SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
Ramadan starts this week, and Muslims around the world are preparing for weeks of prayer, fasting and shared meals. NPR's Aya Batrawy takes us to the heart of Old Cairo in Egypt, where the Muslim holy month is a fusion of the old and new.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Non-English language spoken).
AYA BATRAWY, BYLINE: Ramadan's around the corner, and the markets of Old Cairo are glowing with twinkling lights in the shape of crescent moons and stars. The streets are narrow and winding and packed with people. Excitement is building.
ISRAA BAHAA: (Non-English language spoken).
BATRAWY: Israa Bahaa is in Darb al-Ahmar in Old Cairo, carrying bags of shopping. She says, once people hear that Ramadan is near, the streets of Cairo light up, and the soul of the holy month is felt in the decor and songs.
BAHAA: (Non-English language spoken).
BATRAWY: That decor, she says, includes lanterns - known as fawanees - and tablecloths, pillow cushions and curtains. Bahaa's been coming to this market since she was a child with her mom to prepare for Ramadan. Now, she's a mother of young girls herself.
BAHAA: (Non-English language spoken).
BATRAWY: She says she doesn't feel like Ramadan's about to start until she comes here to the markets of Old Cairo.
(SOUNDBITE OF CAR HORNS BEEPING)
BATRAWY: So I'm standing immediately next to a really big, beautiful mosque that's towering over me, made of stones and rocks from the 1400s. And right across from us is this little store selling all this plastic stuff made in China. Like, all kinds of trinkets, lights. It's very much how you would imagine Christmas is in a lot of people's homes, but it's all Ramadan. So it's a really cool mix of, like, very, very old with new traditions. But I will say, the stuff here that I'm seeing on sale, this stuff isn't even going to last a month. I think it'll break probably by the second week of Ramadan.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELLS JINGLING)
BATRAWY: A man wearing bold geometric patterns of red, yellow and blue wishes people on the street a blessed Ramadan. He's decked from head to toe in what's become a ubiquitous Ramadan motif in Egypt. This arabesque design, spanning more than a thousand years, is found today on everything from Ramadan-themed tissue boxes and teacups to strings of flags zigzagging above these narrow alleyways.
YASMEEN MAHMOUD: (Non-English language spoken).
DORREYA MUSTAFA: (Non-English language spoken).
BATRAWY: Dorreya Mustafa and Yasmeen Mahmoud are lifelong friends, shopping the latest Ramadan trends to decorate their homes with. Mahmoud says Ramadan isn't primarily about decor, but it makes it festive.
MAHMOUD: (Non-English language spoken).
BATRAWY: Her friend Mustafa agrees.
MUSTAFA: (Non-English language spoken).
BATRAWY: She says, "We're following in the tradition of the Prophet Muhammad, who welcomed Ramadan with open arms in celebration." And she says it's fun to see her husband come home and be shocked by the colorful vibes.
MUSTAFA: (Non-English language spoken, laughter).
BATRAWY: Trinkets, like knock-off Labubu key chains, hang next to stalls with Ramadan pillow covers wrapped in plastic.
(SOUNDBITE OF PLASTIC RUSTLING)
BATRAWY: Mona Mohammed is sorting through some of those for gifts.
What brought you here specifically to get ready for Ramadan?
MONA MOHAMMED: Cheaper (laughter). Some friends told me this year it's cheaper than outside. So I like every now and then to come here and to visit.
BATRAWY: Yeah.
MOHAMMED: You know, it's like it's classic.
BATRAWY: She says lanterns and cushions, they give Ramadan a unique feel. But she says the real prep happens on the inside, through worship and getting ready for the challenge of long days of abstaining from food and water.
MOHAMMED: You change your lifestyle, you change what you do, what you eat, when you eat, when you wake up. And you're trying to get - benefit as much as you can from this month.
BATRAWY: Cairo is transformed in Ramadan by the soft glow of lanterns and bold patterns. But ultimately, the real transformation is in turning away from the material world and turning back to faith. Aya Batrawy, NPR News, Cairo.
(SOUNDBITE OF JANKO NILOVIC AND THE SOUL SURFERS' "INTERLUDE") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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