How the Egyptians grade Papyrus.
PLEASE CLICK ON ANY PICTURE TO SEE A MUCH LARGER IMAGE

If you have been to Egypt you will know that papyrus is everywhere and you will also know that much of it is of a very poor quality. The Egyptians use a very simple system of First, Second and Third to grade papyrus but the tour guides talk about poor quality banana paper. Please read on and everything will become clear.

First Grade

Hand made papyrus paper in many different sizes with completely hand drawn and hand painted pictures. Each picture is an individual piece of art that cannot be repeated. Though an artist may paint the same scene on papyrus many times over the years no two will ever be the same. Much finer work and stands close scrutiny.

Second Grade

Second grade is hand made papyrus paper in any but the very largest sizes, onto which an outline or picture is stamped or printed and then coloured in by hand, often by children. From our experience these are often sold to unsuspecting tourists as first grade because first grade papyrus attracts a higher price.

Third Grade

Third grade papyrus is machine made papyrus paper onto which a picture is printed. The Egyptians often refer to these as "fifths". Machine papyrus only comes in one size (slightly larger than A4) and the pictures can be repeated again and again. Sometimes two small pictures are printed on one sheet. The picture on the right is pretty typical of this low grade papyrus which do, if you are a little selective, actually make quite acceptable gifts and cost next to nothing.

Within each grade there are vast differences between makers, printers and artists.

Banana Paper

FACT: There is no such thing as banana paper it is all papyrus. Over the last few years tour guides have told stories of poor quality papyrus that is made from banana leaves and sold by the local traders. They really mean machine made Third Grade papyrus. This is in an attempt to stop you buying papyrus from local traders as they do not make commission on this (see the Holiday Tip further down this page). The local traders themselves have caught on to this, and will often show you a poor Third Grade papyrus and say it is banana, but they can show you a much better quality inside, as a way of getting you into their shop.

Holiday Tip

When you go to Egypt it is a good idea not to buy papyrus (or anything else for that matter) whilst with any tour guide as you will pay far too much. The guide will tell you that he/she is taking you to a genuine papyrus shop as the locals do not sell papyrus paper but sell cheaper paper made from banana leaves which is very poor quality. This is because up to 70% of anything you buy, yes up to 70%, is given back to the guide/tour operator. Go back to the same papyrus shop by a taxi or calash and you will be offered an immediate 50% discount on everything in the shop and your driver is still taking his cut.