Egyptian carpet schools improve locals' lives in Saqqara village

At another nearby carpet school, Mokhtar el-Badrashiny, a supervisor and deputy manager, said that they have a good turnout of foreign customers, noting that most foreign customers come from the United States and Latin America, in addition to some Italians.

"Before COVID-19, we had many Chinese customers. We hope the pandemic will be over soon and we can see again more visitors from China and other countries," the carpet store supervisor said. A group of Brazilian tourists was taking a tour of the exhibition section of the store after watching the weaving process in the workshop downstairs.

"I was impressed how children are learning weaving carpets and creating beautiful works from threads," said Eline Gomes Viegas, noting it was her first time visiting Egypt.

"The village is surrounded by archaeological sites and the traditional handmade carpets make it even more unique," said the Brazilian lady.

Meanwhile, an American couple was selecting small-sized rugs as souvenirs from Egypt.

Brad Wicks, a retired telecom employee from California, described Saqqara as "amazing" and "a very interesting place to be".

"I think the quality of the rugs is outstanding," the American tourist said.