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Tunisian coppersmiths bring fresh shine to Ramadan
A man looks at freshly polished cookware at a coppersmith's workshop in the Medina (old city) of Tunis ahead of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan. [Fethi Belaid/AFP]
Tunisian coppersmiths bring fresh shine to Ramadan
Tunisian coppersmith Chedli Maghraoui, 69, polishes a cooking pot at his workshop in Tunis. [Fethi Belaid/AFP]
Tunisian coppersmiths bring fresh shine to Ramadan
Maghraoui says he is proud to be among the few still practising the time-honoured craft in the ancient North African city: "It's a tradition that has existed for centuries and it's still alive." [Fethi Belaid/AFP]
Tunisian coppersmiths bring fresh shine to Ramadan
A coppersmith polishes a couscoussier, a traditional pot used to cook couscous. [Fethi Belaid/AFP]
Tunisian coppersmiths bring fresh shine to Ramadan
The cost for a polish job now ranges from 20 to 200 dinars ($6-$64) per item, depending on the item's size and shape. [Fethi Belaid/AFP]
Tunisian coppersmiths bring fresh shine to Ramadan
A coppersmith polishes cookware at a workshop in the Medina (old city) of Tunis. [Fethi Belaid/AFP]
Tunisian coppersmiths bring fresh shine to Ramadan
Coppersmith Chedli Maghraoui works on metalware in his shop. [Fethi Belaid/AFP]
Tunisian coppersmiths bring fresh shine to Ramadan
Maghraoui bought his workshop 20 years ago from someone who had inherited it but didn't want it. [Fethi Belaid/AFP]
Tunisian coppersmiths bring fresh shine to Ramadan
Households across Tunisia are struggling with inflation and high unemployment, but many customers try to have at least a few pieces of freshly polished cookware for Ramadan. [Fethi Belaid/AFP]
Tunisian coppersmiths bring fresh shine to Ramadan
Maghraoui scrubs items and hot-dip tins them, coating the copper with a thin layer of tin to stop metal oxidation, after which the pots gleam like new. [Fethi Belaid/AFP]
Tunisian coppersmiths bring fresh shine to Ramadan
Even though demand for polishing is high, Maghraoui says: "Each death among my colleagues is a loss for this profession and a step towards its disappearance", as young people turn away from the craft. [Fethi Belaid/AFP]
Tunisian coppersmiths bring fresh shine to Ramadan
A customer arrives to collect freshly-polished cookware from a coppersmith's workshop. [Fethi Belaid/AFP]
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