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Photo: Christopher Wilton-Steer
“Whatever textiles were produced in the world, the poor in Cairo kept them and resold them to anyone interested,” wrote Evliya Çelebi, a Turkish traveler, in 1671. Nearly 350 years later, this activity has become a tradition in al-Darb al-Ahmar. This neighborhood in southeastern Cairo, home to about 100,000 people, is a gathering place for artisans of all trades, from making tents, books, boxes, and brass lanterns to glass bowls and silk carpets.
Photo: Christopher Wilton-Steer
The Street of the Tentmakers captures this spirit of commerce. Built in 1650 as an arched street, the neighborhood is a row of workshops with interiors decorated in textiles. From his stall in the Turkish-era wall, a Hasan weaver says that al-khayyamiya, the craft of tentmaking, dates back to the pharaohs. Some weavers today come from families that would create kiswa, the cloths that cover the large stones in Mecca, as well as tents, fabrics, and saddles for pilgrims.
Photo: Christopher Wilton-Steer
In al-Darb al-Ahmar, the only foreign faces were young Muslim men from Indonesia attending a program near al-Azhar University. Most Western tourists now avoid Cairo due to security concerns; there have been attacks on Egypt's Christian minority in recent years.
Photo: Christopher Wilton-Steer
This area, spanning less than a square mile, contains over 40 monuments built during the Fatimid, Ayyubid, Mamluk, and Turkish periods. In collaboration with the government, many sites, such as the Aqsunqur Mosque and the Amir Khayrbak Industrial Complex, have been restored by the Aga Khan Development System (AKDN) – a non-sectarian organization working to improve the well-being of people in developing countries around the world.
Photo: Christopher Wilton-Steer
Under Nasser's revolutionary regime, business was quite good. "The Russians supplied us with weapons, and we gave them cloth," shared Salama, a woman who had worked as a dyer for 73 years. However, everything changed in 1967, after the devastating Six-Day War against Israel. Nasser arrived in Sadat, advocating for economic liberalization and encouraging both domestic and foreign investment. The influx of more diverse and cheaper goods into the country negatively impacted small producers, leading to job losses.
Photo: Christopher Wilton-Steer
Most artisans and women are immersed in the past, striving to revive elements of their traditional culture each day. In the workshop of two bookbinders near the al-Azhar mosque in Cairo, Aslam and his colleagues bind 150 books a day. They are binding tafsir, a commentary on the Quran – the holy book of Islam.
They sat on low stools, their faces intently focused on the design that was gradually taking shape before them.
Photo: Christopher Wilton-Steer
Near al-Darb al-Ahmar lies the City of the Dead, where locals were buried during Egypt's Islamic conquest over 1,300 years ago. Now, due to rapid urbanization, 250,000 Cairo residents still live in the mosques and tombs. Among them is a former boxer who is now a glassmaker – Hasan “Hodhod”.
Photo: Christopher Wilton-Steer
Hodhod said his work was connected to ghosts and legends about King Solomon deceiving the Queen of Sheba. Hodhod's father tried to dissuade his son from continuing this difficult work. He tried to intimidate his son by saying that glassblowing was the profession of spirits.
At dusk, the bread-delivering boy balances a one-and-a-half-meter-long tray on his head, filled with freshly baked aish baladi—Egyptian flatbreads.Photo: Christopher Wilton-Steer
Photo: Christopher Wilton-Steer
Mohamed is the third generation in a family that makes loongg lanterns. In his workshop, half a pile of brass and iron lanterns sits neglected on the shelves. To create the elaborate metal decorations, he paints Cairo heritage, using Mamluk, Coptic, Andalicia, and Moroccan design patterns.
Photo: Christopher Wilton-Steer
Mohamed said, "This is the most difficult time," because raw material prices are rising while tourists – the main customer base – are dwindling. Then, he found an unexpected positive: Syrians came because of the war. They built factories to produce bed covers and clothing. Through their business, he continues to contribute to the local economy.
Photo: Christopher Wilton-Steer
Towards the end of his stay in al-Darb al-Ahmar, the author of the article was drawn to a perspective that suggested the artisans there possessed a resilience, a ability to withstand historical events. When asked an 81-year-old woman who dyed fabrics how the 2011 Arab Spring and the subsequent counter-revolution had affected the lives of the artisans, she calmly replied, “Nothing has changed, except the president. Our lives are still the same, the food I eat, the money I earn…it’s all the same.”
Amidst the many creations and innovations of the historical cycle, artisans are at the heart of it all. Despite the turmoil in this country and the wider regions, they remain steadfast.
Ngoc Anh (According to The Guardian)
