CAIRO – There are many satisfied and happy faces, regardless of the fact that these people have suffered much in their lives. Sabah's kind face attracted us; it tells a lot about her. She is a vendor in Hala'et el-Samak and considered important. Most sellers call her ‘mother'. Hala'et el-Samak is a big fish market and the most famous one in Alexandria. Fishermen flock there with their catch and sell their fresh fish to the vendors. Sabah is one among dozens of sellers for whom the fish market is the only means of putting food on the table. Hala'et el-Samak, a historical market built in 1834, is Sabah's second home. She has been working there since she was eight when she accompanied her father every day. Sabah starts very early, buys fresh fish from the fishermen and then arranges the fish according to their type. "After finishing my dawn prayer at four I come right away, that's how I start my day. Buying and selling continue until 8pm, but I leave with the sobyan (the boys working with her) at 11:30 in the morning. “As you see, I'm an old woman and can't work anymore for many long hours," said Sabah, 68, in an interview with the Egyptian Mail. Sabah's husband died a long time ago, leaving her with four children, three girls and a boy. Because of her low income, Sabah was not able to give them a good education or send them to university. But she succeeded in securing a good life for them. "I didn't allow my son to work here. I insisted on working by myself and that wasn't hard, because I used to work here already with my husband," she explained. "I sent my children to school until they reached the primary stage, but they know how to read and write. I succeeded in finding husbands for my daughters," said Sabah proudly. She is a typical local women who thinks that preparing her girls for marriage is the most important thing she should do before she dies. Marriage is the security they aspire. It is not important for a girl to be properly educated as long as she knows how to prepare a delicious macaroni dish. Unlike many fish sellers whose whole life depends on the tiny amount of money they earn and complain about the negative impact of the Revolution on their trade, Sabah doesn't feel bad about the uprising. "It doesn't affect our work. We still earn the same; people don't stop eating fish, thanks God," she said in a satisfied tone. Hala'et el-Samak is not just a fish market; it is a collection of lives, full of big and small stories. Fishermen and old sellers like Sabah used to give a portion of their fish to young boys whose fishermen fathers had died. "I try to help children who lost their fathers. I give them what I can," explained Sabah, who likes to be called Umm Ahmed (Mother of Ahmed). Sabah's and similar stories aren't the only ones in Hala'et el-Samak. Many great stories are still waiting to be born. These stories are about the young boys who come to the fish market at 4am to receive a small part of the catch and sell it. They give the money they earn to their families. In the farsha (stall) next to Sabah's sits a young boy called Fathi Ali Fathi, 11, who has a very touching story to tell. His stepmother was so violent that he was forced to leave his father's house in Mansoura Governorate and go to Alexandria. Fathi is very quiet and has a deep sadness about him. He doesn't go to school because no one asks him to or cares about his very existence, although his father is still alive. Fathi's painful experiences turned him into a weak, shy boy. The fact that he started his working life so early should make him a strong young man, but the suffering with his stepmother, who beat and burned him, left deep scars in his soul. It was hard to speak with the taciturn Fathi, but people around him know his story quite well. They helped us and encouraged him to speak. "I have been working in the fish market for three years and live close by. People here are much nicer than my stepmother," Fathi said shyly. "When I jumped on a train in Mansoura I had no idea where it went. I only wanted to leave all that fear behind me," he added. After arriving in Alexandria, Fathi spent his first days watching people in Hala'et el-Samak. Some sellers saw him and asked him to work for them. "I don't want to go back to my father. I'm happy here. I've learned everything here," said Fathi, who wants to be a fisherman.
