Cairo is an extraordinarily busy city. From morning to night, without stopping, the city buzzes with activity. A recent study proclaimed Cairo, not New York, as the real "city that never sleeps". (See link: Article) There is one exception to that rule: Ramadan. During this month, the city like those fasting, begins to lose steam in the middle of the afternoon. Just after the evening call to prayer, the whole city becomes very still. Almost everyone is at home breaking their fasts. As the meal, called iftar, concludes the city comes to life again with a bang, literally. The streets are filled with the cacophony of firecrackers, as children celebrate the start of the night. But perhaps nothing symbolizes the month of Ramadan more than the Ramadan lantern.
The lanterns, called fanous or fanoose, are hung throughout the city. From balconies, on ropes across alleys, and in the windows of homes, the city glows with the celebratory light of the fanoose. The word fanoose is probably adopted from the Coptic/Greek word phanos meaning candle indicating the tradition was adopting by Egypt's muslim population from the Coptic christian population. This origin is far from certain, and there are competing tales about the lantern's start.
One story, which I have heard many times, was that a Fatimid leader Caliph Hakim bil-Amr Allah had forbidden women from leaving the home. (More about his eccentricities, which were enormous, when we explore his mosque in a later post.) Only during Ramadan, were women allowed to go out. Even then, they had to be accompanied by a male member of the family. Furthermore, a young boy had to walk ahead with a lantern to announce that a woman would be passing along the street. It is said, that once al Hakim's reign ended and women were allowed to go about their affairs in a more relaxed way, the population continued to associate the lantern with Ramadan and began to decorate with them. Whether this is the true story or not, we may never know. But I have a theory of my own...
Most people after breaking their fast, go out and enjoy an evening of fun and celebration. Shortly before sunrise, the devout eat a heavy meal to help prepare the body for the coming day's fasting called sahuur. After eating, they generally go to bed. But seeing as everyone is so nocturnal, I can only imagine that the lanterns were simply a light source for the many celebrating fast-breakers. After the advent of the lightbulb, the tradition carried on. Now, as you can see in the pictures below, the Ramadan lamps come in many shapes, materials and colors.
Sources:
The lanterns, called fanous or fanoose, are hung throughout the city. From balconies, on ropes across alleys, and in the windows of homes, the city glows with the celebratory light of the fanoose. The word fanoose is probably adopted from the Coptic/Greek word phanos meaning candle indicating the tradition was adopting by Egypt's muslim population from the Coptic christian population. This origin is far from certain, and there are competing tales about the lantern's start.
One story, which I have heard many times, was that a Fatimid leader Caliph Hakim bil-Amr Allah had forbidden women from leaving the home. (More about his eccentricities, which were enormous, when we explore his mosque in a later post.) Only during Ramadan, were women allowed to go out. Even then, they had to be accompanied by a male member of the family. Furthermore, a young boy had to walk ahead with a lantern to announce that a woman would be passing along the street. It is said, that once al Hakim's reign ended and women were allowed to go about their affairs in a more relaxed way, the population continued to associate the lantern with Ramadan and began to decorate with them. Whether this is the true story or not, we may never know. But I have a theory of my own...
The last two images are of lanterns inside mosques. Now lighted with electric, they used to hold oil in their bases, which was burnt. A lot of the current restoration work of mosques involves removing the soot from the ceilings of the mosques after centuries of burning oil lanterns. The lantern is traditionally inscribed with the Qur'anic sura, Surat al Nur (Light) which reads:
"Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth. The Parable of His light is as if there were a niche and within it a lamp: the lamp enclosed in glass: the glass as it were a brilliant star: Lit from a blessed tree, an olive, neither of the East nor of the West, whose oil is well-nigh luminous, though fire scarce touched it: Light upon light! Allah doth guide whom He will to His light: Allah doth set forth parables for men: and Allah doth know all things."
Montalbetti, Giovanna. "Lights of Faith." Ahram Weekly [Cairo] 20-26 Aug. 2009, 961st ed. Online. http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2009/961/special.htm.
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