KHAN EL-KHALILI
A large market with an upstairs wakala, bringing together a variety of stalls and merchants of all kinds.
A khan is a large market with a variety of stalls and merchants of all kinds. The el-Khalili khan was built in 1380 by Prince Djaharks el-Khalili.
It's best to let yourself be carried along by the flow of shoppers, without listening too much to the multilingual calls of the souk's merchants. If you're tempted by a bauble to buy, don't hesitate to undercut the price you're being offered by 500%; they'll cry out that life's hard, that Egyptian currency is worthless, etc., but hang in there, and affect to leave, you'll see that your vendor will start to lower his prices. Repeat this several times until you get the price you want to pay. Stop off, of course, at Café el-Fichaoui, where Egyptian intellectuals still come in the mornings, seeking inspiration from the master, Naguib Mahfouz, who used to come here daily; his spiritual son, Gamal-el-Ghitany, now deceased, was here for a long time.
If you're interested in older objects, take the el-Badistan alley, pass the gate of the same name and turn left immediately. In this covered alley, 10 m on your left, you'll find a staircase; climb the few steps and you'll reach the first floor of a wakala (the name given to Egyptian caravanserais), where you'll find what you're looking for. Between the copper tins, on the left, three second-hand dealers offer objects less than a hundred years old: cameras and their stands, gramophones, tarabouche holders, kohl flasks, etc., all of which you'll find here.
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