Housing the world's largest collection of Coptic Christian artwork, the Coptic Museum in Cairo provides a link between ancient and Islamic Egypt.

The Coptic Museum is generally arranged by artistic medium. The first floor has carved stone and stucco, frescoes, and woodwork. The second floor includes textiles, manuscripts, icons, and metalwork.

The collection includes many exquisite pieces, but several are noteworthy more for their quirkiness or syncretism than their beauty. Look for carvings and paintings that trace the transformations of the ankh into the cross, and Christian scenes with Egyptian gods.

Some of the Nag Hammadi manuscripts, early copies of Gnostic-Christian writings like the Gospel of Thomas, are upstairs.

For a detailed guide of the museum, pick up Jill Kamil's Coptic Egypt: History and Guide (American University in Cairo Press).

Quick Facts

Location Map

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