An elderly Egyptian man wearing a traditional Galabiya (جلابية) and white Taqiyya (طاقية) cap operates a traditional foot-operated iron, known locally as Mekwet El-Regel (مكوة الرجل), pressing fabric on a wooden board inside a small workshop in Esna, Luxor. This traditional ironing method, still practiced in Upper Egypt, uses a curved metal blade rocked by hand pressure rather than heat or electricity, representing a fast-disappearing artisanal craft. A gas cylinder and blue-painted walls are visible in the background, typical of a small local trade workshop in Upper Egypt.