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Written By: Barbara Gai
tjaty@libero.it
El-Qaramus is a village in the province of Abu Kabir, located within the governorate of el- Sharquiyya on the Easter Delta. Since the cultivation of papyrus has become very rare, Qaramos can boast of being not only the largest papyrus production centre in the country but also the only village in the world to have dedicated a large part of its territory to the cultivation of this plant, as well as having engaged in the production of papyrus paper following the ancient procedures that were performed in ancient Egypt.
In fact, the sheet of papyrus was a very important tool that the ancient Egyptians used as one of the writing supports for numerous texts written with a simpler handwriting called in the Greek Period ‘hieratic’ (“sacred signs”) and which was used in everyday life, i.e., the cursive writing of hieroglyphics, which were instead used for texts on stone.
To obtain papyrus sheets, the procedure developed in ancient Egypt is still followed today, but as is obvious, the only difference lies in the material of the instruments, which helps in the production process in terms of speed and volume of production. For example, the cutting of the stems is carried out today using a cutting machine, and the pressing presses are now made of iron, whereas in the past they were made of wood. In Ancient Egypt, the first phase was that of harvesting the plant from the ground, followed by the phase of cutting and peeling the stems, from which long and flexible strips were obtained, whose length determined the height of the roll that was to be obtained. The pieces obtained were then freed from the bark, and thin strips were cut lengthwise from the soft internal part and placed next to each other, slightly overlapped, and placed on a hard surface wet with Nile water. A second layer was then superimposed so that the other strips ran perpendicular to those of the first layer. Once this process was completed, the two layers were pressed under a press and then left to dry. A certain number of sheets were then glued with flour glue and formed long strips, which were then rolled up; the papyrus roll was ready. However, it is necessary to admit that the paper that is produced now is not what the ancient Egyptians produced; there is a difference in quality and durability since the ancient Egyptians produced the highest quality paper. The modern method involves cutting the stem into equal strips using a plastic filament, then immersing them in jars filled with a chemical mixed with water to soften them and leaving them to infuse for about 5 hours. Afterwards, they are rinsed and sprinkled with a certain quantity of chlorine, which will make the paper light or dark. The strips are then placed on a cloth and arranged lengthwise and widthwise to form sheets of paper. The sheets thus obtained are separated by cardboard and canvas so that they do not stick to each other during the squeezing phase, the last and most important phase that is repeated several times to eliminate residual water. When the sheets have completely dried, they are ready to be used. The waste from the processing of the papyrus plant is collected and used by the villagers to light the ancient rural ovens, while some parts of the processing waste are used as livestock feed.
The initiative to sow and cultivate the papyrus plant in the village of Qaramus is due to Dr. Anas Mustafa, a professor of fine arts who, in the 1970s, collected several papyrus plants that he had extracted from the banks of the Nile River and replanted them on the land of the village, its place of birth. Papyrus sedge is grown in all seasons of the year and requires fertilising and watering once or twice a week. The plant can reach a length of two metres and is harvested once it has developed. The idea was very successful; the people of the village learned the techniques of papyrus cultivation, and the village economy switched from cotton picking to papyrus. But not only that: Dr. Anas taught the villagers how to cultivate the papyrus plant and transform it from an agricultural product into an industrial product, and he also taught them the art of drawing and colour, all under the supervision of the professors of the College of Fine Arts. The results were so excellent that the artists of Qaramus also began to participate in exhibitions.
It was so that the village flourished thanks to the cultivation of the papyrus plant, because it was very profitable and has become one of the main sources of livelihood. In fact, step by step, several homes in Qaramus were transformed into small factories that produced papyrus paper that the inhabitants sold at tourist bazaars. The unemployment disappeared completely, and the village became a source of attraction for the people of nearby villages. But in Egypt, the commercialization of papyrus papers is linked to tourism. For this reason, due to the decrease in tourism, the area cultivated with papyrus in the area under the control of the Qaramos Association did not exceed 66 acres in the summer of 2021; the resumption of tourism will allow the villagers to cultivate papairo plants on a large scale significantly, and the villagers will be able to move in to cultivate it on a large scale; currently, the few factories still operational are fighting for the survival of the Egyptian papyrus industry.
The production of papyrus paper is a great cultural heritage, and Qaramos' expertise in papyrus paper production is considered distinct, unique, and unparalleled.
An agreement was signed by UNESCO to include the papyrus industry on the list of intangible heritage and to spread the value of Egyptian heritage throughout the world. In coordination with the Ministry of Antiquities and Tourism and with a commission from the Italian State, a development plan for the papyrus industry was also prepared. The Ministry of Antiquities has also ordered that artefacts produced with papyrus sheets be put on sale in all archaeological sites and has established training laboratories for the restoration of papyrus and the improvement of product quality.
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