Essam Sayed works in a time-honored profession — one that employs him for one month a year. He is a second-generation “mesaharati,” which loosely translates from Arabic as “dawn caller.”
During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which ends this week, devout Muslims abstain from all forms of food or drink from dawn until sunset. Once the sun sets, they break the fast with the evening “iftar,” or breakfast, and hours later, before dawn they take the vital pre-dawn meal known as “suhour.”
Each night, Sayed, 45, sets out after midnight on his donkey through the streets of the Arab Ghoneim district in Helwan district on the southern outskirts of Cairo.
He bangs a small drum, chanting traditional religious phrases and calling out to residents by name to wake them in time for the pre-dawn meal.
The job was passed down by his father and Sayed uses his 50-year-old drum. The residents offer Sayed tips and donations in exchange for him calling out their family members and children.
It’s a low-tech profession that continues to endure, mostly in Egypt’s more traditional districts.
On one summer night, half the neighborhood already seemed to be awake and waiting for Sayed. Residents gathered on balconies as he passed. Local children crowded around his donkey.
Sayed says that’s normal when Ramadan falls in the summer, when school is out and people stay up later. But the Islamic calendar is 11 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar, so Ramadan gradually moves through all four seasons.
“It’s the opposite during winter when people sleep earlier,” Sayed says. “That’s when I feel the importance of my job.”
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In this Friday, July 10, 2015 photo, Essam Sayed, 45-year-old “mesaharati,” or dawn caller rides his donkey “Aziza,” as he prepares to wake people up for a meal before sunrise, during the holy month of Ramadan, in the Arab Ghoneim district of Helwan on the southern outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. Each night, Sayed, sets out after midnight on his donkey banging his small drum, chanting traditional religious phrases and calling out on residents by name to wake them in time for the vital pre-dawn meal known as “suhour.” (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
In this Friday, July 10, 2015 photo, children gather around Essam Sayed, a 45-year-old “mesaharati,” or dawn caller, as he wakes people up for a meal before sunrise, during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, in the Arab Ghoneim district of Helwan on the southern outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. Each night, Sayed, sets out after midnight on his donkey “Aziza” banging his small drum, chanting traditional religious phrases and calling out on residents by name to wake them in time for the vital pre-dawn meal known as “suhour.” (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
In this Friday, July 10, 2015 photo, Essam Sayed, 45-year-old “mesaharati,” or dawn caller beats his drum to wake people up for a meal before sunrise, during the holy month of Ramadan, in the Arab Ghoneim district of Helwan on the southern outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. The job was passed down by Sayed’s father and he uses the same 50-year-old drum that his father used for decades. The residents offer Sayed tips and donations in exchange for him calling out their family members and children each night as he passes. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
In this Friday, July 10, 2015 photo, a girl hold a traditional lantern as Essam Sayed, the 45-year-old “mesaharati,” or dawn caller, bangs his drum and chants to wake people up for a meal before sunrise, during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, in the Arab Ghoneim district of Helwan on the southern outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. Each night, Sayed, sets out after midnight on his donkey “Aziza” banging his small drum, chanting traditional religious phrases and calling out on residents by name to wake them in time for the vital pre-dawn meal known as “suhour.” (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
In this Friday, July 10, 2015 photo, girls wait to hear Essam Sayed, the 45-year-old “mesaharati,” or dawn caller, bang his drum and chant to wake people up for a meal before sunrise, during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, in the Arab Ghoneim district of Helwan on the southern outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
In this Friday, July 10, 2015 photo, children look at Essam Sayed, 45-year-old “mesaharati,” or dawn caller as he wakes people up for a meal before sunrise, during the holy month of Ramadan, in the Arab Ghoneim district of Helwan on the southern outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. Each night in the summer, residents stand on their balconies to wait for Sayed as he passes and area children enjoy gathering around his donkey “Aziza.” (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
In this Friday, July 10, 2015 photo, children look from their windows to watch Essam Sayed, 45-year-old “mesaharati,” or dawn caller, as he wakes people up for a meal before sunrise, during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, in the Arab Ghoneim district of Helwan on the southern outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. On this particular summer night, half the neighborhood already seemed to be awake and waiting for Sayed to arrive. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
In this Friday, July 10, 2015 photo, a man gives a tip to Essam Sayed, 45-year-old “mesaharati,” or dawn caller as he wakes people up for a meal before sunrise, during the holy month of Ramadan, in the Arab Ghoneim district of Helwan on the southern outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. It’s a low-tech profession that continues to endure, mostly in Egypt’s more traditional districts. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
In this Friday, July 10, 2015 photo, Essam Sayed, 45-year-old “mesaharati,” or dawn caller rides his donkey “Aziza,” as he wakes people up for a meal before sunrise, during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, in the Arab Ghoneim district of Helwan on the southern outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
In this Friday, July 10, 2015 photo, children surround Essam Sayed, 45-year-old “mesaharati,” or dawn caller riding his donkey “Aziza,” as he wakes people up for a meal before sunrise, during the holy month of Ramadan, in the Arab Ghoneim district of Helwan on the southern outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
In this Friday, July 10, 2015 photo, Essam Sayed, 45-year-old “mesaharati,” or dawn caller rides his donkey “Aziza,” with his grandson Ibrahim, as he wakes people up for a meal before sunrise, during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, in the Arab Ghoneim district of Helwan on the southern outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. Sayed is a second-generation “mesaharati.” During Ramadan, which ends this year on July 17, devout Muslims abstain from all forms of food or drink from dawn until sunset. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
In this Friday, July 10, 2015 photo, Essam Sayed, 45-year-old “mesaharati,” or dawn caller, center, eats a meal with his family before sunrise, during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, in the Arab Ghoneim district of Helwan on the southern outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
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