Khan el-Khalili

Khan el-Khalili ( _ar. خان الخليلي) is a major "souk" in the Old City of Cairo and a major tourist attraction. The district is one of Cairo's main attractions for tourists and Egyptians alike.

History

The "souk" dates back to 1382, when Emir Djaharks el-Khalili built a large caravanserai (خان "khan" in Arabic) in Cairo under the Burji Mamluk Sultan Barquq; the eponymous "khan" is still extant.By the time of Barquq, the first Circassian Mamluk Sultan (1382- 1399 A.D.) a lot of reconstruction needed to be done within the walls of the city in order to repair the damages incurred as a result of the plague. In (1384 A.D.) When Barquq started his madrassa in Bayn el-Qasrayn, markets were rebuilt, and Khan el-Khalili was established. [ [http://www.egyptvoyager.com/towns_cairo_history_islamic_mcircassian.htm Egypt Voyager] ]

Today

The "souq" is noted for selling good-quality clothing, cloth, spices, souvenirs, and traditional jewelry and perfumes at reasonable prices. In addition to shops, there are several coffeehouses (مقهى "maqha" or قهوة "qahwah", depending on dialect), restaurants, and street food vendors distributed throughout the market. The coffeeshops are generally small and quite traditional, serving Arabic coffee and usually offering shisha. The al-Hussein Mosque is also in Khan el-Khalili; Al-Azhar University and its mosque are not far away.

Naguib Mahfouz's novel "Midaq Alley" is set in an alley in Khan el-Khalili.

The market was a target of terrorism during the spate of attacks in Cairo in April 2005. The suicide attack in the market, on April 7, killed 21 people (eleven Egyptians, two French tourists, one American, and seven foreigners of unidentified origin). It was the first attack in the series; this attack drove away tourists from Egypt in general and Khan el-Khalili in particular for some time.

References