Fayoumi Handicrafts

Fayoumi Handicrafts is a local initiative to preserve and promote Fayoum governorate local handicrafts. It is Fayoum’s first online market place specialized in selling bulk and customized handicrafts.

We are manufacturer, suppliers and exporters. Basically situated in Fayoum city, Egypt and we operate throughout the world and support the local community. Many villages in Fayoum have outstanding traditional handicrafts expressive of the history and traditions of local people in Fayoum. The abundance of palm trees and clay found in Fayoum are the reasons how the basketry and pottery industries began here.

Fayoumi handicrafts depict strong bond to the rich culture of the Fayoum with an innovative bunch of craftsmen around Fayoum. We come with a wide array of highly beautiful, deeply rooted handicrafts made by highly skilled and professional artisans who have inherited their authentic craftsmanship since the time of the pharahos. They are experts in crafting many products including traditional pottery, glazed pottery, palm products and carpets.

Fayoumi handicrafts has built a strong team to offer clients the finest handicrafts and decorative products without compromising quality. Our products are masterpieces in their own form and symbolize the beauty and the heritage of the Fayoum.

Traditional Pottery Products

Fayoum pottery has an authentic and ancient Pharaonic spirit, as by reviewing for instance Pharaonic pottery was used in agricultural tasks, food and drink storage for people and animals, trade and transportation tasks, magical rites tasks, funerary tasks, incense and libation tasks.

In fact, Fayoum traditional pottery still functions as same as the Pharaonic one. Its ancient extension as pottery produced in the site is of archetype and terracotta kind, exactly similar to that produces in pharaonic time, in addition to the same tools and material entangled in the manufacture process, that is why the site gained its right to be a site of intangible cultural heritage.

Products:

Bokla
Size: 50×45 cm – 35 25 cm Used to store and save mesh ( old Egyptian cheese). It is manufactured in 2 phases and each individual can produce 40 bokla every 12 hours.

Fayoum Palm Products:

Since the beginning of history, Palm trees played an important role in the life of the Fayoum farmers. Some call it “the life tree” due to its various uses specifically to farmers. The farmers use the palm treesin making many products. The areas planted with palm trees in Fayoum reach 7500 feddan. These areas contain almost 1.7 million fruitful palm trees spreading in most of the villages of Fayoum. During the long life of the palm trees, the farmer trims them to help them grow. The harvesting of the trimming process is used in basketry products.
Made of rice straw and date palm leaves, the coiled baskets of Fayoum come in a large variety of shapes varying from large laundry baskets to dainty ones for little trinkets. This basketry technique has been found in Fayoum since the Neolithic period, long before the pharaohs came into power. The baskets are made by women working at home.

Products:

Gifts Bag with Nefertiti 35cm H * 25cm W

Fayoumi Large Pottery:

In Fayoum, the clay turns into classic art forms with a deeply rooted heritage of Pottery. With wonderful pottery products that have conquered the world, this region has become the most famous and first in the pottery industry in Egypt and also in exports to European and Arab countries. this small village is located 40 km from Fayoum and 90 km from Cairo.

Fayoum potters wake up early morning every day, as they are divided between different workshops, some of them prepare the clay, and others set fire inside the kilns.

The potters are able to produce the largest size of pottery products in the world, as the largest reached 3, 5 meters high, and yet no other potter in the world has been able to do so.

Pottery Making Stages:

Clay preparation: Aswani clay and local clay are put together in a water basin and then mixed under the sunlight, then they are stirred and filtered from water until we get the raw clay to be able to form, then comes the drying process which takes duration 10-15 days.

Forming the clay: Take the dry clay to prepare them for pottery wheels and shape them according to the potter’s artistic desire and according to the required size.

Drying stage: Shapes are exposed under sunlight to dry and ready to be baked in the kiln.

Firing stage: The last stage of pottery making in which the pieces are placed after being dried in sunlight in kilns. Firing may take place inside gas-fired kilns and lined with a layer of thermal wool, but the fire process in these furnaces takes only hours.

Products:

Giant Cup with handles :
Size 140 H * 70 D Used as an outdoor/indoor decoration.

Carpets:

Desya Carpet artisan as seen by Mohamed Ayman.

Textile manufacturing was known 5000 years B.C. in Fayoum. The instruments vary from very complicated machines to very simple manual looms. There are three kinds of fabrics: the first is Natural fibers taken from plants and animals like the fibers taken from linen, Jute and Calyx. Other fibers are taken from animals such as: wool, the hair of the camel, goats and rabbits. The second is the Synthetic fibers like copper silk and natural silk. The third is fibers made from natural and synthetic fibers mixed together.

Women of Desya Village making handmade carpets using locally made looms.

One meter of a carpet can take effort of two people for 60 to 70 days. A whole carpet can take from 6 to 8 months work. one square centimeter of a carpet takes 64 knots. The textiles’ manual instruments for making traditional carpets “Seggad”, mats “Haseer” and rugs “Keleem” are mainly used in the rural areas of Fayoum. Rug making, carpet making as well as mat making are considered traditional crafts that depend on simple looms.

Products: