CAIRO: We have 108 minutes to take on the largest city in Africa, and we’re going for a mixture of local and touristy markets. So sharpen your elbows, take a final gulp of fresh air, and let’s be off! Stage 1: Al-Muski to Khan al-Khalili. 30 minutes. Start in the shock and awe of the Ataba markets, at the beginning of al-Muski street. Pause to savor the maelstrom of bric-a-brac and car fumes, before pushing past the drapes of gaudy clothing that frame the entrance to the alleyway. You have jumped out of the frying pan, and into the fire. You are on al-Muski. This is Cairo at its most electrifying. You are hemmed in by stalls and vendors hawking all manner of shoes, blankets and clothing. Severe black galabayas frown down on their more lurid sisters, and racy lingerie loiters alongside pants that look like parachutes. Hordes of haggle-happy shoppers spar with salesman armed with megaphones, whilst waif-like boys slip through the fray, delivering the sweet tea that lubricates this throaty commerce. As you approach Khan al-Khalili, the character of the market changes. Stalls selling the incendiary combination of fireworks and fags gradually give way to kitchenware, then jewelery. The sweet smell of spices thickens the air, and Pharaonic tourist tat starts to appear. You know you’re close when you’re ambushed by your first “Hello welcome in Egypt you come my shop no charge for loo-king.†Stage 2: Khan al-Khalili. 40 minutes. Whatever else you think of Khan al-Khalili, it’s never dull! Swarms of bewildered tourists engage in pitched battle with silver-tongued vendors, each desperately trying to get the best price for a bauble of must-have kitsch. Singing camels, alabaster ashtrays, pyramid-in-a-sandstorm paperweights…this ancient souq now puts the bizarre into bazaar! When your soul starts to buckle under the barrage of one-liners and pap (which usually takes about 15 minutes), al-Fishawi Coffee Shop is an oasis of…well, chaos. At least you can rest your legs, and recuperate with a cup of mint tea and a shisha pipe. This iconic tourist trap once played host to such luminaries as Naguib Mahfouz, and is a people-watching paradise. Check out the gnarled old woman selling garlands of jasmine, and the sweet young girl selling beaded belly dancing headdresses. Both are masters of the hard sell. Stage 3: Al-Muizz li-Din-Allah to Bab al-Futuh. 30 minutes. Head north up al-Muizz li-Din-Allah, towards Bab al-Futuh. This street used to be one end of the most important thoroughfare of Medieval Cairo. Part of a recent restoration project, nowadays it’s a clean and relaxed respite from the hurly-burly of the Khan proper. Rows of shisha pipes line the road, thickets of metal reflecting the graceful minarets that peer down from above. There are loads of Islamic monuments along this street that are worth a peek, such as the Sabil-Kuttab of Abdel Katkhuda, al-Aqmar Mosque, and Beit al-Suhaymi. Possibly the best of the bunch is al-Hakim Mosque, at the end of the street, next to Bab al-Futuh and the old garlic market. This elegant mosque was built by 11th Century ruler “Hakim the Madâ€, who once boiled a group of women alive in a public bath, as a punishment for talking too loud! Stage 4: Zizo’s. 8 minutes. After all this walking you’re probably peckish. Eight minutes is enough time to nail a couple of sandwiches at Zizo’s, just opposite Bab al-Futuh. This hole-in-the-wall restaurant is famous for its spicy Alexandrian sausage sandwiches, arguably the best in Cairo. Fiery sogoq served in rich gravy, garnished with juicy homemade pickles: the perfect tonic after a hectic 108 minutes. What would you do if you had 108 minutes in Cairo? Leave a comment and let us know, or – even better – email us a whole article! BM
