The Coptic Museum – Museums in Cairo Egypt
Facts about Coptic Egyptian Antiquities and the history of the Coptic period to build the most important museums in historic Cairo and the most important manuscripts and murals it contains and what are the working hours and entrance ticket prices and more.
This archaeological museum was located inside Ancient Egypt, within the borders of the famous Babylonian fortress, the remains of which still exist behind the museum building..
The Coptic Museum Facts
The most important historical heritage museums in Cairo, Egypt. The history of the museum’s establishment, the most important collections, icons and manuscripts there, visiting hours, entrance ticket price, interior design and more.
One of the most prominent tourist attractions in the Egyptian capital, dating back to the end of the nineteenth century..
Interest in Coptic art was revived at the end of the nineteenth century, when Mr. Gaston Maspero (now founder of the Egyptian Television Building), a French Egyptologists, collected many Coptic pieces in dedicated rooms in The Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square.
History of the establishment of the Coptic Museum, Cairo
In 1908, Marcus Simika Pasha, after obtaining the approval of the Orthodox Pope, Cyril V, succeeded in establishing the Coptic Museum based on a plan that had been allocated for the construction of a church..
The museum first opened in 1910, then again in 1984 after restoration, and officially became a state museum in 1931..
In 1939, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities decided to transfer all the Christian antiquities displayed in the Egyptian Museum to the Coptic Museum..
What is in the Coptic Museum Cairo?
In the museum’s corners, you will find funerary paintings dating back to (the second century to the fifth century AD) which clearly indicate through their artistic style the civilization of ancient Egypt and the history of the Pharaonic civilization “Ancient Egypt History” as well as the Ancient Egyptian religion through symbols and signs such as (God Horus the falcon, God Anubis the jackal) and Coptic art through symbols (the poet with arms, crosses and birds).).
This means that this project succeeded in linking the ancient Pharaonic and Greek-Roman era, the era of the Roman Kingdom, and the Islamic Egypt History.
One of the unique things about this museum is that it is located within the walls of the Babylon Citadel, which is part of the walls of the old city built by Emperor Trajan.
The Coptic Museum, Cairo, in 98 AD, also includes the churches of ancient Cairo, such as St. Sergius and St. Barbara, which were founded in the fourth century, and the Hanging Church “Al-Ma’alla”, which was founded in the sixth century..
The museum occupies an area of 8,000 square meters, including buildings and gardens, and is filled with many fabrics, manuscripts, priestly vestments, murals, and wooden panels. Painted wooden ceilings and marble fountains were also collected from ancient Coptic palaces and placed in the museum..
The most important collections of the museum:
You will see sculptures from the 4th and 5th centuries showing people borrowed from Greco-Roman mythology that are filled with many Christian symbols, such as the statue of Aphrodite emerging from the sea, implicitly referring to rebirth through baptism in water and the Holy Spirit in the Christian faith..
The museum houses a collection of 16,000 works of art, including 1,200 real treasures on display to the public, and contains nearly 6,000 papyrus manuscripts, the most important of which are the Psalms of David and the Nag Hammadi manuscripts..
Visiting hours of the Coptic Museum, Cairo: from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, and the ticket office closes at 4:00 pm..
Ticket prices: Ticket price for foreigners is 40 pounds, for foreign students 20 pounds, for Egyptians 2 pounds, and for Egyptian students only 1 pound.
Photography is not permitted without written approval from the Supreme Council of Antiquans..
Location Address: Coptic Museum: Mar Girgis Metro Station – Old Cairo
Establishment of the Coptic Museum
The construction of this archaeological museum began during the Roman rule in Egypt, but many of the most important additions to the building and construction occurred during the Roman Empire during the rule of both Imperator Augustus Caesar and Trajan..
Then after that, all the Egyptian Pharaohs kings and Pharaonic queens of Egypt “Female Pharaohs” who came after them from the Ptolemaic Kingdom of the Roman emperors added to it..
The famous French scholar Maspero also played an important role in the construction and establishment of this archaeological museum, as he worked to collect various works of Coptic art and then allocated a hall for them inside the large building of the Egyptian Museum..
Then, in 1893 AD, Marcos Pasha Samika demanded that a large group of the most important Coptic antiquities at that time be included in the special interests of the Committee for the Preservation of Antiquities and Arts..
This man also struggled for a very long time until he was able to build the current building of the Egyptian Museum, which was opened in 1910, and he was then appointed as its first director..
Then after that the first Coptic Museum guide was published in 1930..
Main sections of the Coptic Museum
In fact, this archaeological museum is the largest museum of Coptic antiquities in Egypt, which includes various special history in the Coptic era. It includes the following sections::
The section dedicated to stones and plaster drawings.
Department of Coptic Writing Development in Egypt and Codicology.
It also has a section for the placement and manufacture of fabrics and textiles..
Also the section specializing in making ivory and icons..
Wood Section.
With him the metals department.
Finally, the section that holds both pottery and glass..
The most important collections of the museum
The number of holdings in the OPEC Coptic Archaeological Museum is approximately 16,000 holdings, and all of these holdings in the museum have been arranged according to their shape and type into approximately twelve sections..
The old wing of this archaeological museum also includes a large collection of the most important archaeological pieces related to the presence of wooden furniture and a large number of the most important inlaid doors..
It is also noteworthy that the museum includes this ancient door, which is also made of a special type of sycamore wood..
Not only that, but the Coptic Museum in Egypt contains a large number of the most important manuscripts of the Holy Bible, dating back thousands of years. It is originally a magnificent and large architectural masterpiece..
He had also built the Coptic Museum in order to succeed in filling a certain gap in Egyptian history and art in general. At the same time, it contained a very large collection of artifacts, most of which were also of great importance to Coptic art around the world..
What is the price of a visit ticket for Egyptians?
Adult ticket fee: 10 EGP
The ticket fee is: 5 Egyptian pounds.
What is the price of a visit ticket for foreigners?
The visit ticket fee for foreigners is: 100 Egyptian pounds.
If the visitor is a foreign student, the entrance fee is: 50 Egyptian pounds.
Note: Facts and secrets of the history will be added soon…
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