Khan el-Khalili

We have a visitor from Alexandria, my sister-in-law Asmaa, and it's shame to just stay at home. This time, we picked Khan el-Khalili.

The taxi dropped us at Masjid Mohammed Bay Abu'l-Dhahab (first image). We took the pedestrian underground to reach Midan El Hussein; a green square in front of Masjid el-Hussein (which is claimed to host the head of the grandson of our Prophet Muhammad). The Midan is covered by tourism police. Inside the masjid, you shall find people (Muslims call them: Do'at el-Koboor) calling Sayedna El-Hussein and asking him to improve their living conditions ...etc. These activities have nothing to do with Islam, and Islam is not responsible for such ignorant acts.


Khan el-Khalili lies at the west of Masjid el-Hussein. It's a major commercial quarter in Islamic Cairo. It's composed primarily of bazaars selling souvenirs to tourists. Some bazaars exhibit jewellery, antiques, papyrus, oriental clothes, carpets, perfume, spices, musical instruments, masks, or a mix of them (second image). Like Sharm el-Sheikh, many bazaar sellers have the skill to identify the nationality of tourists and talk with them in their languages to grab their attention to the goods.

Khan el-Khalili is also famous for El-Fishawi (third image), an oriental cafe that offers shisha, mint tea, Arab coffee and a variety of other drinks. This famous cafe has been open day and night every day of the year for over two centuries! On the edge of Khan el-Khalili square confronting Masjid el-Hussein, there's a few restaurants popular for offering pigeons on their plates as well as other oriental dishes (fourth image).


At the southern edge of Khan el-Khalili square, El-Muski is a long, narrow, congested street that ties Khan el-Khalili to Midan el-Ataba. The first half of El-Muski street is occupied by bazaars. Halfway along El-Muski street, we crossed Bur Said street, and then El-Muski street turned into a non-touristic market of clothes. El-Muski ends with Midan el-Ataba, which the famous Egyptian writer Yusuf Idris described it in "The Dregs of the City" as "a madhouse of pedestrians and automobiles, screeching wheels, howling klaxons, the whistles of bus conductors and roaring motors".

Khan el-Khalili inspired the Nobel prize winner, the Egyptian novelist, Naguib Mahfouz in several novels (e.g. Midaq Alley, Palace Walk). Khan el-Khalili was named after the prince Djaharks el-Khalili, who built a caravanserai there during the days of Sultan Barquq.

There's a must-have book for explorers of Egypt "The Rough Guide to Egypt". It was yet another wonderful idea from Dr. Nayer (Father of the Youth) to get this book.