Photo by: AFP

Mohammed Fannas has been a "messaharati" ever since the age of 15, waking up the faithful for "sohur", a pre-dawn meal to help practising Muslims last until sunset without food or water in their fast during the holy month of Ramadan. Every night, Fannas crisscrosses the alleyways of Old Sidon, a conservative Muslim port city along the Mediterranean coast 40 kilometres (25 miles) south of Beirut. He trades in his modern clothes for a traditional robe and white hat as he carries his work tools: a tambour and a lantern. "This lantern is my old friend," Fannas said. "It gives me a sense of tradition and warmth. It also lights my way when the electricity is out, as frequently occurs in Lebanon."

Fannas begins his nightly journey near the port where hundreds of colourful fishing boats are docked. He saunters past the old stone houses, adorned with arches and stained glass windows. He passes the Mar (Saint) Nicholas church and a synagogue in the old Jewish quarter, where the faithful used to pray before the departure of the last of the city's Jewish community with the Israeli army's 1985 withdrawal from Sidon after three years of occupation. "Wake up, wake up and say God's name," he calls out to residents, often using residents' names.