January 14, 2018 23 Culture Heritage Historical treasure. The courtyard of the Hanging Church with its twin towers. (Provided by Hassan Abdel Zaher) South Cairo church offers insight into Egypt’s Christian history Hassan Abdel Zaher visitors can admire the sanctu- Christodolos caused controver- are displayed within its walls. artefacts showcased at the muse- ary’s beautiful twin bell towers sy within the Coptic Church by Many of the icons decorate sanc- um were also donated by Egypt’s that date to the 19th century as choosing to be consecrated at the tuary screens and were painted Christian community. Cairo well as the front of the building. Hanging Church. His decision set between the eighth and 18th cen- A few metres from the Coptic The towers stand proudly behind a precedent, and thereafter sev- turies. The oldest and most sacred quarter stands Egypt’s and Af- aint Virgin Mary’s Coptic a narrow courtyard that leads into eral patriarchs chose to be elected, icon, known as a “Coptic Mona rica’s oldest Islamic house of wor- Orthodox Church — bet- the outer porch that was built in enthroned and even buried at the Lisa,” depicts the Virgin Mary. ship, Amr Ibn al-As Mosque. The ter known as Al Muallaqa the 11th century. Hanging Church. Today, the seat The main altar screen is made huge mosque was built in 642 on (“the Hanging Church)” — The church’s fascinating past of the Christian pope is in a north- of ebony out of which ivory juts the site where Amr Ibn al-As, the in southern Cairo is con- makes it one of the bastions of the western Cairo church where Pope to show Coptic Cross designs that commander of the Muslim army Ssidered the jewel of the historical Coptic Christian church in Egypt. Tawadros II has his office. date to the 12th and 13th centu- that conquered Egypt that year, is treasures of Egypt’s Coptic Chris- It has been rebuilt several times The Hanging Church was prob- ries. believed to have erected his tent. tian community. since the seventh century, with ably the first to be constructed in Girgis Fawzi, a 33-year-old civil The mosque and the church Dating to the third century, the the most extensive restoration Egypt in the basilican style, which servant and regular parishioner, confer unmatched spirituality on church has been of interest of visi- taking place during the tenth cen- originated in ancient Rome. It said he never fails to admire the the area. They offer a historical tors for years and is a piece of art tury. looks totally new today thanks to church’s interior. record of Egypt, which experi- that implies meaning, faith and “Deep under each part of this the many restorations it under- “Every corner has its own beau- enced Christianity, then Islam and historical depth. The church, prob- church there is an interesting story went, the last of which was com- ty,” Fawzi said. “The beauty of the continues to harbour adherents of ably the oldest in Egypt, derives of the evolution of Christianity in pleted in 2011. icons, the different sections of the both religions. its popular name from its location this country,” said Bishop Julius The church is perhaps most church and the historical value of “The two houses of Christian atop the southern gatehouse of a Ava Mina, the general supervisor famous for its icons, of which 110 each of these corners make me a and Islamic worship are a reflec- Babylonian fortress. The church’s of southern Cairo churches. “This strong fan of it.” tion of Egypt, a country that in the nave hangs above a passageway. is what makes this place unique Many of the Hanging Church’s most part functions as a melting Visitors climb several steps to and important for the history of original artefacts have been re- pot of faiths,” said Ehab Hamdi, a the church’s iron gates in an ascent the Christians in Egypt.” moved and are on display at the tour guide. “They confer cultural, that probably represents spiritual In 1047, the Hanging Church was Many of the Hanging nearby Coptic Museum, which tourist and religious riches to the elevation. The gates are under a designated the official residence Church’s original contains hundreds of pieces from place that can be hardly matched pointed stone arch that creates an of the Coptic Orthodox pope when artefacts have been the Greek, Roman, Byzantine and elsewhere.” inspiring demarcation between the Egyptian capital was moved Ottoman eras. the church’s interior and the from Alexandria to Cairo under removed and are on The Coptic Museum was Hassan Abdel Zaher is a outside world. the Muslim conquest. display at the nearby founded by a Christian politician Cairo-based contributor to After passing the iron gates, Around the same time, Pope Coptic Museum. Marcus Simaika Pasha. Many The Arab Weekly. Egyptian architect battles to preserve city’s heritage Karen Dabrowska world, reaching its golden age in the built and an index of Cairo’s monu- The Save Cairo Campaign, which on the preservation of historic Cai- 14th century. In 1979, UNESCO pro- ments set up. In 1881, the Khedive is fighting to prevent the further de- ro, we were first able to obtain from claimed historic Cairo a World Cul- Tawfiq established a committee struction of historic Cairo, lamented Cairo Governor Galal Saeed a deci- London tural Heritage site with 600 monu- responsible for the preservation of in a statement that “the state issues sion to halt the demolition for one ments. Islamic and Coptic monuments in demolition orders for dilapidated or month,” Abdel Barr said. he whole of Cairo is under “Cairo is many cities together, in- Egypt as a body within the Ministry life-endangering old buildings in- “We inquired about the possibili- threat, paying the price cluding Fustat, the Abbasid City, the of Awqaf. stead of ordering their restoration. ty to buy Bayt Madkour and opened of modernisation and ris- Ayyubid City, the medieval city and Abdel Barr described how the “The hardest attack on historic a bank account under the name of ing property prices, said the Ottoman City,” Abdel Barr said. monuments were isolated in a no buildings took place during the the ‘Egyptian Association to Save Egyptian architect Om- She quoted 15th-century Egyptian man’s land. “There is only one months that followed the 2011 Heritage’ to collect donations. An Tniya Abdel Barr, co-founder of the historian Taqi al-Din al-Maqrizi, house left near the Ibn Tulun ‘Arab spring’; some buildings were advertisement was recently filmed “Save Cairo” campaign. author of “Al-Khitat,” saying: “Alas, mosque. The government is saving demolished and others were built inside the house, as the film direc- “What is happening in Cairo is everything is lost except for very the monuments but destroying the within heritage building bounda- tor spotted its special character. happening to all the historic cities little, deteriorated, ruined and de- city. Moreover, banks are not giving ries, disregarding any technical re- Now that the demolition of Bayt in Egypt,” Abdel Barr said in her lec- stroyed.” Abdel Barr said the state- loans for the restoration of historic quirements, especially in the area Madkour is halted for good, we are ture “The Cairo We Lost,” delivered ment is as true today as it was when houses,” she said. of al-Darb al-Ahmar. While the law awaiting funds to start restoration.” in London. Maqrizi made it. bans the construction of any build- While co-operation between con- She pointed out that in Egypt Other historians and architects ings higher than three stories in the servation organisations in the Arab there was no equivalent to the lamented the destruction of old Cai- area, 12-storey towers were being world “is a bit difficult,” an “Egypt United Kingdom’s National Trust or ro. In 1864, French architect Arthur erected.” Heritage Network” was set up on English Heritage dedicated to the Rhone said: “It is done, the most The campaign had some success- the national level, Abdel Barr noted. preservation of historic sites and beautiful city of the old eastern es, including saving Bayt Madkour “We have Save Alex in Alexan- buildings and there was no political world will become banal and Euro- While co-operation historic building in al-Darb al-Ah- dria, then we decided we are going will to preserve the urban fabric of pean like so many others.” mar, which was listed for conserva- to call ourselves Save Cairo, then Cairo’s historic downtown and east- In 1840, British architect James between tion in 2010. A post-“Arab spring” there was Save Minia and Save ern section. “The attitude among Wild sketched the houses in old conservation government had inexplicably del- Port Saeed, then Save Assiut, so politicians is let it die, we will build Cairo as he feared they would soon organisations in the isted it. The house dates to the 14th all these ‘saves’ are together under another one,” she said. be demolished and, in 1843, Brit- Arab world “is a bit century, the interior had several an independent network and we Cairo was founded after the Arab ish painter Richard Dadd painted difficult,” an “Egypt exceptional architectural attributes have meetings to discuss how we conquest in the seventh century. houses in the old city. but because of its run-down fa- can help each other. Nonetheless, Famous for its mosques, madrasas, “I searched for those houses but Heritage Network” cade, a decision was issued to pull it is very difficult for civil society hammams and fountains, Cairo did not find them,” Abdel Barr said.