"CIUDADEL OF CAIRO, EGYPTIAN MUSEUM OF PHARAONIC ART, MOSQUE AND COPTO NEIGHBORHOOD" TOUR.

"CIUDADEL OF CAIRO, EGYPTIAN MUSEUM OF PHARAONIC ART, MOSQUE AND COPTO NEIGHBORHOOD" TOUR.

The Cairo Citadel, or Saladin Citadel, is a medieval Islamic-era fortification in Cairo, Egypt, built by Salah ad-Din (Saladin) and developed by later Egyptian rulers. It was the seat of government in Egypt and the residence of its rulers for almost 700 years, from the 13th to the 19th centuries. Its location on a promontory in the Mokattam Hills near the center of Cairo dominates a strategic position overlooking the city and dominating its skyline. At the time of its construction, it was among the most impressive and ambitious military fortification projects of its time. It is now a preserved historical site, including mosques and museums. The Citadel was built on a promontory below the Mokattam Hills, a setting that made attacking difficult. The effectiveness of the Citadel's location is further demonstrated by the fact that it remained the heart of Egyptian rule until the 19th century. During this long period, the design and structure of the Citadel was repeatedly altered and adapted to suit to the designs of new rulers and new regimes, making it difficult to rebuild their original plan or even their plan in later periods. There have been three main construction periods that led to the current form of the Citadel: 12th century Ayubid (beginning with Saladin), 14th century Mamluk (under An-Nassir Muhammad), and 19th century (under Muhammad Ali). The Citadel ceased to be the seat of government when the ruler of Egypt, Khedive Ismail Pasha, moved to the newly built Abdin Palace in the new center of Cairo in 1874. Despite its elaborate defenses, the Citadel was never subdued. to a real siege, although he was repeatedly implicated in political conflicts in Cairo or Egypt.

The Egyptian Museum in Cairo houses the largest collection of objects from the Ancient Egyptian period; possesses more than 136,000 classified objects from different eras of Egyptian history: Tinite, Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, Empire New, Third Intermediate, Late, Hellenistic and Roman Period, surpassing other museums not only in quantity, but also in the importance of many of them. It is located in the center of Cairo, on Tahrir Square. The ground floor, entirely dedicated to sculpture, painted reliefs and sarcophagi, is dominated by the colossal statues of Amonhotep III and the reinTie, located at the back of the great atrium. Tutankhamun's funeral trousseau is exhibited on the first floor: the mask and gold sarcophagi, the jewels, the golden throne, the alabaster crockery and the furniture. The collections on display are so rich that they cannot be visited in a single day. Since Napoleon's military campaign in Egypt, European interest in Egypt has been arousing into a veritable mania for the pharaonic and the ancient.

The Mehmet Ali Pasha Mosque, also known as the Alabaster Mosque, is a mosque located in the highest part of the Citadel of Cairo, in the capital of Egypt. It was built at the behest of the Ottoman governor Mehmet Ali between the years 1830 and 1848. It was the largest mosque built in the first half of the 19th century and is also the most visible in the Egyptian capital due to its elevated location and the height of its minarets. It was erected in memory of Tusun Pasha, the eldest son of Mehmet Ali who died in 1816. Today the mosque is an unavoidable visit for tourists, who can contemplate a privileged view of the city from it.

The Qasr al-Sham neighborhood is known as the Coptic neighborhood of Cairo, to recognize that it is the place where the Christian Egyptians of Cairo live. Although "Coptic" originally referred to all the inhabitants of Egypt, when they were conquered by the Arabs, the term began to be used to refer to the Christian Egyptians who came to live, mostly, in the Qasr al-Sham neighborhood. This area of ​​Cairo has a historical character, since according to the New Testament, this area is where the family of Jesus lived, in their exile fleeing from Herod's persecution. In the cave where it is said that they lived at this time the Church of San Sergio y San Baco was built.

Itinerary

• Pick up at your hotel, or the one closest to your accommodation by a guide from our agency.

• You will start with a panoramic tour towards the Cairo citadel, where you will have a time for photos.

• Walking tour of the area, (Coptic Quarter, Mosque)

• Transfer to the Egyptian Museum of Pharaonic Art.

• Dinner at a local restaurant.

• Return to the hotel.

• All visits to the different facilities and museums have the presence of a specialist who will guide our tour, explaining in detail the meanings and history of the different attractions that we can observe.

The tour includes

• Guide service in Spanish.
• Entrance to Museums and Temples.
• Dinner.
• Transfers during the tour.

Does not include

• Professional guide in English, French, Portuguese, German and Italian languages. If you want a guide in these languages, it is done on request and an extra charge must be paid.