Hanging Church

Old Cairo, Egypt

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The Hanging Church, also known as Al-Muallaqa or the Suspended Church, in Old Cairo, Egypt, is one of the oldest Coptic Orthodox churches, dedicated to the Virgin Mary and built atop the southern gate of the ancient Roman Babylon Fortress from the 3rd or 4th century AD.

Its name derives from the dramatic illusion of hanging over the fortress ruins, accessed by climbing 29 steps, with the structure supported by palm logs, stone layers, and superimposed arches for stability across multiple rebuilds through the centuries. 

From the 7th to 13th century, it served as the seat of the Coptic Patriarch, featuring a basilica layout with a wooden ceiling shaped like Noah's Ark, marble pulpit on ten mosaic-decorated columns, vibrant icons from the 15th to 18th centuries, and glass floors revealing fortress remnants below.