Overview
Unveil Cairo's most specific hidden treasure: the Cave Church and Garbage City Tour, the harrowing pilgrimage through the Zabbaleen community in Manshiyat Naser, quite unlike all other walks of life. A truly off-the-beaten-path experience, this tour takes you today into the lives and culture of the community called Zabbaleen, a unique group classified by their current remarkable recycling practices backed by quite a profound Christian culture. You might hardly move a step within the narrow streets of Garbage City without seeing how waste became an efficient, self-sustaining system that out some 85 percent of the city's waste of the highest rates in the world.
Finally, the tour will take you to the magnificent Saint Simon the Tanner Monastery, also known as the Cave Church, which lies engraved in the Mokattam Hills. The largest church in the whole Middle East and stretched out to accommodate over 20,000 worshippers, this beautiful place was called "the most beautiful Christian site in the region." Its dramatic rock formations, biblically coupled carvings, and religious artwork tell the tale of Saint Simon, a legendary character in Coptic Christian history. As per its sheer majesty, the Cave Church gives a striking contrast to the junctures of life in Garbage City: indeed a spiritual and cultural endeavor.
This tour will have you immersed in the lives of the Zabbaleen people and their traditions for all the endurance in adversities they possess. It portrays an interesting dimension in the social fabric of Nature and culture to unite all-important issues of sustainability, faith, and strength of communities. History, an interest in environmentally sustainable initiatives, or a greater understanding of local culture will be found as a good alternative within this result and unforgettable viewpoint.
Unveil Cairo's most specific hidden treasure: the Cave Church and Garbage City Tour, the harrowing pilgrimage through the Zabbaleen community in Manshiyat Naser, quite unlike all other walks of life. A truly off-the-beaten-path experience, this tour takes you today into the lives and culture of the community called Zabbaleen, a unique group classified by their current remarkable recycling practices backed by quite a profound Christian culture. You might hardly move a step within the narrow streets of Garbage City without seeing how waste became an efficient, self-sustaining system that out some 85 percent of the city's waste of the highest rates in the world.
Finally, the tour will take you to the magnificent Saint Simon the Tanner Monastery, also known as the Cave Church, which lies engraved in the Mokattam Hills. The largest church in the whole Middle East and stretched out to accommodate over 20,000 worshippers, this beautiful place was called "the most beautiful Christian site in the region." Its dramatic rock formations, biblically coupled carvings, and religious artwork tell the tale of Saint Simon, a legendary character in Coptic Christian history. As per its sheer majesty, the Cave Church gives a striking contrast to the junctures of life in Garbage City: indeed a spiritual and cultural endeavor.
This tour will have you immersed in the lives of the Zabbaleen people and their traditions for all the endurance in adversities they possess. It portrays an interesting dimension in the social fabric of Nature and culture to unite all-important issues of sustainability, faith, and strength of communities. History, an interest in environmentally sustainable initiatives, or a greater understanding of local culture will be found as a good alternative within this result and unforgettable viewpoint.
Inclusion
- Cairo Top Tours provides transportation services from hotels in Cairo or Giza and back.
- An air-conditioned car is used for your transportation.
- The cost of admission to every location included in the tour schedule is covered.
- Certified tour guide who speaks English.
- All of our half-day tours of Cairo include complimentary bottled water in the car.
- Cairo shopping trips. (as requested).
- The half-day tour to Cairo's Cave Church and Garbage City includes all taxes and service fees charged by Egypt Day Tours.
Exclusion
- Anything additional that isn't listed on the schedule.
- All Egypt Tours do not include gratuity.
- Personal costs.
- Prices are valid for Egypt Easter trips and Egypt Christmas and New Year excursions.
Itinerary
Commencing your journey, we pick you up from your hotel in Cairo, where our professional guide will meet you to drive with you to Mokattam Mountain. From there, as you come close to Garbage City, you will experience the lifestyle of the Zabbaleen, who have converted this area into one of the most successful recycling hubs in the world. You will learn about the amazing activism of this community in waste management and how they have earned a self-sustaining community through sheer endeavor and creativity. My guide puts you on what the history and culture of this fantastic section of Cairo means.
Continue your tour to one of the most astonishing places in the country, the Cave Church of Saint Simon, the Monastery of Saint Simon the Tanner. The greatest church in the Middle East, carved into the rock of Mokattam Mountain, is the largest Christian church in the Middle East, capable of holding thousands of Christians at any given time. While your guide tells you the fascinating story and spiritual significance of this place for the Coptics of Cairo, enjoy the stunning carvings and biblical murals up on the cave walls. Sit back in the stillness around you and enjoy the city views spread out from this high altar.
And after the visit to the Cave Church, an easy drive to your hotel should follow. Not that you'd need much time to think about the multiple tales of faith, endurance, and a sense of community that have been relayed to you on this journey. The Cave Church and Garbage City Tour certainly provides an exceptionally brilliant dimension to Cairo as it takes history, culture, and social change to a memorable experience.
Price
| Number of Persons | Prices |
|---|---|
| 1 Person | $80 Per Person |
| 2 - 3 Persons | $55 Per Person |
| 4 - 6 Persons | $45 Per Person |
| 7 - 10 Persons | $40 Per Person |
Start from : $40
Check Availability
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The Garbage City is located at Al Moqattam in Cairo.
Yes, they are very close, and it takes some minutes to arrive in Old Cairo if you would like to visit it.
The Garbage City earned its name due to the overwhelming presence of garbage in the area. The Zabbaleen collect and store garbage in their homes, and the streets are often lined with heaps of waste awaiting processing.
Yes, your visa gets stamped when you leave the country, so you will need to apply for a new visa if you want to re-enter Egypt. If you are a citizen of a country where this is allowed by law, you can also obtain a new visa on arrival.
The monastery is a big place where up to 20,000 people can go. It's one of the biggest churches in caves in Mokattam and the Middle East. The Cave church was built to remember St. Simon who lived a long time ago.
In the same year, a big decision was made to build a church under a mountain in Egypt that could hold a lot of people. It is called the Monastery of St. Simon the Tanner and it is the biggest church in the Middle East with 20,000 seats.
The Garbage Village, also known as Zabbalin Village, was created in 1969 by President Nasser. He wanted to move all the garbage collectors in Cairo to a hill in Muqattam. At first, about 15,000 people made simple houses out of tin for themselves.
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