Khan el-Khalili is for many the most entertaining part of Cairo. It is an ancient shopping area, nothing less, but some of the shops have also their own little factories or workshops.

Khan el-Khalili, once known as the Turkish bazaar during the Ottoman period, is now usually just called the 'Khan', and the names of it and the Muski market are often used interchangeably to mean either. Named for the great Caravansary, the market was built in 1382 by the Emir Djaharks el-Khalili in the heart of the Fatimid City. Together with the al-Muski market to the west, they comprise one of Cairo's most important shopping areas.

But more than that, they represent the market tradition which established Cairo as a major center of trade, and at the Khan, one will still find foreign merchants. Perhaps, this vary market was involved in the spice monopoly controlled by the Mamluks, which encouraged the Europeans to search for new routes to the East and led Columbus, indirectly, to discover the Americas. During its early period, the market was also a center for subversive groups, often subject to raids before the Sultan Ghawri rebuilt much of the area in the early 16th century. Regardless, it was trade which caused Cairo's early wealth, even from the time of the Babylon fort which was often a settlement of traders.

A caravanseri (or khan) was a sort of hotel for traders, and usually the focal point for economic activity for an surrounding area. This caravanserai is still there, you just ask for the narrow street of Sikka Khan el-Khalili and Badestan.

As for the suq (which is the Arabic name for bazar, or market), you can easily grasp most of its charm and possibilities by wandering about. You do not need a guide, not even a guide book. Should you get lost, just keep going in one direction, and you will quickly come out of the maze, and close to a taxi.

Shopping is almost compulsory in Khan el-Khalili. Since the decline in Western tourism to Egypt in recent years, prices in Khan el-Khalili has dropped, but the intensity of the shop keepers has increased.

The golden rule is, check the range of goods and prices in several shops before you buy, keep your head calm and stay friendly. And remember: you should never feel that you insult or disappoint a seller by not buying. After all, it is your money.

There are items you should check out here, and items you better avoid. Clothes are cheap, spices are of good quality and affordable, souvenirs of just as good quality as in the hotel lobby, but at a better price. Jewellery is a matter of taste, some might find the work a bit too crude, and the colour of the gold might be to goldy for some.

The perfume shops sell copies of virtually all international Western perfumes, but the quality is not good. Chances are that your bottle of expensive drops will smell like spearmint.

While all of Khan el-Khalili is an attraction, there are some local sights. The most treasured for visitors is Fishawi's cafe, which you can count on being open when you get there: It has been continuously open, day and night, for more than 200 years. Its interior is charming, claustrophobic but with mirrors almost everywhere.

For readers of Nobel prize laureate Naguib Mahfouz, Khan el-Khalili is the place of Midaq Alley. Start in Sharia al-Mu'izz, find the Sharia Sanadiqiyah.

Finally , Khan el-Khalili is one of the oldest markets in the world. So successful was this Egyptian marketplace during the first part of this millennium that many believe it was responsible for Columbus' search for an alternate route to India.