Cairo, Religiously Trivia Quiz

Answer: Mark

He is said to have started the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria after the death of Christ. Coptic Christianity is one of the largest Christian denominations in Egypt itself. Followers of this school of faith are generally called Copts.

Mark the Evangelist is also called Saint Mark and John Mark. He is regarded as one of the seventy-two disciples that Jesus sent out to towns according to Luke 10:1 in the Bible. Saint Mark is regarded to be a martyr and was killed in Alexandria.

Answer: Jewish

She died on 13 April 2013. She led the Jewish community by her works. Most of the Jewish community in the city moved out after the formation of Israel and other conflicts that happened in Egypt. She tried to preserve the Jewish culture by pushing to renovate synagogues in the city.

Answer: Baron Empain Palace

It was constructed by the Belgian industrialist Édouard Louis Joseph. He was a railway line builder in France and Belgium. He was said to be the founder of Heliopolis, a suburb in Cairo. It is also said to be inspired by temples in Cambodia. A major part of this temple has been vandalized.

It was bought by the Egyptian government in 2005. There are many statues of Hindu idols and elephants around the palace.

Answer: Eid-al-Fitr

During Eid-al-Fitr, there are extensive feasts and celebrations. It is also called the Feast of Breaking the Fast or the Lesser Eid. It usually falls in the month Shawwal. There are special prayers that are recited especially for this festival. Children receive special gifts called Eid-ey-yah which are sums of cash for their expenditure.

Many parks in Cairo have open celebrations during this time.

Answer: True

According to folk legend, it is considered to be built exactly where Moses was found as a baby. It is also called the Synagogue of the Palestinians. It was completed in 1892. The Cairo Geniza was found in this synagogue. These documents are observed to say a lot about medieval life in Cairo.

Answer: Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church

Sergius and Bacchus were soldiers. They are well known martyrs who were killed in Syria under Maximian. They were secret Christians who were later exposed and thus killed. The church is believed to be built on the place where Jesus and his family rested on their way to Egypt. Its dating leads back as far as the fourth century. It is located at the Babylon Fortress.

Answer: Al-Azhar University

It was established in around 970-972. It has affiliation to both Sunni and Shia sects of Islam. It is a public university. Its library is very well known in the country of Egypt. It is also called Al-Azhar madrasa which literally means Al-Azhar school. It was established during the Fatimid dynasty's era in Egypt.

Answer: Bahá'í Faith

Converts to this faith are recorded to have begun in Egypt in around the 1860s. Some of the well known people of this faith in Egypt have been Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl who helped bring a lot of people to this faith. Another notable name in relation to this faith in Cairo was Abdu'l-Bahá. There are many organisations in Egypt that propagate this faith.

Answer: Sunni

It is the largest denomination of Islam. The people who followed the leadership of and accepted Abu Bakr as the first Caliph went on to become the Sunni Muslims. A sacred aspect of the Sunni Muslims are the six pillars of inam which are believed to unite them in belief.

Answer: Sham el-Nessim

It was a custom of the Coptic church but most religions in Cairo join in the festivities. It is observed in the month of Khamaseen. It is said that during this holiday salted and smoked fish, lettuce and onions were given to gods by Ancient Egyptians! Edward William Lane mentions this day in his book 'Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians'. Most people enjoy picnics on this day and have some traditional feseekh, a traditional food.