The Illustrated Guide to the Coptic Museum and Churches of Old Cairo

Egypt’s Coptic Church is one of the oldest in the world, encompassing two millennia of history, tradition, and culture. The Coptic Museum, founded in Old Cairo in 1908, houses the world’s largest and most exquisite collection of Coptic artifacts, representing every historical era, from the earliest Christian period to the nineteenth century. After undergoing extensive renovations and repair, the Coptic Museum is open to the public again, making this richly informative and illustrated book very timely for anyone interested in this rich artistic heritage. Structured as a guide, but fully illustrated with superb color photographs, this book takes readers through the various exhibits, explaining and illuminating the aesthetic and religious importance of each of the museum’s works on display, such as icons, stelae, sculptures, wall paintings, altar screens, liturgical implements, vestments, and bible caskets. Textiles, ceramics, and documents (including the Nag Hammadi Gnostic Library from the fourth century, one of the most important collections of papyri in the world) provide valuable insights into the economic and social life of Egypt’s Copts over the last two thousand years.