international association of coptic
studies, founded in Cairo in 1976, under the auspices of the Egyptian Antiquities Organization, on the occasion of the First
international congress of coptic studies.
From its inception, Mirrit B. Ghali served as honorary president and Tito Orlandi as honorary secretary. The International Association of Coptic Studies (iac) is a nonprofit organization designed to promote Coptic studies, inviting scholars from all over the world to contribute to a field hitherto almost neglected. The iac issues a newsletter that gives information on new publications and discoveries. It also makes available a list of scholars involved in Coptic studies. During the first International Congress of Coptic Studies, the rules and regulations of the association were established.
One of its functions is also to announce in the newsletter the date and place of upcoming meetings of the Congress of Coptic Studies, which usually convenes every four years. The newsletter appears periodically at least twice a year.