Top Ten Cairo Markets

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 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.

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Al-Muski Street is a long street that leads west from Khan al-Khalili in Islamic Cairo all the way to Ataba Square on the edge of Downtown.

It's an interesting area to explore because for the most part it's a proper local Cairo market, selling an assortment of clothes and shoes, blankets, and household goods. There are sections that sell toys, spices, and even fireworks. Towards the eastern edge, nearer to the Khan, you start to encounter stalls selling the same tourist kitsch as Khan al-Khalili itself, though you can often negotiate better prices.

Al-Muski is one of the most famous bazaars in Cairo, and is always heaving with people. Most parts of the street are narrow and cramped, with stalls spilling out onto the pavement and the wares hung overhead almost touching in the middle.

You'll probably have to do a fair amount of pushing and shoving to keep heading in the direction you want to, and keep an eye out for bicycles, handcarts and the occasional motorbike that crash through the fray without pause for anyone else.

Most people explore al-Muski by starting from Khan al-Khalili and heading west. An alternative is to take the Metro to Ataba station, exit and check out Azbakiya Book Market, and find your way from there to al-Muski. You'll probably have to ask the way, and it's kind of hard to see the entrance from al-Geish street, but everyone knows where it is and will be happy to point you in the right direction!

Our Local Expert Says:

Attaba is one of the craziest areas of Cairo, which isn't to be missed if you get off on that sort of thing

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Attaba is really an area of Cairo rather than a market as such. It acts as a sort of transitional phase between Downtown and Islamic Cairo.

It's an insane collection of different streets and markets that all spread out from Midan al-Attaba. There are areas selling clothing, household goods, rip off watches and sunglasses, leather, paper and wood wholesale, religious pictures, food, electronics... you get the picture!

Attaba is the sort of area where if you can think of it, chances are you'll be able to buy it... as long as you can find it! It's a genuine assault on all the senses, and you just have to be prepared to dive in and get lost. But don't worry, no matter where you are you'll always be able to find a cab, and you'll never be too far away from somewhere selling refreshments either.

The best way to visit Attaba is to take the Metro. If you take the exit marked Azbakiya you can start your trip by visiting the used books market. It's also easy to walk from Downtown, or from Khan al-Khalili.

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:

Azbakiya Market is one of the most fascinating areas of Cairo to rummage around - you never know what you might turn up

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Azbakiya Market is situated in the crazy market area of Ataba in Islamic Cairo, just next to the Ataba Metro station. It's primarily a second hand book market, though there are also new volumes on offer. You can find everything at Azbakiya Market, from leather bound Qurans and books on Islam, to trashy novels, cook books and books on computing. It's also a good place to pick up language learning books.

The books at Azbakiya Market are primarily in Arabic or English, though you will find other languages. They cost a fraction of what you would pay at a book store, and you can uncover some real old gems. As well as books, you can find vintage film posters, old magazines and comics - including 70 year old National Geographics - and ancient photographs.

Azbakiya Market doesn't just sell books though. As the gateway to Ataba, it also has stalls selling random goods such as clothing, incense, household items, sunglasses and other odds and ends. It's well worth rummaging around, to see what treasures you can dig up!

It's a short walk from Azbakiya Market to al-Muski Street, which leads up to Khan al-Khalili.

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Just northeast of where 26th July Street meets the Cornice (in Cairo proper - so on the east side of the Nile) is Wikalit al-Balah.

Wikalit al-Balah (also known as Souq Bulaq) is a bustling market area that sells a wide range of stuff at low prices, including clothing, handcrafts, second hand goods and even spare car parts! But the big draw - and what the area is famous for - is the fabric, especially the cotton. Select your colour, pattern and exact material, and buy it by the metre. Although prices are reasonable, you will be expected to bargain hard.

Wikalit al-Balah is the best place to go in Cairo if you want to buy the material to have some clothes made. Most stalls are open 6 days a week, closed on Sundays.

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Muhammad Ali Street is a very noisy and crowded street but is best known as the place where you can buy musical instruments. Earlier, only handmade instruments were made and sold but today, mostly imported instruments can be found here. Named after Muhammad Ali Pasha, the famous ruler of Egypt, this street was associated with many artists and groups like the Hasaballah. Although, few remain and you will find a few instrument makers like the makers of Oud, an Arabic guitar.

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Suleiman Gohar is a busy street in Dokki, not far from the King Hotel, that has a fresh food market seven days a week.

All sorts of produce is sold here: brightly coloured yet gnarly fruit and veg that looks like it's actually grown, various spices, cuts of offal, fish in buckets of ice, haunches of fresh meat... you name it. Suleiman Gohar is an interesting area to check out and experience a genuine Cairo market, as you watch locals haggling with farmers over the food, and dodge the traffic that manages to squeeze its way down the road.

Since there are a lot of hotels in the area popular with foreigners, you won't feel too out of place wandering around, and it's effectively only one street so you can't get lost.

The easiest way to get to Suleiman Gohar market is to take the Metro to Dokki station.