Coptic Museum

From Tahrir Square subway station, it was a short 5 LE (28 cents) subway ride four stops to the Mar Girgis station literally across the street from the Coptic Museum which is in the centre of a religious complex of many churches and a synagogue.

The Copts are an ethnic group with their own language and go back to the time of the Pharaohs themselves. They became Christian, although one interesting note from the museum is how this happened over a couple of hundred years where you see some of the pagan gods remaining part of the tradition, gradually becoming adapted to have Christian meanings. The Copts have remained in Egypt after Islam defeated the Byzantines despite waves of persecution. The Copts started the concept of monasticism that spread to Europe, and were themselves influential in the early days of the church. They mainly practice an Eastern Orthodox branch, but some adhere to Catholic rites. They are now a significant minority in Egypt of perhaps 10 to 20%

This museum shows some of the art which is quite nice from several centuries.Read more