/div id="largeShowcase" class="showcase large inner" In the midst of the current political scene, people in Egypt celebrated the "Mouled Al-Nabawy" commemorating the birth of the Prophet Mohamed on 3 January. Sufi circles, often not publically visible, took to the streets near Al-Hussein Mosque, where it is believed that the grandson of the Prophet is buried. For decades, thousands of people have been travelling to the Al-Hussein Mosque for such occasions. While celebrations differ among Muslims around the world, in Egypt, the birth date of the Prophet is a national holiday. Weeks before the event, stores begin selling halawet el-mouled, a form of traditional Middle Eastern sweets usually made from different kinds of nuts. Another cultural symbol of the Mouled is aruset el-molued, which literally translates into the "Mouled Doll", a doll made out of sugar. All pictures by Jihad Abaza
