Coptic Museum

The Coptic Museum holds the world’s largest collection of Egyptian Christian art. It stands in Coptic Cairo, inside the walls of the Roman fortress of Babylon, surrounded by some of the oldest churches in the city, including the Hanging Church and the Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus. See the Religious Complex for the wider area.

History

The museum was founded by Marcus Simaika Pasha, who began the project in 1908 on land given by the Coptic Orthodox Church, with support from Pope Cyril V and donations from leading Coptic families. It opened on 14 March 1910. Simaika built architectural pieces from old churches and Cairene houses into the galleries: mosaic fountains, mashrabiya screens, painted ceilings and inlaid wooden doors. The facade echoes the Fatimid Al-Aqmar Mosque. The museum became a state institution in 1931, a New Wing was added in the 1940s, and the building was restored again in the 1980s and in 2005–06.

What to look for

• Stone carvings and the 6th-century stone pulpit from the Monastery of Saint Jeremiah at Saqqara.
• Wall paintings from the monastery of Apa Apollo at Bawit, including Christ in majesty.
• Coptic textiles, among the finest surviving from late antiquity, with woven figures, birds and plant motifs.
• Icons, carved wooden panels and church doors, metalwork and pottery.
• Manuscripts, including the Nag Hammadi codices, the 4th-century Gnostic library discovered in Upper Egypt in 1945. Most of the codices are kept in the library for specialist researchers, not on open display.

The collection numbers around 16,000 objects, arranged chronologically and by material, and shows how Coptic art blended Pharaonic, Greek, Roman and Byzantine traditions and later influenced Islamic art in Egypt.

Visiting tips

Take Cairo Metro Line 1 to Mar Girgis station, which is directly opposite the entrance. Allow one and a half to two hours, and leave time for the churches, the Ben Ezra Synagogue and the Mosque of Amr Ibn al-As nearby. Modest dress is appropriate for the churches. There is no parking in the immediate area, so public transport or a taxi is the best option. Photography may require a separate ticket.

Last checked October 2026. Sources: en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org, egymonuments.gov.eg, egiptoexclusivo.com.