ABSTRACT
Following the October 1992 earthquake that caused considerable damage to historical monuments in Cairo, a programme of restoration was launched. Storerooms in the Coptic Museum and elsewhere were opened up, boxes of long-neglected manuscripts and textiles were taken from dust-ridden shelves, and conservation initiated. Monasteries followed suit. Ancient corn mills, olive presses, millstones, lecterns, carved wooden boxes and ecclesiastical vestments came to light, as well as manuscripts bound in leather and a mass of utilitarian objects. Long-abandoned refectories were turned into museums (figures 3.10, 8.2). Churches all over the country have been restored anew.
