-Silver :
The Bedews and Peasants used to wear silver jewelry as bangles on their wrest and arms and they used to wear it in pairs, necklaces (kerdan), pendants and big earrings because the women carried their fortune in silver they used to buy it and sell it by weight.
And in old days the bride was always presented with silver necklaces (kerdan) and bangles on her wedding day as a wedding gift
There were the different designs of silver the ones were made for Bedews, Peasants, and city ladies
But latter people in the city afforded to buy gold .
Please note, if you have any design that you would like to implement contact us at design@orientalspot.com .
All products are beautifully handcrafted from Beech wood skillfully inlaid with mother of pearl which is so finely cut that each piece has to be set in place individually.
Each piece is unique, the designs created by master craftsmen who take a real pride of their work.
Indeed, they are so decorative that they deserve place in every home.
Egypt, Syria, Iraqi and Turkey were well known for inlay with mother of pearl for example: boxes, tables and screens. It was also used in jewelry.
-Paintings with Natural colors :
Pharaohs used natural colors and dyes in their writing on temples and dyeing their materials, as well as painting and writing on clothes. The dyes were produced from natural plants exp. Charade (hibiscus plant) onions and different herbs.
Glass perfume bottles :
The history tells that glassblowing manufacture was the art of Ancient Egyptian Artists thousands years ago .This was clear by the treasures Tut-ankh-amun tomb discovery beside the glass bottles which had been discovered in many of other Pharaonic tombs
It is believed that the Phoenicians brought the art of glass making to Egypt shortly before the 4th millennium BC. Originally, glass was used to coat other materials in the production and decoration of jewelry. Beads of pure glass first appeared in the Old Kingdom, but it was not until the New Kingdom, during the reign of Tuthmosis I, that actual vessels of pure glass were made in Egypt. It seems that these vessels were reserved for only the Egyptian rulers and as a result, the art of glass making ceased when the Pharaonic era came to a close at the end of the New Kingdom. The oldest dated pure glass object is a large ball bead bearing the cartouche of Amen-Hotep I (1514 – 1493 BC), now in the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford.
Hundreds years ago during the Fatimide period the glass manufacture was mixed with the Islamic and Christian art.
Copper was the most common metal for everyday use in ancient Egypt. Egyptian copper was especially hard because of its natural content of arsenic. The material was probably first Neolithic period (6th millennium BC). The oldest Egyptian copper artifacts, including beads and small tools, date to the early 4th millennium BC. It has been proposed that they were fashioned from native copper. Copper also became a measure used for common exchange in ancient Egypt. Though rarely changing hands, it was used as an equivalent, within a system
of barter. Perhaps as early as the Middle Kingdom, the values of commodities such as bread, beer, clothing and just about every other item available for trade had their values expressed in comparable units based on the weight of metals such as copper.
The mashrabia word is coming from the Egyptian word “”mashrab”” which means drinking because in the old days they used to put water in clay bottles and put them by the windows that was made of arabesque to keep the water cold.
Arabesque is a medieval art in which very small wooden turnings are joined together (without nails) to form intricate wood panels. Since the fourth century, or a bit earlier, masharabia or arabesque was used on windows and doors as well as partitions for privacy
Arabesque is one of the most intricate crafts and is very difficult to master. It was used mainly as an architectural decoration and can be seen throughout Old Cairo, adorning homes and mosques. Arabesque was also made into screens for windows and doors of homes to allow women to view the outside world without revealing themselves.
Carpenters excelled in making patterns in arabesque wood work. It was fitted together in an artistic manner.
Like many Islamic crafts, the art of Arabesque is being revived and kept alive in Egypt nowadays.
Khayamia ( Embroidered table cloth ) :
Were originally used as tents in weddings and funerals, as well as big gatherings in the tenth century. Now used as cushions , bed spreads, table cloth and curtains.
It takes a lot of time because its sewed by hand and if you check any table cloth you will find it composed of very small pieces of cloth that is sewed by hands every little piece individually so at last it makes the desired design
(its like the puzzle game )
Hookahs :
One of the oldest and deep rooted traditions in Turkey is the Nargile (Hookah), with both men and women finding great pleasure in smoking the waterpipe. The nargile started a whole new culture which endured for many, many years. Even today the nargile gives enjoyment to a special breed of smokers. The original nargile came from India, but it was rather primitive as it was made out of coconut shell. Its popularity spread to Iran and then to the rest of the Arab world.
But it was in Turkey that the nargile completed its revolution, and did not change its style for the last few hundred years. The nargile became a very important part of the coffee shop culture, finding its popularity in Turkey around the time of Murat the IV'th, 1623-40.The joy that the smokers received from this very simple yet beautiful smoking apparatus was unbelievable.
The nargile itself consists of 4 pieces which are as follows: Agizlik (mouthpiece), Lüle (the top of the nargile), Marpuç (the tube) and the Gövde (the body of the pipe which is filled with water). All pieces of the pipe were produced by special craftsmen, who were named after the piece they produced.
Pottery :
The production of pottery is one of the most ancient arts. The oldest known body of pottery dates from the Jomon period (from about 10,500 to 400 BC) in Japan; and even the earliest Jomon ceramics exhibit a unique sophistication of technique and design. Excavations in the Near East have revealed that primitive fired-clay vessels were made there more than 8,000 years ago. Potters were working in Iran by about 5500 BC, and earthenware was probably being produced even earlier on the Iranian high plateau. Chinese potters had developed characteristic techniques by about 5000 BC. In the New World many pre-Columbian American cultures developed highly artistic pottery traditions.
Drums: The concepts of drums are as old as mankind. A drum is called a membranophone, or an instrument that creates sound by striking a stretched membrane with some type of object, usually a rounded stick. Drums consist of a hollowed-out piece (called the body), a membrane stretched over the end of the drum, and tuning keys or pegs which tighten or loosen the membrane to achieve different tones. While most may think that the body of the drum produces the sound, it is in fact actually the membrane and its vibration that creates the sound when struck.
Drums first appeared as far back as 6000 BC. Mesopotamian excavations unearthed small cylindrical drums dated 3000 BC. Several wall markings found in caves in Peru show drums used in various aspects of societal life. The American Indians used gourd and wooden constructed drums for their rituals and ceremonies. Drums have always been used for more than merely creating music. Civil uses, messaging, and religious uses are but a few.
Please note, if you have any design that you would like to employ contact us at design@orientalspot.com
1- All the furniture is manufactured and handmade in Egypt .
2- we use Beech wood , also all the furniture is hand made , not made by computer machines .
3- regarding the finish , first phase is the carpenter , then inlaid with veneer , then polished with Chalac and Alcohol , then the brass ornaments , and at last the marble top.
- Regarding how we join the pieces together , we join them using Glue and Screws .
We have Five subcategories for this category, which are:
a- French style imitated antiques
b- Chairs and sofas: all the products within this subcategory are with very high quality and painted with French gold 24 K .
C- Hand made furniture inlaid with mother of pearl .
d- Hand made bamboo chairs and tables .
e- Islamic furniture : made with the Arabesque method
( please read the arabesque paragraph above )
Finally , we would like to inform you that our furniture is durable , and made of solid wood.
Our Body Care Products are
100% Natural
100% Hand made
100% Free from preservatives
100% Free from coloring agents
100% free from artificial fragrances
100% Environmentally friendlyAs an example : Our hand-milled soaps are made using a traditional Castile soap formula from the 19th century. It is made of 100% extra virgin Olive oil using the cold process method which maintains vitamins, minerals, enzymes and other nutrients present in the Olive oil plus the natural glycerin those results from saponification; these natural elements which are good for your skin. Moreover, Our soaps are all free from preservatives, coloring agents and artificial fragrances. Our hand-milled soaps have an exceptional mildness, gentleness, are long-lasting and most importantly, are effective cleaning bars
These are the reasons why we feel that our soaps are the best handcrafted soaps offered on the market today.
Papyrus is a laminated material made from thinly cut strips from the stalk of Cyprus papyrus plant. To make papyrus, moistened strips of thinly sliced pith with the rough outer covering removed are laid side by side on a board, and another layer was superimposed at right angles to the first layer.
The two layers are then pressed and carefully beaten with hammers until the plant tissue ruptured, the exuding sap glued the strips together as the papyrus was dried in the sun.
The resulting sheet which is very strong is rubbed with polished, flat stones until the surface is smooth.
So, all our papyrus is totally manufactured by hand and the scenes are also hand painted (it will be mentioned if the scenes are printed).
Rugs:
Please note, if you have any design that you would like to implement contact us at design@orientalspot.com
All pieces are hand-made, you may find similarity with some pieces but they are not exactly the same.
These carpets and kleems are woven by hand using woolen weft worked on wool or cotton warp, every 1cm contains from 25 to 36 knot. They are also washable; please do not use hot water when cleaning (40oc).
Egypt is one of the world’s leading producers and yearly a considerable number of Egyptian carpets are exported all around the world.
The kleems are considered to be a life time product, as well as one of the most indispensable interior decoration goods.
Tapestries are made in different typical natural folkloric designs with fixed dyeing colors.
Please note, if you have any design that you would like to employ contact us at design@orientalspot.com
All our costumes, scarves , bodices and dresses are hand embroidered in Egypt by Egyptian women who really love their work and want to reach the best. Also, we have a lot of designs and we change all our costumes (except the top 10 sellers) every six months.
Finally , please note that we have two different qualities for costumes :
· · Local market quality costumes: this kind is made in free size which means that the belt and bra are 100 cm in length, so all you have to do is sewing two clasps on both ends of the belt and bra to make it fit your size , but if you do not know how to do it, you will have to go to a tailor.
· · Professionals costumes: this kind is of higher quality and comes with the requested waist and bra cup size, so please follow the instructions in the description field of the product.
· The belly dancing accessories are hand made , made from brass , then Nickel plated , and at last it is plated with Gold or Silver .
They were called Tally. The net material was imported from France and silver thin flat wire was clipped carefully, forming interesting designs. It was well known in Asyut (Upper Egypt) . Nowadays they manufacture the fabric Tulle in Asyut , then the women in the country side make the embroidery with silver , it takes a lot of time to make just one shawl .