|
The Coptic Museum
Situated in Misr al-Qadima (Old Cairo), the Coptic Museum is considered to be one of the most important cultural insitutions that have preserved the Coptic heritage. It contains 14000 historical pieces, thus enriching the heritage of coptic art in the World.
This magnificent collection of historical objects attests to the evolution of Coptic Art and its popularity and prominence as a national art. In addition, the Museum exhibits various aspects of the Helenic, Nubian and Islamic civilizations.
The Coptic Museum was founded in 1908 and expanded in 1947.It was damaged in the 1992 earthquake and one wing is still closed.
The building that houses the collections is itself very attractive, with wooden ceilings, traditional mashrabiyya (turnedwood) window lattices and inlaid stone fountain.
The collection includes stone and wood architectural pieces, textiles, frescos, icons, manuscripts, glass, ceramics and metalwork.
Notable items are the earliest complete Coptic psalter (fourth/fifth century), a Roman legion's eagle from Babylon (third/fourth century), seventh-century frescos from the Middle Egyptian Monastery of Bawit and stone-work from the Monastery of St Jeremias at Saqqara (sixth to seventh century).
|
