The Coptic Museum in
Cairo is a life-like record of one of Egypt's
periods all fraught with various antiques and
monuments reflecting the different civilizations
that graced the land of Egypt starting by the
Ancient Egyptian civilization, passing by the
Greek, the Roman, the Coptic, and lastly the
Islamic.
The Coptic Museum lies behind the walls of the
famous Roman Fortress of Babylon in the ancient
district of Cairo (Misr Al-Qadima).
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The area surrounding the museum abounds in lively
monuments of open museums that depict with the
Coptic Museum the history of the Coptic Period in
Egypt.
Six paramount, ancient, Coptic Churches share
ground with the Coptic Museum. They date back
somewhere between 5th and 8th century AD. The
place holds the church of Abu Serga, the most
ancient in Egypt. It was raised above the cave
which the Holy Family sought refuge into as they
fled from Herodus's oppression to Egypt.
The place, moreover, embraces Virgin Mary's Church
known as the Hanging Church; a great ancient
worship house of world stature that was among the
very first to host Coptic rituals on the face of
earth. The museum was built in an artchitectural
style using wood in ceilings and oriels (arabesque
and lattice glass). Some biblical verses are
written against them ornamented with Coptic
embellishments like plants, especially grapevines,
birds such as eagles, ostriches and peacock which
all imply a certain philosophy and a specific
significance in the Christian creed. Marble
pillars and fountains ornamented with mosaic are
more than present under the roof.
The Coptic Museum in Cairo encloses rare treasures
from the Coptic Period exhibiting a dimension of
Egypt's civilization. The museum consists of two
wings divided into several halls. The old wing was
inaugurated in 1910 and comprises 13 sections,
while the new was opened to the public on February
20, 1947 encompassing 17 halls. The State
undertook continuous restorations of the
historical building being re-inaugurated on March
8, 1984 by President Mubarak. |