The sweet smell of candies wafts through downtown Cairo's Bab al-Bahr street as the Muslim Prophet Mohammed's birthday, known as "Al Mawlid Al Nabawi", draws near.
Decorated sugar dolls, horse-shaped candies and nut-filled treats are on display in shops lining the busy street near Islamic Cairo, a historic district filled with mosques, tombs, and caravanserais.
Sunni Muslims in many parts of the world celebrate Prophet Mohammed's birthday on the 12th day of the third month of the Islamic calendar, which this year falls on Saturday, November 9.
As the faithful look forward to the celebrations, Cairo's dessert makers are preparing other mouthwatering sweets made of peanuts, sesame seeds, coconuts and pistachios.