# Heavenly Cathedral, Sharm El Sheikh > The Heavenly Cathedral (Al Samaeyin) is Sharm El Sheikh’s Coptic Orthodox cathedral, opened in 2010, with every wall and ceiling covered in biblical murals and stained-glass windows. Entry is free and it’s open daily from morning to evening. Thirty minutes is enough. It’s 5 km from Naama Bay — about 10 minutes by taxi. Web page: https://yesgo.io/egypt/sharm-el-sheikh/heavenly-cathedral - City: [Sharm El Sheikh](https://yesgo.io/egypt/sharm-el-sheikh), Egypt - YesGo score: 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 30 min - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Free; donations welcome - Hours: Daily; unofficially 6:00–21:00 - Time needed: 30 minutes; about an hour for a slow look at the murals - Where: Hay El Nour (Al Nour), between Naama Bay and Old Sharm - From Naama Bay: ≈ 5 km by road, 10 minutes by taxi - Dress code: Shoulders and knees covered; wraps at the door - At the gate: Police post — carry your passport or a copy - Photos: Allowed inside; no flash during services - Coordinates: 27.88806, 34.29542 - Facts checked: 03.11.2026 ## Key facts - **2010** — the year the cathedral opened — a modern church, not an ancient site (source: Arabic Wikipedia: “Church of Al-Samaeyin”; nashaplaneta.net; GPSmyCity) - **Free** — to enter; donations are voluntary (source: nashaplaneta.net; Travellingfoot guide) - **≈ 5 km** — by road from Naama Bay (4 km in a straight line), 10 minutes by taxi (source: YesGo calculation from OpenStreetMap coordinates and the OSRM router) - **Al Samaeyin** — “the heavenly ones” — the church’s Arabic name (كنيسة السمائيين) (source: Wikidata; Arabic Wikipedia; OpenStreetMap) - **Murals** — instead of framed icons: Old and New Testament scenes cover the walls and vaults (source: nashaplaneta.net; GPSmyCity; Travellingfoot) - **Hay El Nour** — the residential district where it stands, away from the resort bays (source: OpenStreetMap; nashaplaneta.net) - **≈ 4 km** — by road to the Old Market and Al Sahaba Mosque (2.4 km in a straight line) (source: YesGo calculation from OpenStreetMap coordinates and the OSRM router) - **Pews** — for the congregation, as in Western churches (source: nashaplaneta.net; Wikimedia Commons photos) - **Oriental Orthodox** — the Coptic Church, led by the Pope of Alexandria, split from Byzantine Christianity after the Council of Chalcedon in 451 (source: Wikipedia: Coptic Orthodox Church; Arabic Wikipedia) - **≈ 18 km** — by road to Sharm El Sheikh International Airport (source: YesGo calculation from OpenStreetMap coordinates and the OSRM router) > **Dress code and ID** This is a working cathedral, so beachwear won’t get you in: cover your shoulders and knees, or borrow a wrap at the door. Women don’t need to cover their hair. There’s a police post at the gate — carry your passport or a photocopy in case you’re asked for it. ## What is the Heavenly Cathedral? The Heavenly Cathedral is the Coptic Orthodox cathedral of Sharm El Sheikh. Its Arabic name, Al Samaeyin (also spelled Al Samaayeen or As-Samayoun), means “the heavenly ones” — the full dedication is to all the saints who dwell in heaven. It opened in 2010. It isn’t an ancient site. It was built for the Egyptian Christians who live and work in the resort and, according to Arabic Wikipedia, took eight years to build and was opened in the presence of Pope Shenouda III. Visitors of any faith are welcome, and it’s a standard stop on Sharm city tours. From outside it’s a sand-coloured basilica with small domes, crosses and stone lions guarding the steps. The real reason to come is inside: every wall and vault is painted in bright colours, and the windows are stained glass. If you only give “the town” half an hour of your holiday, this is a good place to spend it. ## What to see inside - **The painted ceiling and walls** — murals of Old and New Testament scenes: the miracles of Christ, the Last Supper and a great Last Judgement behind the altar. - **The Last Supper** — the most photographed scene in the church. - **Stained-glass windows** — at their best around midday, when sunlight throws colour across the nave. - **Pews** — Coptic congregations sit for much of the liturgy, unlike in Russian or Greek churches. - **The lions and the façade** — the best outside photos are in the softer morning or late-afternoon light. - **Polished marble floors and arched windows** — against the busy walls, the nave feels light and spacious. ## Is it free, and when is it open? There are no tickets: entry is free, and a donation in Egyptian pounds is welcome. The church doesn’t publish visiting hours. Unofficially it’s open daily from about 6:00 to 21:00; some listings say 24 hours. In practice the doors are open through the day, but after dark the nave may be unlit. Come in the middle of a weekday, when the light through the windows is best and few worshippers are about. Service times aren’t posted in English, so if you walk in on a liturgy, you can stay — keep to the back, put the camera away and don’t wander along the pews. ## Coptic, Orthodox — what’s the difference? The Copts are Egypt’s native Christians. Their church belongs to the Oriental Orthodox family, with the Armenian, Ethiopian and Syriac churches, which parted from the Greek and Russian Orthodox world after the Council of Chalcedon in 451 over how to describe the nature of Christ. The church is led by the Pope of Alexandria — currently Tawadros II — and services are in Arabic and Coptic. Christmas falls on 7 January. For a visitor, the differences are easy to see: pews, murals rather than framed icons, and a very different style of chant. ## How to get to the Heavenly Cathedral 1. Taxi from the Naama Bay promenade: about 5 km, 10 minutes. Taxis aren’t metered, so agree the fare first and pay in Egyptian pounds at the end. Ask the driver to wait 30–40 minutes — finding a cab back in a residential area is harder. 2. Microbus: walk up to Peace Road (Al Salam) and flag down a blue-and-white minibus heading south towards the Old Market. Ask to get off at Carrefour or Sharm International Hospital; the cathedral is about 1 km’s walk from there (unofficial). Fares around EGP 10–25, cash only (unofficial). 3. Hotel shuttle: many hotels run shuttles to the Old Market, which is about 4 km (6–7 minutes by taxi) from the cathedral. 4. City tour: most half-day Sharm tours combine the cathedral, the Al Sahaba Mosque and the Old Market, with hotel pick-up. 5. At the gate, show your passport or a copy at the police post if asked, then head for the main door between the lions. > **Cash or card?** Entry is free, but bring cash for a donation, a candle and the ride. Taxi drivers and microbuses take only Egyptian pounds; foreign Visa and Mastercard work in hotels and larger shops, not here. Carry small notes — dollars and euros are accepted by some drivers, but at a poor rate. ## Before you go: checklist Tick off what’s ready — your ticks are saved in this browser. - [ ] Shoulders and knees covered - [ ] Passport or a photocopy - [ ] Egyptian pounds in small notes - [ ] Taxi fare agreed and the driver will wait - [ ] Going on a weekday, around midday ## Heavenly Cathedral vs Al Sahaba Mosque vs Old Market | | Heavenly Cathedral | Al Sahaba Mosque | Old Market | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | What it is | Working Coptic cathedral | Working mosque | Bazaar | | Opened | 2010 | 2017 | — | | Entry | Free | Free, outside prayer times | Free | | Where | Hay El Nour, central | Sharm El Maya, south | Sharm El Maya, south | | From Naama Bay | ≈ 5 km by road | ≈ 7 km by road | ≈ 7 km by road | | Go for | Murals and stained glass | Façade and 76 m minarets | Souvenirs, spices, dinner | The cathedral and the mosque are 4 km apart, so see both on one trip: the cathedral is better inside, the mosque is better outside and floodlit at night, and the market next to it rounds off the evening. ## Churches and mosques in Sharm El Sheikh compared Places of worship in Sharm El Sheikh and Sinai rated by YesGo. - [Saint Catherine's Monastery](https://yesgo.io/egypt/sharm-el-sheikh/saint-catherines-monastery) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free entry, museum extra - [Heavenly Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/egypt/sharm-el-sheikh/heavenly-cathedral) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free; donations welcome - [Mount Sinai](https://yesgo.io/egypt/sharm-el-sheikh/mount-sinai) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 4 h · Tour from Sharm ≈ US$30–80 - [Al Sahaba Mosque](https://yesgo.io/egypt/sharm-el-sheikh/al-sahaba-mosque) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free ## Half a day in town: cathedral, mosque and market The cathedral’s murals by day, the Al Sahaba Mosque at sunset, then the Old Market and the Naama Bay promenade. Add it to your route — YesGo fits in the timing and transfers. 1. [Heavenly Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/egypt/sharm-el-sheikh/heavenly-cathedral) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free; donations welcome 2. [Al Sahaba Mosque](https://yesgo.io/egypt/sharm-el-sheikh/al-sahaba-mosque) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free 3. [Old Market (Old Sharm)](https://yesgo.io/egypt/sharm-el-sheikh/sharm-el-sheikh-old-market) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Free entry 4. [Naama Bay](https://yesgo.io/egypt/sharm-el-sheikh/naama-bay) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Free (promenade) ## Don’t mix it up Every Egyptian city has Coptic churches: Hurghada visitors are taken to St Shenouda’s, and in Cairo the famous ones are the Hanging Church and Abu Serga in Coptic Cairo. This page is about Al Samaeyin in Sharm El Sheikh. Sinai’s ancient monastery, [St Catherine’s](https://yesgo.io/egypt/sharm-el-sheikh/saint-catherines-monastery), is Greek Orthodox, not Coptic. ## Tips - Pack a light scarf or long-sleeved shirt — easier than borrowing a wrap at the door. - If someone from the church is around, ask what the murals show — the scenes are easier to read with a guide. - No flash, and don’t photograph people at prayer. - Do the cathedral, Al Sahaba Mosque and the Old Market in one taxi trip rather than three. - On hot days come early or after 16:00 — it’s cool inside, but the walk from the car is in full sun. - Candles and donations are cash only, in pounds, and change may not be available. ## Questions ### Where is the Heavenly Cathedral in Sharm El Sheikh? In the Hay El Nour (Al Nour) district, between Naama Bay and Old Sharm: about 5 km by road from Naama Bay and 4 km from the Old Market. ### Is there an entry fee? No. Entry is free; you can leave a donation or light a candle, paying in Egyptian pounds. ### What are the opening hours? No official hours are published. Unofficially it’s open daily from about 6:00 to 21:00; be quiet if a service is on. ### How do I get there from Naama Bay? A taxi takes about 10 minutes — agree the fare first. A microbus along Peace Road can drop you at Carrefour or Sharm International Hospital, about 1 km away. ### What should I wear? Cover shoulders and knees; no beachwear. Women don’t need a headscarf, and wraps are handed out at the door. ### Can I take photos inside? Yes, visitors photograph the murals. Skip the flash during services and don’t photograph worshippers. ### Is the Heavenly Cathedral worth visiting? Yes, if you want to see something of Sharm beyond the beach: the murals are vivid, it’s free and only 10 minutes from Naama Bay. It’s a modern church, not a historic monument. ### Is the Coptic Church Orthodox? Yes — Oriental Orthodox. It separated from the Greek and Russian Orthodox churches after the Council of Chalcedon in 451 and is led by the Pope of Alexandria. ### How long do I need? Thirty minutes to look around; about an hour for a slow look at the murals and the stained glass. ## How we checked The cathedral has no website and publishes no visiting hours, so hours, the police post, photo rules and microbus directions are unofficial and marked “verifying”. Published hours differ — 6:00–21:00 (nashaplaneta.net), 8:00–18:00 and “24 hours” in directories — so we say “morning to evening”. The 2010 opening is confirmed by Arabic Wikipedia and two guides. The 2002 start of construction and Pope Shenouda III’s presence at the opening come from Arabic Wikipedia only; claims that it was voted one of the world’s most beautiful churches, and stories about its sponsors, could not be confirmed and are left out. One guide places it in Hadaba; OpenStreetMap puts it in Hay El Nour (Al Nour). Distances use OpenStreetMap coordinates and the OSRM router. The English query core comes from search results and “People also ask”. ## Sources - OpenStreetMap: cathedral building (Cathedral of All Saints Who Live in Heaven, way 329548899), Al Nour district, Old Market, Al Sahaba Mosque, Carrefour, airport - OSRM: road distances from the cathedral to Naama Bay, the Old Market and the airport - Wikidata: Q64744343 (Heavenly Cathedral) - Arabic Wikipedia: “Church of Al-Samaeyin” (كنيسة السمائيين) - Wikipedia: Coptic Orthodox Church - nashaplaneta.net: “As-Samayoun Coptic Church in Sharm el-Sheikh” - GPSmyCity: “The Heavenly Cathedral, Sharm El Sheikh” - Travellingfoot: “Heavenly Cathedral” - El Watan News, 2021 — the South Sinai governor’s visit to Al Samaeyin Cathedral - Wikimedia Commons: Heavenly Cathedral category (façade, interior, Last Supper, stained glass) --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.