Popyrus | Culture
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| Markaz, a place that sells handicrafts |
There is a store in downtown that draws attention from all directions because of the beauty of its offerings and the range of shapes and colors of the items it sells. People of all races and nationalities come here to celebrate the place's and its handicrafts' inventiveness. A large portion of legacy is occupied by handicrafts and traditional industries, where the maker uses either imported or locally accessible raw materials and his own unique mental and physical abilities. It is known as "Markaz," a center for handicrafts.
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| A pottery bowl made of honey in Cairo |
Markaz has been in existence for 25 years. It started in Maadi and Zamalek, then closed the Zamalek branch, and opened the Downtown branch since the time of Corona. Every piece in the shop is hand-made. Markaz deals with 16 different governorates, each governorate having its own famous craft. It was named by this name; Because it is considered a center for gathering all governorates in one place. Mohamed Amin is a partner with Nayla Al-Shishini in Markaz. Mohamed travels to the governorates to request the order himself, and he is the owner of all the official papers, and Nayla is responsible for all the designs in the place, in terms of colors, shapes, decor, etc.
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| Green plate made from recycled glass in Cairo |
Markaz targets specific groups which are foreign and Arab tourists. Moreover, it targets the wealthy groups in Egypt such as people living in Garden City, Zamalek, and others. Markaz gives the raw materials and manufacturing tools to the craftswoman and she makes it. The place deals with women only; To improve their income and preserve Egyptian crafts from extinction, such as “Oya thread,” which is a craft of Turkish origin and Egypt has taken it since the occupation. Most Egyptian crafts were taken from the occupation, but Egypt has continued those crafts until now.
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| Handicrafts by Suzanne El-Masry |
It takes about a month to make 50 pieces which requires them to quickly order from the makers as the pieces are always sold out. Pottery and glass are among the most famous handicrafts in Cairo Governorate. In addition to Pharaonic craft that made from treacle.
Suzan Al-Masry is an Egyptian jewellery artist. She makes all her pieces by hand, by herself, without anyone’s help. She specializes in making only one piece of each piece of jewellery. So that whoever buys it feels special, and it is impossible for anyone else to see him wearing that piece.