The Markets of Cairo

A street lined with clothing stores for both adults and children.

Shopping in Cairo can be just like shopping at home.  There are fancy stores lining big boulevards selling Egypt's  latest fashions.  There are even shopping malls where you can hide from the heat as you browse through all the sheltered shops.

 

What the kids are wearing, notice how they are all wearing pants.  Even though it is very hot in Cairo, you won't find many pairs of shorts for sale.  Most Egyptians are Muslim, and they favour a more conservative way of dressing, and shorts are considered too casual.

But to shop in true Cairo style is to shop in the markets of the city.  There are several markets scattered all around the city.  There is a market for clothing, a market for fabric, a market for fruit and vegetables, even a market for car parts...you can find a maket selling just about anything if you search long enough.  The joy of shopping in a market is that you are outside enjoying the sunshine and the sounds of the streets, which unfortunately is just the sound of horns honking most of the time, but at the right time you might be outside as the call to prayer is being broadcast from a local mosque.

A busy fruit market in some of the back streets.

The crazy car part market where you can find just about any part for any car.

The clothing market just getting started.  All the umbrellas are setup to help give the vendors and shoppers some shade from the blazing sun.

Another fun thing about the street markets are the people you meet.  People are always happy to see you and they ask you where you are from, and sometimes offer you a cup of tea in hopes that you might give them a little baksheesh (a little gift of money).

Have you ever been to an outdoor market?  What kind of things did they sell there?