Khan el-Khalili, the mother of all markets

I finally made it out to Egypt's most famous market, "the Khan".

Martha my Khan el-Khalili companion, was in search of a specific section of the market called the tent-maker area. In this long, narrow, covered isle, there are dirt floors and dozens of small spaces to the left and right, where tent-making fabric and other brightly patterned material is sold.

But as it usually goes here in Egypt, getting there proved to be an adventure in and of itself. We good naturedly wandered around the market, turning left or right as the mood struck us, often backtracking and stopping for directions along the way.













I love the colorful banners that hang in some of the narrow alleys.

















Spices anyone?

















A rare scene: this narrow alley opened up to a peaceful courtyard area.













At one point we ducked into this fabric store. Both Martha and I bought some really great fabric to have some clothes made. I have a favorite pair of pants that I'm going to have copied a few times by a tailor here. The fabric was so inexpensive and very well made.











One shop had all these creepy looking dolls as window displays. One guy's hair looks like road kill, another kid's arms are put on backward!








These kids were laughing and running around this small side street. I asked one of the more outgoing boys if I could take his photo (Mr. "Just Do It") and before I knew it, the whole group had gathered into the frame.


















Like the public fountains all over Italy, these clay pots are set out so that locals can grab a quick drink.


















At this point Martha felt like we were getting closer.














And she was right. Five minutes later, and after 3 different "guides" leading the way, we found the tent-maker shops. I realized I could by meters of canvas, which they use as backing for the bedspreads and pillow covers. I bought 4 meters (very wide as well) for 40 LE, under 10 dollars!
















If you looked through the covered tent-maker area, it opened up onto some buildings that have some sort of wooden bridges as walk-acrosses between the two sides.








The variations of colors, patterns and designs were overwhelming, and all beautifully handstitched.