THE TREASURES OF THE PHARAOH, A MEMORABILIA FOR TOURISTS TO EGYPT

CAIRO, Jan 10 (Bernama) -- "Come buy this. Real papyrus. Genuine
certificates included. Painting of Ramses, very nice. Cheaper than the shops",
peddlers outside the Egyptian Museum in the heart of Cairo call out to catch the
attention of passersby and visitors to the museum.

When asked how much they were selling the so-called printed art on papyrus
pieces that they claim to be genuine, their response differed.

Ranging from Egyptian Pound (LE) 5 (about RM3.75) a piece to LE10 (about
RM7.50) for four pieces, these A4 sized papyrus posters make good souvenirs for
the thousands of foreigners visiting Egypt daily.

It was my first visit to Egypt and a great one time experience for me, an
opportunity to see the pyramids, the pharaohs’ treasures and the mummies which
is the pride of this land situated in the north eastern tip of Africa, home to
80 million people.


PAPYRUS PAINTINGS

Papyrus paintings are very popular, may it be in Cairo, Aswan, Luxor or
Alexandria, among the towns in Egypt visited by foreigners from all over the
world.

The real papyrus painting pieces with the artist's signature are highly
priced in the shops all over Egypt.

"We have a few artistes painting for us, about five or six. The papyrus
paintings come in three sizes; small, medium and large. Their prices vary and it
would depend on the painting. The more intricate it is, the more it is tagged",
said Ahmad, a staff at a small and cramped store selling papyrus painting and
perfume, situated just across the road from the Egyptian Museum.

Ahmad then demonstrated the making of paper from the papyrus plant, tedious
and takes considerable time to prepare.

The papyrus is made from the stem of the papyrus flower; its flower soft and
bushy. The cross section of the stem is triangular and has a dark green stripe
at its outer skin.

"The triangle symbolises the shape of the pyramid; our pride. This is what
matters most to us Egyptians - our heritage and we want others to be aware of it
too.

The writer was part of a small group tour to the papyrus and perfume outlet,
listening to the valuable explanations and watching the interesting
demonstration for almost 90 minutes altogether.

The art on the papyrus paper often depict the Egyptian history, mostly of
their Pharaohs, their wives, and their lives, with natural ink stains making the
gold, onyx and copper colours.

This artwork is quite costly but reasonable when considering that they are
all handmade. Here in our shop, we offer 50 per cent discounts to visitors with
ticket stubs from the museum. It ranges between LE320 to LE2000, (from
approximately RM240 onwards) per piece after the discount", said Ahmad from the
Papyrus, Perfumes and Jewellery Bazaar, located at the Mariette Pacha Street,
here.


QUARANIC VERSES ON PAPYRUS

Another shop selling papyrus paintings near Pyramid sighting areas of Nazlet
el Simman in Giza, about 25 kilometres from the city centre, though small also
exhibits its papyrus paintings on the 1st floor, in a gallery like style.

The colourful paintings were nicely and neatly arranged, mounted on
spotlighted walls, covered with transparent plastic frame-like screens.

"We have a wide selection of Egyptian paintings on papyrus. We also have
Quranic verses written creatively on the papyrus. We do not put a price tag on
these Quranic versed art pieces. We negotiate its price with the interested
client and the price is based on a similar sized Egyptian painting piece",
explained Ibrahim, 32, who has been working at the papyrus and souvenir store
there for more than six years.

A Malaysian visitor bought an A4 sized Quranic verse papyrus for LE150
(about RM115) after negotiating for almost 15 minutes before Mahmud agreed to
pack it up for her.

Visitors to Egypt have always been reminded to bargain not less than 50 per
cent lower than the asking price of any souvenir piece yet sometimes the bargain
goes unexpectedly even lower than the advised 50 percent.


PERFUME MAKING

Another of the pharaohs' legacy that is still alive today is perfume making.

In the two storey but huge Egyptian museum in Cairo, there were jars and
jars of huge vase like bottles used to prepare, make and store different
perfumes for the kings and queens.

Perfume making dates back to as early as the days of Egyptian Pharaohs.

The King Tutankhamen had a huge variety of perfumes, kept in big marble jars
and placed ornately in the palace.

King Tutankhamen fondly remembered as young King Tut was buried with the
hundreds of perfume and massage oil bottles, his precious treasure when he died
in his adolescent years.

These jars are now kept in the Egyptian museum for all to see.

Made from natural flowers and sandalwood, among many other natural
ingredients, they have different names and emit a very sensual, pleasant and
soothing scent to last the whole day by just by rubbing a drop on one’s finger
and then behind the ear lobes.

These Egyptian perfume and therapeutic massage oil making industry continues
to thrive even today, a legacy of the pharaohs.


NATURAL INGREDIENTS

Nowadays Egypt boasts for branded perfumes like Lotus, Queen of Egypt, Rose,
Lily of the Valley and the Secret of the Desert for ladies while Ramses, King
Tutankhamen and Omar Khayyam are the popular ones for men.

They are sold in various sized bottles; namely the small, the medium and the
large priced from LE300 (approximately RM225).

Certainly not cheap and yet the sales person would boast about giving you a
further discount claiming that he is charging you the price for an Egyptian, the
small bottle will then go for LE200 (RM150)only.

"I treat you same like Egyptian, sister. But don't tell my boss, he is
outside," said Ibrahim to convince the tour group.

Bringing back the papyrus art and the small bottle of scented oil to
remember one’s trip to Egypt is certainly fulfilling, a memorabilia of the
pharaohs' legacy.

-- BERNAMA