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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

In Jerusalem’s Old City, lantern maker lights up Ramadhan

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Jerusalem: At his shop in Jerusalem’s Old City, Palestinian craftsman Issam Zughair makes traditional lanterns for marking the holy month of Ramadhan, battling competition from cheap Chinese imports.


Zughair’s shop is decked out with lamps both large and small, some hanging from the ceiling and others displayed outside to draw the attention of passers-by during lively Ramadhan evenings.


He learned the trade from his father, a carpenter who originally made lanterns out of wood.


“My father opened this shop in the 1950s — we want to protect that heritage,” Zughair said, sitting with his wife in their small home above the business.


The largest lantern in the shop is two metres tall, shaped to resemble a mosque and created specially for Ramadhan.


It was made from sheet metal and glass, using a technique that is believed to date back to the Fatimid caliphate in 10th century Egypt.


Zughair believes the lantern is the largest traditionally-made one in Jerusalem. “There is no-one that rivals me in building them,” he said.


The 67-year-old imports materials from Egypt and Turkey and crafts the lanterns in his Old City shop.


He can add Quranic verses, religious phrases or names of God, according to the wishes of buyers.


Lanterns play a special role during Ramadhan. Traditionally, lanterns light the way for religious events.


Najeh Bkerat, from the Al Aqsa Academy for Science and Heritage in Jerusalem, said they are a symbol of Islamic culture and heritage, especially during the fasting month.


“People carry them as an expression of the light, the goodness and the joy of Ramadhan,” he said.


Zughair said he starts to receive requests for personalised lamps a month before Ramadhan.


Clients are from Jerusalem and the Israeli-occupied West Bank as well as Arabs from Israel itself, the majority of whom identify as Palestinian.


The lanterns sell for between 10 and 1,000 shekels ($3 to $280), depending on their size and the intricacy of their design.


But Zughair said he has seen a major slump in demand for the more ornate models since the outbreak of the second Palestinian uprising, or intifadha, in 2000.


Israel began constructing a wall in 2002, cutting off Jerusalem from much of the West Bank. “Before the intifadha, all of Palestine used to come to buy from me, but today I have lost 70 per cent of my customers as a result,” Zughair said.


The purchasing power of Palestinian residents of east Jerusalem has declined by 30 per cent since 2000, said Ziyad Hamouri from the Jerusalem Centre for Social and Economic Rights, citing the wall as a key barrier to trade.


Zughair also faces another threat — cheap Chinese knock-offs.


“I don’t have any competitors in the market except China,” he said.


In a shop selling household appliances inside a gate of the walled Old City, Hamzeh Takish displayed a selection of small Chinese-made plastic lanterns, some of which play popular Arabic songs.


Their prices start from just 15 shekels ($4). — AFP


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