Cave Church

At the end of Garbage City's winding unmarked roads, tucked away in the Muqattam Hills, is a series of caves containing seven churches and chapels of the Monastery of St. Simon the Tanner. Carved directly from the rock, the Coptic Christian churches are a unique example of the faith and dedication of the zabaleen people.

Virgin Mary and St. Simon Cathedral

The main cave in the monastery, Virgin Mary and St. Simon Cathedral, is dedicated to the story of Simon the Tanner and the Muqattam Mountain. According to Coptic sayings, in 979 A.D. a dispute between Pope Abram and a Jew named Jacob Ibn Killis erupted over a well-known verse in the Bible.

"I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed,

you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move.

Nothing will be impossible for you."

-Matthew 17:20

Jacob Ibn Killis challenged Pope Abram to prove the validity of his religion using this verse. Upon hearing this, Caliph Al-Muizz (the Muslim head of state) agreed to the challenge and threatened Pope Abram's life if the task was not carried out. As the story goes, after three days of prayer and fasting by the people, the Holy Virgin appeared to Pope Abram and told him a man named Simon the Tanner would carry out the task. So, Pope Abram, with the help of Simon, cried out to God three times while making the sign of the cross, then an earthquake shook the ground and the mountain was lifted.

The outside entrance of the cathedral

Partially open to the sky above, the cave cathedral seats 5,000 people.

Church of St. Bola

Across the street, a smaller St. Bola's church bears the black-walled scars of a survivor. Named for the Pilgrim, St. Bola, the humble church was nearly destroyed after an electric spark created a fire, which engulfed the interior in 1992.

Fire damage is evident by the black ceiling and walls.

St. Simon the Tanner's Hall

The huge cave of St. Simon the Tanner's Hall was discovered full of oversized rocks in 1979. After years of clearing the rubble, the cave was designed as a meeting hall and now seats an impressive 2,000 people.

The entrance to St. Simon's Hall

A Diamond in the Rough

Deep within Garbage City, around corners and down seemingly unmarked streets stands a gate. Behind the gate, a street noticeably absent of trash and debris meanders down a hill and continues past an important but modest building. A recycling center. For women.

Set up as a way to help women of the Garbage City community make a living, the recycling center teaches them to reuse and refurbish donated cloth and paper. From hand-made Christmas cards to woven rugs and bags, the center offers the women not only valuable life skills, but also a renewed sense of purpose and hope for a successful future.

photo by Melissa W.

Tubs used to make paper for greeting cards

photo by Melissa W.

Finished paper hanging out to dry

photo by Melissa W.

Garbage City

Known as Garbage City, Manshiyat naser is an area of Cairo home to mostly Coptic Christians and a growing Muslim population. Each day, zabaleen (Arabic for garbage collectors) collect one-third of Cairo's garbage, about 4,500 tons, and bring it back to their homes in Garbage City where it is sorted by men, women, and children. The remainder of the city's trash is dumped in the streets, alleyways, and building corners where dogs, cats, and goats scavenge it for food.

After sorting the trash, recyclables such as glass, aluminum, and paper are sold to small factories that prepare the items to be reused or resold again. Food waste was once fed to pigs, which were then sold for their meat—a way of living that ostracized the Christian zabaleen from their Muslim neighbors. However, after the outbreak of H1N1, Egypt ordered the mandatory slaughter of all pigs in an effort to prevent the disease within national borders; which created a hard blow to the already miniscule income of Garbage City's residents.

Despite the health risks, laborious work, and lack of governmental support, the zabaleen recycle 85% of the trash they collect—a high rate by any standards, but even more impressive considering their simplistic methods.

"They have created what is arguably one of the world's most efficient resource-recovery and waste recycling-systems."

-Wael Salah Fahmi,

Professor of Architecture and Urban Design at Helwan University in Cairo

Old Cairo

A stained-glass window inside the Hanging Church

The oldest area in Cairo dates back to the 6th century B.C. and is often referred to today as Coptic Cairo because of its large number of early Christian churches. Of the original 20 Christian churches, only 5 remain, but they are considered a must-see for any traveler visiting the city. The word coptic is derived from the Arab word Gibt, which literally means Egyptians. Therefore, Coptic Christians are merely, Egyptian Christians.

Hanging Church

Located on the top of the southern tower gate of the Babylon fortress, the nave of the Hanging Church is suspended above the passageway, thus giving it its name. Built in the 7th century and dedicated to St. Mary, today it is the most famous Coptic Christian church in Cairo.

The curved, wooden ceiling is a tribute to Noah's Ark.

Fortress of Babylon

A series of walls and towers built by the Romans, which are now part of several churches in the area.

Church of St. George

The Greek Orthodox church of St. George was originally constructed in the 10th century but rebuilt in 1904 after a fire destroyed the structure. Built atop the foundation of an old Roman tower, St. George is the only round church in Egypt.

Greek Orthodox Cemetery

Ben Ezra Synagogue

Originally a Christian church, Ben Ezra Synagogue was purchased by the Jews in 882 A.D. in order for the Coptic Christians to pay the annual taxes imposed by the Muslims. The current building, erected in 1892, is a replica of the collapsed original.

Apparently, I didn't get a photo of the synagogue. I borrowed this one from sacred-destinations.com.

Amr Ibn El-Aas Mosque

Erected in 642 A.D., Amr Ibn El-Aas Mosque is the first and oldest mosque in Egypt. Because of our female non-Muslim status, we were unable to enter the mosque or pass by the guards at the gate. Obviously the mosque is not part of Coptic Christian Cairo, but it is within walking-distance to the other churches and considered part of Old Cairo.

Shop 'Til You Drop

Cairo's most famous souk (market), Khan el-Khalili overflows with enough treasures to satisfy even the most insatiable shopper. Baskets of seeds and spices perch next to brightly colored scarves. Alabaster bowls balance precariously on shelves while camel bone carved trinkets intrigue shoppers who brave the winding back alleys. Each jagged turn offers the possibility of undiscovered treasure and many shop owners extend unfulfilled promises of discounted items, freebies, and marriage proposals.

Egyptian man: Hey, Spice Girls! Good prices for you.

Us: Did he just say Spice Girls?

Egyptian: You from Australia, I know. You marry me. I love you forever.

Us: La shukran... No, thank you.

*all photos by Andrea Gregory

Museum of Egyptian Antiquities

The Egyptian Museum in Cairo is home to the most impressive collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts in the world. From old coins to mysterious mummies, the museum is a one-stop shop despite its unorganized layout. Unfortunately, we were stripped of our cameras before entering the building and forced to leave with perishable mental pictures.

Although the museum has 27 royal mummies in the Royal Mummy Room, only 9 are currently on display, including the recently discovered body of King/Queen Hatshepsut. But, what the museum is probably most famous for is its collection of King Tutankhamun artifacts. Decorative jewelry, alabaster vases, flasks, and royal weapons are just the beginning of the ostentatious valuables. His sarcophagus and well-known mummy mask, the Gold Mask, made of 24.5 pounds of solid gold, are the crowning highlights on display.

The Gold Mask, which rested over the bandages that covered King Tut's face.

King Tut's sarcophagus

A golden collar found on King Tut's body, which was used as a protective amulet rather than for decoration.

Not to be missed is the room of mummified animals. Peculiarly well-preserved dogs, cats, gazelles, monkeys, cows, and even a crocodile line the perimeter and bear testimony to the ancient Egyptians' reverence for the afterlife. Why bury a dog when you can mummify it for future eternal enjoyment?

All photographs below were taken by Richard Barnes for National Geographic.

Pharaoh's best friend

A queen's gazelle

Mummified cat to the left of its wooden cat-shaped coffin

A cuddly pet baboon

Don't Touch the Water

A cruise down the Nile River is a relaxing experience, especially after a full day of Cairo's chaos. As the longest river in the world, the 4,184 mile long Nile flows through ten different countries in Africa including: Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, and Kenya. The north-flowing river ends in northern Egypt where it empties into the Mediterranean Sea. Because of pollution, the waters in Egypt are considered extremely dirty and we were advised several times not to touch the river.

I have two things to say about this picture:

1. Of course there is a TGI Fridays on the bank of the Nile River!

2. If you ask someone where Moses was found they might point here, or over there, or there, or there. Nobody knows for sure but if there are reeds then it's a "possibility."

Not the Boxer

An announcement was made regarding whose mosque we were visiting and instantly my eyebrows furrowed and an invisible question-mark floated above my head. Five more confused faces scrunched up down the line and finally someone said what we were all thinking, "This is Muhammad Ali's mosque? But, not the boxer, right?"

Muhammad Ali Pasha, considered by many to be the founder of modern Egypt, ruled the country in combination with his family and descendants for 147 years. He died in 1849 and was buried in the mosque he commissioned in the Citadel of Cairo.

If you look closely you can see two of the three Giza pyramids through the dense smog.