Woman gold worker prepares stacks of gold leaf, Mandalay, Myanmar

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Gold is everywhere in Myanmar, from the huge gilded temples, to the pieces rubbed on the statues of Buddha. It is applied to lacquerware and used in medicine or as a cosmetic. Some even eat it, believing it to have health benefits. The process of making gold leaf dates back 5000 years to the Egyptians, and the techniques have remained largely unchanged since then. In the final steps of the process of making gold leaf, women cut the gold leaf into squares and package them between tissue paper in books of 50 to 100 squares.

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Size: 2700px × 3600px
Location: King Galon Gold Leaf Workshop, Mandalay, Myanmar
Photo credit: © Terry Allen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: burma, galon, gold, king, leaf, mandalay, myanmar, packaging, squares, woman, worker, workshop