Coptic Cairo

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).

[4] Further it is held that Christianity began to spread in Egypt when St. Mark arrived in Alexandria, becoming the first Patriarch, though the religion remained underground during the rule of the Romans.

[5] As the local population began to organize towards a revolt, the Romans, recognising the strategic importance of the region, took over the fort and relocated it nearby as the Babylon Fortress.

A traditional account claims that the Ben Ezra Synagogue was converted from a church sold to the Jews by the Coptic community in 882 in order to pay a tribute demanded by the governor of Egypt, Ahmad Ibn Tulun.

[12][13] Documents in the Cairo Geniza provide evidence of a possible Jewish presence as early as the 6th century,[12] though the current building is the result of a reconstruction in the 1890s.

[16][17] With the fall of the Fatimids and the rise of the Ayyubid dynasty in the 12th century, Muslim authorities became less tolerant and open-minded towards Christians and the construction of any new churches was strictly forbidden.

A number of western European travelers also visited Old Cairo during this period and wrote descriptions of the ancient fortress and its churches.

In addition to the building activity, patronage of the arts grew and a large number of church icons preserved today were commissioned in the 18th and 19th centuries.