For centuries Egypt has served as a cradle of civilizations, religions and cultures, and it would be next to impossible to include all the historic Islamic and Coptic sites riddling the nation’s streets. Here are some of our picks:

The heart of Islamic Cairo is Khan El-Khalili and Al-Azhar, where you’ll need a few days and a good pair of walking shoes to canvas the maze of mosques and monuments. You could spend a lifetime here and still find surprises, but there are a number of sights and sounds any visitors wanting to get a true sense of spiritual Egypt should never miss out on.

Totally touristy but loads of fun nonetheless is taking in a whirling dervishes performance at the Wikalet El-Ghouri (free admission Wednesdays and Saturdays at 8pm Tel: +2 (02) 511-0472). The one-hour show, which features members of a local Sufi sect playing traditional instruments including drums, cymbals and flutes, is usually packed, so arrive early if you want a place to stand. Lesser known but just as enchanting is attending a Zar performance — make a reservation to see Mazaher, a modern Zar troupe playing at the Egyptian Center for Culture and Art (also known as Makan 1 Saad Zaghloul St., Downtown Tel: +2 (02) 792-0878).

(For more on Zar, an ancient healing ceremony largely performed by women, see “Mazaher” in Faces, by Senior Writer Manal el-Jesri, March 2005, page 56, or search for “Mazaher” on egypttoday.com)

One-time visitors to Egypt will probably not get the chance to take part in a moulid, but if you’re Egyptian, a foreign resident or are in the country longer than a few weeks you’ll probably be able to catch one. The biggest is Moulid Al-Badawi in Tanta (usually in October) but Cairo plays host to three major ones (Sayyida Zeinab, Al-Hussein and Imam El-Shafei) throughout the year. Be prepared to brave massive crowds, but you’ll have immense fun taking in the funfairs, snake charmers and monkey trainers as well as endless hawkers on the sidelines.

Mohsen Allam

Hardcore architecture enthusiasts will happily spend hours roaming Downtown Alexandria’s Sahet El-Masaged (Mosque Quarter), where El-Mursi Abul Abbas Mosque takes pride of place. Also exciting to see is the Terbana Mosque right by the Zanet El-Sittat marketplace in Anfushi. Founded by a Moroccan merchant in 1674–5 as a resting place for North African pilgrims on their way to Mecca, Terbana is characteristic of Ottoman architecture with its use of small red and black stone and mashrabeyya detail. What sets this mosque apart, though, is its unique minaret built on two mammoth Roman-style granite columns.

It’s also worth the hour or so jaunt from the capital to Fayoum for a quick look at the Hanging Mosque, which sits atop five archways. Constructed in 1375 by Prince Suleiman ibn Mohammed, it has a double flight of stairs leading to the main door. While you’re there, stop in at the fifteenth-century Khwawand Asla Bey Mosque, which boasts a domed roof supported on high columns. The columns are believed to date back to the Pharaonic era, while the finely carved wood and inlaid ivory minbar (pulpit) was a gift from Somalia.

With Coptic once being synonymous with the word ‘Egyptian,’ it’s little wonder that Egypt is home to a myriad of Christian sites inside and outside the capital. For a concentration of Coptic churches, head to Old Cairo, which is best reached by taxi or metro (Mar Girgis Station) because of the winding streets and lack of parking spaces. First on any visitor’s list should be El-Muallaqa, or the Hanging Church, believed to have been built in the seventh century on the site of an older fourth-century church. Perched on top of the Roman walls, it is actually more suspended than hanging and is possibly the first built in the Basilican style. The church is home to a beautiful collection of restored ancient icons and an old iconostasis inlaid with ebony and ivory.

A short walk away is the Church of Abu Serga, built on the site of a cave in which the Holy Family is thought to have resided at the end of their stay in Egypt. Tradition holds that this entire district was blessed by the Holy Family during their travels in the country. Of note are the Church of the Virgin Mary, the Church of Saint Mercurius as well asthe Convent of St. George. Here you will find a huge, ornamented door hinged inside the building, which also houses a series of catacombs where the holy man is believed to have been tortured.

No tour would be complete without a visit to the beautifully renovated Coptic Museum (Tel: +2 (02) 362-8766), with its collection of manuscripts, icons, crosses, statues and mosaics rescued from ancient monasteries.

While an impromptu walkabout of the area makes for a decidedly eye-opening experience, for a better informed tour, book with any of a number of agents specializing in pilgrimage holidays. South Sinai Egypt (Tel: +2 (02) 418-7310) organizes trips to Christian sites, perfect if you want to follow the trail of the Holy Family in Cairo.

One of the most-visited stops on the trail is Mataria, where, it is believed, the Family rested beneath a balsam tree that is used to this day to prepare holy oil. There are also a museum and a Catholic Church with gorgeous paintings of the angel Gabriel appearing to Joseph.

In nearby Zeitoun, the Church of the Virgin Mary is famed for the 1968 apparition of a woman walking on the church’s dome; after she appeared a number of times, the church’s priest declared that she was the Virgin Mary.

For those who want a chance to meet Pope Shenouda III, the patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church, head to St. Mark’s Cathedral in Abassiyya to hear his weekly address.

Fleeing from the governor of Old Cairo and his attempts to kill Jesus, the Holy Family set sail for the tiny village of Deir Al-Garnous in Minya, the first of a number of stops in Upper Egypt. A short note here: non-Egyptians traveling in Upper Egypt will be required to notify local security of their intinerary and travel with a police escort, so your best bet is to arrange a trip with an agent. One of the most active is Holy Family Egypt (www.holyfamilyegypt.com info@arabwestreport.info), which organizes groups looking to visit Christian sites and moulids in the Delta, Sinai and Upper Egypt. Highlights include the monastery on Mount Dronka just south of Assiut, and a church on Gabal El-Teir (Bird Mountain) ­— also known as Gabal Al-Kaf (Mountain of the Palm) — near Minya, and El-Moharreq Monastery near Assiut, where Jesus and his parents stayed until an angel appeared to Joseph telling him to return to Palestine as Herod had died. For those willing to brave the killer summers in Upper Egypt, the Mount Dronka Monastery hosts an annual Moulid of the Virgin in August; a guesthouse outside the monastery’s main gate hosts some of the thousands of visitors to the event.

The most famous monasteries, however, are found not in Upper Egypt but in the Red Sea mountains where, most scholars agree, Christian monasticism was born. You’ll need permits to visit the fourth- and fifth-century monasteries of St. Anthony and St. Paul on Gabal El-Galala near Zaafarana; they can be obtained from the monasteries’ Cairo office (St. Paul Tel: +2 (02) 590-0218, St. Anthony Tel: +2 (02) 590-6025). St. Anthony’s Monastery houses a collection of crosses, manuscripts and impressive wall paintings, and the nearby cave where St. Anthony lived and died is worth the hike.

If hiking’s your cup of tea, head to the Sinai and trek up Mount Sinai to watch the sunrise from the spot where it is believed the prophet Moses received the Ten Commandments from God. St. Catherine’s Monastery below shelters the Burning Bush of Old Testament fame, and an impressive collection of icons and jeweled crosses. Visitors can stay overnight at the nearby Monastery Guesthouse (Tel: +2 (069) 347-0353 Reservations desk opens at 6pm).

Over in Wadi El-Natroun, 100 kilometers northwest of Cairo, lies the Monastery of St. Macarius in the Western Desert where early Christians fled from Jewish persecution. In the same area you’ll find the Monastery of El-Baramous, the Monastery of St. Mary and St. Yehnis Kama’s Monastery (aka the Syrian Monastery) and St. Bishoi’s Monastery, which is Pope Shenouda’s monastic residence.

For lodging in the Wadi El-Natroun area, check out Al-Hamra Ecolodge (Tel: +2 (02) 305-3081 or +2 (010) 388-2001) just before the popular rest-stop Wahet Omar at kilometer 112 on the Cairo-Alex Highway. The facility offers cottage and regular room accommodations, organic food and recycled or eco-friendly furnishings. Taking its name from a nearby river at which the Virgin Mary and Jesus quenched their thirst, the ecolodge also serves as a natural spa. Residents can immerse themselves in the lake’s rich black mud, reputed to cure skin diseases.

In Alexandria proper, visit the coastal city’s first church, St. Mark’s Cathedral, where more than 100 Coptic popes are buried. At press time, the Greco-Roman Museum, which has a sizable collection of Coptic art, was closed for renovations.

Abdin Palace Museums: behind Abdin Palace, Qasr Abdin Square, Downtown Home of the former Egyptian Royal Family Tel: +2 (02) 391-0042 Open 9:30am–2:30pm Closed Fridays No cameras allowed.

Agricultural Museum: next to the Ministry of Agriculture in Dokki Tel: +2 (02) 761-6785 Open 8:30am–2:30pm Closed Mondays.

Coptic Museum: Old Cairo (Mar Girgis Metro Station) Extensive collection of objects from the Christian era (300-1000 AD), including a large collection of textile fragments Tel: +2 (02) 362-8766 Open daily 10am–5pm Ticket office closes at 4pm.

Egyptian Antiquities Museum: Mariette Pasha St., beside the Nile Hilton Hotel Tel: +2 (02) 575-4319 A collection of Ancient Egyptian antiquities Open daily 9am–6:30pm.

Entomological Society Museum: 14 Ramses St., near the Cairo Railway Station Tel: +2 (02) 576-6683 Open 10am–2pm daily and 5–8pm on Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Closed Thursdays and Fridays.

Islamic Art Museum: Port Said St. Tel: +2 (02) 390-1520 An extensive collection of Islamic Art from around the world. Currently closed for renovation.

Mahmoud Khalil Museum: 1 Kafour St., Giza, next to the State Council (Maglis El-Dawla) Tel: +2 (02) 338-9860 or 336-2379. Bring passport Open 10am–6pm. Closed Mondays.

Mohammed Nagui Museum: 9 Mahmoud El-Guindi St., Hadayek El-Ahram Tel: +2 (02) 383-3484 Open 10am—5pm in winter and 10am­­­­­­­­—6pm in summer. Closed Mondays.

Mustafa Kamel Museum: Salah El-Din Square Tel: +2 (02) 510-9943 Open 9am–6pm. Closed Mondays.

Mokhtar Museum: Tahrir St., Gezirah (across from Gezirah Exhibition Grounds, just before El-Galaa Bridge) Tel: +2 (02) 735-2519 Open 10am–1pm and 5–9pm. Fridays 9am–noon. Closed Mondays.

National Museum of Egyptian Modern Art: Gezirah Exhibition Grounds, Zamalek Tel: +2 (02) 736-6667 Open 10am–2pm and 5–10pm. Closed Fridays.

Omm Kolthoum Museum: Manisterly Palace, El-Roda Tel: +2 (02) 363-1467 Display of photographs and personal effects of singing diva Omm Kolthoum Open daily 9am–4pm.

Post Office Museum: El-Ataba Square, main Egyptian National Post Office building, second floor Displays memorial stamps Tel: +2 (02) 391-0049 or 391-0011 or 390-0151 Open 9am–1pm. Closed Fridays.

Railway Museum: adjoining the Cairo Railway Station, Ramses Square Tel: +2 (02) 576-3763 Collection includes Khedive Ismail’s private train Open 8am–2pm. Closed Mondays.  et

Please note that most museums are closed during Friday asr (midday) prayers between 11:30am to 1:30pm. For more details, call Cairo Tourist Information at +2 (02) 391-3454.