The Christian population of Egypt whose church rituals and traditions date from before the Arab conquest of the 7th century. Their art is largely borrowed from Syria, Sassanian Persia, and the Egyptian past, sometimes using Christianized symbols from ancient Egyptian religion. Although the Coptic Church survives, Copts made little contribution to art after the 9th century when Islamic art merged with it. Many Copts preserve in their facial and body features the characteristics of the people of Pharaonic Egypt. The Copts are most numerous in the middle Nile Valley muhafazat of Asyut, al-Minya, and Qina. About one-fourth of the total Coptic population lives in Cairo.