An Egyptian artisan who makes the traditional lanterns that adorn Middle Eastern streets during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan believes he has found a way to stop a flood of Chinese replicas and save his ancient craft. In his workshop in Cairo’s Imbaba neighborhood, Mohamed Gamal affixes acrylic portraits of Egyptian footballers, pop stars and presidents to the lanterns, known locally as fawanees. He hopes his modern take on the traditional wooden lanterns believed to date back to Egypt’s 12th-century Fatimid dynasty will stop them from being undercut by new Chinese imports. “I’ve worked with lanterns for 10 years and wooden lanterns have been the most popular during this time. Following an outcry on social media about the dying handicraft, Egypt’s Ministry of Industry and Trade issued a rare decree in 2015 banning imports of Chinese-made lanterns and other traditional Egyptian handicrafts.

Source: Egypt Independent May 23, 2017 12:00 UTC