Hanging Church Religious Site

Address: Hanging Church (Saint Virgin Mary’s Coptic Orthodox Church), Old Cairo (Babylon), Cairo Governorate, Egypt

Hours: Daily 9am-5pm (may vary during religious holidays)

Admission: Small donation/requested entry fee to the Coptic Museum area (varies)

The Hanging Church (al-Muallaqa) is a historic Coptic Christian church in the Coptic Cairo district of Greater Cairo. It is one of the oldest and most important churches in the Egyptian Coptic tradition and is known for its distinctive elevated nave.

The church interior contains notable iconography, a wooden nave set above a passage and a collection of medieval and later Coptic art that attracts cultural and religious visitors. Its elevated position above the gatehouse of the old Roman Babylon fortress gives the church its common name.

The building was constructed on the remains of the Babylon Fortress and has been rebuilt and restored several times across the medieval and later periods; it has also served as a seat for Coptic patriarchs at times in its history. The church’s layered fabric reflects long-standing Christian presence in the area.

It stands within the Coptic Cairo area of the Giza Governorate, amid a cluster of historic religious sites and museums on the eastern edge of historic Old Cairo.

• Neighbourhood: Located inside Coptic Cairo, the site sits near other major Coptic monuments such as the Coptic Museum and Ben Ezra Synagogue, making the district a concentrated heritage area.
• Visitor advice: A modest dress code is recommended for visitors because the church remains a place of worship within an active Coptic community.

The Hanging Church is in Old Cairo (Coptic Cairo/Babylon). From downtown Cairo, take a taxi or Uber toward Mar Girgis/Coptic Cairo; the site is a short walk from the Babylon Fortress archaeological area and near the Coptic Museum. Public buses and microbuses serve nearby routes but door-to-door taxis are the simplest option.

• Visit early morning to avoid crowds and to catch the soft light through the tall nave windows.
• Respect Coptic services and signage; photography is allowed in many areas but ask on site for permission around icons and relics.
• Look for the suspended nave: the church sits above a gatehouse of the ancient Roman fortress of Babylon - the wooden screens and carved icons are centuries old.