Egyptian furniture maker repurposes wood from sunken ships - in pictures

Shaheer Maged uses salvaged wood to make pieces with 'history and character'

Shaheer Maged, an Egyptian furniture maker works on collected wood, as he upcycles wood from sunken ships into chair and furniture designs, in the coastal city of Alexandria, Egypt. Reuters

Shaheer Maged, an Egyptian furniture maker in the coastal city of Alexandria, carries wood from sunken ships that he will use to make new pieces.

He says he enjoys using wood from the ships because it has "history and character".

He believes using the salvaged wood makes his furniture unique. "The wood ... takes the colours of the ships, it has holes where nails used to be," he says.

Mr Maged carries a plank along a beach in Alexandria, about 220 kilometres north-west of the Egyptian capital Cairo.

The wood is also protected from insects because of its exposure to saltwater and the sun, he says.

Mr Maged started his furniture-making business in 2015, having previously worked as an orthopaedic surgeon.

He sells finished pieces to his friends and customers online, or displays them at exhibitions.