A portal that transports you back into time, Khan el Khalili gives its visitors a glimpse into what a traditional market was like in the middle ages, with its medieval atmosphere and labyrinth of winding streets and twisted alleyways.
In 1382 Emir Djaharks el-Khalili built a big caravanserai (or khan) in the heart of the Fatimid City. A caravanseri was like a hotel for traders, and usually the central point to an area's economic activity. This caravanserai is still there, you just ask for the narrow street of Sikka Khan el-Khalili and Badestan. The Khan el-Khalili Bazaar is situated at one corner of a triangle of markets that go south to Bab Zuwayla and west to Azbakiyyah. The Khan is bordered on the south by al-Azhar Street and on the west by the Muski Market. One of the old original gates guards the entrance to the original courtyard which lies midway down Sikkit al-Badistan Street. The al-Hussein Mosque is also in Khan el-Khalili and Al-Azhar University and its mosque are not far away.
On a narrow street leading off al-Badistan, El Fishawi Café (or Café of Mirrors), is open continuously day and night, and you can count on that, because it has been so for over 200 years. It is small, a little crammed, and with mirrors almost everywhere. It has been the meeting place for local artists, and has been frequented by the Nobel Award winning laureate Naguib Mahfouz, one of Egypt's most well known authors. His novel Midaq Alley is set in an alley in Khan el Khalili.
The place where art and commerce come together, Khan el Khalili is the heart of the city. You can easily wander the streets of this bazaar to take it all in. You don't need a guide, or even a guide book, and should you get lost, just keep going in one direction and you will quickly come out of the maze, and close to a taxi. But if you’re planning on doing any shopping, be prepared to bargain shamelessly! Just remember that you should never feel that you insult or disappoint a seller by not buying.
Clothes are cheap, spices are of good quality and affordable, souvenirs are of good quality as in the hotel lobby, but at a better price. Jewelry is a matter of taste, and there's an enormous variety of gold on offer. The perfume shops of the Khan are particularly tempting, saturated with spicy and floral scents. Colorfully decorated and brightly light, they’re run by clerks who can mix any fragrance you desire. Egyptian buyers generally shop in the area north of al-Badistan and to the west, where prices may be lower. Better deals for gold and silver are to be found west of the Khan along the "Street of the Gold Sellers", and further on one will find the Brass and Coppersmith Markets. 
The Khan is a MUST see, not to be missed even on a rainy day, as it is an open market, don't let anything discourage you from this experience, it is still worth the visit!
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