burial chamber of the South Tomb is very small, 1.6 x 1.6 and 1.3 metres high—probably too small for an adult woman and her coffin. Various theories have been proposed for its function—to house the royal placenta that had been preserved since the pharaoh’s birth; to contain his internal organs (lungs, stomach, intestines, and liver) removed during the mummification process; or to serve as a repository for the two crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt. Lauer believed that it was a cenotaph, meant to replace the royal tomb at Abydos. The most popular theory is that they were the tombs of the pharaoh’s ka, represented in the form of a statue. Shown (left) is a wooden shrine containing the ka-statue of the Dynasty XIII pharaoh Hor’ in his shrine. The arms reaching upwards on top of his head is the hieroglyph for ka.

The Nilometer is founded by the Caliph Al-Mutawakkil in 861 AD. It is considered the second Islamic sightseeing built in Egypt after Amr Ibn Al-Ass Mosque.

The Nilometer was used to measure the Nile River’s water level to set the taxes. The water measurement occurred by a marble octagonal column 19 cubits in length standing in the middle of the building. This meter became unused after the building of the Aswan High Dam in the 1960s.

The structure is divided into two parts. The first part is the conical dome. The second part is a flight of spiral stairs leading down, with depth markings along the walls.

The Cave Church, Saint Simon Church, or the Tanner Monastery lies in the Mokattam Mountain, near Garbage City or, in Arabic, El Zabbaleen City.

This monastery is carved into the Mokattam Mountain in 1975. It houses many Coptic churches.

Saint Simon Church is one of the hidden treasures in Egypt and the Middle East. It is famous for its design, taking the shape of an amphitheater. It is considered the biggest church in Egypt, as it accommodates 20 thousand people.

St. Simon St. Simon worked as a tanner and lived at the end of the 10th century. He was in charge of the legend of transferring the Mokattam Mountain.

The Garbage City The garbage city, or El Zabbaleen city in the Arabic language, is famous for its population working in collecting, sorting, and recycling the garbage.

Monastery Palace is an artistic and architectural masterpiece overlooking the Nile River directly. Also, it is known as the Kiosk.

It was built by Hassan Fouad Pasha Al. Monastery, the Cairo Governor and Minister of the Interior in Abbas Pasha Period in 1851.

The palace is famous for its beautiful decorative style and wooden architecture design, and the music room has a ceiling taking the dome shape, making the music spread all over the room. Now, there are concerts are held in this room.

The Ministry of Antiquities turned this palace into a museum in 1951.

Additionally, there is a wooden bridge attached to this palace called the Monastery Bridge.  You will be able to take fabulous photos there.

The Cavern Church has several names, such as Abu Serga Church, the St. Sergius Church, and Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church. It lies in Coptic Cairo beside the Hanging church.

The church is dedicated to Sergius and Bacchus, who were soldier-saints martyred during the 4th century in Syria by the Roman Emperor Maximian.

The Importance of Abu Serga Church In this place, there is the cave where the Holy family (the Virgin Mary and the Christ) hid during their journey in Egypt, fleeing Roman persecution. After that, the church was founded upon this cave because of its sanctity.

The Hanging Church is considered the oldest and most famous church in Egypt. It lies in Coptic Cairo beside the Babylon fortress.

The history of this church: This building was originally a Roman temple, but in the fourth century AD, after Christianity entered Egypt, it was transferred to be a church.

The Hanging Church became the seat of the Coptic Pope at the beginning of the eleventh century AD. Now, it is transferred to Abbasiya.

Let’s take a tour of the church: The first thing you will see is a group of mosaic icons referring to important events in Christianity, such as the miracle of transferring Mount Mokattam and the Journey of The Holy Family.

After that, you will see its Truss roof distinguishing this church. It is said that this roof referring to Noah’s Ark as a symbol of salvation and peace.

Then, you will enter the building of the church. It takes the Basilic design. At the end of the nave, there are three shrines for Mar Girgis, Virgin Mary, and John the Baptist.

At the end of this article, we will tell you why this church is called a hanging church. Originally, this church was called the Virgin Mary Church, but after that, it is called the Hanging Church because it was founded on two towers of the Babylon fortress, so it appeared as hanging.

Ben Ezra Synagogue in Coptic Cairo is one of Egypt’s most important and famous synagogues. It is considered the oldest synagogue in Egypt. It dates back to the 9th century AD.

This synagogue had an old copy of the Old Testament, and it is believed that it was written by the prophet Ezra or Al-Azir, so it is called the Ben Ezra Synagogue.

The history of this Synagogue: Originally, this building was a Christian church called El-Shamieen Church. But in 882, it was being sold to a group of Jews led by the Jewish religious scholar and philosopher Abraham Ben Ezra for 20,000 dinars.

It is built in the shape of a basilica style. It includes two floors. The first floor is dedicated to men and contains the bimah, while the second is dedicated to women.

It is decorated in Arabesque style and inlaid with mother of pearl, displaying a merge of artistic traditions.

Stories about this synagogue: It is said that this place of this Synagogue was where the box of Baby Moses was found.

Cairo Tower lies on Gezira Island in the River Nile. It is considered one of the most famous modern monuments in Cairo, Egypt.

It was founded in 1961 during the Gamal Abdel Nasser period and was designed by the Egyptian architect Naoum Shebib. This design is inspired by the lotus plant, one of the most important plants in ancient Egyptian civilization. Its tall is 187 M, which makes it considered the tallest building in Egypt.

Let take a tour inside the tower The tower consists of 16 floors. Take the elevator to reach the last floor at 45 seconds. It is advised to go up to the tower, where you will find a circular observation deck and a revolving restaurant allowing you to see the attractions of Cairo, the city of the thousand minarets, and enjoy taking photos during fabulous sunset.

Cairo Tower Today The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the Egyptian government launched the initiative to illuminate the Egyptian sightseeing as the great pyramid of Cheops in Giza plateau and Cairo Tower to send a message for the whole world. This message contains (Stay Home – Stay Save). This message aims to urge people to stay at their homes to reduce the spread of Coronavirus COVID-19 and protect themselves from it.

El Moez Street or El Moez li-Din Allah al-Fatimi Street is one of the oldest streets in Cairo city. It was founded within the construction of Cairo city during the Fatimid period under the caliph Al-Mu’izz li-Din Allah.

El Moez St. runs from the north, where the gate of Bab al-Futuh to the south, where the gate of Bab Zuweila. Both entrances were established by the vizier Badr al-Jamali in the 11th century when he rebuilt some buildings in Cairo city, including its walls. Its length is approx. one kilometer long, which makes it considered one of the longest streets in the walled city.

The vital role of this street made people were building in it souqs as Khan El khalili Bazaar, religious buildings as Al-Hakim Mosque, and charitable buildings as Madrasa of Barquq. These buildings date back to different Islamic periods such as the Abbasid, Fatimid, Mamluk, and Ottoman periods.

• Madrasa of Barquq: This complex contains a mosque, a mausoleum, and a school. This school or madrasa (in the Arabic language) was for teaching the four Islamic schools.
• Al-Hakim Mosque:It lies beside the gate of Bab al-Futuh in the north of Cairo city. This mosque originally built by Al-Aziz, the father of Al-Hakim, but Al-Hakim completed it, so the mosque is called Al-Hakim Mosque.

Sabil of Sulayman Agha al-Silahdar: This sabil is a good example for displaying how people used to drink in old times while walking around the street.

Khan El khalili Bazaar is the most famous souq, It was built in the Mamluk period as a center of trade.

Also, it includes workshops for the Egyptian artisans, who create and produce traditional crafts and souvenirs.

Let’s know about the history of this bazaar When the Fatimids founded Cairo city, they divided it into two sections. The first one contained the eastern royal palace, while the second houses the western royal palace. Today, the location of Khan El-Khalili Bazaar is the southern end of the eastern Fatimid Palace.

Dajaharks Al-Khalili founded this bazaar in the 14th century, so it is called El khalili Bazaar.

The design of the bazaar was multi-storied structures. The bazaar centered around an inner peristyle courtyard, where traders could store their merchandise, while the upper levels were used for housing.

The bazaar contains several coffeehouses, shops, and restaurants. The most famous traditional Arabic coffee there is El Fishawi. In this coffee, the Egyptian author Naguib Mahfouz spent a lot of time.