How One of the Last Fez Makers in Cairo Keeps the Ancient Tradition Alive

Business Insider producer Meg Teckman-Fullard and team visited with Nasser Abd El-Baset, one of the last traditional fez makers in Cairo. Nasser still carries on the ancient tradition of handcrafting each and every unique head covering in his historical shop, using straw, water, traditional copper molds, and fire to create the distinctive lines of a fez.

Fez hats were once a symbol of the Ottoman Empire. But after they were banned in Egypt in the 1950s, fez shops largely disappeared. We visited one of the last shops in Cairo, where Nasser Abd El-Baset has been making fezzes for over 40 years.