Mashrabiya and Inlay Work
With little demand for the huge latticed screens that once covered nearly every window in Cairo, modern mashrabiya work is usually confined to decorative screens and table stands (see "Brass and copper ware"). Generally made of imported red birch or oak, they consist of scores or hundreds of turned wooden beads, joined by dowels and glue, without nails. The technique is also applied to Koran stands (which make splendid magazine racks), the fancier ones being embellished with mother-of-pearl, bone and other inlays. Inlaid boxes come in all sizes, from cigar holders to multi-drawer jewellery caskets. Small boxes cost upwards of GBPE7; prices increase with size and quality of workmanship. Backgammon boards ( thowla - pronounced "dow-la") come in two broad varieties: very simple, with minimal (often poor-quality or plastic) inlay, for around GBPE35; and larger sets made of hard woods, intricately inlaid with mother-of-pearl, bone or ivory. A multiple box set can cost GBPE140 or more. Many backgammon sets have chessboards on the back; chesspieces in every style and material are widely available, but good backgammon counters are hard to find. Now that Egypt has stopped legal imports, fresh supplies of ivory (whose sale is not illegal) are smuggled in from Sudan and Kenya, where poachers are decimating elephant herds. If that's not sufficient reason to boycott ivory products, numerous countries (including Australia, Britain, Germany and the USA) prohibit their importation. Inlaid or carved bone makes an acceptable, cheaper substitute.
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