CAIRO, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Between the alleys of the Sayeda Zeinab neighborhood in central Cairo, about 20 workers were busy in one of the old workshops manufacturing traditional Ramadan lanterns, or fanoos in Arabic, before distributing them to shops for sale ahead of the holy month of Ramadan.
The Sayeda Zeinab neighborhood is one of Egypt's most famous neighborhoods for making Ramadan lanterns, as it is still the headquarters of dozens of decades-old manufacturing workshops.
The lanterns, mostly handmade, garnish the streets and narrow alleys of Egyptian cities during Ramadan, which will start on Saturday.
During the holy month, Muslims abstain from eating, drinking and smoking from sunrise to sunset.
"The lanterns add joy to children and their families, and we manufacture different shapes at competitive prices," Ahmed Abdullah, owner of a lantern manufacturing workshop in Sayeda Zainab, told Xinhua.
The fanoos originated in Egypt during the Fatimid caliphate hundreds of years ago, when they served to light dark streets, but later became traditional toys for children on Ramadan evenings.
Abdullah, who inherited the job from his ancestors, said the workshop provides lanterns to many shops, adding that the demand is high this year, after a notable decline in the past two years due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We have developed the shape of the lantern as we have many new designs. We no longer limit ourselves to the traditional form of the Ramadan lantern, but we still preserve its traditional spirit, and this is an important role that the manufacturers must take care of," he said as he observed workers making different shapes of colorful lanterns.
Abdullah added that his products are of high quality and live for years, while their prices are very competitive, so as a lot of people currently prefer to buy the Egyptian-made lanterns.
The prices of lanterns vary according to their size, shape and type.
Prices for metal and glass lanterns range from 45 to 800 Egyptian pounds (2.46 U.S. dollars to 43.75 dollars), while prices for wood-made lanterns range from 15 pounds to 140 pounds, according to Barakat Safa, a member of the Office Tools and Gifts Division at the Cairo Chamber of Commerce.
"Prices for lanterns made of fabric range from 40 to 120 pounds, and prices of decorated lanterns range from 60 to 150 pounds," he revealed.
"The traditional lantern is 100 percent manufactured in Egypt, and we also export the traditional lanterns to the United Arab Emirates and Italy," Safa said.
"The government's encouragement to manufacture heritage products prompted the Egyptians to make lanterns and Ramadan decorations," Safa said, adding "this year we produced nearly two million lanterns."
The Egyptian Ministry of Commerce and Industry issued a decision in April 2015 to stop the import of Ramadan lanterns and to mainly rely on the local industry.
Mohab Abdullah, a 37-year-old employee with a tourist company, said buying Ramadan lanterns is a family tradition.
"I bought a lantern for my son for 220 pounds... I believe he will love the shape of the lantern. My father used to buy me a lantern, so I want to do the same with my son," Abdullah told Xinhua. ■