Egyptian Lanterns, Brass and Glass: Cairo's Metalworkers and How to Buy Well

What metal and glass crafts is Cairo known for?

Cairo is known for pierced brass and copper lamps that throw patterns of light across a room, engraved and inlaid trays and bowls, the tin-and-glass Ramadan lantern called the fanous, and hand-blown coloured glass. All are still made in small workshops in the old city, often within a few streets of where they are sold.

• Pierced lamps: hanging lamps, table lamps and lanterns in brass or copper, cut with star, arabesque and calligraphic patterns, sometimes fitted with coloured glass.
• Trays and vessels: engraved copper and brass trays (large ones become coffee tables), jugs, bowls and incense burners.
• The fanous: the traditional Ramadan lantern of tin sheet and coloured glass panels, from palm-sized to taller than a child.
• Muski glass: chunky, bubbly hand-blown glasses, jugs, vases and candle holders in blue, green, amber and purple.

Where do these crafts come from?

Cairo's metal and glass traditions reached their peak under the Mamluk sultans of the 13th to 16th centuries, whose brassware inlaid with silver and enamelled glass mosque lamps are now museum treasures. Mamluk craftsmen engraved brass basins, candlesticks and Quran boxes with bands of calligraphy and inlaid them with silver and gold. Glassmakers produced tall mosque lamps decorated in coloured enamels and gilding, bearing the names of sultans and the Verse of Light from the Quran. The Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo has outstanding examples of both, and many modern lamps copy their shapes.

The fanous has its own story. A popular legend says Cairenes came out with lanterns to welcome the Fatimid caliph al-Mu'izz when he arrived in the city in the 10th century during Ramadan, and that lanterns have lit the month ever since. Whatever the truth, the fanous is now Egypt's great Ramadan symbol: hung across lanes, on balconies and in shop windows. Our guide to travelling during Ramadan explains what else to expect.

How are pierced lamps and Muski glass made?

Pierced lamps are made by cutting patterns through brass or copper sheet by hand with small chisels and punches, then shaping and soldering the panels into a lamp. The craftsman transfers the design onto the metal, rests the sheet on a hard block and works along each line with a chisel and hammer, knocking out every piece of the pattern. The panels are bent, soldered together and given a finish: polished bright, darkened to an antique look, or lacquered to stop tarnishing. A fanous is assembled in a similar way from tin sheet, with small panes of coloured glass slotted into the frame.

Muski glass, named after the Muski district at the western end of the bazaar, is blown from recycled glass in small furnaces in the old city. The glassblower gathers molten glass on a long pipe, blows and turns it, and shapes it with tongs and wooden paddles. Recycled glass traps tiny air bubbles and varies in tone, which is the charm of the style rather than a fault.

How do you tell good work from cheap copies?

Bring a small fridge magnet, look closely at the cut edges and check that the glass is really glass. Mass-produced lamps, some imported, sit side by side with local handwork, and price alone does not always tell them apart.

• Magnet test: brass and copper are not magnetic. If a magnet sticks, the piece is plated steel or iron, which will rust where the plating wears.
• Weight: solid brass is heavy for its size; thin, light pieces dent easily.
• Hand-pierced or laser-cut: hand piercing leaves slight variation in each cut and tiny chisel marks. Laser cutting gives razor-even edges, identical shapes and sometimes faint scorch marks. Laser-cut lamps are fine if priced accordingly.
• Glass panels: tap them gently. Real glass clicks and feels cold; coloured plastic sounds dull and scratches easily.
• Joins: neat soldering and a firm hanging ring matter more than you think on a heavy lamp.
• Muski glass: bubbles are expected, but check for cracks, especially at the base and handles.

Where should you buy, and what should you pay?

The best area is the stretch of Al-Muizz Street called al-Nahhasin, the coppersmiths' market, between the Qalawun complex and Khan el-Khalili, along with the lanes of the bazaar itself. Workshops there sell lamps, trays and fittings made nearby. Before Ramadan, the area around Bab Zuweila, including the Taht el-Rab' quarter, fills with tin lanterns of every size, and Cairo's fair-trade craft shops sell Muski glass at fixed prices.

The ranges below are indicative only, at the time of writing, for bazaar prices after reasonable bargaining; our haggling guide explains the approach.

How do you get lamps and glass home in one piece?

Ask whether the lamp dismantles, take the glass panels out and wrap them separately, and carry the most fragile pieces in your hand luggage. Many lanterns are made to come apart into flat panels, which makes them far easier to pack than they look. Pad glass with clothes and place it in the middle of the case, away from the sides and wheels.

Lamps sold with fittings are wired for Egypt's 220-volt supply with European plugs. Australia's 230-volt mains is close, but fittings bought abroad do not necessarily meet Australian standards, and in Australia only a licensed electrician may legally do fixed wiring work. The simplest approach is to buy the lamp shell and have it fitted and wired at home.

Metal and glass raise no biosecurity concern, but avoid packing with straw or wood shavings, and declare any wooden parts. Our planned guide to bringing souvenirs home to Australia has the full picture.