What to Buy in Egypt: A Real Souvenir Guide

Egypt's markets are full of tempting souvenirs, and knowing what's genuinely worth buying — versus mass-produced tourist filler — makes a real difference to what comes home with you.

Papyrus paintings are one of the most popular purchases, but quality varies enormously: genuine hand-painted papyrus, made from the actual papyrus plant using techniques close to the ancient process, holds up over decades without cracking; cheap banana-leaf imitations, common at unregulated street stalls, yellow and crack within a year or two. Buying from a government-licensed papyrus institute (common in Cairo and Luxor, often included on guided tours) is the most reliable way to get the real thing. Egyptian cotton, some of the finest in the world, makes for genuinely high-quality textiles and clothing at prices well below what the same cotton sells for once branded and exported. Alabaster carvings, spices sold by weight in markets like Khan El Khalili, and hand-cut brass or copper lamps are all solid, distinctly Egyptian purchases with real craftsmanship behind them.

The one category worth genuine caution around is "ancient artifacts" — real antiquities cannot legally be exported from Egypt, and anything sold as a genuine ancient piece is either illegal to take home (and subject to confiscation) or, more likely, a modern reproduction being sold dishonestly. Reputable shops sell clearly labeled reproductions instead, which is the only legitimate way to bring home something that looks ancient.