The Copts are indeed the Egyptian Christians. The Coptic Church is one of the Eastern Orthodox Churches, along with Greek Orthodox and Russian Orthodox, and is one of the oldest branches of Christianity in the world.
When the Arabs came into Egypt, the Copts generally did not interbreed with them. Similar to the Turks, the Copts are Middle Eastern without being Arabic. Hence, today's Copts are descended from the ancient Egyptians. My father told me this once, and I didn't believe him; I had assumed it to be a Coptic myth. However, a friend of mine who has a doctorate in Egyptology (and is not Egyptian herself) confirmed this for me.
I was raised as a Coptic Christian... but obviously no longer follow that path. Still, ethnically I do consider myself Coptic. Just look at the photo in the icon. Separated by five thousand years, you can still see the strong resemblence between me and my ancestors in ancient Egypt! (Except for the fact that my eyes are on the front of my face... not the side!)
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When the Arabs came into Egypt, the Copts generally did not interbreed with them. Similar to the Turks, the Copts are Middle Eastern without being Arabic. Hence, today's Copts are descended from the ancient Egyptians. My father told me this once, and I didn't believe him; I had assumed it to be a Coptic myth. However, a friend of mine who has a doctorate in Egyptology (and is not Egyptian herself) confirmed this for me.
I was raised as a Coptic Christian... but obviously no longer follow that path. Still, ethnically I do consider myself Coptic. Just look at the photo in the icon. Separated by five thousand years, you can still see the strong resemblence between me and my ancestors in ancient Egypt! (Except for the fact that my eyes are on the front of my face... not the side!)