Kodak Agfa presents: Al-Sayeda Zainab’s Moulid Al-Nabi Bazaar 2026 in Photos and Video

It is one of those times of the year.

Here we are celebrating the anniversary of Prophet Mohamed (PBUH).

Moulid El-Nabi, which commemorates the birth of Prophet Muhammad, is observed annually on 12 Rabi Al-Awwal, the third month of the Islamic lunar calendar.

This year, it falls on Tuesday, 25 August, in the Gregorian calendar.

Nevertheless, Thursday, August 27, will be an official paid public holiday in Egypt to mark Moulid El-Nabi, Prophet Muhammad's birthday, according to a buzzkill decree by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly.

The date has been shifted to Thursday in line with the government's practice of moving weekday public holidays to the end of the working week.

Anyhow, once again, Kodak Agfa pays a quick visit to Al-Sayida Zeinab's Moulid Al-Nabi annual bazaar.

Before you say, "oh no, not again" or "you can go to a different place," believe me, there is always something new and cheerful there.

This is the first time I have seen these light decorations hung in Cairo, if not all of Egypt. 

The lion and the palm tree light decorations are here

I can't remember seeing them before.

Interestingly, the lion symbolizes Imam Ali in Shia Islamic iconography.

First time seeing this LED light decoration with its unique design

I'm wondering if we got this from Iraq, or if it's imported from China without anyone knowing the meaning behind it.

Other than that, it's the usual simple lighting at the makeshift bazaar stands, alongside the authentic Egyptian khayamiya red-and-blue fabrics.

The bazaar season begins in mid-August, or rather, two weeks before the Moulid, when vendors set up their stalls and display toys and sweets.

The traditional Moulid tents or set-up stands

Despite going on a Friday evening, I felt there were fewer people than usual, though it was still crowded.

The bazaar was crowded, but it had fewer people compared to previous years.

Do not get me wrong, the street and bazaar were still crowded but less than in previous years.

Another interesting change in the street — or rather, the bazaar — is that for the first time in all my visits during the Moulid, I saw the original Egyptian traditional sugar dolls and knights sold at the big stand in the bazaar. 

The traditional sugar dolls were sold at the large stand for the first time, as I recall.

Usually, they were only sold from a small makeshift stand run by a seasonal vendor on the sidewalk opposite the big stand. 

Customers buying traditional moulid sweets and sugary dolls 

Arouset Al-Moulid, or the Moulid dolly, is a sweet shaped like a doll, decorated with a crown made of wooden sticks and dressed in a gown crafted from colored paper.

Arouset Al-Moulid, or Moulid sugary dolls

It's an Egyptian tradition tied to the celebration of the Prophet's birthday, Moulid El-Nabi.

Historically, it goes back to the Fatimid era, but recently, there are theories that its shape, along with the knight doll, goes back to ancient Egypt. 

In fact, I remember seeing something at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo with similar shapes.

Arouset Al-Moulid, or Moulid sugary dolls

I spoke about its Fatimid history in this old video; if you're interested in knowing more — just hit the CC button.

In old Egypt, girls received the doll, while boys received the knight dolly — a knight mounted on his horse.

Al-Moulid sugary knight 

The flag on the Knight dolly usually represents the Egyptian flag.

But this one is actually a banner bearing the name of Egyptian MP Ahmed Fouad Abaza of Sharkia.

Al-Moulid doll and Al-Knight under the Abaza banner

It was probably chosen because of the red-white-black color scheme.

I wonder if those dolls were made in Sharkia governorate — usually, they're handmade the traditional way in Cairo's Bab Al-Bahr.

The prices of those handmade dolls start from LE 25 to LE 300, depending on size.

Al-Moulid dolls 

In the old days, according to my mom, those dolls were made of pure sugar, especially the white ones, which families could melt down and later mould into sugar cubes.

I don't think they're made of pure sugar like before, because they would be far more expensive.

This year, I noticed fewer plastic Moulid dolls and toys, including plushies, though they're still around. 

Al-Moulid plastic dolls

Here is Sanrio's My Melody plushie, with no regard or respect for copyright, as usual.

My Melody plushie dolls 

There were other dolls and plushies as well as keychains.

Mini-plushies and dolls keychains 

Toys have become a staple in the bazaar.

Checking and buying toys at the bazaar

Mostly cheap, plastic, Chinese-made toys — children and parents love them for their low prices compared to other toys at the toy shops.

Choosing toys at the bazaar

Back to the Moulid sweets.

Moulid sweets at the bazaar 

According to news reports, demand for Moulid sweets has dropped this year due to rising prices and the Moulid season coinciding with back-to-school preparations.

The confectionery chambers of Cairo and Giza say that the prices of Moulid sweets increased by 20% due to rising commercial transport and energy costs — and that doesn't even factor in inflation.

Choosing Moulid sweets for make-your-own box

Around 70% to 80% of customers limited their purchases to a kilogram or two at most.

Moulid sweets at the bazaar 

To counter the slump, merchants and workshop owners have introduced new "mini" sizes and started selling sweets by the piece. Prices for loose, popular sweets by the kilo ranged between LE 60 and LE 140, while assorted boxes sold in shops ran between LE 800 and LE 2,500, depending on quality and weight.

The customers at Moulid bazaar 

Now, a kilo of make-your-own-box Moulid sweets at Al-Sayeda bazaar starts from LE 120, while a set-menu box of Moulid sweets, where you don't get to choose, starts from LE 130.

The make-your-own box Moulid sweets offer seems to be the popular choice at this bazaar, known as the destination for the working class.

Empty wooden Moulid sweets boxes at Moulid Bazaar

The bazaar also offers fancy wooden Moulid sweets boxes for a couple of hundred pounds instead of thousands.

Empty Moulid sweets boxes at Moulid Bazaar

Once again, if you think about it, this bazaar opens up a lot of livelihoods in those few days — from confectioneries and sweets workshops and factories, to the drivers transporting the sweets, to the print shops printing those generic cartoon boxes, to the vendors themselves.

Now, here's a special photo of the famous Egyptian baked shaklama, made of coconut.

Shaklama

Now, here's a special photo of the famous Egyptian baked shaklama, made of coconut.

Shaklama isn't a seasonal Moulid sweet like the others — it's actually a late-20th-century addition to the Moulid sweet lineup.

Shaklama and other coconut sweets, like bassima, originally appeared in Egypt with the Ottomans, who brought coconut to the country.

The word has a Turkish origin: it's a corruption of the Turkish word şekerleme, which literally means "sweet" or "something sweetened with sugar."

There's an amusing linguistic twist here too — in Iraqi usage and on the Levantine street, a similar sweet is called shekerlama or ghareebet al-sukkar ("sugar cookie"), while the Egyptian tongue reshaped it into shaklama.

In the late 20th century, some confectioneries in Egypt began adding shaklama and other coconut sweets, like bassima, to Moulid boxes. Now, shaklama has become one of the most iconic modern sweets of the Moulid.

Back to the bazaar.

This year, I noticed the municipalities didn't allow any vendors on the sidewalk opposite the bazaar — the one facing Al-Sayeda Zeinab Mosque and shrine.

There used to be a stand selling Islamic rosaries and incense that had been there for years; I didn't see it this time. Nor did I see the pottery vendors or the dates vendors.

I hope they're okay.

Buying rosaries at Moulid Bazaar

Again, I know you'll say "oh no, not again" and "you can go somewhere else" — and yes, I can. In fact, I already have hundreds of photos of places across Egypt I could post for this special occasion.

El-Sayeda Zeinab Mosque and Shrine in Cairo 

But work-life balance has been hard lately, and honestly, when I'm feeling down and blue, I go to the Al-Sayida Zeinab Mosque area with my camera.

Even though I didn't go inside the mosque, I always come out feeling uplifted and reconnected to real, buzzing life.

There's always something unique and special about this part of Cairo — it has a way of pulling you out of your world and into its own distinct Egyptian Cairo world.

He asked me to put his photo on the net

Also, this young man asked me to share his photo online. I apologise that he came out a bit out of focus, but here it is.

Moulid Al-Nabi Mubarak to all Muslims celebrating it, and many happy returns of the day, inshallah.