Coptic Cairo

Last Monday (13.9.2010), we ventured to Old Cairo which is also referred to as Coptic Cairo. See wikipedia for more information on Coptic Christianity, but it is an off-shoot of the early orthodox church. Approximately 9% of Egyptians are Christians and most of those are Copts (including my future supervisor at Alexandria University-which means I will probably be learning a lot about their traditions).


St. George's



The metro stop is directly in front of the Coptic Museum so we began our tour there.  There were a large number of architectural fragments from monasteries and churches throughout Egypt and other items such as tapestry and text fragments, so if you find those artifacts riveting, check this place out! To be honest, though, the museum did not appeal to me very much.  Maybe it was because I have no knowledge of Coptic history or because my post-vacation depression was setting in, but I lacked interest in most of the artifacts. Oh well, I can always return since I have the next eight months in this country.

We also wandered around to see some churches near the museum. Those too were not as impressive as I expected. Actually, there was not much of anything but decrepit rooms along a weaving open corridor crowded with loud, rambunctious children. In general, it seems historical sites are not well preserved or maintained in this region. That generalization is very broad (for that I apologize) and I do not have substantial evidence to support this claim, but Coptic Cairo will suffice for now.