Any exploration of Islamic Cairo begins at the medieval bazaar of Khan al-Khalili, the commercial heart of the quarter. The original Khan was laid between Al-Muizz li-Din Allah and Midan Hussein, but today it encompasses a wider area made up of several markets, selling everything from water pipes and handicrafts to silks and spices. Traders line the streets all the way to the old city gates, a mile to the north and south, but the bazaar's narrow alleyways are at their densest in the original Khan area. The quarter's many old mosques, houses, and palaces offer an escape from the incessant sales pitches.
Built in 1382 by Garkas al-Khalili, Master of Horses, to Sultan Barquq, Khan al-Khalili is one of the biggest bazaars in the Middle East. This is the Oriental bazaar of fable, where gold, silver, brass, and copper goods glitter enticingly in the cave-like interiors, and sacks overflowing with exotic spices fill the air with their pungent scents. Its maze of narrow, canvas-covered alleyways is crammed with shops selling a huge variety of goods. You can also find traditional Egyptian crafts, such as dyeing, carving, and sewing, being practised here, as they have been for centuries.
Khan al-Khalili is also a major tourist attraction. Hordes of tourists arrive here by the coach loads to haggle and stock up on the kitschy trinkets and souvenirs that are sold in nearly every shop in the main part of the bazaar.
The bazaar grew up around several KHANs(also known as WIKALAs or CARAVANSERAI), which served as both warehouses and lodgings for travelling merchant caravans. Most have been swallowed up by later structures, but a few remain. The Wikala of al-Ghouri is Cairo's best preserved example of medieval merchant hostels and is now an arts-and-crafts centre, with its courtyard serving on occasion as a theatre.
On a side street off Sharia Muski, stairs lead to the upper level of the Wikala of Silahdar (1837), where the former living quarters can be made out, arranged around the central courtyard. Two carved stone gates in the Badestan area, added during the reign of Sultan al-Ghouri (1501-16), are the oldest surviving part of the Khan.
At noon, you can hear the prayer calls resounding throughout the Khan and echoed through the alleyways from the mosques that surround the Khan including:
-Mosque of al-Ashraf Barsbey (on Sharia al-Muizz Li-Din Allah): Built in 1423, it boasts a beautifully-carved wooden pulpit, inlaid with ivory.
-Mosque of al-Azhar (Sharia al-Azhar): Founded in AD 970, this mosque and centre for Islamic learning is one of the oldest in the city. The mosque displays a mix of architectural styles, including an18th century Gate of the Barbers.
-Mosque of Sayyidna al-Hussein: Next to Midan Hussein, this is the holiest site in Cairo. It is said to contain the head of Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammed. It was built in 1870 on the site of a 12th century mosque and is off-limits to non-Muslims.