What to bring from Egypt as a gift – 20 best souvenirs

Impressions from the majestic pyramids with the stern Sphinx, the colorful underwater world of the Red Sea, the noisy bazaars of Sharm El Sheikh, Cairo and Hurghada with stalls filled with all sorts of things remain in the memory of travelers who visited Egypt for a long time. Over time, much is forgotten, but souvenirs will always remind you of the unforgettable days spent in this wonderful country. Almost every tourist seeks to buy as a keepsake something of high quality, inexpensive and expensive too. This article will help those who plan to visit Egypt to find out what to bring from Egypt.

Incense and oils

In the days of Ancient Egypt, essential oils and incense played an important role in religious ceremonies. They saturate the atmosphere in the temple with aromas, paying tribute to the gods. Personal hygiene and body oiling by the ancient Egyptians were elevated to a special cult, which was patronized by the god Nefertum. Only wealthy people could use aromatic substances.

The bodies of the dead rich inhabitants of the ancient state were treated with incense before they were interred. This was confirmed by a vessel for incense found in the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamen. Essential aromatic oils were the privilege of the supreme gods and royalty. The high cost of these substances was due to the complex technology of their production from extracts of rare plants.

For example, kifi incense was used both to worship the supreme gods and as a medicine. Its exact composition has not reached our days. But it is known that its ingredients were myrrh, mimosa, cinnamon and menthol. This mixture is considered the original perfume. Today in the markets you can buy incense and essential oils such as jasmine, kifi, frankincense, juniper and much more. The markets of Cairo are considered the best places for shopping of this kind.

Aroma sticks

Almost everyone has heard about the benefits of aromatherapy. Tourists are faced with a huge selection of incense sticks. They sell them everywhere. The range of smells is simply huge.

Flavored cane chips may emit odors such as:

Particularly inquisitive tourists should look for incense sticks with such rare smells as:

All incense sticks are filled with natural substances. Therefore, tourists tend to bring them from this country.

Hookah

Bringing a hookah with you is the dream of almost every third tourist who has visited the capital of an ancient civilization. Smoking hookah – this tradition of the local population originated in the 17th century. Arriving in the country, tourists encounter hookah-smoking people at almost every step. They smoke on the street, in cafes, in houses and even in cars. It is very difficult to buy a good hookah, and not a fake.

A guest of the country of pyramids and pharaohs must understand why he needs this device. If you put a hookah in a cabinet at home, you can buy an inexpensive copy of a smoking device. Original hookahs are “hand work” products (handmade), as a rule, they are expensive. In order not to run into a fake, you need to buy a hookah in specialized stores.

The average cost of a real hookah is 55 Egyptian pounds (1 pound = 4.65 rubles). When buying a hookah, you should pay attention to things such as weight and metal of manufacture. The device must be copper and heavy, the flask is transparent with additional filters. Tobacco is sold in large packages, each of which contains 10 packs.

Spices

Who does not know about the oriental bazaars with a huge number of different spices. Egypt is a leader in this regard in the Middle East. Lovers will discover a huge range of these aromatic condiments. To please friends and loved ones with unusual taste sensations, you can purchase various spices such as:

Sweets

From the very first days of their stay, tourists taste local sweets in hotels where all inclusive. Among the many desserts of unique taste, there are several dishes of national cuisine, which can be brought to treat relatives and friends.

These are sweets such as:

In addition, you can taste kataef – sweet pancakes, fytyr – puff pastry with filling, om-ali – bread pudding, meshabek – donuts in the form of brushwood, masfur – dried fruits boiled in sugar syrup with raisins and nuts.

Tea

Travelers are amazed by the huge number of different varieties of tea. The fragrant drink entered the everyday life of the inhabitants several centuries earlier than it appeared on the tables of Europe. Arriving in the country of pyramids and pharaohs, a Russian immediately encounters a manifestation of the cult of tea.

Numerous tea establishments serve as a place for locals to spend time with a cup of tea. It is often drunk with milk. Tea in Egypt is prepared in a special way. It is not brewed here, but boiled for about ten minutes, and then the drink is allowed to brew.

Here are some of the most popular types of tea:

Locals like to add mint, cinnamon, ginger and cardamom to tea in cool weather. Domestic travelers are happy to stock up on different types of tea to bring it home.

Coffee

The drink is as popular as tea. Coffee, like tea, is an imported product. In hot climates, tea bushes and coffee trees do not grow. The attitude towards the coffee drink of the locals takes the form of a cult. Local coffee has a bright strong taste. You can taste a coffee drink with cardamom and nutmeg almost at every step.

Who tried it, he will forever remember the spicy and unusual taste of coffee. In resort towns you can always find coffee shops. The small price of a pack of coffee beans will pleasantly surprise you. Experienced travelers buy coffee in large packages so that they can enjoy the drink at home throughout the year.

Fruit

Rest of tourists is accompanied by an abundance of fruits. In the bazaars, you can wander for hours among the rows with the sweet gifts of nature, marveling at the abundance and variety of sweet fruits. For a beginner of shopping tours, the existence of outlandish fruits among the usual oranges, lemons, grapefruits and other citrus fruits will be a discovery.

The range of sweet fruits depends on the season. To buy fruits at the peak of their maturity, you need to know the seasonality of their sales:

Jewelry

The art of making jewelry originated in ancient Egypt BC. The craftsmen of that time founded a school of jewelery that is used by today's local jewelers. A profitable business is rarely the creation of unique works of art. Mostly local craftsmen are busy making copies of old masterpieces. If you buy jewelry in local duty free stores, you can save up to 15% of costs compared to similar purchases in the markets.

Experienced travelers recommend shopping for jewelry in the elite jewelry stores Jewelry Shop, in the center of El Gouna and Hurghada, in the shops around the Cairo Museum and the souvenir department of the museum itself. In Hurghada, this is the Sea Gull store on Sheraton Street and many other stores in the central areas of Sharm El Sheikh.

Cosmetics

Cosmetics need to be bought in hotel shops, beauty salons and specialized supermarkets. What you should pay attention to first of all is oil perfumes and cosmetic oils. Oil perfumes are relatively inexpensive in the country, they are famous for their odor resistance and the preservation of their qualities for several years.

The perfume is mainly intended for women, but there are also men's options. You can bring such a souvenir home as a gift to your loved ones. Cosmetic oils – guides bring tourists to specialized cosmetics stores, where you can safely buy argan, almond and jojoba oils.

Hair cosmetics are especially appreciated – this is a mixture of argan with coconut and vegetable extracts. In order not to run into a fake, the most expensive black cumin oil should be bought only in stores, but not in the markets.

Cotton products

Judging by the reviews of tourists, the country is worth visiting only for the purchase of cotton products. In the capital and resort towns, you can find high-quality cotton items everywhere. Tourists are happy to buy large quantities of towels, bed linen, summer wear, men's and women's underwear and various clothes.

Bed linen is sold with beautiful embroidery or appliqué. Russians admire the quality of cotton products. Branded items have a sewn-on label (made in Egypt) and a sticker – 100% cotton. They can be found on towels, linen, slippers, etc.

Clothes made of cotton fabric serve for many years without forming rolls and without losing shape. Items made from Egyptian cotton withstand numerous intensive washings, thanks to their resistance to alkalis. The only drawback of the material is that it shrinks when washed. To avoid this, cotton is washed at a temperature not exceeding 600°C.

A double set of linen with embroidery, consisting of two duvet covers, two pillowcases and a sheet, will cost an average of 180-200 pounds, which in terms of Russian currency will be equal to 940 rubles. Delightful cotton bedspreads are sold in Hurghada at a price of $18 (about 1,300 rubles).

Camel wool products

Elderly citizens remember camel blankets during Soviet times, when the Egyptian government paid with this product for the construction of the Aswan dam and hydroelectric power station. The product was highly appreciated for the excellent quality of the products. Today, Russian tourists in the markets buy things made of camel hair, such as socks, slippers, children‘s products, as well as pillows, blankets and, of course, camel blankets.

Local tour operators are advised to organize group shopping tours for the purchase of goods from camel wool. The guide will lead you to retail outlets where goods are sold at a much lower price than in bazaars. This is especially useful when buying real handmade carpets.

onyx products

Onyx is a chalcedonic variety of quartz. One of the largest mineral deposits is located in Aswan on the Arabian Peninsula. Since ancient times, the most valuable ornamental stone has been used by local craftsmen to create handicrafts. It has become a fashionable fad to bring home vases, candlesticks, various small crafts, and onyx jewelry from a tourist trip.

The unusually bright color of the stone from blue, gray, yellow to rich red shades is successfully used by stone cutters to create beautiful harmonious objects decorating the interiors of cabinets – souvenir paperweights, chandeliers and various stationery. Rings and pendants made of precious metals with onyx are also very popular.

It is recommended to buy products from a beautiful mineral at large bazaars, where there is always a large selection of them and the opportunity to bargain. The best places to shop are the market stalls in Cairo, Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh and Alexandria.

Arafat

In the USSR, at one time, the Palestinian political leader Yasser Arafat was very popular, who wore a head national Arab headscarf. Russian tourists in memory of this began to call this piece of clothing Arafatka. Arafatki are not only cotton headdresses with a black and white checkered pattern, but also luxurious stoles (women's capes) of different colors. Travelers are happy to buy whole sets of arafatki.

The best places to buy scarves are market stalls. To make a profitable purchase, you must be able to bargain with local sellers. At the beginning of the auction, you can not show money, demonstrate haste. The starting price can be called three times lower than the one declared by the trader. In the end, you can leave with a purchase, knocking down the price by half.

Carpets

The production of carpets has been elevated to a national cult. Carpet weaving has existed in the country of the pyramids for thousands of years. With the accumulation of experience in this business, the technology of carpet production was improved. Machine tools appeared that saved the craftsmen from exhausting manual work. The raw material for the manufacture of floor and wall coverings was wool.

Today in the malls you can buy carpets woven from cotton, viscose, linen, jute, polyester and acrylic, both handmade and machine-made. Egyptian carpets, due to the skillful combination of different materials, are not afraid of moths, mold, water, fire, do not attract dust. They are antistatic and hypoallergenic.

The most famous carpet factory in the world is located in Egypt. It was founded in 1979 and is called Oriental Weavers. Here carpet products of the highest quality are created. Here you can buy silky viscose rugs with an incredible range of colors at a low price. Here you can also buy cheap tapestry and chenille carpets, which are distinguished by their practicality and can become a decorative solution for any interior.

Clay dishes

Pottery is one of the oldest crafts. Bazaar ruins are replete with ceramics of various types. Dishes made of earthenware and porcelain attract Russian tourists with their low cost and high quality workmanship. Tourists buy dishes in whole sets. A set of Egyptian tableware can be one of the most precious wedding gifts. A set of dishes will be a welcome gift for any anniversary.

Papyrus

Papyrus or biblios is the forerunner of modern writing material – paper. Papyrus is made from the core of a wetland plant of the same name, which grows abundantly in the Nile Delta. Papyrus, like paper, began to be used according to historians from the third millennium BC. Egyptian “paper” was widely used in the ancient world in the 7th century BC.

The technology for making papyrus is described in Pliny's Natural History. With the advent of paper from China, papyrus was forgotten as a writing material. It was remembered in the 20th century, when a tourist boom arose. Papyrus has become in demand in the production of souvenirs. Modern scrolls are just copies of ancient artifacts. In markets, shops and hotel souvenir shops, you can buy scrolls of various sizes with various drawings, images and writings.

Egyptian ankh

This is a Coptic cross. The creed dates back to ancient Egypt. The symbol is known as the Egyptian hieroglyph in the form of a cross surmounted by a ring on a horizontal bar (☥). Ankh was placed in the tomb of the pharaoh, as a guide to the realm of the dead Duat. Now it is one of the types of souvenirs. They are made of gold, silver, onyx, faience and other materials.

The demand for these products is explained by the belief that the symbol brings good luck, vitality and success in personal affairs. Experts who have knowledge of esotericism recommend wearing a cross in the form of a pendant for pregnant women and both spouses who plan to produce healthy offspring. Esoteric experts also believe that the Coptic symbol contributes to the knowledge of ancient secrets.

For people who are fond of magic, a gift in the form of an Egyptian ankh will be a whole event. Therefore, if the guests of the ancient country have such relatives or acquaintances, friends in their homeland, then it is the right time to purchase such souvenirs.

Scarab beetle

The insect, whose habitat is the Arabian Peninsula, lives on sandy soil. The sight of a beetle rolling a ball of dung captivates the eye of a person. The insect leads an active lifestyle from mid-March to the end of July. The unusual behavior of the beetle was one of the reasons for the recognition of the scarab as a revered sacred insect of the sun god Ra. It was believed that the movement of the beetle with a ball of dung is always from east to west, symbolizing the solstice and rebirth in the afterlife.

Tourists literally at every step come across figurines of the legendary beetle. Scarabs are embodied in figures from a variety of materials from gold, silver to onyx and faience. Especially the image of a scarab is massively used in jewelry. Souvenir products with a beetle can cost in different ways. A rare traveler does not bring with him one or more souvenir scarabs.

Cat figurines

There are whole legends about the veneration by the ancient Egyptians of such a sacred animal as a cat. In ancient Egypt, cats were fed and cared for all their lives, and the dead animals were mummified and mourned for them. Killing a cat was considered a terrible act and punishable by death.

Egyptian cats are servals, which at one time were forbidden to be taken out of the country. Servals have the longest claws and largest ears compared to other cats. From birth, kittens are hand-fed to accustom them to human society. An unusually beautiful animal, brought from ancient Nubia, won the hearts of the Egyptians with its grace and harmonious physique.

This love for servals is reflected in the numerous souvenir figurines of cats. They are sold in resorts almost everywhere – in bazaars, shops, hotel souvenir departments. Like scarabs, cat figurines are an integral part of the Russian tourist's souvenir collection.