2011, via http://www.thenational.ae – CAIRO // 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.
via Imports cast shadow on lantern trade in Egypt – The National.
Ismailimail 