Description of the attraction
The Coptic Museum is the center of art and cultural monuments of the Copts, who are known as direct descendants of the ancient Egyptians. Copts settled in the territory of ancient Babylon, where Cairo was later founded. In the culture of the Copts, an amazing interweaving of the traditions of Egypt and Greece and Christianity is noticeable. Copts make up ten percent of the Egyptian population these days.
The Coptic Museum was founded and opened in 1910 by the collector and official Markus Simayk. The basis of the museum's exposition was his personal collection, and later it was replenished with relics and artifacts that were passed on to churches and monasteries from all over the country. At the moment, the number of museum units is about 16 thousand and they are located in twenty-nine halls. There are icons, frescoes, church utensils, architectural details, tapestries, ancient manuscripts. Here you can see amazing examples of weaving and gold embroidery. The museum houses an ancient library of papyrus manuscripts.
The architecture of the museum building resembles a mosque, linking Coptic culture with Egyptian. This connection is emphasized by the attention and details in the interior of the museum, which are common for Christianity and Islam. These are multi-colored stained-glass windows and murals on the walls. The courtyard of the museum is decorated with small fountains with colored stones.
In 2006, a large-scale reconstruction of the museum was carried out, which also implied a significant replenishment of the collection. The old part of the museum consists of two sections, the new part has eight sections.
