Kodak Agfa presents: The Mighty Return of El-Siyada Zeinab Ramadan Market in photos and video

First of all, Ramadan Karim to all the world.

Ramada Karim or Kareem from Egyptian Chronicles. 

Second, when I went last week to the famous El-Siyada Zeinab district, I was planning to head to Taht Al Raba’ and Bab El-Khalq famous quarters to see the return of Ramadan Lanterns workshops and its outlets back in business.

Photos showing the workshops working went viral a couple of weeks ago after shutting down last year due to coronavirus partial lockdown policies.

Due to those policies, Cairo governorate cancelled the famous El-Siyada Zeinab Ramadan Market last year too. Only a few vendors defied the order.

To my surprise and on my way, I found the mighty El-Siyada Zeinab Ramadan Market is alive and kicking as if there were no pandemic.

Chinese plastic toys are sold as Ramadan lanterns 

It is back throughout El-Sadd Street on both ways.

The vendors and merchants were preparing their merchandise starting afternoon. 

It was still afternoon and so I went to Taht Al-Raba’ and decided to return again when it is darker because the full spectator would there. 

From the car, you can see the Ramadan lanterns stalls are set up

I returned at sunset and it was darker and wilder!!

I did not imagine I would see those scenes in time of coronavirus!!

The market is back 

Yes, it is back with its merchants, vendors and most important its customers from the working-and middle-class Egyptians looking for affordable Ramadan goodies from Lanterns, decorations and food items like dates and dried fruits.

This was the most crowded street I have been in since the start of the pandemic.

Outside a Ramadan lanterns stall. 

Officially Ramadan lanterns and decorations have become the equivalent of Christmas decorations in Egypt.

It became a necessity as it seems that people did not care much about the warnings of the lack of social distancing or the increase in the cases of coronavirus.

Buying Ramadan lanterns and accessories. 

Historically Ramadan lanterns or the Ramadan festivities in Egypt, in general, is said to be cemented during the Fatimids era in Medieval times. There are two accounts concerning the Ramadan lanterns and their history in Egypt or Cairo in particular. 

The Ramadan lanterns and decorations in the market 

The first one says that it became a tradition when Egyptians received Lady Zeinab or El-Siyada Zeinab Prophet Mohamed's "PBUH" Granddaughter in Ramadan at night while carrying lanterns to light the way for her. This is more of a folk unsupported historically account. 

An Egyptian family buying Ramadan lantern for her daughter

Interestingly though, the industry of the handmade Egyptian traditional Ramadan lanterns is located around the Mosque and shrine of El-Siyada Zeinab. This market is located beside the Mosque and shrine.

Choosing a lantern 

The second historical solid account for the origin of the Ramadan lanterns in Egypt says that the Egyptians received El-Moez li Din Allah the Fatimid in Ramadan at night while children carried lanterns to light his way. El-Moez is the founder of Cairo. 

For centuries, the Ramadan lantern became a symbol of Ramadan in Egypt.

The Egyptian traditional tin and glass lantern

Till the early 1990s, the Egyptian traditional lanterns handmade of tin and glass that were lightened up by candles the most popular lanterns despite children got injured from the tin or burns from the candles. 

Thus came the reign of the Chinese plastic lanterns started and ruled for nearly two decades threatening the traditional lanterns industry with extinction with their different shapes targeting mainly children. 

The plastic Ramadan lanterns 

After 2011, the government took an important decision to ban the import of Chinese Ramadan lantern to save the traditional industry of Ramadan lanterns. 

It was truly a life-changing decision that revived a whole industry. 

The decades of the Chinese lanterns dominance gave lessons to traditional Egyptian lanterns to diversify their products while keeping the traditional shape. 

We got now Ramadan lanterns from every shape, material and style are there for every budget like Cloth lanterns and wooden lanterns which are extremely popular. 

Ramadan wooden lanterns 

The Chinese Ramadan lanterns have not disappeared completely despite the import ban order. They are imported as decorative lanterns and you can identify them through their foreign western design.

The Chinese lanterns 

Still, the shape of the Egyptian traditional Ramadan lantern whether tin or wooden or plastic or even cloth reigns as the king of Ramadan. It is no longer for children but for adults and decorations

High demand for Egyptian traditional lanterns 

The famous red Khayamia cloth pattern which has become associated with Ramadan is back for decoration and women are demanding it already.

Ramadan Tablecloth 

This trend caught up in the past decade and actually, the market loves it. I dare and say it revived Khayamaia textiles industry and that's more than great for me. 

A woman checking the decorations 

There were not new stuff or trends I have not seen this year. Many of the stuff had last year’s designs.

Personally, I believe the only new thing I have seen in the market was the Ramadan fridge magnet featuring TV characters associated with Ramadan like Bakar, Fatouta and Boogy.

Ramadan fridge magnets

Aside from Ramadan lanterns and decorations, the dates are the second highly demanded and supplied item in the market.

Dates are an essential item in the Muslim diet in Islam and it is highly nutrient. It is already Sunna after Prophet Mohamed "PBUH" to break your fasting with milk and dates.  

Dates stand in market 

FYI, Egypt is the number one producer of dates currently in the world.

Now it is a Ramadan tradition to names the dates every year like brands in Egypt. The merchants call dates according to their quality and type names and those names reflect the most famous trends in society this year.

The dates stand with their names this year

It is a surprise for me to see that the dates in this year are named after the social media networks this year.

“Facebook dates” are the most expensive as it seems in this photo, the kilo for LE 25 then we got “Trend dates” for LE 23 then “Twitter dates” for LE  20. We have got too “Telegram dates” and “Tiktok dates”

Football is there and the famous Ahly Vs. Zamalek match’s moment is there for Egyptian football fans we know very well. There is “Scotty dates” and honestly, I do not know who Scotty is. surprisingly, there are dates named after that silly TV series Lo’Lo’.

The dried fruits of all sorts are there for cheaper prices than in the supermarkets.

Interestingly I found out that the same arrangement of vendors and makeshift stalls are technically in the same place and order in the market like in the year 2019.

The biggest stand for Ramadan lanterns is run by one family who is proud of its later mother and always commemorate her. Here is the stand in the years 2016 and in 2019.

I wish one day I will have the guts to ask one of the vendors in that stand about this lady. The thing they are always busy and nervous as they deal with tens of customers at the same moment.

Here is the pickles vendor in the same place.

The pickles stand 

 The pickles aka Egyptian Turshi are delicious and they come mild or spicy.

Here is the Islamic rosaries seller who changed his location in the market.

The Islamic rosaries stand 

The Egyptian pottery tajines seller in the same location.

The Egyptian handmade tajines stand

Even the same faces of the sellers I remember it from last time.

The dates and Ramadan dried fruit merchant from Upper Egypt, I still remember him from 2019.

Most of the dates merchants came from Upper Egypt to participate in the market 

I took a snapshot for other sellers in that stall as they were watching some hit and run accident in that crowded street and I do not know how the taxi driver hit the man in that sea of people walking everywhere and ran. 

The vendors in those stalls usually are from one family

This hajj too who sells dried fruits and date, he appeared in the photos of 2019.

Another Upper Egyptian merchant selling dates and dried fruits 

Another dates and dried fruit seller and merchant I saw in 2019 who made a comeback in 2021.

The old man and dates

I hope I see them all inshallah next year honestly.

You do not need to be an expert to know that those merchants book their places annually and pay for it for the municipality.

Needless to say, there is no available data or information to the public about what seems to be an informal market. It may seem to be informal but for me, it is highly organized and those merchants pay for the government and municipality to get those lots and electricity to light up their stands and stalls.

The market and its people 

When I think about it now, this market and other events held in the vicinity of El-Siyada Zeinab Mosque aka her Moulid is an important of income to the district that can be spent to improve the living condition there.

The Ramadan market in time of coronavirus 

No, I am not crazy and already El-Siyada Zeinab district can generate lots of money for itself if you just put enough and correct investments in its Islamic ancient mosques and venues.

Of course, this needs more representative democracy and less centralization, both seem like a faraway dream but we are in the holy month of Ramadan and we can pray for a Miracle.

The great El-Siyada Zeinab Mosque and Shrine

FYI Next day I found news reports speaking about how El-Siyada Zeinab Market was back this year under very restrictive preventive measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus and it is just sad because this is untrue.

There is no social distancing whatsoever in the market as you can see. Most of the vendors and customers and all vendors do not wear masks.

It can be a super spreader of the virus in this way. 

The minority wore masks while the majority in the highly populated area acted as if there is no pandemic at all let all we are currently in its harsh third wave. 

Some wore masks, some and they are the majority did not

I totally understand how people had enough with the lockdowns but we did not truly have a serious lockdown in Egypt.

It was a light partial lockdown compared to other countries in the region, not even to other countries in the world.

Forget about coronavirus here 

Mostly women if I may speak wore masks and it does not surprise me.

It is noticeable that women wear masks more than men in Egypt since the start of the outbreak in February 2020 with all due respect. 

Many women wore masks 

I totally understand that people missed Ramadan last year and missed the market and its cheerful mood. I even heard it by my ears while walking through the street by a woman speaking to her companion “That’s really Ramadan”.

I went to Ramadan lanterns makeshift supplier in Bab Al-Khalq and he told me that it was not like last year.

Buying Ramadan accessories 

“I would be lying and ungrateful to God, this year is a blessing,” He told me as he was so proud and happy, unlike last year. 

Buying a Ramadan Karim Cushion 

Needless to say, comparing between this year and last year’s photos, I would say again many of the lanterns were from last year production and the year before.

But you and I can say there are more makeshift stalls and more customers.

Choosing a Ramadan lantern 

As I was in Bab Al-Khalq, which is one of the strongholds of Egyptian traditional Ramadan lanterns, there are more original tin glass Ramadan lanterns than the wooden or cloth lanterns or even.

The Egyptian traditional Ramadan lanterns 

Yet this is madness for real considering the fact we are still in an early stage of vaccination. 

Here is a video for the market on that night.

I really wish to do a video about its true history like the one I did before about Egypt’s Al-Azbakeya.

Despite coronavirus, I must say El-Siyada Zeinab Ramadan Market is considered one of Cairo’s living heritage that actually preserves a whole industry called lanterns making.

I will end with that nice photo of that happy lady who asked me to photograph her and her family.

Take our photo please, she said. 

Also, the photo of this young kid selling small wooden lanterns with names engraved on it.

I told him to smile 

May Allah bless and protect them in those days.

Ramadan Kareem, please be safe and stay home if you are not vaccinated or get vaccinated.