Hand-carved alabaster vase or candle lamp
Luxor alabaster is carved from local stone metres from where ancient craftsmen quarried it — workshop-direct prices are a quarter of Western import retail.
Price: 900 EGP (Honest range E£400-1,800 (~US$8-37) for a genuine hand-carved medium piece after haggling; large translucent vases E£2,000-5,000)
Where to buy: Workshops on Luxor's West Bank (near the tombs) where you can watch carving; Gurna village co-ops
Price checked 2026-07-03
- Hand-carved vs machine-made test: handmade pieces are slightly irregular, lighter-walled, and glow warmly when a light is placed inside; machine pieces are heavy, perfectly symmetrical, and often not even local stone
- Some 'alabaster' is painted soapstone or resin — real alabaster is cool to the touch and translucent at thin points
- Haggle rule applies fully: open at a third of their number
- Heavy and fragile — carry-on, wrapped in your new towels