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>>Store Owner: Look at this. These green parts over here are very strong. In ancient times
they used them to make many things like boats, sandals, mats and things of that nature. Then
we have the inner part, the white part that's the papyrus. We cut it here
But, when we make anything with the inner part it will break. Why? Because it consists
of 50% water and 50% sugar. Now we want to draw the sugar and the water out. To do this
we use two fingers. Here we have a hammer. Would you like to put a finger down?
[whistles] Your finger down. It's a good finger.
[Laughter]
Here you can do it. Flatten that. >>Lexi: Flatten it?
(*** and water noise) Sorry
[Tapping noise]
>>Store Owner: Get the water out. [Tapping noise]
Water is on here. The second tool we have here is a rolling pan. Does anyone have one
in the kitchen? Same size or bigger? >>Me: Smaller.
>>Store Owner: To hit your boyfriend when he comes into the house? Do you have any bumps
on your head? Do you have any bumps on your head?
>>Josh: Not yet. >>Store Owner: Look at these. All the water
is coming out now. Our slices make it easy to roll around the finger but is strong. You
can put the slices in the water for a couple of days to remove the sugar. But, you don't
want all the sugar to get out of the slices. You need 3-5% of the sugar to stay inside
the slices to get our paper to stick together. Behind me we have two different colors. The
white paper and the brown one. How do we get it both? If we need the white paper we leave
our slices in the water for 6 days and in the hand press another 6 days. For the brown
colors we leave it longer time. Two weeks in the water and two weeks under the press.
To make it into paper we put the slices here between two pieces of carpet or linen. We
make horizontal and vertical lines. Excuse me where are you from? >>Voices: Australia,
Canada >>Me: New York
>>Store Owner: First time in Egypt? >>Voices: Yea
>>Store Owner: Me too [Laughter]
[Conversation about New York and the United States in the background]
>>Store Owner: Look at this. This makes the paper. We cover it. Then we lay it on the
press. How many days for the white sheet under there?
>>Me: Six >>Store Owner: Correct. And the brown?
>>Voices: Two weeks. [Inaudible joke and laughter] [Whistling]
>>Me: Alexis >>Store Owner: Do you want to put your finger
down? Only 6 days. By the way this machine is a modern machine. In ancient times they
were using anything heavy like two blocks of stone or very big Egyptian lady.
[Laughter] Six days in the water and six days under the
press we get a nice sheet like this paper. This paper is made from this. Ok, now we have
an important lesson. How do we know the difference between fake paper, false paper and original
paper? You know? Cause you said yes. >>Me: No, I'm nodding. They usually use banana
leaves. >>Store Owner: Yes, how do you know that?
Everyone outside the temples sells these papers. I want to show you the difference. First our
paper is not heavy. Our paper is very thin. Also strong paper. Easy to roll without any
damage. Also if you put the paper toward any source of light you will see horizontal lines
and vertical lines. Also some brown spots. Those brown spots are because of the sugar
because the sugar gets activated under the press. But, outside in the street if you see
this paper you will never see horizontal and vertical. Just one line, horizontal or vertical
without any brown dots. Because outside in the street the paper is made of banana leaves
or sugar leaves. But why outside use the banana? Cheaper than the papyrus, easier to get it
from anywhere, but the papyrus grow only along the river Nile.