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Khan El Khalili

Introducción sobre Khan El Khalili

Khan El Khalili es uno de los mercados turísticos más populares del mundo. Visitado por numerosos viajeros que vienen a pasar sus vacaciones en Egipto, este famoso bazar se ha convertido, a lo largo de los años, en una de las atracciones de la “tierra del Nilo” incluidas en casi todos los tours en Egipto.

Este bazar es visitado por turistas de todo el mundo, quienes pueden adquirir allí todo tipo de suvenires y regalos egipcios. Además es una gran oportunidad para tomar un té o fumar una shisha, en una de las cafeterías más emblemáticas, como El Fishawi.

Ubicación Geográfica

Khan El Khalili está situado en el corazón del Cairo Islámico, rodeado por numerosos monumentos del arte islámico, tales como: la Mezquita de El Azhar, la Mezquita de El Hussein, el Complejo de Qalaun, la Mezquita de Al Aqmar, entre otros. Este mercado está abierto casi las 24hs. durante toda la semana, excepto los domingos.

Cualquier turista que viaje a El Cairo, puede acceder fácilmente al bazar en taxi desde cualquier parte de la ciudad. Por lo general, se llega cerca de la Mezquita de El Hussein y desde allí se comienza el recorrido, explorando diferentes negocios y descansando en alguno de los tantos cafés orientales.

Historia

Khan El Khalili fue establecido por el sultán mameluco Jahrkas El Khalili, a fines del siglo XIV, exactamente en el año 1382 d.C., sobre las ruinas de lo que fuera antes un cementerio fatimí, llamado “tumbas de El Za’afran”.

Algunos historiadores sostienen que este famoso bazar obtuvo su nombre debido a la llegada de inmigrantes provenientes de la ciudad de El Khalil (Palestina), quienes se radicaron en la zona. Sin embargo, la teoría más apoyada por académicos es que el nombre del lugar proviene del creador del mercado: Jahrkas El Khalili.

Cuando Al Maqrizi, el famoso historiador árabe, visitó Egipto a fines del siglo XIV, describió el bazar de Khan El Khalili como un mercado tradicional, que consistía en un edificio cuadrado, con un patio abierto en el medio. Dicho edificio tenía dos pisos; el primero estaba destinado a los negocios, mientras que el segundo se utilizaba como alojamiento de los vendedores y almacenamiento de las mercancías.

Sin embargo, el mercado que hoy conocemos fue construido como tal por el sultán El Ghory, quien demolió el edificio previo de Jahrkas El Khalili y construyó varios negocios separados, con tres puertas conectando todo el bazar.

Descripción

Khan El Khalili se caracteriza por su gran número de pequeños negocios conectados por calles muy estrechas. Allí se pueden encontrar todo tipo de obsequios y suvenires que pueden interesar a los turistas durante su viaje a Egipto.

De hecho, allí se pueden encontrar toda clase de artículos: joyas, lámparas, shishas, especias, perfumes, túnicas, y mucho más.

También se pueden encontrar réplicas de estatuas faraónicas y otros artefactos, platos y artículos de cobre. La importancia del trabajo de este metal estaba demostrada por haber una sección de Khan El Khalili llamada El Nahaseen, “los artesanos del cobre”.

Hay otros comercios que venden productos de cuero, como carteras, bolsos, chaquetas, etc. No sólo los turistas que están de vacaciones en Egipto visitan el bazar, sino también un gran número de egipcios que gustan de recorrerlo, hacer compras o pasar un buen rato en familia o con amigos.

Khan El Khalili también ofrece una infinidad de artesanías egipcias, tales como: alfombras, vidrios, cristales, papel de papiro, bijouterie, artículos de oro y plata. Estas artesanías raramente pueden encontrarse en otros lugares de Egipto en tal cantidad, calidad y variedad de precios.

Khan El Khalili es como un carnaval de colores, perfumes y brillos. Entre ellos se destacan los distintos tonos de galabeya (túnica) y pañuelos de infinitos diseños y texturas.

Otros elementos que se pueden encontrar allí son instrumentos musicales: oud, tambores orientales o “tabla” y comercios especializados en trajes para danza del vientre.

Khan El Khalili no es sólo un maravilloso escenario que recibe a los turistas de vacaciones en Egipto, sino que también es famoso por sus especias y esencias: como ámbar, jazmín, rosa, y diferentes perfumes florales.

Estos perfumes se venden en botellas de cristal de colores con distintas formas, que hacen de éste un regalo muy original.

Entre las especias que se pueden conseguir en el mercado hay: hierbas medicinales para todo tipo de enfermedades y hierbas mágicas, según las creencias populares.

Después de recorrer las callejuelas de Khan El Khalili, los visitantes suelen descansar y relajarse en algunas de las cafeterías orientales del lugar. La más famosa es El Fishawi, establecida en 1769. La legenda local cuenta que desde entonces no ha cerrado nunca sus puertas.

Los huéspedes pueden sentarse en un ambiente muy especial, fumar una shisha, beber un rico café turco, sahlab (una de las bebidas egipcias más populares), probar diferentes jugos frescos o elegir entre diversas variedades de té y café.

Khan El Khalili is one of the most popular historical tourist markets in the whole world. Visited by numerous tourists who spend their vacation in Egypt, the market has turned throughout the years to be one of the attractions of the Nile land included in almost all tours to Egypt.

Travelers from all over the world who spend their holidays in Egypt visit Khan El Khalili to buy Egyptian style gifts and souvenirs.

Things to buy from Khan El-Khalili Bazaar

Things to buy from Khan El Khalili BazarThere isn’t a single type of gifts and souvenirs that are not sold in Khan El Khalili. Anything a tourist dreams to buy can actually be found in the Khan, from the simplest items like small bracelets to the most precious goods like gold and silver.

You can find:

  • Replicas of Pharaonic statues and artifacts, plates, jewelry, and different items made out of copper in a section called El Nahaseen, or the copper makers.
  • Lots of leather products like bags, wallets, jackets, and different outfits.
  • Traditional Egyptian handcrafts like handmade carpets, glass, crystal, and papyrus paper, simple jewelry and golden and silver items. These handcrafts can hardly be found anywhere else in Egypt with this variety of products, tastes, and prices.
  • Traditional outfits and dresses for the tourists who are fond of the traditional Egyptian galabeya.
  • Musical instruments including the famous Oud, oriental drums or tabla and belly dancing outfits, which are considered, among the goods that attract many tourists especially the children the young aged.
  • The most wonderful oriental perfumes like amber, jasmine, and different flower perfumes. These perfumes are put into colorful bottles with different attractive shapes that make a wonderful gift for the tourists to take back home.
  • The finest spices and herbs. The herbs tradesmen claim that they have a remedy for all diseases one can think of.

Where to find Khan El-Khalili

Khan El Khalili locationKhan El Khalili is situated in the heart of Islamic Cairo. Surrounded by a number of wonderful Islamic monuments like El Azhar Mosque, El Hussein Mosque, the Complex of Qalaun, and Al Aqmar Mosque. The Khan El Khalili touristic market is almost open for 24 hours a day 7 days a week, except for Sundays where most of the shops close, to serve tourists coming from all over the world to visit Egypt.

A traveler during his tour in Cairo can easily reach Khan El Khalili by a taxi from anywhere in Cairo or using Uber application for private cars. The traveler would leave the taxi near El Hussein Mosque and then start his tour of the market walking, exploring different shops, and resting in one of the oriental cafes spread all over the market.

Tips while visiting Khan El-Khalili

To get the best out of your experience at Khan El-Khalili Bazaar, you have to check these tips:

  • This is an open market and has lots of visitors, so it is preferred to not take any valuable things with you to avoid crowd problems. 
  • Hang your camera on your neck if you want to take pictures at anytime
  • A 2 hours tour at the bazaar will be enough to do your shopping, make sure to save half an hour to spend it in one of the traditional cafes in the area. We recommend you to try El Fishawy’s café which is the oldest café in town that opened in 1773
  • Make sure to take cash with you as most of the stores don’t accept cards. You don’t have to take Egyptian pounds as all currencies are acceptable there. 
  • Don’t spend more time in one store, all products are shown outside the stories so you can check all that you want quickly. 
  • Make sure to bargain with the sellers as the prices there are not that expensive so whatever price they offered you better negotiate to get the best price for you. 

The History and the Establishment of Khan El Khalili

Khan El Khalili was established by the Mamluk Sultan Jahrkas El Khalili at the end of the 14th century exactly in 1382 on the ruins of a Fatimid graveyard that was called “El Za’afran tombs” that was relocated by Sultan Qalaun around 100 years before the establishment of the market.

Some historians claim that this famous touristic market derived its name from the fact that many residences of the El Khalil city in Palestine immigrated to the Khan when it was first established and this was why it was called Khan El Khalili or the market of the people coming from El Khalil. While most of the scholars assert that the name was derived from the establisher of the market, Jahrkas El Khalili.

When Al-Maqrizi, the famous Arabian historian visited Egypt at the end of the 14th century, he described Khan El Khalili is a common Wikala or market in its outline. He said it consisted of a square-shaped building with an open courtyard in the middle. The building consisted of two floors; the first was specified for the shops, while the second floor was for the storage of the goods and the residence of the tradesmen.

However, the market of Khan El Khalili we see today was actually constructed by Sultan El Ghory who destructed the Wikala that was established by Jahrkas El Khalili in the year 1511 and built many stores and shops instead with three gates connecting the market altogether.

The Description of Khan El Khalili

Khan El Khalili is featured with its large number of small shops that are attached to each other with narrow lanes that connect the different parts of the market where all the gifts and souvenirs that might interest the tourists who travel to Egypt are sold.

Khan El Khalili BazarIn fact, there isn’t a single type of gifts and souvenirs that are not sold in Khan El Khalili. Anything a tourist dreams to buy can actually be found in the Khan, from the simplest items like small bracelets to the most precious goods like gold and silver.

The goods sold in Khan El Khalili include replicas of Pharaonic statues and artifacts, plates, jewelry, and different items made out of copper; as a section of Khan El Khalili was actually called El Nahaseen, or the copper makers.

There are also many shops that sell leather products like bags, wallets, jackets, and different outfits. Not only tourists who spend their vacation in Egypt visit Khan El Khalili, but also a large number of Egyptians visit the market for shopping or to spend a wonderful time with the family or friends.

Khan El Khalili also houses a large number of traditional Egyptian handcrafts and antiques like handmade carpets, glass, crystal, and papyrus paper, simple jewelry and golden and silver items. These handcrafts can hardly be found anywhere else in Egypt with this variety of products, tastes, and prices.

Khan El Khalili Bazar goods and handcraftsKhan El Khalili is like a carnival of goods and wonderful tints of different colorful outfits and dresses which are sold all over the Khan for the tourists who are fond of the traditional Egyptian galabeya. There are also a number of shops that sell musical instruments including the famous Oud, oriental drums or tabla and many stores that specify in belly dancing outfits, which are considered, among the goods that attract many tourists especially the children the young aged.

It’s not only the wonderful scenery that welcomes the tourists spending their vacation in Egypt when they visit Khan El Khalili, but the market is also famous for its magnificent odor. This is because the market is also specialized in selling the most wonderful oriental perfumes like amber, jasmine, and different flower perfumes. These perfumes are put into colorful bottles with different attractive shapes that make a wonderful gift for the tourists to take back home.

There are also the finest spices and herbs which are sold in Khan El Khalili market. The herbs tradesmen claim that they have a remedy for all diseases one can think of. This is besides herbs that have magical effects as well.

After a long walk shopping all over Khan El Khalili, the tourists usually rest in one of the oriental cafes in the Khan. The most famous among these cafes is the El Fishawy Cafe that was actually established in 1769. The guests can sit in an awesome ambiance, smoke a Shisha, and have a wonderful Turkish coffee, Sahlab, one of the most popular Egyptian drinks, different fresh tasty juices, various types of tea and coffee.