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StoneCraftConcept · on request

Calcite, carved at Qurna

A chisel, a block of Egyptian 'alabaster' and a family workshop between the royal tombs and Deir el-Bahari.

Where
Qurna, Luxor West Bank
Proposed length
2–3 hours
Nerve
Nerve: Curious
A worker in Luxor shaping a block of alabaster by hand with a chisel, in a photograph from 2007.
Calcite is what Egyptian 'alabaster' is, a harder stone than the gypsum alabaster of Europe. Source

The story

What is sold as Egyptian alabaster is calcite, a different and harder mineral from the gypsum alabaster carved in Europe (Wikipedia).

At Qurna, between the Valley of the Kings and Deir el-Bahari, carving is a family trade, with workshops ranging from one man at a doorstep to showrooms (Egyptian Streets, 2024).

Our judgement: Tour buses stop at alabaster showrooms to sell. This stops at a bench so you carve, and it teaches you how to tell the real stone anywhere.

What happens

  1. Sit in a family workshop where the stone is sawn, carved and polished by hand.
  2. Hollow a small piece with a chisel and file, as the carver shows you.
  3. Hold real stone and a cast copy side by side, and learn the difference.
  4. Take home what you carved, and nothing you were pressed to buy.

A proposed shape, not a fixed programme. The host sets the order on the day.

What it asks of you

  1. Nerve: CuriousAnyone who is curious. You sit, watch, try and ask.This experience
  2. Nerve: BoldPhysically demanding or unnerving: steep, tight, deep, hot or remote.
  3. Nerve: QualifiedA certificate is required before you start. We ask for it, and so will the operator.

Dust and patience. You are shown the tools; no skill is assumed.

What we confirm before you go

  • A workshop that carves on site and does not run a sales stop
  • Dust protection, and whether children can take part
  • Packing for a carved piece in your luggage

Where it fits

More in stone

All of stone

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Sources and review

Reviewed on by Deluxe Trips Egypt. Facts are attributed to their sources; where we give a judgement, we say so. This page names no host, school, boat or workshop.

Photo: David Dennis from Scotts Valley, CA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0