Granite

Egyptian granite in black, red, grey and rose — Nero Aswan, Red Aswan, Karnak Grey and Rosa Sinai among them. Supplied as blocks, slabs and cut-to-size.

Granite is where Egyptian stone earned its reputation. The belt around Aswan has been quarried since the Old Kingdom, and surfaces cut from it in antiquity are still legible today — the longest field test any building material has been through. It is dense, hard and effectively unmoved by water, salt or traffic, which makes it the right answer for thresholds, treads, kerbs, fountain surrounds and any floor that has to survive both weather and use. The finish decides the colour as much as the stone does: polishing deepens and glazes it, flaming and bush hammering lift the same face lighter, greyer and rougher underfoot.