Cairopolitan Has Dropped a New Souvenir. It’s Donkey Poop

Cairo has given the world many things. Civilisation. Algebra. The Pyramids. Now, at last, they have given us what we have been waiting for for thousands of years: a candle in the shape of donkey droppings. At least, this is what Cairopolitan is now offering all those who grace their Giza storefront, saying, “Long before maps, tickets, or tour guides, the presence — and scent — of donkeys has been part of the Giza Plateau experience, a sensory sign that you’ve arrived.”

They’re not wrong, and while no one ever asked for this candle, it is true that history has never smelled particularly good. More importantly, the donkeys of Giza are as much a part of the Pyramids as the Sphinx himself - working animals who have carried tourists, supported vendors, and patiently endured centuries of photography. Their contribution to the atmosphere, olfactory and otherwise, is undeniable.

The ‘Donkey Poo Candle’, naturally, comes in two sizes: ‘Little Drop’ and ‘Full Drop,’ and don’t worry, (hopefully) its smell doesn’t match its appearance. If anything, it pays honest tribute to one of the most underrated animals in human history, a kind of sensory archaeology, one could say. A way of bottling the lived texture of a place that has historically been represented with smooth alabaster or clean papyrus. 

Cairopolitan is adept at capturing the essence of Egyptian life in all forms. From stickers to the classic wooden cafe chairs, to magnets of blue street signs, and your grandmother's salon chair made miniature, their gifts and souvenirs capture a range of Egyptian staples.

With the candle, Cairopolitan has identified a gap in the market that no one knew existed and filled it with something that is either the most absurd souvenir in Cairo or the most honest one. Fit for a friend with a good sense of humour, or an enemy perhaps, it is a candle that captures thousands of years of underrated history.