Imports cast shadow on lantern trade in Egypt

Tucked away in an alley in one of Cairo's oldest quarters, Nasser Mustafa painstakingly welds small metal pieces that will come together to form a traditional lantern.

Egyptians turn to the lantern, known as a fanoos, as part of the tradition of Ramadan.

As a symbol, the fanoos has been compared with a Christmas tree. It is hung on balconies during Ramadan and takes the centre of dinner tables when families break the fast together.

The history of the fanoos in Egypt stretches back to the Fatimid Empire, which ruled large swaths of the Muslim world from Cairo starting in the 10th century.

But now, the future of the Egyptian fanoos may be under threat.

Less than a dozen fanoos makers remain in Cairo, as cheap Chinese imports and decades of government corruption have made plying their trade a challenge.

"Our great-grandfathers did this work, but our kids won't," said Rida Ashour, who stopped making the fanoos about 10 years ago.

A stroll down one of Cairo's oldest streets shows this generational shift.

Two decades ago, the street was known for its fanoos artisans, but today vendors complain that the metal and glass needed to make the lanterns was all imported and too expensive to buy.

Ready-made lanterns, especially ones produced in China, have undercut the traditional ones, the vendors said.

It can take anywhere from three days to several weeks of cutting, hammering, melting and welding to create a single fanoos. The smaller ones can cost 10 Egyptian pounds (Dh5.80), while larger custom-made ones can cost up to 10,000 Egyptian pounds.

"Everything we use to make the fanoos from is imported, from A to Z," said Mohamed Fawzi, 27, who works in a small garage space with his two brothers and father making lanterns. He said they were producing about a third as many lanterns as they made before the Chinese lanterns flooded the market some 13 years ago.