Narrator: Egyptians in Luxor have been carving stones
for thousands of years.
And for Sayed Mahmoud El-Mataany,
sculpting is a way
to tell his country's history through art.
He inherited the craft from his father and grandfather
and has been doing it for over six decades.
Narrator: In the past, craftsmen carved hieroglyphics
and intricate figures of people, animals, and gods.
They used stone to make everyday items,
but also the tombs of their kings and queens.
Today, artisans mostly make souvenirs and ornaments,
like vases and jewelry boxes.
But political turmoil in Egypt and the pandemic
impacted Sayed's business.
And tourism, his biggest source of income,
virtually disappeared for two years.
We went to Luxor to see how, despite hardship,
this ancient craft is still standing.
At 75, Sayed prefers to take on complex tasks,
like carving details into miniature pieces.
Narrator: He's eager to pass on the craft to younger generations.
And so he trains apprentices like Ahmad,
who's been doing this job with him for 13 years.
First, they cut the block of stone with a saw.
Then Ahmad breaks it with a hammer
to get it to the size he wants to work with.
If he's working with a large piece, like a vase,
he places it in a hole in the ground that keeps it in place.
Narrator: He switches to a hand power drill
to hollow a core for the vase.
It can take him up to five days to do this step alone.
Narrator: Egyptians have been carving stones
since the earliest dynasties 5,000 years ago.
Almost all of the stone-built tombs
can be found west of the Nile River
in the burial site called the Valley of the Kings.
Pharaohs commissioned vast statues
that were meant to glorify them in life and death,
and skilled craftsmen quarried the deserts to build them.
It took years
to finish constructing and carving these ancient monuments.
But as new materials emerged, the use of stone dwindled.
Even though modern tools are available today,
Sayed prefers the simple carving methods
similar to those his ancestors used.
Narrator: Once the center is done,
Ahmad uses a file to even out the surface.
Narrator: He then sands the base
with a softer sander to do the finish.
Finally, he cleans it with water.
Making one vase like this takes Ahmad 10 days.
Larger items can take months to finish.
These pieces sell anywhere from $300 to $1,000.
Sayed devoted his life to a craft that he inherited.
But his real interest began as a kid,
when he stumbled upon ancient carvings
while playing with his friends.
Narrator: He's mastered hieroglyphics
by carving them into figurines and vases.
And he often refers to books
to match the original inscriptions.
Narrator: Sayed works with different types of stones,
like the Egyptian alabaster, granite, and basalt.
Some of them go through a burning process
to harden the pieces.
And it's all done outside.
Sayed uses cow dung
to create the perfect ground for stone burning.
Larger ones can stay in the fire for at least 24 hours.
More than half of the people in Luxor
work in the tourism industry,
and most of Sayed's customers are tourists
who are often looking for vases and sculptures
depicting Egyptian gods.
But the 2011 Egyptian revolution and protests
kept foreign visitors away.
And then the pandemic made things even worse.
Narrator: Sayed also works as a farmer to make ends meet,
but his passion is stone carving.
Narrator: Working in a craft that has lasted thousands of years,
he knows the hard times will pass.
So he's determined to pass on his skills
to the next generation.