From January until April 2025, I conducted extensive fieldwork in Cairo on the subject of khayamiya, for my research master’s thesis in Religious Studies at Utrecht University.

Fig. 1. Ramadan stall in Mohandiseen, Cairo, 2025. Photograph by Christina de Korte.

Khayamiya is an appliqué technique that is primarily used for decorating panels for large, handmade tents, but the technique is nowadays also used for all kinds of other objects, such as tote bags and cushion covers.

Fig. 2. The outside presentation of Ramadan decorations in front of a textile shop in Ahmed Maher Street, Cairo, 2025. Photograph by Christina de Korte.There are numerous variations to handmade khayamiya, such as machine-sewn or digitally printed khayamiya. Throughout my research, which included taking courses in the Street of the Tentmakers in Cairo and assessing the contemporary use of khayamiya during Ramadan, I collected various objects in relation to this research, as well as some other Egyptian objects that caught my attention as interesting additions to the TRC collection.

In this blog, I will discuss their context and why they are an important for the TRC. 

Ramadan decorations

During Ramadan, khayamiya is omnipresent in Egypt (Figs. 1-2). Tents with khayamiya panels are used for various purposes, such as for Ramadan stalls or to host, mostly free, iftar meals after sunset. Ramadan decorations based on khayamiya can be found in streets and in people’s houses.

Ramadan flags (printed) bought in the weeks before Ramadan in a textile shop in Ahmed Maher Street in Cairo, 2025 (TRC 2025.1246).The Ramadan stalls are especially crowded in the weeks before the festivities, when people are preparing for Ramadan. In addition to the stalls, the products can also be found in permanent shops, which sell Ramadan decorations for a limited time.

The Ramadan stalls often sell the same types of objects, such as tableware, toys, lanterns, and decorations such as flags (TRC 2025.1246 [Fig. 3], TRC 2025.1247, and TRC 2025.1248). Many decorations are made with digitally printed fabrics and often originate from the traditional hand-sewn appliqué khayamiya panels featuring so-called Islamic and/or Arabesque designs.

Fig. 4. Cushion cover with machine embroidery bought in the week before Ramadan in a temporary Ramadan stall in Ahmed Maher Street in Cairo, 2025 (TRC 2025.1242).

The visual language of Ramadan

In addition to the khayamiya designs, there are various other types of Ramadan decoration. TRC 2025.1242 (Fig. 4) is a cushion cover made from the same cotton that is used for the backcloth of handmade khayamiya. The design features machine embroidery that depicts symbols related to Ramadan, including lanterns, stars, and the moon, and a text that reads Ramadan Kareem in Arabic (literally translated: “Generous Ramadan”).

Fig. 5. Cushion cover (printed) bought in the weeks before Ramadan at the shop ‘Fatooh Sons’ in the Street of the Tentmakers in Cairo, 2025 (TRC 2025.1243).

Two digitally-printed cushion covers that I bought (TRC 2025.1243 [Fig. 5] and TRC 2025.1244) carry the same text and similar symbols, but in a completely different style. Furthermore, they include two omnipresent figures in Ramadan, namely Boogy and Tamtam, who are two well-known TV characters from an Egyptian Ramadan series. Furthermore, lengths of digitally printed cloth, such as TRC 2025.1245, are used to decorate, for example, walls or tables. In some cases, khayamiya designs are combined with other forms, as seen in one of the bags that I bought (TRC 2025.1249).

Fig. 6. Khayamiya piece depicting Santa Claus in front of the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, Cairo, 2025 (TRC 2025.1241).Santa Claus at the pyramids

Many mechanically produced Ramadan decorations based on khayamiya designs are endlessly copied in large quantities, in contrast to the handmade khayamiya pieces that can be found in the Street of the Tentmakers. Nevertheless, while walking through the Street of the Tentmakers, it seems that stores have a similar range of handmade khayamiya designs. However, when looking closely at the designs, differences in techniques, colours, and style are visible.

During my research, I was curious to see if tentmakers in the Street used (Coptic) Christian designs, in addition to the more prominent Islamic sayings and Quranic verses. When asked about this, tentmaker Hany El Sayed Ahmed enthusiastically showed me one of his works depicting Santa Claus on a camel, with the pyramids of Giza in the background (Fig. 6; TRC 2025.1241).

Distinct pieces like this are often hidden inside the shops in the Street of the Tentmakers, compared to the designs that are circulating in various temporary stalls, because some tentmakers are afraid that others might copy their khayamiya.

Fig. 7. Digital tally counter (khatim al-tasbih), Cairo, 2025 (TRC 2025.1531).Religious accessories

Moving away from the tentmakers and Ramadan, I bought two types of prayer beads. I came across a pair of wooden prayer beads (TRC 2025.1251) in a shop in front of the mosque of Sayyidah Zaynab.

Another type of object that is used for the same purpose as the prayer beads is TRC 2025.1531 (Fig. 7), which I found in the bookbinding workshop of Hussein Abdelzaher, behind the Al Azhar mosque in Cairo. Instead of letting the beads pass through your hand, bead by bead, this digital counter requires a press of the button. The package says in Arabic khatim al-tasbih, literally meaning ‘ring of al-tasbih’. Tasbih refers to a form of dhikr to glorify God, for example, by remembering the 99 names of God.

Before the start of Ramadan, I was able to attend the mawlid of Sayyidah Zaynab. A mawlid is a festival celebrated in honour of saints, and often attracts people from various places in Egypt. I quickly noticed, in the mass of people, many attendees wearing a colourful headband with glitter tied around their heads. My friend halted a street seller and bought me two green headbands that read ‘My love, the Messenger of God’ in Arabic (TRC 2025.1252).

Fig. 8. Scarf (printed) based on handmade embroidery from Siwa Oasis in Egypt, 2025 (TRC 2025.1250).Lastly, I would like to highlight a scarf (Fig. 8; TRC 2025.1250). All of the above discussed objects were acquired in Cairo; however, I bought this particular scarf in Luxor, a city along the Nile, hundreds of kilometres south of Cairo, in a shop that had a large collection of hijabs. I was surprised to find out that the design is a digitally printed fabric based on handmade embroidery from the Siwa Oasis, located near the Egypt-Libya border, far to the north.

During this visit and in 2022, I noticed that Egyptian brands and designers use or reflect various traditional Egyptian textile crafts, but I had not encountered a digitally printed version of an old Egyptian design before. All in all, it was intriguing to see how techniques and traditions continue to develop in various ways.

See for more information on khayamiya, my previous blog and the TRC online exhibition

Christina de Korte, 6 October 2025