Copts

Copts are Egyptian Christians, most of whom belong to the Coptic Orthodox Church, the largest Christian community in Egypt and the broader Middle East. The term Copt derives from the Greek Aigyptos, historically used to refer to Egyptians and, in Christian contexts, to Egyptian Christians. The community traces its roots to the earliest centuries of Christianity in Egypt and has maintained a distinctive liturgical and monastic tradition.

The Coptic Orthodox Church is part of the Oriental Orthodox communion and separated from the Chalcedonian churches after the Council of Chalcedon in 451. It is led by the Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, who is the spiritual head of a church with a strong tradition of monasticism and episcopal governance. The church is complemented by other Coptic Christian communities, including the Coptic Catholic Church (in communion with Rome) and various Coptic Evangelical and other Protestant bodies, but the Coptic Orthodox Church remains by far the largest.

Liturgy and language are central to Coptic life. Church services traditionally use the Coptic language in liturgy, alongside Arabic in everyday life and many modern rites. The Coptic language survives primarily in liturgical and scholarly contexts, with Nubian and Sahidic dialects represented in historical text.

Demographically, Copts form the largest Christian minority in Egypt, with a diaspora presence in North America, Europe, Australia, and Africa. They have contributed to Egyptian culture through liturgical music, art, architecture, and monastic scholarship. In contemporary times, Copts have faced discrimination and periodic sectarian violence, prompting government and civil society responses aimed at protecting religious freedom and church communities.