Cairo at sundown

The Khan-e-khalili market in Cairo is the beating heart of Cairo. It pulsates with energy which seemingly affects the entire city. We were in Cairo this summer and went to Khan-e-khalili after a long day exploring the pyramids. When we reached, the sun was just setting and the market was quiet. But as soon as sun set and the lights came on, the market seemed to pick up energy which went late into the night.

We got off near the Hussein mosque and there were restaurants with chairs outside which beckoned us to come and sit. There was competitive shouting to get our custom but it all seemed to be good-natured. We ordered some felafal and tea and were witness to nightfall as the square and the market slowly stirred to life. The square was a delight to behold as it kept on filling up with people. I was surprised to see so many women in full burqa, alone or in groups, enter the market. Egyptians in traditional clothes went in and out of the mosque. A father and son with traditional music instruments walked past. I beckoned to them and they came and played some lovely music, the father strumming the instrument while his son sang.

After a while, we paid an outrageously high bill and left to explore the market. There were a lot of silver shops, shoe shops and clothes shops. The Egyptian shopkeepers kept calling us as we walked past, insistent though not overbearing in their request for our custom. Although we hung around the Khan-e-khalili until well past midnight, we never felt insecure.

I was getting hungry again and, although the hour was late, we headed for the Naguib Mahfouz restaurant. It8217;s a charming little restaurant named after the Nobel prize winning author. And, if we were to believe the proprietor, Mahfouz and his friends had visited the place even as late as May. I ordered some lamb chops and Egyptian bread which is delicious and my wife, a strict vegetarian, ordered some more felafal.

And then we ordered some watermelon. It was a brilliant idea. The watermelon of Luxor was the most delicious that we had ever eaten.