CAIRO – Hajja Zeinaat and Umm Aisha broke what had been a male dominated profession as they became the first female mesaharatis whose seasonal work is to wake people up by calling their names to have their last meal, or sohour, before the dawn of a new day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. In the densely populated Cairo district of Hadayek el-Qubba, Hajja Zeinaat is one of the most important features in Ramadan as she completes the traditional scene of the month. Dressed in a galabiya, and holding a tin drum in her hand, Zeinaat's job is to wake people up to have their last meal, or sohour, before the dawn prayers every day. The idea of mesaharati emerged from an old Fatimid tradition of what was called al-tasheer, she said, adding that her seasonal work involves singing some songs about Ramadan and the value of fasting. Zeinaat said that she sings these Ramadan songs only with the company of a drum, whose beat separates the different stanzas. However, Zinaat's performance gives listeners the impression that it is in fact full of music. She said that the mesaharati is a man, who wanders in the streets to wake people up using his familiar and lovely melodies in order to get ready for the pre-dawn meal, al-sohour before they fast. "I have inherited this job from my late father, who used to wake people up in order not to miss the important meal of sohour," she said, adding that her father has been doing that service for 30 years ago. She said that she became the mesaharati after her father's death two years ago. Zeinaat says that she uses a small flat drum to help wake people up saying "Oh You Sleeper! Wake up and say no God but Allah! Get ready." By the end of Ramadan, Zeinaat, 59, collects food and Eid money presents from the residents with her drum in hand. Although, the role of mesaharati, which dates back to the Fatimid period, has almost disappeared due to the modern technology used to wake people up such as alarm clocks and mobile phones, Umm Aisha performs a similar duty in the same neighbourhood each Ramadan. Umm Aisha still wanders in el-Qubba streets after midnight as part of a special charm to the scene of Ramadan. "I took this job from my husband, who died last year and there was no one who could replace him," she said. Umm Aisha said that el-Mesaharati is one of the most essential Ramadan traditions,which is waking people up for sohour during the holy month. Umm Aisha said that she is responsible for Helwan City area. "Since the death of my husband, I have been responsible for waking people up, often by name, so they can have their sohour in preparation for the next days fast," Umm Aisha said, adding that the mesaharatis job will remain a deeply rooted Ramadan tradition especially in the densely populated districts of Cairo and Giza. She said that the mesaharati tradition has not disappeared thanks to those who have refused to give up the job they take on for only one month a year. "I was handed down the job by my husband, parents and grandparents," Umm Aisha said My husband was a mesaharati and I used to go with him as he woke people up in this area for many years. I am now responsible for the Helwan City area at the residents' request to wake them up for sohour each night," she said. Umm Aisha, or Mother of Aisha, has urged people not to underestimate the mesahrati job. "To be a mesaharati, you have to know every building in the district. You have to be able to remember the residents names, walk long distances, and call out loudly so your voice can reach the top floors," she said There is no Ramadan without a mesaharati, she said, adding that her only wish is to go on a pilgrimage to Mecca. "I am doing a religious duty for peanuts and the little I aspire to is to go to Mecca before I die," she said.
