• Among the most famous places for making the lanterns is the Sayeda Zeinab area, located in the center of the city

Mohammad Shamaa

CAIRO: With the holy month of Ramadan approaching, workshops in Cairo crafting lanterns or “Fawanis” have begun operations in the old districts of the Egyptian capital.

Among the most famous places for making the lanterns is the Sayeda Zeinab area, located in the center of the city.

Ahmed Abdel Aal, a worker at Al-Asdeqa workshop in the area, told Arab News: “We started manufacturing lanterns two weeks ago, specifically at the beginning of the month of Rajab. The products from here go to shops all over the country, but most of our items are sent to the Husseini area in Cairo.”

He added: “The shapes of the lanterns have not changed much from last year, but there is a slight change in the printing on the lantern. The sizes vary according to the demands of the shops and customers.”

Jamal Farouk, another worker, said: “Most of the lanterns we make are metal ones having a slot for a candle. It is the cheapest type and easiest to manufacture.

“We manufacture quantities of lantern parts in fixed sizes, which are then assembled at the end to form the well-known shape of the lantern.

“Each workshop in the Sayeda Zeinab and Gamaliya areas (in central Cairo) is famous for a particular lantern shape.

“There are various types including Tower, Abu Walad and Farouk lanterns. Other types are Lotus, Dala’a, Shamama and Shaq Battikha. Sometimes, on order, we manufacture a lantern as tall as two meters.

“The shape and size of a lantern determine its price, and the larger it gets, the more expensive it becomes.”

Describing market conditions, Farouk said: “The prices of materials this year have skyrocketed, which will raise the price of lanterns to double or more than double that of last year.”

Sayed Jamal, a workshop owner, said: “The lantern has its value to me, bringing joy and happiness to the hearts of both adults and children. The manufacturing time for a regular lantern is two hours, and larger lanterns take longer.

“The largest lantern I made on order was two and a quarter meters tall, named ‘Sheikh of Lanterns,’ adorned with small lanterns on the sides.”

Jamal added: “The last lantern I made of this size was for a person who wanted to gift it to his recently married daughter.

“Adults and children come to us, as do our Coptic brothers, who give the lanterns to their Muslim friends in celebration of Ramadan, as the item is a custom and not related to faith.”