Flax is a vital crop used in the production of textiles. Flax's main products, tow and lint, are processed in order to make canvas, linen, and rope, all goods fundamental to the Egyptian lifestyle.
Additionally, flax seeds can be crushed in a kitchen to make oil for use in cooking (10 flax seeds yield 1 oil), and pricessed into sails for use in the construction of ferry boats.
Flax comes in different varieties that exhibit varying traits. Packets of either 'Flax Seeds:Old Egypt' or 'Flax Seeds:Nile Green' are available at any School of Art. You may go back a few minutes later and get more, which may provide the other variety.
Note: There are better strains than the one's from the School of Art. e.g. Tedra's Folly needs no water, one weeding, and gives either 7 Flax and 7 Rotten Flax, or 8 Seeds, each harvest.
To grow flax, stand on grass, click yourself, then select "Plant", then flax. Flax will not grow on sand. After a moment, green flax shoots with blue flowers will appear in the bed, and a few moments later yellow weeds will appear. Weed the flax bed by selecting the appropriate menu option. Depending on the variety of flax being used, you may need to water the flax when you weed it (using a jug of water), and/or you may need to weed the bed several times. Eventually, the flax will complete growing and you may harvest it. There are no signs that the flax is ready for harvest except more flowers grow in the flax bed. The best way to tell is to click on the flax bed.
If you do not have a jug, grow the 'Old Egypt' strain. It does not need water. You can get your first jug by signing up to learn pottery at a School of Architecture.
Flax grown for harvest will not produce seeds. To obtain flax seeds, plant a bed of flax but do not weed it. Shortly after weeds appear in the bed, the flax will go to seed. You will see more of the yellow weeds. You may then harvest seeds from the flax up to 5 times (or sometimes longer) before it finally dies. When the plant dies, it will leave another seed on the ground.
Take care to not use up all your flax seeds when growing flax; keep at least a few in reserve to grow more seeds. If you do run out, you can get the two basic strains at any School of Art.
Most uses of flax require rotten flax. Flax is rotted by standing near a body of water and selecting the "Rot flax in water" option from the "Skills" menu. Rotting flax in a body of water will create a flax buoy that you can retrieve once it's rotted. The time required to rot flax is constant, and does not depend on the amount of flax in the bouy. You can donate the buoy to a guild, and may retrieve bouys left by your spouse. Flax may also be rotted in a tub.
Processing 10 rotten flax in a Flax comb or (better) a Hackling rake takes three stages, producing first 10 straw, then 10 tow, and finally 10 lint. Tow and lint are processed in a small distaff to create twine and thread, and then in a Student loom or (far better) a Hand loom into final cloth products.
A sum up of production for 100 rotten flax:
| Flax comb results (From) | Distaff results (Via) | Final products (To) |
| 100 tow | 300 twine | Small distaff: 60 rope |
| 100 tow | 300 twine | Manual loom: 5 canvas |
| 100 lint | 1500 thread | Manual loom: 3.75 linen |
Our ancestors had flax with the following characteristics: