Khan el-Khalili is a historic bazaar in Islamic Cairo established in 1382 by Emir Djaharks el-Khalili on the site of a former Fatimid mausoleum, with its elaborately carved gates and grid-like alleyways added in the 16th century under the Mamluks.
The market sprawls across narrow, labyrinthine streets lined with more than 4,000 shops selling handcrafted jewelry, traditional textiles, spices, perfumes, lanterns, and musical instruments, located near the Al-Hussein and Al-Azhar mosques along historic Al-Muizz Street. Al-Fishawi Cafe, founded in 1773, remains one of the oldest coffeehouses in the Arab world and a popular stop for traditional Arabic coffee amid the bazaar’s atmosphere.
Entry is free and stalls stay open from around 9 AM well into the night; most visitors spend 1.5 to 3 hours browsing the alleys, bargaining for souvenirs, and stopping for tea.