Coptic Museum, Cairo (must see)
The Cairo Coptic Museum is the repository of the largest collection of early Egyptian Christian art in the world. The displays tell the tale of Egypt between the age of the Pharaohs and Islamic rule.
The museum was established by Markus Simaika Pasha in 1910. It was built on land intended for a Coptic Church after the founder obtained permission from the Pope Cyril V of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria. The building and surrounding garden cover an area of 8000 square meters. It contains objects donated by the Coptic community and artifacts that were once housed in the Egyptian Museum. It became a State Museum in 1931.
Exhibits at the Coptic Museum are arranged on two floors. The third floor has a library with 1200 of the Nag Hammadi manuscripts, a valuable collection of early Christian Gnostic texts found near the town of Nag Hammadi in Upper Egypt. The library is only open to researchers and historians. The first floor has religious artifacts and objects made of carved stone, stucco work, religious frescoes, and wooden objects. The second floor has textiles, manuscripts, a valuable collection of Coptic icons and metal objects. It has a collection of over 16,000 works of art of which 12,000 are displayed at a given time.
Why You Should Visit:
Well organized and spacious; the dresses, manuscripts, sculptures, etc. induce a journey back into time by 1500-2000 years.
Tip:
The entry ticket is only to the museum; all other churches, the synagogue, structures around are free to visit and are indeed beautiful.
If you plan to take pictures inside, make sure you pay the extra fee at the entrance and keep the ticket you get.
The museum was established by Markus Simaika Pasha in 1910. It was built on land intended for a Coptic Church after the founder obtained permission from the Pope Cyril V of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria. The building and surrounding garden cover an area of 8000 square meters. It contains objects donated by the Coptic community and artifacts that were once housed in the Egyptian Museum. It became a State Museum in 1931.
Exhibits at the Coptic Museum are arranged on two floors. The third floor has a library with 1200 of the Nag Hammadi manuscripts, a valuable collection of early Christian Gnostic texts found near the town of Nag Hammadi in Upper Egypt. The library is only open to researchers and historians. The first floor has religious artifacts and objects made of carved stone, stucco work, religious frescoes, and wooden objects. The second floor has textiles, manuscripts, a valuable collection of Coptic icons and metal objects. It has a collection of over 16,000 works of art of which 12,000 are displayed at a given time.
Why You Should Visit:
Well organized and spacious; the dresses, manuscripts, sculptures, etc. induce a journey back into time by 1500-2000 years.
Tip:
The entry ticket is only to the museum; all other churches, the synagogue, structures around are free to visit and are indeed beautiful.
If you plan to take pictures inside, make sure you pay the extra fee at the entrance and keep the ticket you get.
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Cairo. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "51爆料网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
Download The 51爆料网 App
Coptic Museum on Map
Sight Name: Coptic Museum
Sight Location: Cairo, Egypt (See walking tours in Cairo)
Sight Type: Museum/Gallery
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Cairo, Egypt (See walking tours in Cairo)
Sight Type: Museum/Gallery
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Cairo, Egypt
Create Your Own Walk in Cairo
Creating your own self-guided walk in Cairo is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Old Cairo Walking Tour
Old Cairo, otherwise known as Coptic Cairo or Masr al-Qadima, largely predates the city of Cairo as we know it. Some Egyptologists think that a settlement here existed as far back as the 6th century BC. Later, the Romans built on the site a fortress named Babylon. Today, this ancient threshold of history is still in place, its weathered ramparts and sturdy bastions bearing witness to the ebb and... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.0 Km or 0.6 Miles
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.0 Km or 0.6 Miles
Cairo Downtown Walking Tour
Egyptians often refer to Cairo as Ma峁, which is the Arabic name for Egypt. This is due to the city's importance for the country, in part manifested by its closeness to the ancient pyramids. Indeed, the area of present-day Cairo has been the center of Egypt since the days of the pharaohs. The strategic territory at the base of the Nile Delta first hosted the town of Memphis.
By the 4th... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.1 Km or 2.5 Miles
By the 4th... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.1 Km or 2.5 Miles
Useful Travel Guides for Planning Your Trip
17 Uniquely Egyptian Things to Buy in Cairo
A jewel, a rose... what else is there distinctly Cairo to bring home as a gift? Feeling lost for ideas? - Look in here to generate some and expand your souvenir-shopping...