Discover the beauty and special characteristics through a special collection of Coptic Artifacts in Civilization Museum. The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization showcases the evolution of the human civilization in Egypt through a special collection from all the different Egyptian history eras.
As early as the reign of Augustus, Egypt had been linked to Christianity because of the Holy Family’s flight to Egypt when Herod I sought out the child in an attempt to kill him. Later, when Saint Mark the Evangelist came to Alexandria, Christianity spread among the Egyptians despite Roman oppression. Furthermore, Egypt had become the center of Christian monasticism when Saint Antony the Greco arrived.
Due to the name “Coptic” deriving from the ancient Egyptian word “Agbet,” which signifies flood and people of the land, Coptic art developed as pure folk art. It also leaned toward symbolism by incorporating numerous unique and foreign creative aspects from many ancient civilizations.
Typical of Coptic art is flat faces with round eyes and thick dark brows, as well as foliate and geometric motifs on every available material from stones to pottery to wood to ivory and bone to metals like gold and silver. The artist also excelled in icon-painting on wood covered with plaster or linen in which he depicted Christ, the Virgin Mary, and themes from the old annals of the church.
He also painted on wood covered with gold leaf. Egyptian wall paintings produced in plaster layers with their vivid hues, which are among the rarest artistic specimens in the world, were also unique in tapestry technique because of their clashing colors and elaborate embellishments.
In the church, stoles are worn mostly by deacons, and this lovely one is embellished with depictions of several Saints as well as Arabic inscriptions.
the period between the years 1750 and 1800
Rule your journey to this destination
In ancient Egypt, the textile industry was highly regarded, and this beautiful piece may have been part of an elaborate robe or curtain covered with geometric designs and images from daily life, with a woman’s face prominently shown in the middle.
Artinoe / Linen – Wool / 6th – 7th century A.D.
One of the well-known Coptic motifs, which Muslim painters also enjoyed depicting, is a knight riding his horse as a tiger lurks behind him, maybe one of the hunter’s prey. There are some influences from Sasanian art in the scene.
linen-wool textiles from the 8th to 9th centuries.
Rule your journey to this destination
The artist embroidered with multiple threads to achieve varied shades of color on this piece, which features the top half of a woman with a diadem over her head and some Sasanian art inspirations.
Linen – Wool-silk / 7th – 8th century A.D.
Thank you, Egypt Fun Tour, for a most memorable trip. I admit I didn’t do any of the planning (it was all done by my boyfriend), but as you can read in the reviews below, Hani (the owner of Egypt Fun Tours) is superbly organized and accommodating with scheduling. My
The breathtaking views and the isolation with a night under the stars! The trip was memorable with Mohamed, our tour guide, who drove us to all the sites on the way to the White Desert, and is clearly someone who knows the desert inside out. He also cooked a delicious
The Nile cruise, Luxor, and Aswan were amazing sites to see, especially when you have the best tour guide in Egypt. Hamada was absolutely fantastic, lots of information, and some of it not spoken by others. This guy was not only a simple tour guide for us, but he also
My husband & I were very very happy with the walking tour we took with Egypt Fun on Nov 26. Our guide (Manal) was amazing & very very knowledgeable. Thanks to Manal, we were able to really get a very good understanding of the city, its history & its great
I am tempted to say “my friend Hani” runs an amazing service, because that is how he makes you feel. I first went on the 9-hour layover tour in summer 2011. Hani and driver picked me up at the airport at 3am, and by the time I left at noon
