Luxor Shopping

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Our guide also took us to this shop for shopping of Egyptian cotton. The shop is full of various aparel made of Egyptian cotton and are of very good quality. We too bought a few but I found that the prices in India are much cheaper than this shop.

What to buy: Cotton aparel made of Egyptian cotton.

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The use of alabaster in Egypt dates well back into the Pharaonic period of Egyptian history, and this is very evident when one visits the temples, tombs and museums in Egypt. New pieces of alabaster from ancient Egypt seem to turn up constantly.

The ancient pharaohs used this wonderful material for many purposes, including household items, ritual objects, and for a number of different funerary purposes such as sarcophaguses and canopic equipment. Some of the finest ancient artifacts made from alabaster can be found in the Tutankhamun collection of the Egyptian museum, where we find a variety of different items made from this material.
Alabaster is a fine-grained, massive, translucent variety of gypsum, a hydrous calcium sulphate. It is pure white or streaked with reddish brown. Like all other forms of gypsum, alabaster forms by the evaporation of bedded deposits that are precipitated mainly from evaporating seawater. It is soft enough to be scratched with a fingernail and hence it is easily broken, soiled, and weathered. Because of its softness, alabaster is often carved for statuary and other decorative purposes. The often-used term "Oriental Alabaster" is a misnomer and actually refers to marble, a calcium carbonate, whereas gypsum is a calcium sulphate.

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Secret of the Desert, Queen Nefertiti and King Ramses II are some of the alluring essential blends offered by Egyptian perfume. But they are not letting in on a secret – Egypt’s sensuous history still shows through its perfume.

Perfume is the powerful aphrodisiac that can lift one’s spirits in an instant. The movie Perfume: A Story of a Murderer, adapted from Patrick Süskind’s book, shows the unexplainable force of nature that is smell. Visitors to Egypt who have arranged an Egyptian guide will be invited to a perfume factory, where they can experience olfactory experiences like never before.

First upon entering an Egyptian perfumery, the guest will be handed a shopping list. This is common practice in Egypt, and makes it easier to take down notes while the guide in the perfumery explains their wares. Then the guest is offered a drink. It is good to accept the offer graciously, and choose from Egyptian favourite teas like mint tea, hibiscus tea (kerkadeh) and aniseed tea (anis).

What to buy: We bought a set of 6 perfumes all in 250ml bottle, Queen Nefertiti, Secret of Desert, King Ramses II, Tut an Khamen,, Five Secrets, Lotus Flower, Flower of Sakkara etc. All are good and the total deal came for EGP 1400. I am personally using some of them and they are very good.

Please pick your choice from the bottle you are shown and tasted.

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In Egypt and not buying any Egyptian Perfume? That is just not possible, even for a ruthless heart. But you need to go to the right place for perfume otherwise there is a 500% chance that you pay in foreign currency and back home you find that you have been thoroughly cheated. For this you need to depend on your guide, you may pay a little more but when you are spending in hundreds of dollars, it's better to pay a little more than get cheated.

Yes, there are hundred places in whole of Luxor or other parts of Egypt, who will cheat you just like that.

What to buy: Egyptian Perfume of flowers.

What to pay: Around 1000 EGP or USD$200 for a couple of bottles of 250ML pure perfume.

Books are about the only thing worth shopping for in Luxor. Books have the (in context) charming attribute of having their price marked on them. And you can even get remainders at half price or less.

There are several large bookshops , all pretty near each other. Gaddis is probably the poshest, sited slapbang next to the Winter Palace hotel, and also the oldest, the business having been founded in 1907.

What to buy: Books.

You can buy fantastic gifts and souvenirs in Luxor and it's not expensive. Mainly due to the heat and partly due to the nice shops at the Sheraton I bought all my souvenirs at my hotel. I didn't feel like bartering or trapsing round the shops of Luxor but I'm more than happy with what I bought and how much I paid.

What to buy: I bought a set of 10 large David Roberts art prints, a rather garish but handsome canopic jar, a piece of carved stone that looked liked it could have come from Karnak (but didn't I hasten to add), a book about the Pharaohs, some silver jewellry and a few little pottery items.

What to pay: The whole lot came to around £60 and the book was the most expensive item.
In England a single David Roberts print would cost you £40 alone and I got 10. Just remember before you start bartering the prices down just how much you are saving to begin with.
I didn't need to barter anyway, everytime I hesitated the price dropped.

If you're planning a self-catering holiday, visit Umar's in Medina Street - a good quality supermarket where you can choose to buy Egyptian food or English and everyone, Egyptian or tourist, pays the same price, the goods are price marked. Opposite Umar's there is a fruit and veg stall where you can choose to buy a kilo or a single item at prices that will make you wish you could buy a stock to take home,

For gifts to take home, don't forget to take a look in the hotel shops, yes some of them are a bit pricey but most are realistic - try the shops at the Isis - and enjoy the garden while you're there - Imaan has some beautiful cotton goods and Mohammed has some lovely gifts.

They have 2 product for body massage. One general and the special for warming up.
This last products is only for one few drops and that 3 times.

I will order that again and need A mail adres or faxnummer