Saturday, September 02, 2006

Egyptian alabaster, modern and ancient

"The Ancient Egyptians believed that alabaster was associated with the sun gods. For this reason, it was chosen to cover the walls of temples and tombs; even sarcophagi were built from the harder veins. The religious significance has been passed down through the ages. Early Christian churches were decorated with alabaster, and, to this day you can find many of the altars in Egyptian churches made from the stone. The tradition carried on with the arrival of Islam: The most famous example of this is Mohammed Ali’s Alabaster Mosque at the Citadel, so called because the mosque’s exterior is sheathed in the stone."

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