Cairo Shopping

Egyptians away from home refer to Egypt as Misr - within the country, this word denotes Cairo. Such is the importance of the city called 'Mother of the World' by medieval Arabs. It's been the cultural hub of the Arab world for a thousand years, and as befits a cultural hub, it's seething with cultural energy. That energy can be yours, in the form of art, craft and comestibles, for more or fewer Egyptian pounds depending on how long you're willing to discuss the matter for.

Haggling is a major part of the Cairo shopping process. In fact, it's not just shopping - it's a national sport. Sociable shopkeepers may well give you a cup of tea and a seat while they attempt to wring you dry. Haggling central is the huge Kahn al-Kahlili souk. It's also tourist central and you'll have to dig through a fair amount of tat before you find anything worth having, but a market which has held sway since medieval times deserves a decent visit. Cairo is a riddle - could anything else be the case, living as it does under the steady gaze of the Sphynx - grandeur contrasting with grime and pollution, cosmopolitan boutiques at odds with the jostling market, the diverse identities of Islamic Cairo, Coptic Cairo and Giza. Don't try to find an answer - just breathe it all in(and probably cough a few times).

Soapstone Sphynxes and other sculptures
The real thing would be tricky to get out of the country, so visitors will have to make do with one of the ubiquitous replicas. In fact, it's probably just as well the enigmatic lion woman is fixed where she is - those who have visited Cairo to toy with the ancient Egyptians' edifications have always met with mysterious misfortune. In contrast to the obvious misfortune of more recent visitors who only realise the folly of buying a 6ft alabaster Colossus when they've done it.

Contemporary Egyptian art
The Pharoahs of the New Kingdom decorated their august sepulchres with pictures of where they hoped they were going and what they hoped it would be like - perhaps they thought that the pictures would provide some compensation if it all turned out to be a mistake. Perhaps they had no such doubts. In any case, art has been important to this country for thousands of years, and although the rich and powerful no longer seek immortality in pyramidal brick and mortar, they still buy pictures. In recent decades contemporary art in Egypt has happily begun to re-explore its non-Western roots. The Mashrabia Gallery, 8 Shara Champollion, displays(and sells) a monthly rotation of the best modern Egyptian artists

Perfume
An enormously popular, indeed unavoidable, indeed compulsory safety purchase for the streets of Cairo. Spend a few minutes next to a camel on these streets and all will become clear. Olfactory wellbeing aside, there are many other reasons to indulge in this Cairene speciality. The colourful handmade glass phials are a pleasure to behold, while people who are allergic to the expensive, chemically complex liquids sold in their homeland often find Cairo 's waxy solid perfumes an excellent alternative. For scent that's definitely as pure as the salesperson say it is, visit one of the more expensive perfume shops(you won't have to walk far to find one). If you simply want something that smells nice, the souks are, as ever, the places to bargain and haggle for it.

Cigars
Just in case you haven't inhaled enough dangerous fumes for free on Cairo 's streets, you can buy the experience in a variety of shapes and flavours at the admirably stocked Casa del Habano(Semiramis Inter-Continental, city centre). Some of the Casa's wares are unavailable in the US, which is justly suspicious of the confusing effects of Cuban cigar smoke.

New traditional handicrafts
The near mortal wound dealt to traditional craftsmanship by the 1841 Treaty of London(a floodgate for cheap Western factory products)did not prevent Islamic art from regaining importance at the start of the last century. Then the Revolution undid all the good work yet again. Today, members of the Friends of Art and Life collective, including Ramses Wissa Wassef and his wife Sophie, are battling to reestablish traditional art forms. In the Wassefs' case the battle is waged with a famous tapestry school and craft atelier in the village of Harraniyyah. Visit the school itself or buy the work of the Wassefs and other innovative craftsmen such as the glassworker Zakaria Konani in boutiques throughout Cairo.

A Nice Camel
'The gait of a beautiful woman should be like that of a camel picking its way through mud', according to one Arab saying. Which will come as a relief to habitual stilletto wearers. The hardy, wilful, long-lashed and - not a wholly impartial judgement - intelligent camel is still highly prized in Egypt. Thousands upon thousands each year are led to markets such as Cairo 's Suq al-Gimaal in the village of Birkash, where they kneel and complain and sneeze. 'Affectionate' is a word rarely applied to camels at the best of times, but these have good reason to be grumpy, having undergone a 40 day trek across North Africa to be sold for - horrors - a camel version of pastrami. So, what better present to yourself than a liberated camel. And the camel market, while not the most relaxing or, visitors will think, ethical of places, is a heady experience. But remember: a camel is for life, not just Christmas, so if you have any doubts it might be best to plump for one of the little stuffed leather ones instead.