The Journey of the Holy Family Exhibition at Sharm El-Sheikh Museum

On the occasion of the launch of the activities of the fourth edition of the World Youth Forum, in Sharm El Sheikh, South Sinai, from January 10 to 13, and coinciding with the celebration of Christmas, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities is holding a temporary archaeological exhibition at Sharm El Sheikh Museum under the title “The Holy Family Journey”, which starts on Wednesday, January 12, and extends for a period of six months.

Mr. Moamen Othman, Head of the Museums Sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities, explained that the exhibition, which was held in cooperation with the Islamic, Coptic and Jewish Antiquities Sector of the Supreme Council of Antiquities and the Coptic Church, includes 3 manuscripts from the holdings of the Coptic Museum in Old Cairo, and 9 rare icons displayed for the first time; Which were chosen from 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, pointing out 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 organize a number of scientific and educational lectures on the history of Coptic art, in addition to workshops to learn how icons work.

He stressed that at the end of the exhibition, the entry of the Holy Family into Egypt will be celebrated, which will fall on the first of June.

For her part, Myriam Edward, 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 displayed icons all date back to the 18th and 19th centuries AD.

The exhibition also includes the icon of the Holy Family and Saint John the Baptist, the icon of the birth of Christ, and the icon of the Annunciation, in which the angel appears in front of the Virgin Mary announcing her pregnancy, holding a branch of flowers in his left hand, and there is a bird in the middle.

As for the manuscripts, the General Supervisor of the Museum indicated that the exhibition displays a manuscript of the Four Annunciations. This manuscript refers to the journey of the Holy Family to Egypt. On the right and left pages, some excerpts from the Gospel of Matthew that mention this great event appear. The manuscript has a total of 207 folios, most of which are decorated and decorated with blue, red, and gold ink.

The exhibition also includes a manuscript representing the second part of the Synaxarium, which contains the commemoration of the entry of the Holy Family into Egypt on the 24th of the Coptic month of Bashans. The manuscript is written in Arabic, and includes (247) papers in which the subject headings are written in red ink.

This is in addition to the manuscript of the Virgin Mary's Mayamer and Her Wonders manuscript, which recounts the events that occurred when the Holy Family came to Egypt. The manuscript was written in Arabic and includes on some of its leaves geometric decorations.

Wednesday 12/1/2022

Anba Apollo, Bishop of South Sinai, inaugurated the exhibition of archaeological icons on the journey of the Holy Family at Sharm El-Sheikh Museum, in the presence of representatives from Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, the Ministry of Endowments, Father Salib, the priest of Abu Sefein Church in Old Cairo, and the church’s representative to the Antiquities Authority.

Anba Apollo, Bishop of South Sinai, said that the path of the Holy Family represents the flight to Egypt, and the archaeological icons tell stages of the life of the Virgin Mary, the Annunciation, and the Incarnation.

The Bishop of South Sinai praised the holding of this exhibition at Sharm El-Sheikh Museum, as it tells part of Egyptian history, and not only embodies the religious aspect.

He explained that the exhibition includes rare icons, including the icon of the Virgin Mary enthroned carrying the crowned child Jesus, and an icon representing scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary, surrounded by ten scenes from her life, and another icon depicting the escape to Egypt, where the Virgin Mary and the child appear above the donkey, and behind them Youssef Al-Najjar, and the icon of the Virgin Mary breastfeeding her baby Jesus, surrounded by 3 angels to her right and a dove to her left.