Khan el-Khalili

Are you looking for a historical and cultural experience in Cairo? Look no further than Khan El Khalili Street! This old market has been around since the 14th century and is filled with shops, restaurants, and more. Here’s what you need to know about this unique destination.

Khan el-Khalili

Khan el-Khalili (Arabic: خان الخليلي) is a famous bazaar and souq (or souk) in the historic center of Cairo, Egypt. Established as a center of trade in the Mamluk era and named for one of its several historic caravanserais, the bazaar district has since become one of Cairo’s main attractions for tourists and Egyptians alike. It is also home to many Egyptian artisans and workshops involved in the production of traditional crafts and souvenirs. The name Khan el-Khalili historically referred to a single building in the area; today it refers to the entire shopping district.

History

The site of Khan el-Khalili in Fatimid times (10th-12th centuries)

Cairo was originally founded in 969 CE as a capital for the Fatimid Caliphate, an empire which by then covered much of North Africa and parts of the Levant and the Hijaz. Jawhar Al-Siqilli, the general who conquered Egypt for the Fatimids, was ordered to construct a great palace complex to house the caliphs, their household, and the state’s institutions. Two palaces were eventually completed: an eastern one (the largest of the two) and a western one, between which was a plaza known as Bayn al-Qasrayn (“Between the Two Palaces”). The site of Khan el-Khalili today was originally the southern end of the eastern Fatimid palace as well as the location of the burial site of the Fatimid caliphs: a mausoleum known as Turbat az-Za’faraan (“the Saffron Tomb”).57  Also located here was a lesser palace known as al-Qasr al-Nafi’i (today the site of the 19th-century Wikala of Sulayman Agha al-Silahdar).

Under the Fatimids, Cairo was a palace-city which was closed to the common people and inhabited only by the Caliph’s family, state officials, army regiments, and other people necessary to the operation of the regime and its city. The first attempts to open the city to merchants and other outsiders took place in the later Fatimid period, on the initiative of powerful viziers. Between 1087 and 1092, Badr al-Gamali, the vizier under Caliph al-Mustansir, undertook the task of enlarging the city and building the stone walls and gates that still partly exist today. At the same time, he also opened the city to the common people, but the decision was quickly reversed. Between 1121 and 1125, al-Ma’mun al-Bata’ihi, vizier under Caliph al-Amir, undertook many reforms and construction projects, including the creation of a mint, known as the Dar al-Darb, and of a customs house for foreign merchants, known as the Dar al-Wikala. These were placed in a central location not far from the current site of the Madrasa of al-Ashraf Barsbay (15th century). This introduced foreign trade into the heart of the city for the first time.: 199 (vol. II)

Development of Cairo as economic center (12th-14th centuries)

Cairo was only definitively opened to all people under the rule of Salah ad-Din (Saladin), who dismantled the Fatimid Caliphate in 1171 and embarked on the construction of a new fortified Citadel further south, outside the walled city, which would house Egypt’s rulers and state administration. The old Fatimid palaces in the city were opened up to redevelopment. This ended Cairo’s status as an exclusive palace-city and started a process by which the city became an economic center inhabited by everyday Egyptians and frequented by foreign travelers. At the same time, the nearby port city and former capital of Fustat, until then the economic hub of Egypt, was in a slow decline, further paving the way for Cairo’s ascendance
The main axis of Cairo was the central north-to-south street known as the Qasaba (now known as al-Muizz Street), which ran between the gates of Bab al-Futuh and Bab Zuweila and passed through Bayn al-Qasrayn. Under the Ayyubids and the later Mamluks, this avenue became a privileged site for the construction of religious complexes, royal mausoleums, and commercial establishments. These constructions were usually sponsored by the sultan or members of the ruling class. This is also where the major souqs of Cairo developed, forming its main economic zone for international trade and commercial activity thereafter

An important factor in the development of Cairo’s economic center was the growing number of waqf institutions, especially during the Mamluk period. Waqfs were charitable trusts under Islamic law which set out the function, operations, and funding sources of the many religious/civic establishments built by the ruling elite. Funding sources often included the revenues of designated shops or other commercial establishments. Among the early and important examples of this institution in Cairo’s center was the complex of Sultan Qalawun, built in 1284–85, which included a madrasa, hospital, and mausoleum. A part of the complex’s revenues came from a qaysariyya (a bazaar or market complex made up of rows of shops) that was built in front of the nearby Ayyubid-era madrasa of al-Salih. This qaysariyya was a prominent early example of the purpose-built commercial structures that came to be erected in Cairo under the Mamluks as part of a waqf. Qalawun’s qaysariyya had a front on the Qasaba street while some of its shops were reached by an inner alley off the main street.

Present day

The Khan el-Khalili today is occupied by local merchants and traders and is significantly geared towards tourists. Shops typically sell souvenirs, antiques and jewelry. The adjoining goldsmiths’ souq is still important for locals. 81  Although less widespread than in earlier days, many crafts workshops continue to operate within the bazaar (usually in the courtyards or upper floors of buildings) and in the surrounding districts, manufacturing some of the products sold here or exported elsewhere.

In addition to shops, there are several coffeehouses (Arabic: مقهى, romanized: maqha), restaurants, and street food vendors distributed throughout the market. The coffeeshops are generally small and quite traditional, serving Arabic coffee and usually offering shisha. One of the oldest and most famous coffeehouses is El Fishawi’s, established in 1773. 109

Midan al-Hussein and al-Hussein Mosque, on the eastern edge of Khan el-Khalili
The Khan al-Khalili proper is delimited by al-Muizz Street to the west, al-Muski Street to the south, and the Mosque/shrine of al-Hussein to the east, with its northern boundary less clear. In reality though, the bazaar area spreads beyond these limits and is closely integrated into the surrounding districts.[8] For example, al-Muski street, which runs perpendicular to al-Muizz street and cuts across the south end of Khan al-Khalili, continues over a long distance and functions as a major souq street frequented by locals for much of its length.

In addition to the important Mosque and shrine of al-Hussein, Al-Azhar University and the Al-Azhar Mosque are also nearby. The monumental area of Bayn al-Qasrayn is also just northwest of the district. Some of its historic Islamic buildings were once maintained with the help of revenues from designated shops and commercial buildings in the area