Lantern prices increase 20%, Chinese products infiltrate market

Lantern prices rose by approximately 20% this Ramadan over last year thanks to the high price of the dollar according to Ihab Issa, a lantern merchant. Issa, working in the Bab Al-Shareya neighbourhood, home to many workshops that produce Egyptian lanterns by hand, attributes the increase this year to the price of tin.

Bab El Shareya is also well-known for its coppersmiths that produce brass handicrafts, the most important of which are Ramadan lanterns which distinguishes this neighbourhood from others.

The price of lanterns ranges between EGP 50-600 depending on the size and the materials used, said Issa.

He added that bigger lanterns priced over EGP 300 are purchased by large department stores and hotels and are often placed in entranceways to attract patrons.