the Coptic Museum

The museum site

 

The Coptic Museum is located in Egypt's ancient city of Fustat, built by Amr bin Aas after the Islamic conquest of Egypt, and specifically at the subway station (Mar Girgis) within the borders of Fortress of Babylon and that there are its remnants behind the museum building, and construction began days of the Persians, but there be many additions in the reign of Alambratoren Romanians (August) and (Trajan).

A brief history of The museum

"Morcos Thmeekah Pasha" laying the basis of the Coptic Museum, in 1910, remained the property of Boutrkkhana until 1933 and then moved the museum to the ownership of the Egyptian state,and then attached by library

Contains some precious religious manuscripts. The museum was established in order to save a large group  Coptic art and monuments that dating back to the other the period between the years 300 m and 1000 m years.
The exploratory voyages in the logic of Saqqara reveal two old monasteries, one of St. Apollon and the second of St. Jeremiah, where the original source,but the Coptic Museum is not supplied with it.

Information about the The museum

  

Should not overlook the role of the French scientist Maspero who has worked to gather works of Coptic art and dedicated room in the museum for him, , and later Morcos Thmeekah Pacha in 1893 asked that the group of Coptic monuments annexed to the the concerns of the Commission for the Conservation of Antiquities and Arts, and fought until he was able to establish the current building of the museum on a stop ground  belonging to the Coptic Church , that Was opened in 1910 and he was appointed the first director of the museum . the Coptic Museum remained belonging to the Coptic Patriarchate until 1931 Until it became affiliated to the Ministry of Culture, then Thmeekah Pasha continued collecting rare pieces of old churches and ancient monasteries and palaces rich Christians . In 1947 He established a second suite of the museum consists of two floors

In 1966, the old suite was closed for restoration, and then reopened in 1984, but the museum was closed again after the earthquake of October 1992, ,and it has been restored.

The most important additions which have entered the museum is linking the old Suite with the new wing by corridor to be re-opened in June 2006, has been taken into account dividing it into 26 halls with the renewal of supply scenario.

The museum is characterized by the nature of Coptic art mixed with the ancient Egyptian tradition and Alhlinsah, Byzantine, Islamic, and combines the archaeological material and documents that help to study the history of Egypt since the advent of Christianity and even now ,where the number of museum collections around 16,000 pieces.

Of the most famous collections in the museum is a 3 pieces of wood the utmost importance in the study of sculpture between the fourth to sixth centuries, namely:
1 - the door of the Church of St. Barbara.
2 - the altar of the Church of Saints Sergius and Oakhos .

3 - high threshold had decorated one of the doors of the Hanging Church .

 The Library

 The hall Library, which includes ten thousand manuscript is one of the most important halls where it was equipped with methods protecting manuscripts from moisture and light recently.

 And in the museum there are the monuments of the Ahnasia - one of the centers of the province of Beni Suef ,These monuments have views of the Greek myths Include Aphrodite, which was carved as if born outside of the shell and it has been replaced with the form of the cross out of its shell as a symbol for the beginning of new life after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on the Cross.

The fourth hall of the museum

 

In the fourth hall of the museum there is the Cross in a sign (Ankh) known to us the key to life and there are pieces of bronze and shows an olive branch and crescent and the cross inside a tag (Ankh), which strongly suggests unity in ancient times.

The sixth hall of the museum

The sixth hall of the museum includes many of the paintings (or Orientals), which was attached to the walls and the walls of the museum before renovations, and in the hall Boit (a village near Assiut) there are Orientals in the walls have been restored by scientific means in addition to two panels one of the Virgin Mary and the other for the Lord Jesus Christ, and there is a special section of the famous archaeological Coptic textiles in the world so it named "Qubati" proportion to the Copts of Egypt.

There is also a room full of many of the murals from various places Either from the St. Aramean monastery ,Saqqara,The most notably is a Pictograph in Altmbra method

shows a scene of Jesus raising his right hand giving the blessing and The left hand holding the Bible and the two angels on both sides . the other unique panel of the Virgin Mar, breastfeeding the Christ.

           The Saints Peter and Paul       

                                Date: 19th century                            

             

 

The Holy Family

Date: 19th century

 

 Virgin carrying a cross
Date: 18th century

 

St. Victor
Date: 18th century

 

 Christ on the throne of glory
Date: 18th century

 

Two eagle facing one another

Date: 6th century

 

The door of the  St. Barbara Church

 Date: 5th century

  

Cross within the wreath
Date: 6th century

 

John the Baptist
Date: 19th century

 

Visit of the Magi
Date: 17th century

 

Resurrection
Date: 19th century

The tomb of the stair and the Cross
Date: 5th century

 

The head of John the Baptist
Date: 18th century