Top 10 free things to do in Cairo

Our Local Expert Says:

Khan el Khalili Bazaar is Egypt in microcosm – exotic, friendly, overwhelming and chaotic! Try the fateers at the Egyptian Pancake House next to Al Azhar street for an authentic taste of Egypt, and make sure you check out the many local markets that spiral out from the main part of Khan el Khalili bazaar.

Description:

Established in the 14th Century, and in constant use since then, Khan al-Khalili (or more simply, The Khan) is Egypt at its most intoxicating. Cairo has always been an important trade centre, and this tradition continues today in the bustling maze of alleys that forms Khan al-Khalili Bazaar.

The Khan itself is relatively small, and is largely devoted to tourists. There are souvenirs here for every taste and budget: spices, jewellery, inlaid mother-of-pearl boxes and backgammon sets, water pipes, scarves, lamps, delicate perfume bottles (and the perfume to go in them)… you can even get yourself a singing, dancing camel!

Be warned, though, the traders here are black belts at haggling – so be firm, but maintain your sense of humour and enjoy the experience for what it is: the raucous, beating heart of commerce the old-school way.

When the banter gets too much, relax in al-Fishawi Coffee Shop with a water pipe and a strong Turkish coffee. This café has been open 24 hours a day since 1773, and Egyptian writer Naguib Mahfouz is said to have visited every day up to his death in 2006.

At the east end of the Khan is al-Hussein Square, home to the beautiful al-Hussein Mosque. The western end is bound by Muizz li-Din Allah Street. You can head north to Bab al-Futuh, past Islamic monuments such as al-Aqmar Mosque and Beit al-Souhaymi, or south towards Bab Zwayla and the Street of the Tentmakers. Leading west from Khan al-Khalili towards Ataba is al-Muski Street, a crazy local market that is well worth exploring.

To get to Khan al-Khalili Bazaar, take a taxi to al-Azhar Mosque and cross the road via the underpass. The more adventurous traveller can walk up to the bazaar from Ataba Metro station, along al-Muski.

Our Local Expert Says:

The Sufi dancing show at the Wikala al-Ghouri in Cairo is one of the best in Egypt, and it's free

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Three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, there is a Sufi dancing show at the Wikala al-Ghouri, in Islamic Cairo. Sufism is a mystical sect of Islam, that believes it is possible to enjoy a personal relationship with God through practices such as intense and sustained spinnning around in a circle, leading to a trance-like state. The most famous Sufi sect are the Turkish Whirling Dervishes.

The Sufi dancing show in Wikala al-Ghouri is a riot of dizzying colour, as dancers in multicoloured skirts spin and dance their way around the stage, all the while accompanied by hypnotic drum beats and other traditional Arabic instruments. The dancers are very skilfull, able to manipulate their skirts into shapes such as a cradled baby! The incredible thing is how, after the performance, they walk off in a straight line as if nothing has happened.

Although the Sufi dancing performance is undeniably touristy, it is not at all cheesy, and is one of the best in Egypt. Best of all, it's free. The performance begins at 8.30 pm and lasts around one-and-a-half hours. Only 250 tickets are available, and the staff are very strict on this, so it's best to arrive when the doors open at 6.30 pm to ensure you get in.

The venue for the Sufi dancing performances is the Wikala al-Ghouri, which is just behind al-Azhar Mosque, and pretty much opposite Khan al-Khalili. If you get lost, everyone in the area knows where it is and will be able to help you out.

Our Local Expert Says:

It is well worth popping in to Al Azhar Mosque. Don’t be intimidated by the religious and scholastic air, people are more than happy to accommodate tourists.

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Al Azhar Mosque is one of the most beautiful mosques in Egypt, if not the whole world. It was established in 972 AD, the first Fatimid monument built in Cairo. Its name means "the most blooming", after one of the prophet Mohammed's daughters.

Al Azhar Mosque has been renovated and extended over the years, and it reflects a number of architectural styles. The large main courtyard is a particular highlight: 275 by 112 feet, made of glistening white marble, and home to hundreds of ancient columns. The five minarets are particularly elegant, and can be seen from much of Cairo. It is possible to climb some of the towers, though they are often locked and you should remember to give the porter a little something for his trouble.

Al Azhar Mosque is also arguably the most significant in the whole of the Sunni Muslim world: it is home to the second oldest University in the world, established in 975 AD, which specialises in all forms of Islamic studies. The scholars of the university are very well respected, and are often called upon to issue fatwas, or religious rulings.

Al Azhar Mosque is situated in the heart of Islamic Cairo, opposite Midan al-Hussein and Khan al-Khalili bazaar. It is best visited by taxi, though you could also walk up from Ataba Metro station.

Our Local Expert Says:

The Street of the Tentmakers is one of the most fascinating markets in Cairo, and well worth the short walk from Khan al-Khalili.

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The Street of the Tentmakers is a beautiful covered market that extends a hundred yards or so south of Bab Zwayla. Souq al-Khiamiyya, as the Street of the Tentmakers is also known, is the only covered market left in Cairo, and dates back to the 17th Century.

Walking down the narrow alleyway feels like stepping back into medieval Cairo, with each simple stall hewn in to solid stone walls, and fronted by a wooden shutter. The tentmakers here have plied their trade for hundreds of years, hand-crafting the colourful appliqué wall-hangings that were traditionally used to decorate Arabic tents. With the demise of the nomadic lifestyle, this noble craft is also dying out, but the Street of the Tentmakers is one of the few places in the Arab world where it still survives.

There aren't so many actual tents on sale now, but this is the best place in Cairo to buy wall hangings, cushion covers, bedspreads and the like. As well as more traditional geometric patterns, you can also find pharaonic designs and other pictures. Almost everything here is bold, brightly coloured, and made by hand.

Best of all, although you are only about a twenty minute walk from the bustle of Khan al-Khalili, prices in the Street of the Tentmakers are much lower. As a final bonus, the craftsmen in the bazaar are really friendly, and more than happy to sit and chat about their work.

Our Local Expert Says:

Ibn Tulun Mosque is the most interesting mosque in Cairo, with stunning architecture and a serene atmosphere.

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This beautiful mosque is considered to be the oldest in Cairo that has survived in its original form, and is the third largest in the world by area. Completed in 879 AD, Ibn Tulun Mosque was built by Ahmed ibn Tulun, founder of the Talunid dynasty that was ruling Egypt at the end of the 9th Century.

The mosque consists of a huge open courtyard, including fountain, and is surrounded on three sides by enclosed wings known as ziyadas. The art and architecture of Ibn Tulun Mosque has a distinct Iraqi flavour (Ahmed Ibn Tulun was born in Baghdad) – make sure you check out the crenulated tops of the walls, which look like the paper-chain dolls that children cut out.

Interestingly, a local legend claims the mosque was built on the hill where Noah's Ark landed after the flood, and that the floral frieze that runs around the arches was originally carved on to the ark. Finally, a trip to Ibn Tulun Mosque is not complete without climbing its minaret. With the staircase spiralling up the outside of the tower, the minaret is unique in Cairo, and offers fantastic views of the city.

Ibn Tulun Mosque is next to the Gayer-Anderson Museum, and a short hop from the Citadel and the other sites of Islamic Cairo. The best way to visit is by taxi.

Description:

This is a somewhat sanitized version of what began as an informal, and illegal, used-book market around the fence of the historic (and now very much reduced) Azbekeya gardens. After years of back and forth with the authorities, it was finally moved -- not entirely willingly -- to its current location in lines of uniform and rather soulless metal kiosks. Getting there can be a bit of an adventure, but well worth it if you want to see a downmarket part of Cairo while picking through a vast collection of books that range from discarded medical texts to moth-eaten leather-bound Rabelais. Bargaining can be pretty tough here, but you should generally see a drop in the asking price of around a quarter to a third.

The best way to get here is to take a cab to Midan Opera in downtown (make it clear that you do not want the place of the same name in Zamalek), and walk over to the western entrance of the Azbekeya Metro station. Walk through the station and out the other side. The entrance to the book section of the market, if you're standing with your back to the direction from which you've come, is in front of you and to the left. Open daily late morning till evening; fewer dealers on Sunday and Friday than during the rest of the week.

Our Local Expert Says:

The Religion Compound has a uniquely serene atmosphere, and it’s easy to while away a few hours lazily exploring the cobbled streets and religious buildings.

Description:

The Religion Compound is one of the most picturesque and charming areas in the whole of Cairo. It consists of a small area built around the remains of the old Roman fortress of Babylon on the Nile, and contains pretty much all of the tourist sights of Old Cairo (also known as Coptic Cairo, and Fustat).

The Religion Compound is littered with monuments from all three of the main monotheistic religions, as well as the Coptic Museum and the Coptic Cemetery. Some of the more famous churches here include the Greek Church of St George (one of the few round churches still in existence in the region) and the Hanging Church (with its famous suspended nave). The Amr Ibn el-Aas Mosque is located just north of the compound, and was the first mosque ever built in Egypt (although it has been destroyed and rebuilt numerous times).

Make sure you head down the passageway to the left of the Church of St George: it takes you in to a maze of exquisite cobbled lanes that wind past numerous other religious buildings. Must-see monuments here include the Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus (believed to be the oldest in Cairo, and built on the spot where Jesus and his family rested after their flight to Egypt), the Church of St Shenuti, and the beautiful Ben Ezra Synagogue.

The Religion Compound can be reached by taxi (ask for Fustat) or by Metro: Mar Girgis Station is directly opposite the Coptic Museum.

Our Local Expert Says:

The City of the Dead is a fascinating area of Cairo with some exquisite Mamluk architecture

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Qarafa, or the City of the Dead, is situated in the east of Islamic Cairo, stretching from the foot of the Citadel to the Muqattam Hills. The City of the Dead is actually two cemeteries, dating back to Mamluk times: a southern cemetery, and a northern cemetery. Traditionally, every family in Cairo would maintain some sort of mausoleum, somewhere in Cairo, where family members were buried. To this day, the cemeteries are still in use. As well as for the dead, the cemeteries provide homes for the living. Families live within the mausoleums. Some have been there for generations, and look after the tombs for their owners. Others are more recent, tolerated squatters, many of whom were displaced from the canal zone during the 1967 war. No-one knows for sure how many people live in the City of the Dead, though it's probably in the region of half a million. It is possible to visit the cemeteries. The southern cemetery is only sparsely inhabited, though it is an eerily atmospheric place to wander around. Some of the tombs are hundreds of years old; others are more recent. Some years back, the area had a reputation as the home of thieves and drug dealers, and you should certainly avoid the southern cemetery at night. The northern cemetery of the City of the Dead is where most of the people live. It feels more like a peaceful, though poor residential area. There are even a handful of shops and cafes, and many of the inhabitants live quite normal lives. The northern cemetery is home to some of Cairo's most beautiful Mamluk monuments, such as the Mausoleums of Sultan Qaitbey and Sultan Barquq. It's best to visit the area with the help of a guide, though it is possible to do on your own. Don't stray too far from the main paths, and it's best not to linger long past sunset.

Our Local Expert Says:

The Friday Market is one of the most authentic and intoxicating bizarres in the whole of Egypt

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Note: In June 2010 the Friday Market burned down when a car fell off the overpass and caught fire. The government wants to move the market to the outskirts of the city, but the traders are resisting. We'll update you as more information becomes available.

In October 2010 al-Masry al-Youm reported that bulldozers were waiting to demolish the remnants of the Friday Market, and that it will be moved to 15th May City, but as yet there is no infrastructure in place there.
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The Friday Market, known to locals as Souq al-Goma'a, takes place each Friday underneath the autostrade just south of the Citadel, between the southern City of the Dead and a poor area of Cairo known as Khalifa. It's arguably the largest market in Cairo, and is not in any way touristy.

The Friday Market is where tens of thousands of Cairo's poorer residents  (and the plain curious) go to buy and sell pretty much anything you can think of. It's a crazy riot of colour and sound, where the swirling crowds will dictate your passage through the market, and you occasionally have to fight just to stay on your feet!

As well as food, clothing and household appliances, at the Friday Market you can find stalls selling pets such as fish, hawks, snakes and hedgehogs, row upon row of cages selling live pigeons and chickens, bikes, mobile phones, genuine antiques… you name it! There are also stalls selling things like dead computer monitors, broken cassette tapes, and rusty nuts and bolts! It looks like junk, but people find a use for it!

Visiting the Friday Market is one of the most rewarding experiences you can have in Cairo, though it's not for everyone. You must be prepared for huge, disorienting crowds, and sights that might make you feel uncomfortable (especially the animals). But it's a real window into Egyptian culture, and a truly unique experience.

Visitors to the Friday Market should dress conservatively, and it's best for women to go accompanied by a man. You should also pay close attention to your possessions, because Souq al-Goma'a has developed a reputation recently as home to a number of pickpockets.

Our Local Expert Says:

The heart of Cairo's contemporary art scene, set in an attractive colonial-era townhouse.

Description:

Arguably the best private gallery in the city, owner William Wells is a leading figure in Cairo's art community. Exhibitions change frequently and many feature area display installations. Wells is a driving force behind Al-Nitaq, the annual Cairo Art Festival, and a visit to the gallery is a must during that event.