CAIRO - The antiques exhibited in the small shops clustered on either side of el-Moezz Street are in complete harmony with the architecture of one of the Islamic world's medieval treasures. “We buy tools and other things from farmers' homes in rural areas. We have our own middlemen with a sharp eye for picking up discarded items that can be of value when restored,” said Ahmed Hassan, a coppersmith with a small shop in el-Moezz Street. “The public adore this sort of stuff," Hassan, 32, told The Egyptian Gazette in an interview. Hassan, a law graduate, has been working in this field for 15 years, having inherited the shop from his father, who inherited it from his father too. "Most of the people working in this trade have learnt it from their fathers and grandfathers," he explained, adding that copper work is very beautiful, but making these products is very hard work. Shops on el-Moezz Street do not only sell restored antiques, but also modern hand-made souvenirs that appeal to different tastes. "We process the copper in a special machine, manually operated by a qualified worker. We then have to use a hammer and chisel to create the designs on the copper, before polishing it.” According to Hassan, copper is expensive, so only people of a certain social class can afford his goods. He, however, explains that the difference between old and new items is that the former are normally one piece, while the latter are welded from several pieces of copper. “The new, upmarket coffee shops are among our customers, along with the tourists who come here. My cheapest item sells for LE60, the most expensive for LE10,000,” he explained. One of the main tourist attractions in Cairo is el-Moezz Street, named after the first Caliph to rule Egypt, Moezz ledin Allah el-Fatimi. The tourists not only love the shops there, but also the mosques and other wonderful Islamic monuments. "But since the revolution there have been few tourists and we're now struggling. We are trying to compensate by making cheaper accessories and making them more attractive for the market. It's very hard work and some specialists don't want to teach their sons this trade, preferring them to get jobs which offer a steady income,” he added, blaming the Government for not doing more to try and safeguard this unique craft. He is worried that this job is close to extinction. "You have to start learning the tricks of the trade when you're still a child. You have to learn how to use the tools, how to hold the copper and how to hammer and chisel it. This job requires a lot of experience," he pointed out. "I wish the Government would support us and help us export these beautiful antiques to the whole world, in order to help boost the national economy. In a few days, we'll have a new president. I hope he comes to our rescue.”
