The tradition of clay pottery is alive in Old Cairo – in pictures

The pots sell from $1 to $100, depending on size and craftsmanship

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Old Cairo is a part of the Egyptian capital that predates most of the city that surrounds it.

The ancient area that hugs the Nile is smack bang in the centre of Cairo's heart, and was founded in the 10th century. It was the nerve centre of the Islamic world for a long time, with its importance peaking in the 14th century.

Today, many ancient traditions carry on in this part of the city, including, as pictured above, clay pottery.

The clay used in the traditional workshops is sourced from Aswan, which is about 1,000 kilometres south of Cairo. In the past, the city's quarries provided the granite for so many of ancient Egypt's prominent sculptures.

The price of the clay pots produced at the workshops in Cairo today varies from 20 to 2,000 Egyptian pounds ($1.20 to $120, or Dh4.4 to Dh440) depending on the size and craftsmanship of the item.