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Cairo
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Cave Church

Cave Church, Cairo

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Cave Church

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See all things to do
Cave Church
4.5
339
#3 of 262 things to do in Cairo
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The area
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Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
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610 within 5 kms
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519
2.3 km$ • Cafe • Egyptian
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1.7 km
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Attractions
190 within 10 kms
St Simon the Tanner Monastery
41
17 mChurches & Cathedrals
The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities
12,557
4.5 kmSpeciality Museums
Al-Azhar Park
930
1.6 kmParks
Mosque of Muhammad Ali
2,619
1.6 kmHistoric Sites • Religious Sites
Mosque and Madrasa of Sultan Hassan
440
2 kmHistoric Sites • Religious Sites
Cairo Citadel
1,223
1.6 kmHistoric Sites • Architectural Buildings
Al-Azhar Mosque
366
2.1 kmReligious Sites
Gayer-Anderson Museum (Bayt al-Kiritliya)
208
2.5 kmHistoric Sites • Art Museums
Sharia Al Mu'izz Li-Din Allah
271
2.6 kmPoints of Interest & Landmarks
Islamic Cairo
789
2.3 kmNeighbourhoods
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Popular mentions
4.5
339 reviews
Excellent
255
Very good
61
Average
15
Poor
5
Terrible
3
TTOverseas
Cairo, Egypt206 contributions
Cave Church is worth a visit.
Apr. 2022
The Cave Church is worth a visit, we combined it with "Garbage City" and enjoyed wandering around the Cave Church Location. We visited with a Tour Guide, so this helped us understand the history and explain the paintings and carvings.
Written 30 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
tijanamir
Belgrade, Serbia402 contributions
Magnificent! Must see!
Mar. 2022
This is a must see! Absolutely marvelous and breathtaking! To come to it you drive through the Garbage City (which is also worth seeing) and then you arrive at this rare marvel of peace and tranquillity - no horns, no traffic, no big crowds so you really get to sit in there, admire the work of art and hear the birds singing. Difefrent from anything else in Cairo and maybe even the world.
Written 23 March 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Mohamed
6 contributions
Excellent
Dec. 2021 • Family
Very nice place to visit
Iadvice anyone to see this beautiful place
I will visit it again
Cairo is very nice
Written 6 March 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Luis P
Zaragoza, Spain87 contributions
Cave Church should be a must
Jan. 2022
On 8th January a taxi drove us through Garbage City to Cave Chuch, The Church of Saint Simon the Tanner. This is the only way to access it.
The experience was amazing. You have to visit the area with a guide. Our guide was Marina; this wonderful young woman showed and explained everything to us in a very professional way. She was knowledgable, charming, polite and very honest
The church is built under Mokattam Mountain, a sacred place for the Copts. It is an open-air amphitheatre where thousands of people can sit down. Under the cave there is a big stage with an altar, icons, etc. Apart from that, a little further there is a proper church too.
Everything was built by the Copts living in Garbage City, a very poor neighbourhood in Cairo where people pick up all the rubbish in Cairo and recycle it. They cleaned and built the cave and the area, little by little. Fortunately they had some donations, and a Polish artist carved beautiful scenes from Jesus Christ's life on the rock.
I strongly believe that Cave Church should be a must in any visit to Cairo. And going through Garbage City , although hard to see, is an opportunity to realise how priviledged we are and how much poverty there is in the world.
Written 31 January 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
The 2 Idiots Travel Blog
Charlotte, NC28 contributions
Magnificent and underrated must visit spot
Dec. 2021 • Family
Absolutely marvelous and breathtaking church. So underrated! And the drive through garbage city was fascinating as well. Definitely one of the more unique experiences we’ve had in our travels.
Written 27 December 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Haeli G
7 contributions
Take better care
Feb. 2021
This cave and surroundings need better attention. Why is the concerned authorities not giving this magnificent church needed care?
Written 21 February 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
DamiB
La Condamine, Monaco112 contributions
a mesmerizing open-air church
Feb. 2021
such tranquility in this grandiose place, hidden in the Mokattam mountains at the entry of Cairo's "Garbage City" - don't let the name of the neighborhood put you off, it's actually an amazing experience in itself
Written 15 February 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Takarasina
924 contributions
A gem among piles of waste
Nov. 2020
Cairo's Garbage city literally consists of it. The stench is not for lacking mettle, views from your car's windows bring back memories of how nice life in your country is. But if these windows are closed and A/C is on then the stench stays outside and you will be rewarded for your resilience - the church is excellent!
The Copts built and sanctified it not that long time ago, in 1975. They did it without any help from the authorities, through crowdfunding. It looks very impressive, even gorgeous. Erected on the hill it's safe from the Garbage city miasms and believers inside do not look like slumdogs or slabs at all - well-groomed, elegantly dressed, smelling with perfume, not with rotting filth.
It's allowed to both film and take pictures there - just respect those who came to prey.
A beauty.
Written 9 November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Judy
Greater Sydney, Australia11 contributions
superb and beautiful
Mar. 2020
I just love this place. It is peaceful and the rock carvings are incredible. The story of the miracle of Mokattam is also very special.
Written 24 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
cottonels
Peterborough, Canada100 contributions
Not to be missed. Fascinating Christian church in this predominantly Muslim country.
Feb. 2020
Part of the appeal of the Cave Church was the route we had to take to get there. We travelled through Garbage City where the recycling for the city of Cairo is done. All modes of transportation were observed and we saw how the people of Cairo lived.
We met a group of wonderfully curious school children at the church, many of whom spoke English and all of whom wanted to have their picture taken with us. One of the highlights of our trip.
The cave itself is huge and very impressive.
A site not to be missed.
Written 13 June 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Cave Church
We recommend booking Cave Church tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 55 Cave Church tours on Tripadvisor