At the exit door of your cruise ship at Port Said, your tour guide will pick you up to have a 3-hour drive to the city of Cairo. Upon arrival to Cairo, you will visit the most important Coptic and Islamic attractions. It will take 3 hours to get to Cairo.
You will start your tour with the visit to the Coptic area. It is true that Christianity in Egypt is as old as Christianity itself. Your private guide will explain you the meaning of this phrase upon your visit to the Coptic churches. Start your tour with the 1500-year-old Hanging Church built on top of one of the towers of the fortress of Babylon. Dedicated to Virgin Mary, it is one of the most beautiful and important churches in Cairo. You will go next to the Cavern church. It is so called because below the church there is a cave where Jesus the baby and Mary the Virgin were hiding for 3-months escaping King Herod. Go downstairs and have a look at the place where baby Jesus used to sleep. This is one place among 15 more where the Holy family stopped during the journey in Egypt. The journey lasted for 3 and half years. Next, visit the oldest of the synagogues in Egypt. Ben Ezra temple dates back to the 9th century and it is open for tourist visits. Your Egyptologist will explain fully the history of all the places of your tour.
Following this and upon arrival at the citadel of Saladin, marvel at the alabaster mosque of King Mohamed Ali. Listen to your guide as he shares with you the basic facts of Islam and the function of every part of the mosque. Find out how the whole area was used as a fortress since the middle Ages and the story of the Arabs and Crusaders. The founder of the royal family had the mosque built by a Turkish architect influenced by the style of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. The mosque is seated on a mountain Cliff; and the inner and outer walls are covered with alabaster. It took 18 years to finish the whole complex of the mosque (1830-18480.Before leaving the area, you can enjoy a panoramic view of the city with the chance of seeing the Giza pyramids in clear days.
A very important part of the famous mosques is the mosque of Ibn Tulun. It is one the oldest mosque in Egypt and one of the largest in the world; it has very beautiful and lovely architecture and a unique minaret. The arches of the courtyard galleries are decorated with beautifully carved stucco; the first time this medium was used in Cairo. Climb up the unique minaret, the only one of its kind in Egypt, is modeled after the minarets of Samarra, with a spiral staircase around the outside. Enjoy the view of the open court, the city and surroundings and take photos of everything around you. Your private guide will be happy to answer all your questions after giving you full history of the mosque. Lunch will be served during the day tour before going back to Port Said