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Mahmoud Saleh, 67, works at his workshop in al-Omraneyah district of Giza, Egypt, 19 January 2019 (Issued 02 February 2019). Mahmoud Saleh, 67, is the owner of the only workshop that produces handmade ballet shoes in Egypt. He started working 51 years ago when his father, a craftsman for soccer, wrestling, and boxing shoes, was approached by a Russian expert residing in Egypt in 1968 to offer him and his son to work at his factory after seeing their products. In 1980 Saleh left the factory and started his own business which became famous, and in 1991 the Cairo Opera House contracted him to be the manufacturer of its Ballet Company for 12 thousand Egyptian pounds (then four thousand US dollars), with this money he bought a bigger workshop at al-Omraneyah district of Giza and never stopped producing ever since. Nowadays, Saleh’s work is exported to many countries, including Russia, Germany, Italy, and UAE, as well as suppling handmade ballet shoes to all ballet centers in Egypt. (Photo by Mohamed Hossam/EPA/EFE)
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