Khan El Khalili: 600 Years of Shopping in One Market

Khan El Khalili was established in 1382 CE as a caravanserai — a trading post for merchants along regional trade routes — and has functioned as a working market continuously ever since, making it over 600 years old and one of the oldest continuously operating bazaars in the world, not a re-created tourist attraction. The market is genuinely split into two experiences depending on which alleys you walk into: the main tourist-facing lanes near the entrance, selling jewelry, spices, papyrus, alabaster and souvenirs at prices that assume negotiation, and the quieter side streets further in, still used by locals for everyday goods, textiles and specific craft trades that have operated in the same family stalls for generations. Haggling is expected and part of the culture here, not rude — starting offers of 40-50% of the initial asking price are normal, and vendors expect the back-and-forth. Prices are consistently better and the experience calmer earlier in the day or on weekday mornings, before the market fills with tour groups in the afternoon. Right next to the market sits El Fishawy, a coffeehouse operating since 1773, worth a stop for mint tea or Turkish coffee as a break from the crowds — it's one of the few places in the market where you can sit rather than just walk and browse.