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Khan el-Khalili is for many the most
entertaining part of Cairo. It is an ancient
shopping area, nothing less, but some of the shops
have also their own little factories or workshops.
The suq (which is the Arabic name for bazar,
or market) dates back to 1382, when Emir Djaharks
el-Khalili built a big caravanserai (or khan)
right here. A caravanseri was a sort of hotel for
traders, and usually the focal point for economic
activity for any surrounding area. This
caravanserai is still there, you just ask for the
narrow street of Sikka Khan el-Khalili and
Badestan.
As for the suq, you can easily grasp most of its
charm and possibilities by wandering about. You do
not need a guide, not even a guide book. Should
you get lost, just keep going in one direction,
and you will quickly come out of the maze, and
close to a taxi.
Shopping is almost compulsory in Khan
el-Khalili. Since the decline in Western
tourism to Egypt in recent years, prices in
Khan el-Khalili has dropped, but the intensity
of the shop keepers has increased. The golden rule
is, check the range of goods and prices in several
shops before you buy, keep your head calm and stay
friendly. And remember: you should never feel that
you insult or disappoint a seller by not buying.
After all, it is your money.
There are items you should check out here,
and items you better avoid. Clothes are cheap,
spices are of good quality and affordable,
souvenirs of just as good quality as in the hotel
lobby, but at a better price. Jewellery is a
matter of taste, some might find the work a bit
too crude, and the colour of the gold might be to
goldy for some. The perfume shops sell copies of
virtually all international Western perfumes, but
the quality is not good. Chances are that your
bottle of expensive drops will smell like
spearmint.
While all of Khan el-Khalili is an
attraction, there are some local sights. The most
treasured for visitors is Fishawi's cafe, which
you can count on being open when you get there: It
has been continuously open, day and night, for
more than 200 years. Its interior is charming,
claustrophobic but with mirrors almost everywhere.
For readers of Nobel prize laureate Naguib Mahfouz,
Khan el-Khalili is the place of Midaq
Alley. Start in Sharia al-Mu'izz, find the Sharia
Sanadiqiyah, and look out for the first passage to
the left. This is it. When the novel was filmed
(not the Mexican version), this narrow strip of
road was rightfully the location. |
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