Nefer the silent - Christian Jacq

In a mysterious village deep in the mountainous desert of Upper Egypt, a handful of men jealously guards some of the most precious secrets of the Pharaohs. And the most fabulous of these is the Stone of Light...
This village is called The Place of Truth. Dynasties of artists and craftsmen lived and worked there for some five centuries, from 1550BC to 1070BC, preparing for the eternal resting places of the reigning Pharaohs. In order to complete their demanding mission, they made use of the famous Stone of Light, which has the power to transform barley into gold, and matter into light.
Christian Jacq has now retold this gripping adventure in this epic novel, told in four parts, where the destiny of the Pharaohs, the intrigues of courtesans, the genius of artists and the passions of men are drawn together in the name of art of the most exalted kind.