The Coptic Museum was initially inaugurated in 1910 and most of the collection comes from donations and contributions. It holds the world’s largest collection of Egyptian Christian items. “Coptic” means Egyptian Christian Church; the Coptic Period in Egypt was during the 3^rd-7^th century bridging the gap between Roman religion and the Muslim conquest in the 7^th century. As the Copts were present during the late Roman and Byzantine Egyptian eras their art displays elements of Greco-Roman, Byzantine and even Muslim culture.  In 1939 the Egyptian Service of Antiquities moved their collection of Christians Antiquities from the Egyptian Museum to the Coptic Museum. Ever since that time all artifacts found at Christian sites or related to Christian history in Egypt are displayed here. The museum manages to link the Coptic history in Egypt with the Pharaonic, Greco-Roman and Islamic antiquities and show how the different cultures influenced Coptic art. The museum is housed within the walls of the Fortress of Babylon in Coptic Cairo. Also within the walls are Cairo’s historic churches including St. Sergius; the 4^th century St. Barbara and the Hanging Church dating back to the 6^th century. The museum covers 8,000m² and includes various Christian buildings and gardens.

The museum holds a total of 16,000 artifacts of which 1,200 are on display at any one time. Among the highlights of the museum there are funeral steles from the 2^nd-5^th century. Among the collection there are religious garments, manuscripts, icons, iconostasis screens, pottery, ivory and bone objects, coins, wickerwork, altars, crosses, lecterns, wooden panels and frescoes among other treasures.