The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities will hold a temporary archaeological exhibition at Sharm El-Sheikh Museum, under the title “The Holy Family’s Journey”, on 11 January that will last for six months.
The exhibition will be held on the occasion of the fourth edition of the World Youth Forum in Sharm El-Sheikh, from 10 to 13 January.
Moamen Othman, the Head of the Museums Sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities, explained that the exhibition — which will be held in cooperation with the Islamic, Coptic, and Jewish Antiquities Sector of the Supreme Council of Antiquities and the Coptic Church — will include three manuscripts from the holdings of the Coptic Museum in Old Cairo and 9 rare icons that will be displayed for the first time.
The items that will be displayed were chosen by a number of Egyptian churches, namely the churches of Abu Sarga, the Muallaqa, the Martyr Mercurius Abu Sefein, the Demashreya, Saint Marmina, and the Archangel Michael.
He explained that these icons and manuscripts highlight the path of the Holy Family, including the land of Sinai.
The head of the museums sector added that throughout the exhibition, the museum will organise a number of scientific and educational lectures on the history of Coptic art in addition to different workshops.
He stressed that the exhibition will end on 1 June 2022, on the anniversary of the Holy Family’s entry into Egypt.
Furthermore, Myriam Edward, the General Supervisor of the Sharm El-Sheikh Museum, indicated that the exhibition will be held in the Byzantine corner of the museum and that the icons that will be displayed all date back to the 18th and 19th centuries AD.
The icons that will be on display include:
ï The Virgin Mary carries a child Jesus as they are crowned by angels.
ï The Archangel Gabriel holds in his right hand an unwound scroll with Arabic text on it, and in his left hand a globe.
ï Scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary.
ï The escape to Egypt; where the Virgin Mary and the child ride a donkey and behind them is Youssef Al-Najjar.
ï The Virgin Mary breastfeeds Jesus surrounded by three angels to her right and a dove to her left.
ï The Holy Family and Saint John the Baptist.
ï The birth of Christ.
ï The Annunciation, in which the angel appears in front of the Virgin Mary while holding flowers in its left hand, portending her pregnancy.
