As my first day in Egypt was almost over, the next stop after a long and amazing visit to the Saladin Citadel (which by the way, was almost empty by the time we got there around noon), we headed to the Khan el-Khalili Bazaar, located near to the Al-Azhar Mosque and Al-Azhar University (regarded as the most important center in the Islamic world for the study of Sunni theology and sharia, the Islamic law).

Bazaar. Khan el-Khalili Bazaar. I can't actually calculate how many hours I spent looking for these words on google, specially searching for pictures that would illustrate a little bit how a bazaar looks like. For I had no idea what a wonderful place bazaars are: they are, in fact, small cities inside cities. I was amazed to learn that inside bazaars you'll surely find mosques (yes, in plural), shops of all kinds (Bazaars are divided: you'll find that there's a whole area dedicated to selling spices, another for selling rugs, then again one part for jewelry, and so on), and even schools. All this wonderful and never-resting beat in a setting of a medieval market (Most bazaars were built during the Middle Age). A great example of one of them is the Historic Madina Bazaar in the northern syrian city Aleppo, once the economic center of the country, now a battleground of the ongoing civil war. I have never visited it, but friends of mine and an aunt have, and I was told that you feel like in Disney's Aladdin movie. It's sad to hear, though, that it was attacked during the conflict. This UNESCO World Heritage site was striked and set on fire. I still remember the day I saw the images of the Bazaar in flames on the newspaper. What a loss for all mankind.

Al-Husein Mosque, right beside one of the entrances of Khan el-Khalili Bazaar, is very important for Shia Islam. The head of Husein, grandson of the prophet Muhammad, is said to be buried here. When iranian ex-president Mahmoud Ahmadineyad visited the site, he kneeled down as a sign of respect.

A man walking around with aish in a tray. Aish is an egyptian flat bread made with wheat flour, fenugreek seeds and sourdough. It is part of the traditional diet in the egyptian countryside, and it is also eaten with Tahina (Hummus, chickpea dip).

Entering the incredible world that is Khan el-Khalili Bazaar

When you enter a Souk, you'll probably want to stop at every single detail that catches your attention, but the hustle and bustle in a place like this will take you along on a marvelous walk through the narrowest streets and hidden alleyways, all of this while witnessing a festival of colors, odors and scents and the fantastic images of everyday Cairo life. One of these everyday life images that I'll never forget, was the boys that transport aish (egyptian flat bread) from bakeries. They carry the bread in a tray, which they place over their heads, and deliver it by bike. What a fantastic image! Another very typical Cairo life portrait is the one of men drinking their tea while smoking shisha (water pipe) and discussing almost every subject there is to discuss. They mostly gather around their shops in a circle and take it easy, while they wait until some tourist stops by and looks interested in buying something. And here you'll surely find something that you'll want to take home, since they offer a wide range of finely handcrafted products to the standard souvenirs that you'll also see at the Pyramids. You name it, they have it.

I had mixed feelings the first time I entered the marvelous world of a souk. On the one hand, you just want to stop at every detail and feature, but on the other, you feel the need to keep going and going, 'cause you're caught up in the wonderful energy and beat that is common to a place like this

A souk only comes to life when you experience every side to it. From the scents and odors, to the sound of voices in day to day conversations and the way people act while they're taking care of their usual businesses. From my first visit, I can tell you I was struck by the smell of camel leather and the combined scent from every shisha water pipe. Not to mention the immediate reaction of vendors when they see someone who doesn't look egyptian walking by. Usually, they come to you, offer to take you to their shops, show you their products and try to convince you to buy something. You must not forget that bargaining at the bazaar is well seen, this means you shouldn't be afraid to negotiate the asking prices when you think you can get something for less money.  I went there with my uncle Ulises and his wife Lauren, and the funny thing about it, is that even though he is panamanian, he looks like an egyptian. People would come to him and speak in arabic.Who would have known that panamanians and egyptians actually look alike? Turns out to be that we do have more things in common than what we think. One of the aims of my travels is to marvel at the incredible diversity of the world, but also to find these funny similarities that remind me that even though we speak different languages and we have different backgrounds or education, we are all united by the same thread and we are all part of something greater.

Back to the bazaar, I must really say that a visit to the souk involves all senses. As you pass by shops and more shops you'll find jewelry of all kinds, evil eye charms (called ayn in arabic), miniature pyramids, papyrus, shisha pipes, leather goods, gorgeous lanters and sumptuous, very skillfully handcrafted egyptian plates and almost everything you can imagine, you'll see the multitude of cats hiding behind the open doors of shops and elegantly passing around the store owner's chairs, strategically placed right in front of their stores to welcome the passersby.

A little bit of history about the Souk, I read about the existence of a Fatimid Mausoleum in the area now occupied by the bazaar. After the Fatimids were conquered by the Mamluks, during the late 14th century Sultan Barquq ordered his master of stables Jaharkas al-Khalili to erect a caravanserai in the site of the former tombs (caravanserai or a khan, in arabic, is a building were merchants carrying goods could rest and recover from their journey). Caravanserais were really important for supporting commerce and establishing the commercial routes. This caravanserai or wikala (another term for it) was located at the heart of the city and was from that day on a center of economic activity. Sultan al-Ghuri, the last important egyptian Mamluk Sultan demolished it and rebuilt it with monumental gates, some of which can still be seen today. During the ottoman period, the turkish community established itself here, which is why this district became associated with turkish merchants.

By the end of the day, you see the shop owners and vendors closing their stores and trying to do the last sale of the day. Both the first and last sale are considered to be a sign of good luck for them, so if you go by the time they're closing, you'll probably get a special price.
For me, this was more than just taking pictures: it was all about seeing and understanding how commerce is done!

Another salesman tries to talk me into visiting his shop, while some others just stare at me and continue drinking their tea. A day like any other comes to an end in Khan el-Khalili. Today was hopefully a good day for them and if it wasn't, well they'll always have tomorrow, a new day where business will be better, tourists will decide to come back to Egypt and the everlasting energy of this place will continue flowing. Because the beat never stops, not even when the sun goes down. As for me, this  day wasn't like any other. It was the best way to end my first day in Egypt.