Khan el-Khalili is Cairo's great bazaar — a labyrinth of narrow alleys, covered passages, and caravanserais that has been the commercial heart of Islamic Cairo since the 14th century, when the Mamluk sultan al-Zahir Barquq established a khan (caravanserai) for merchants trading between the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean. The bazaar has been continuously operating for over 600 years, making it one of the oldest continuously running markets in the Middle East.
The merchandise ranges from the genuinely traditional (handmade brass lanterns, silver jewellery, spices, perfume oils, papyrus paintings) to the aggressively tourist (plastic pharaoh heads, fake scarabs, T-shirts). The quality improves dramatically as you move away from the main tourist thoroughfares into the side alleys where craftsmen — coppersmiths, woodworkers, tentmakers — still work in workshops that haven't changed in centuries. The Tentmakers' Market (Souk al-Khayamiya) near Bab Zuweila is particularly remarkable — artisans create elaborate appliqué textiles using techniques passed down through generations.
El Fishawy café, wedged into an alley near the centre of the bazaar, has been serving mint tea and shisha since 1797 and is the most famous café in Cairo — a mirrors-and-brass establishment where Naguib Mahfouz (Egypt's Nobel Prize-winning novelist) wrote many of his Cairo novels. Sitting at El Fishawy with a tea, watching the bazaar flow past, is the quintessential Cairo experience — the combination of age, commerce, caffeine, and the eternal sound of Arabic conversation creates an atmosphere that no description can adequately convey.
Verified Facts
Khan el-Khalili was established in the 14th century under the Mamluks
El Fishawy café has been operating since 1797
Naguib Mahfouz is Egypt's Nobel Prize-winning novelist
The bazaar has been continuously operating for over 600 years
Get walking directions
Khan el-Khalili, Islamic Cairo
