Souvenirs and Postcards from Old Cairo and Egypt

Bab al-Ghuri, Khan al-Khalili, Cairo Egypt

Bab al-Ghuri
You can buy almost anything here at Cairo’s Khan el-Khalili Bazaar. If you search, you might even find Aladdin’s lamp in one of the shops nestled either side of this stone gate built by Sultan al-Ghuri in 1511.

Two of the great joys of travel are eating and shopping!

Any visitor to these pages know I love exploring markets. I love the colour and the chaos; I love the photographic challenges they present; I love the insight they give into local people’s lives.

I don’t even mind the pseudo ‘workshop’ visits that are part of almost any organised group trip. For while they are principally aimed at the tourist’s dollars, they are also a break from the more serious museums, and give an insight into local products and craftsmanship. As the vendors hope, I often succumb to temptation – although I try to buy consumables, or small gifts, rather than collecting yet more souvenirs for my already crowded home.

After an intense morning of heat and history at the pyramids of Giza (see: Stories in Ancient Stone), I was happy to have a coffee in the air conditioned comfort of a papyrus store, where a brief explanation of how papyrus is made into paper preceded a lengthy opportunity to buy artworks or hieroglyphics. A visit to the Egyptian Museum (where I wasn’t allowed to use my cameras inside the museum, but could use my primitive old iPhone6) fleshed out some of the morning’s history.

Everywhere we went, markets beckoned, but none was more beguiling than the honeycomb of ancient streets making up Cairo’s magical, medieval Khan el-Khalili. As a centre of trade, this historic souq (souk, or marketplace) was established between 1382 and 1389. Some of the buildings and city gates that the market incorporates date back even further. The density of cultural heritage and historic Islamic, Mamluk, and Ottoman architecture found here contribute to – along with the mosque and museum we had visited that same day (see: The Gayer-Anderson Museum and Ibn Tulun Mosque) – the UNESCO’s World Heritage listing of ‘Historic Cairo’.

If you hit shopping overload, there are plenty of cafes to stop and just people-watch. We did even better! Our day – and our Egyptian sojourn – ended with a home-cooked meal with a local family in Cairo.

Join me!

Woman in a hijab explaining papyrus, Giza Egypt

Explaining Papyrus
As the tour buses role through, saleswomen are kept busy, explaining the iconography in the artworks …

Portrait: Woman in a hijab explaining papyrus, Giza Egypt

Cyperus Papyrus
… and demonstrating how the common Nile grass …

Making Papyrus
… gets made into durable paper.

Making Koshary for Lunch
If you want good, fast food, go where the locals eat! Koshary Abou Tarek in Cairo is a hive of activity, serving up Egypt’s national dish. A popular street food, koshary (kushari, or koshari) is a tasty mix of pasta, rice, and lentils, with a spicy sauce and garnish. Yum! (iPhone6)

Ghosts of the Past
The Egyptian Museum is said to be the oldest archaeological museum in the Middle East, and houses the largest collection of pharaonic antiquities in the world. (iPhone6)

Timeless Black Schist Triad
The age of these artworks is mind boggling! This triad depicts King Menkaure, wearing the crown of Upper Egypt (centre), flanked by the Goddess Hathor and Waset, the ancient God of Thebes. In spite of its modern appearance, it dates to around 2500 BC. (iPhone6)

“Everyman”
Pharaohs are not the only ones immortalised: this painted limestone statue of Niankhre II, a physician, dates to the Fifth Dynasty (2494–2345 BC). (iPhone6)

Tutankhamun’s Collar
The riches that were buried with this young pharaoh are simply awe-inspiring. (iPhone6)

Glass Blowing
I love watching glass blowers as they sculpt it into wonderfuls shapes over flame. This was near the entry of a large store in Aswan selling essential oils.

Ornate Glass Bottles
Ancient Egyptians and Mesopotamians were making perfumes at least 5000 years ago.

Essential Oils
Egyptian priests used aromatic resins to sweeten the smell of sacrificial offerings, and oils have long been believed to have psychological, physiological, and spiritual healing properties.

Preparing Fragrances
Today, the essential oils are packaged for tourists to take home with them. After a cooling karkade (hibiscus iced tea), we were treated to samples of healing oils and fragrances that mimicked expensive branded perfumes.

Buying Fragrance
Even though I had bought frankincense resin at the markets earlier that day, neither I nor the rest of my group could resist! I’ve read many unhappy reviews from similar places in Cairo, but I can’t fault this one in Aswan: I’m still loving my ‘Secret of the Desert’ – and my ‘not-quite-Chanel’.

Fresh Fruit in the Khan el-Khalili Bazaar
Markets bring a city to life!

Souvenirs
Although this historical market still houses local merchants, craftsmen, and traders, …

Trinkets
… much of it today targets tourists.

Traditional Glass and Brass Tea Set

Qalawun Complex
The souq is bounded on the west by El Moez Street – or al-Muizz Street – transliteration from Arabic is notoriously slippery. This kilometre (0.6 mile) long pedestrian street is crowded with magnificent examples of Islamic architecture. This building, named after the the seventh Bahri Mamluk Sultan Qalawun, was built between 1284–1285 and includes a hospital, a madrasa, and his mausoleum.

Madrasa and Mosque of al-Salih Najm al-Din Ayyub
Directly across the street, the extensive complex started by the Ayyub Sultan As-Salih Ayyub in 1242, stands tall.

The Mausoleum
The domed Mausoleum of al-Salih Najm al-Din Ayyub (as-Salih Najm ad-Din Ayyub) was added after his death in 1249. No wonder the UN has declared the street to contain the greatest concentration of medieval architectural treasures in the Islamic world.

El Moez Street Doorways
Shops are tucked into every nook and cranny.

Craftsman in a Laneway
There are still a few craftsmen working in the narrow laneways – although fewer than in the past.

Tooling Metal
I was fascinated watching the intricate work taking shape.

Al-Ghuri’s Gate
The last Mamluk Sultan al-Ghuri (r. 1501–1516) redeveloped this area; the southern gate of Suq al-Nabulsi remains from that time.

Living in the Old City
Houses and workshops fill the upper floors of many of the old buildings.

Foods for Sale
Dates are ubiquitous in the Middle East.

Another Old Gate

Minaret
There are so many old mosques in in this neighbourhood, I couldn’t identified most of them, …

Al-Azhar Mosque
… but the distinctive Al-Azhar Mosque marking the southern boundary of the market stands out. One of the oldest mosques in Egypt, it was originally established in 972. The three minarets make it immediately recognisable: especially the double-finial minaret of Qansah al-Ghuri.

Cairo Kitchen
We finished our last day in a middle-class Cairo home, … (iPhone6)

Cairo Home-Cook
… where our bubbly hostess, teacher and mother of two … (iPhone6)

Cairo Dinner Table
… laid out a wonderful meal, and introduced us to her family.

Last Lights on the Nile
From my hotel room, I had a last view over the majestic Nile River.

I departed Egypt with several pieces of Egyptian cotton which I paid too much for – and some of it was later found to be synthetic. And, my beautiful blue-stone necklace discoloured my neck on the very first wearing!

Sign-Off-Happy-Shopping Caveat emptor applies even more when you know you are a target, and purchasers in foreign ports need to pay special attention to what they are buying.