Lapis, as it is commonly called, is a rock not a mineral because it is made up of various other minerals. To be a mineral it can only have one constituent. The main component of lapis lazuli is lazurite, a mineral composed of sodium, aluminum, silicon, oxygen, sulfur, and chloride. Lapis Lazuli usually occurs in crystalline marble as a result of contact metamorphism. Lapis has been prized since ancient times due to its intense blue color.

Lapis has been mined in Afghanistan for more than 6,000 years, and trade of this stone is quite ancient enough to be found at ancient Egyptian burial sites, at burials in Mehrgarh, the Caucasus, and even from Mauritiana. Badakhshan, the province which lapis lazuli has been mined, was the source of lapis for the ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations as well as the later Greek and Roman; during the height of the Indus valley civilization about 2000 BC, the Harappan colony now known as Shortugai was established near the lapis mines.

In ancient Egypt, lapis lazuli was used for amulets such as scarabs; Babylonians and the Assyrians also used the stone for seals. Powdered lapis was even used by Cleopatra herself as eye shadow.

Ancient Romans believed that lapis was an aphrodisiac and was thought in the Middle Ages to keep the limbs healthy and free the soul from error, envy, and fear. It was also believed to contain medicinal properties. Lapis was ground down, mixed with milk, and applied as a dressing for boils and ulcers.

Recent uses for lapis includes being able to take incredible polish and can be made into jewelry, mosaics, carvings, ornaments, boxes, and vases. It has also been used for cladding the walls and columns of palaces and churches. It was also ground and processed to make the pigment ultramarine for tempera paint and more rarely oil paint.