Cairo: What are the most important parts of a mosque? The dome, minaret or the prayer hall might at first glance be the obvious answers.
But one may sometimes need to focus the eyes and look high up atop the minarets to see a figurine of metal, gleaming in the afternoon sun – the crescent.
Indeed, the crescent, which adorns the highest tip of the minaret and is often overlooked, is part of a production industry of its own.
Walking through the Al Nahaseen coppersmith market in Old Cairo, one instantly realizes that a crescent is not as small as it first appears.
A crescent could be as tall and, perhaps, taller than a person with a medium stature. What you estimate from a long distance to be a one-meter emblem is a mammoth four-meter copper bar that requires the effort and perseverance of four craftsmen to hammer and shape out of 65 kg of copper or another equivalent metal.
What may appear as an incomplete metal circle from a distance is actually a huge full-circled ring that is part and parcel of a metal structure consisting of a base, ball, an oval pot (ula) and, most conspicuously, a crescent.
The density of the metal on top of the ring pales over time, so much that it becomes invisible as the crescent is elevated to higher altitudes.
Despite a wide range of shops exhibiting breathtaking collections of copper works at Al Nahaseen market, only a few of them are dealing in such a rare but important item that remains necessary for raising mosques countrywide.
Mosques throughout the republic tap into this Cairo district for its crescent production but there are two other such centers in the cities of Tanta and Menoufia.
“The demand is increasing on crescents as mosques are part of the current construction boom that continues to fuel the building of new cities and compounds, noted Medhat Al Askari, one of the biggest copper dealers at Al Nahaseen.
But many traders in the market lamented that the number of coppersmiths specialized in the area are dwindling, which might ultimately impede production and fail to meet increasing demand.
“Yes, you might not be able to count 10 smiths who are able to do the job in this neighborhood, said Mohmed Fouad, a copper merchant who is also owner of a workshop.
“This is a tiresome task that can’t be done unless the smith is fully trained. It’s all done by hand. There are no promising talents in the new generation. This is difficult work that, once the order is placed, has to be done within a week or two, he added.
“The crescent-specialized smiths are certainly less than before but many exaggerate their small number saying they are on the verge of extinction, commented Al Askari pointing out that one of the problems about the crescent orders is gain rather than make.
The heavy weights of the crescents usually demand several layers of copper, which, depending on global copper markets, could make production a costly affair.
The financial gain margin is, therefore, smaller.
Smiths opting to use other metals, such as stainless steel, are no better off. Stainless steel crescents are more expensive.
“Because most orders are placed by Awqaf (institution of religious endowments), we tend to sell the item at the cost value in an attempt to make it a true charity act. We charge higher fees for private companies and those who use the crescents as a decorative piece in places such as hotels and palaces, added Al Askari.
But beyond the financial constraints and arrangements of this trade, the work of the coppersmith requires diligent effort, patience and experience.
“Measurements should be accurately taken. A crescent for a dome is smaller than that of a minaret which is obviously superior in terms of height. On the average a 60-meter-high minaret will require a 3.5-m crescent as opposed to a 4.5 m bar needed for an 80 meter-high minaret, informed Shahab.
Weather patterns must also figure into the calculations the smiths use.
The best quality copper is used for special orders but in most cases the copper uses could be affected by adverse environmental factors and weather conditions.
And how heavy the crescent is will not deter unstable weather.
“Many think it should be heavy to resist wind and storms, said Al Askari.
“It is originally heavy but what reinforces the weight factor is the fact that the entire metal structure is filled with concrete before it is embedded into the minaret or crescent.
The skyline of Cairo now presents a differing view as one ponders the history of crescent-making in Cairo.
“They all look the same, says Fouad, as he looks up at one of the crescents atop a minaret some distance away.
“But over the ages you get a variation here and there. There is the Ottoman type, the Mameluke and the Ayubbid types, but they are all Egyptian.
Then he takes me aside and whispers “The fear is that one day coppersmiths will cease to exist and we will end up importing Chinese crescents.
