Khan el-Khalili is Cairo's great medieval bazaar, a labyrinthine market district in the heart of Islamic Cairo that has been trading continuously since the 14th century. Founded in 1382 by Emir Djaharks el-Khalili as a caravanserai for merchants traveling the Silk Road, it grew into one of the Arab world's most important commercial hubs. The narrow, vaulted alleyways still follow their original Ottoman-era layout, and the density of mosques, mausoleums, and madrasas pressing in on all sides gives the market a weight of history that no amount of tourist trinkets can fully dilute.
Market