Egypt was a resource rich paradise. Grasses and reeds grew in abundance and were used to make the most useful things for everyday living - baskets, mats and ropes. Though trees were not so well represented the indigenous sycomore and acacia did provide some wood. The deserts, though frightening places, contained riches in the form of all kinds of stone. There were hard volcanic rocks such as granite and basalt, softer sedimentary rocks such as limestone and sandstone, silt-stones such as slate and steatite. There were semi-precious stones such as orange carnelian, red and green jasper, alabaster. There were also metals: in Sinai there was copper but the Eastern Desert had veins of gold and silver running through the mountains. It was said that gold in Egypt was as plentiful as the sand on the shore. In fact sand itself was one of the other main resources of Egypt used to temper pottery and as the main constituent of an artificial substance called faience which was very important for making beautiful, inexpensive objects.