Egypt papyrus makers keep tradition alive despite tourism slump

  • Date: 10-Aug-2021
  • Source: Jordan Times
  • Sector:Tourism
  • Country:Egypt
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Egypt papyrus makers keep tradition alive despite tourism slump

AL QARAMUS, Egypt — In the lush green fields of Egypt’s fertile Delta Valley, farmers and artisans are struggling to make a living as they keep alive the Pharaonic-era tradition of making papyrus.

In the 1970s, an art teacher in the village of Al Qaramus taught farmers the millennia-old techniques for transforming the plant into sought-after paper decorated with ornate drawings and text.

The village and its surrounds, located about 80 kilometres northeast of Cairo, now make up the largest hub of papyrus production in the country, experts in the sector say.