Approaching Old Cairo: Transport Links
Depending on whether it's broadly or narrowly defined, Old Cairo covers everything south of Garden City and Saiyida Zeinab - from the slaughterhouse district beside the Mamluke Aqueduct out to the ancient Jewish cemetery of Al-Basatin - or a relatively small area near the Mari Girgis metro station, known to foreigners as "Coptic Cairo" . Cairenes themselves distinguish between the general area of Masr al-Qadima and specific localities such as Fumm al-Khalig (Mouth of the Aqueduct) or Qasr el-Sham'ah (the erstwhile fortress of Babylon). Most tourists concentrate on Coptic Cairo, followed by a brief look at the Mosque of Amr. The Coptic quarter is rapidly accessible by taking the metro from downtown Cairo to the Mari Girgis station (four stops from Midan Tahrir in the Helwan direction; 50pt). Another possibility is the river-taxis (aka water buses; 25pt) that leave from the Maspero Dock, zigzagging southwards upriver. On Fridays and during Ramadan, however, some may sail no further than Roda. The Mari Girgis stop is the fifth one; to reach the Coptic quarter from there, head inland, turn left and then cross the tracks at the end of the road. Taxis from downtown Cairo are reluctant to accept less than GBPE10, while buses from Tahrir and minibuses from Midan Ataba to Amr's Mosque are usually packed on the outward journey but fine for getting back.
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