Giza Trip Overview
Travel back in time to the glory days of Islamic Cairo, and see some of the medieval and Ottoman city’s greatest religious monuments, on this 2-hour private guided walking tour. Admire ancient mosques and madrasa, medieval city walls and gates, Ottoman-era houses, mausoleums, and markets, and conclude at the famous Khan al-Khalili bazaar.
Additional Info
Duration: 8 hours
Starts: Giza, Egypt
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Historical & Heritage Tours
Explore Giza Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Giza, Giza Governorate, Egypt
Travel back in time to the glory days of Islamic Cairo, and see some of the medieval and Ottoman city’s greatest religious monuments, on this 2-hour private guided walking tour. Admire ancient mosques and madrasa, medieval city walls and gates, Ottoman-era houses, mausoleums, and markets, and conclude at the famous Khan al-Khalili bazaar.
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Mosque of Amr Ibn El-Aas, Cairo Egypt
Crown of Mosques’), or Masjid Ahl ar-Rayah (lit. ’Mosque of the Banner Bearers’), or Jame’ al-Ateeq (lit. ’the Old Mosque’), was originally built in 641–642 AD, as the center of the newly founded capital of Egypt, Fustat. The original structure was the first mosque ever built in Egypt and the whole of Africa. For 600 years, the mosque was also an important center of Islamic learning until Al-Muizz’s Al-Azhar Mosque in Islamic Cairo replaced it. Through the twentieth century, it was the fourth largest mosque in the Islamic world.
The location for the mosque was the site of the tent of the commander of the Muslim army, general Amr ibn al-As. One corner of the mosque contains the tomb of his son, ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘As. Due to extensive reconstruction over the centuries nothing of the original building remains, but the rebuilt Mosque is a prominent landmark and can be seen in what today is known as Old Cairo. It is an active mosque with a devout congregation…
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Hanging Church (El Muallaqa, Sitt Mariam, St Mary), Shar’a Mari Girgis Street, Cairo 11511 Egypt
Saint Virgin Mary’s Coptic Orthodox Church, also known as the Hanging Church, is one of the oldest churches in Egypt and the history of a church on this site dates to the third century. It belongs to the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Coptic Cairo, Cairo Egypt
Coptic Cairo is a part of Old Cairo which encompasses the Babylon Fortress, the Coptic Museum, the Hanging Church, the Greek Church of St. George and many other Coptic churches and historical sites. It is believed in Christian tradition that the Holy Family visited this area and stayed at the site of Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church (Abu Serga). Coptic Cairo was a stronghold for Christianity in Egypt both before and during the Islamic era, as most of its churches were built after the Muslim conquest of Egypt in the 7th century.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Ben Ezra Synagogue, Coptic Cairo, Cairo 11511 Egypt
Ben Ezra Synagogue, sometimes referred to as the El-Geniza Synagogue or the Synagogue of the Levantines, is situated in the Fustat part of Old Cairo, Egypt. According to local folklore, it is located on the site where baby Moses was found.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Mosque of Ibn Tulun, Al-Basatin, off Al-Saliba Street, Cairo 11511 Egypt
It is one of the oldest mosques in Egypt as well as the whole of Africa surviving in its full original form, and is the largest mosque in Cairo in terms of land area. Since Ibn Tulun Mosque has much open space, it boasts both sunlight and shadows. It is built around an open square courtyard which allows natural light to travel through. Ibn Tulun Mosque features ancient architecture styles of Egypt, its decorations being created from carved stucco and wood. This mosque has one of a kind twisted minaret style and depicted on the Egyptian 5-pound bill.
The mosque is admission free but you pay for the tip for the door keepers and shoe keepers.
Duration: 40 minutes
Stop At: Cairo Citadel, Salah Salem St, Cairo 11511 Egypt
The Citadel of Cairo or Citadel of Saladin is a medieval Islamic-era fortification in Cairo, Egypt, built by Salah ad-Din and further developed by subsequent Egyptian rulers. It was the seat of government in Egypt and the residence of its rulers for nearly 700 years from the 13th to the 19th centuries.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Mosque of Muhammad Ali, Al Abageyah Qism El-Khalifa, Cairo 11511 Egypt
The Great Mosque of Muhammad Ali Pasha or Alabaster Mosque is a mosque situated in the Citadel of Cairo in Egypt and was commissioned by Muhammad Ali Pasha between 1830 and 1848.
Situated on the summit of the citadel, this Ottoman mosque, the largest to be built in the first half of the 19th century, is, with its animated silhouette and twin minarets, the most visible mosque in Cairo.
The mosque was built in memory of Tusun Pasha, Muhammad Ali’s oldest son, who died in 1816.
This mosque, along with the citadel, is one of the landmarks and tourist attractions of Cairo and is one of the first features to be seen when approaching the city from any direction.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Mosque and Madrasa of Sultan Hassan, Maydan Salah al-Din, Cairo 11511 Egypt
The Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hassan is a monumental mosque and madrasa located in the historic district of Cairo, Egypt. It was built between 1356 and 1363 during the Bahri Mamluk period, commissioned by Sultan an-Nasir Hasan. The mosque was considered remarkable for its massive size and innovative architectural components, and is still considered one of the most impressive historic monuments in Cairo today.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Al-Azhar Park, Darassa Hill Al Darassa Hill, Cairo 11511 Egypt
Al Azhar Park, located by the Old City of Cairo, offers a 30-hectare expanse of greenery on what was dust and rubble for over two centuries. Offering a contemporary design inspired by historic Islamic gardens, the spine is a formal axis with a water channel leading in the direction of a small lake, with accompanying alleyways, and pointing towards the Citadel. Gardens and pavilions enhance the arrival point on the edge of the lake. Al Azhar Park attracts over 2 million visitors annually and provides a much needed green space in one of the densest cities in the world.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: City of the Dead (Northern Cemetery), East of Sharia Salah Salem, Cairo 11511 Egypt
The City of the Dead, or Cairo Necropolis, also referred to as the Qarafa (Arabic: القرافة, romanized: al-Qarafa), is a series of vast Islamic-era necropolises and cemeteries on the edges of Historic Cairo, in Egypt. They extend to the north and to the south of the Cairo Citadel, below the Mokattam Hills and outside the historic city walls, covering an area roughly 4 miles long. They are included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of “Historic Cairo”.
Duration: 35 minutes
Stop At: St Simon the Tanner Monastery, Mokattam Hills, Cairo 11511 Egypt
The massive cave church of Cairo’s Zabbaleen community is one of the largest Christian churches in the Middle East.
Simon the Tanner was a craftsman saint who lived during the 10th century and the cave church that was dedicated to him seems as though it might last for 10 more. Using a pre-existing cave and the slope that led into it, the current monastery seats 2,000 people around a central pulpit. Other nearby caves have also been built into separate church spaces and all of them have been linked to create a massive Christian complex in the heart of garbage city.
Since tourism through the scavenger’s village is not a thriving industry, reaching the Monastery of Saint Simon is no small feat, yet as the largest Christian church within a handful of countries, hundreds of thousands of people make the pilgrimage each year.
Duration: 30 minutes
