After the Egyptian Museum you can go to the area around the souk Khan al-Khalili. It is the Islamic area of Cairo, and here you find the beautifully restored medieval monuments. The area is call Bein al Qasreen.
You can enjoy walking through the alleys of the souk. You can find very nice things in bronze to buy. Or you can sit in an Ahwa traditional Egyptian coffee shop. The word Ahwa in Arabic means coffee. Egyptian social life revolves around these places. People mainly drink tea (Shai) and coffee, but try the lovely Karkadai, one of my favorite drinks in summer, when I am in the Middle-eastern heat. You can find it also in Laos, Indonesia, with a lot of ice in it. It is a very nice present to take back home. It is made with hibiscus flowers and can be drunk cold or hot. You can while away the time playing dominoes or backgammon (towla) for hours and smoke shisha. In Turkey they also smoke it, but it is called Shisha Narghile.
Try Zahret al-Bustan, a traditional Ahwa (address: 6 Al Bostan Al Seidi, Bab Al Louq, Abdeen, Cairo), where you can have tea and shisha. Fishawi’s is also recommended.
On one occasion, getting out of the taxi, a strange man approached us and offered to take as around the labyrinthine alleys of the Cairo bazaar. We tried to persuade him to leave us alone, but he took no notice. He followed us around, indicating the shops of his family and friends. Of course, we didn’t buy anything, but in the end we stopped in a shop that was selling spices and herbal remedies. There were 4 of us: 3 girls and my brother. The guy suggested to him that he should buy some Egyptian Viagra, ja…ja…, my brother had just had 2 stents in his heart and starts laughing, saying that he wanted to kill him! I don’t remember what we bought in the end, probably some spices!
When we got out the shop, it was already getting dark, which in all the bazaars of the world makes them look sinister! As a rule, keep in mind that it is better to go to them early, about half an hour after they open and leave after lunch. This means that you also avoid the hottest time of the day. Some do close late though and is not necessary to leave before 4 or 5 pm. However, I would always advise you that it is best to go before it gets dark. The exceptions are night markets. In Asia, because of the heat, there are lots of night markets.
It is always best to try to avoid the people around the bazaar that try to sell you something, in Egypt they are very persistent, like flies.
Anyway, we followed the guy so as to get out as fast as we could, avoiding the cats, that Cairo is full of (the protectors of the pharaohs). You can find piles of cat’s skins to buy. Ugh !!!! They are very important animal in Egyptian culture.
It was terrible for my friend Bobby who was with us. She has a total phobia about cats. She was so brave to go around this bazaar, avoiding lots of them. Also in the Marrakesh Medina. She was jumping from one side of the street to the other. We returned next day early morning, since we had enjoyed the shopping there so much.
I recommend that you buy the very nice bronze jewels, beautiful rings. The Scarabeo bangles and rings are very special and another of the animals according to Egyptian culture that protects you. If you see the jewels of Tutankhamun, they are full of different versions of Scarabeo, beautifully done with encrusted precious and semiprecious stones. There is a table full of them in different sizes in the Egyptian museum.
Visit the little shop of Shiek Saleh. It has fantastic brass jewelry and excellent prices. (address: 17, 88 El Moaz Ledin Ellah, Cairo; tel 25881526; mob 01228966155)
Very interesting are also the shops in the main street of the bazaar that sell dresses and embroidered things from the nomads. Have a look in them, they have interesting necklaces and tunics, hand embroidered.
There are very nice carpets and several shops that sell them in the area. Last year I went in the bazaar looking for decorative carpets for my brother’s house. It was very funny, the Egyptian colleague of my husband, Hattem, left me in the bazaar, and the driver was worried because I was alone there, knowing the insistence of the Egyptian people with tourists. In fact, he called Hattem to express his concern. He was amused that when I returned I had a number of people from the bazaar helping me carry my purchases.
I took a motorbike car in the bazaar and arrived at a point where I saw a small shop that sold carpets. This vehicle, like a motorized rickshaw, was collecting people all the way for little money. I had asked the man of the shop where the vehicle could collect me, so I could go back with another one to the same place. I didn’t have the vaguest idea where I was. The vehicle took lots of different alleys, passed monuments and buildings along the way. Ja…ja…always an adventure the bazaars. I love them. Such a small shop had dozens of carpets and brought in more to show me from a neighbour’s shop. The shop owner was very friendly and gave me super prices. The carpets were very nice, decorative and colourful. They were made from wool and cost about US$ 20 or 30 each depending on the size! Medium to big ones. I bought a very beautiful, big carpet in another shop and it was only US$ 100. Really a good price for a nice piece.
Ahmed El Dabba and Sons. This is a very well-known antique shop in the Khan al-Khalili and has very interesting things, especially jewellery, furniture etc, have a look. (address: 5, Sikket al -Badistan, Cairo)
Another nice thing to buy is perfumed oil. The jasmine, masa oud and rose, are really very nice and inexpensive, to perfume the house and the body or to put in the bath water or for massages. It is a very big tradition in Egypt.
The passementerie is very beautiful and the prices very good. There is a big variety of tassels and borders to add to curtains, pillows and armchairs. In most parts of the world they are extremely expensive. You can find them near the fabric shops in the bazaar. And as everybody knows the best cotton in the world is Egyptian. You can find a lot of great fabrics. The variety is enormous.
In one of my trips I bought a very interesting Burkini, although I haven’t worn it yet!
There is a shop that has very nice colourful glass lamps, like chandeliers, handmade by the owner. They are very interesting. They are made with blown glass. You can find it in the area of Bab-al Futuh.
There are a number of shops that sell backgammon boards and pipes for Shisha. They make nice souvenirs and can be used at home.
A very nice shop is Loiseau du Nil (address: 23 A Ismail Mohamed St Zamalek; tel +02010955577540; www.asfourelnil@gmail.com ).
In both the First Mall next to the Four Seasons at the first residence hotel and in the Ritz Carlton hotel there are some interesting shops worth visiting.
Sahara (from Shahira Fawzy) in this store there is also a very good selection Egyptian objects for the house .
YMZ (email ymz.cairo) has a shop in the Ritz Carlton and also in First Mall next to the Four Seasons hotel. The boutique has beautiful modern dresses and tunics
Beymen has all the Luxury brands and some very good Egyptian designer dresses and pillows and curtains.