17th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest People
Love struggles to survive

In a workshop in Ezbet El-Nakhl, Cairo, Faraj El-Deeb, a seashell craftsman, stands to cut seashells and then cut it into small pieces that he uses to graft wood, produce elaborate artwork that is predominantly Islamic and then sell it to the market. Faraj's love for the profession started from his childhood. After choosing his older brother to repair the minbar of a mosque in Jerusalem, Al-Deeb participated in international competitions and won many awards. Faraj faces multiple challenges in his profession, the most important of which is is the high price of raw materials and the departure of customers from the Seashells industry in a traditional manual way. «Aldeeb»: «Despite my age, but I am complementary in my work because I love, and dream that my profession grows and continue and I aspire to create a special union of our profession to market our products in exhibitions outside Egypt and protect us from the greed of raw materials traders».

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 05.2019
Date Uploaded: 08.2019
Photo Location: Cairo, Egypt
Camera: Canon EOS 80D
Copyright: © Beshoy Maher