Papyrus Museum

In the scorching heat of the desert, we visited the pyramids, rode camels, scampered down a burial shaft in the middle of the great pyramid, visited the solar boat museum (an intact boat found in a pyramid for one of the pharaohs), and climbed around the Great Sphinx.

We were quite hot after our morning venture in the desert and welcomed the air conditioning of the Egyptian papyrus museum. A beautiful Egyptian lady demonstrated the ancient art of making paper out of papyrus. She even explained to us how to spot the counterfeit banana leaf paper sometimes sold as papyrus.

I got to be a part of the demonstration by peeling the papyrus with a sharp knife. The thick reed peels easily and the green exterior must be removed before the thin slices of papyrus can be cut. After the papyrus slices are thinly cut, they are soaked in water for one to two weeks. The longer they are soaked in water, the darker the papyrus will become. The starches in the papyrus are released, making a glue like substance. Then the soaked papyrus is woven like a basket; in and out, crisscross until the paper is the desired size. It is then put in between two pieces of carpet and pressed for a week to remove all the moisture. When released from the press, the paper is extraordinarily flexible and very strong.