A little less than 5km south of Tahrir Square, a stone's throw from the Nile, lies the capital's historic quarter, known by Egyptians as Masr al-Qadima ("Old Cairo") and by foreigners as "Coptic Cairo". Its vestiges date back to Roman times, the beginning of our era, when only Heliopolis and the "Babylon of Egypt" existed where Cairo now stands. Don't miss the district's showpiece, the Coptic Museum, or the Hanging Church, dedicated to the Virgin Mary.