CAIRO — For many Muslims around the world, one of the most important Ramadan traditions is waking up in the early hours of the morning to the beats of a drum for suhoor, the pre-dawn meal before fasting starts.

The Ramadan drummer, or musaharati, is one of the oldest traditions during the holy month that has survived both in rural and urban areas in the Muslim world. It is no job for the weak, as the musaharati walks through the streets for hours, carrying a heavy drum, repeating religious tawshihat (hymns) and calls such as “Isha Ya Nayem” ("Wake Up, Sleepers") to the beat of the drum.

It is also an ungrateful job with no guarantee of an income. Although the musaharati works every night for a month, he must wait for the first day of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of fasting, to visit the houses in the neighborhoods where he worked. Most people will give money, but this is not always the case, as some will give small presents or sweets, while others give nothing at all.

None of these challenges, however, have stopped Dall Abdul Qader from becoming Egypt's first female musaharati. This is not the first time that Abdul Qader has taken on a profession mostly reserved for men. Since the age of 22, Abdul Qader has worked as an ironer, which is mostly a profession for men in Egypt. During Ramadan she continues to work this job by day and walks the streets of Cairo with her drum at night.