It’s true: I prefer adventure over souvenirs. I once backpacked from Cairo to Capetown and purchased only two mementos over the span of three months. I do, however, appreciate local art and handicrafts. Perhaps it’s a nostalgia for a time when the world ran at a slower pace and quality mattered. I also find watching true artists at work to be meditative and motivating. Maybe someday, I think to myself, I’ll create something lovely. Or something useful. In the meantime, I get my fix of traditional arts and crafts by taking regular trips to artist cooperatives in Old Cairo like Darb1718 and the Foustat Traditional Crafts Center.
Want to get inspired, find a treasure, or simply just impress your friends and visitors? Do I hear a hearty “yes”? Then let’s plan a trip to Darb1718 and the Foustat Traditional Crafts Center! Read on for some background on these two artist cooperatives and practical tips for planning your trip. Keep reading until the very end for some ideas on how to pair this outing with a trip to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization and/or Coptic Cairo.
Darb1718: Tucked away in a neighborhood behind the ruins and churches of “Coptic Cairo,” Darb1718 is a contemporary art space dedicated to keeping Egypt’s rich artistic heritage alive. The cooperative is home to workshops ranging from pottery, ceramic, macrame, beads, woodcarving, and more. My favorite shop on this little street is Sami Badawi’s Pottery Art studio.
The studio is housed in a gorgeous Ottoman-style villa that will make you feel like you have stepped back in time two hundred years to the days of Mohammed Ali Pasha. Check out this video for a sneak peak. And listen: you may be like me and generally avoid purchasing decorative items but let me just tell you right now – you will really, really want to bring home a few hand painted tiles with you, so come prepared with a handbag or backpack. Note that families are welcome to watch the artists at work but the gentleman who runs the studio will ask that only two children at a time enter the workspace. Photography is not permitted at the Pottery Art studio but is welcome anywhere else at Darb1718.
Transportation and other helpful information: It is refreshingly easy to get to Darb1718. Search for “Runk Ceramics” or input this location into Google Maps if you want to go by private car. Parking is available for a 5LE tip to whomever helps you find a place. You may also get to Darb1718 by metro. Get off at the “Mar Girgas” stop, take the east side exit, make a hard right the moment you exit the station doors, and proceed along the sidewalk. Walk approximately 20 meters along this sidewalk, keeping the wall of the metro station to your right and an iron railing to your left, until you exit through an iron gate into the neighborhood directly south of the metro station. A Google Maps search from “Mar Girgas Metro” to “Runk Ceramics” will show you the exact path to take.
You will find a kiosk for water and snacks at the beginning of the street and a decent bathroom 2-3 studios down as you walk away from the kiosk. I recommend that you explore each and every workshop on the street, but just know that the Pottery Art studio is a bit down the street and past the bend in the road to the left. Children are welcome at Darb1718, and always have a great time freely exploring the nooks and crannies on this relatively quiet and traffic-free pedestrian street.
Foustat Traditional Crafts Center: After an hour at Darb1718, head on over to the Foustat Traditional Crafts Center. Are you as delighted by traditional architecture as I am? Or perhaps you crave a “magical” place where your kids can safely roam and explore? If so, you are in luck. The entire compound is chock full of courtyards, wooden mashrabiya screens, domes, arches, rooftops, balconies, and oriental charm – all accessible to families. Many of the Center’s artisans invite adults and children to enter their workshops to try their hand at pottery, ceramics, tentmaking, weaving, gold, brass and mother-of-pearl inlay work, woodcarving, and more. Note that not all the workshops are always open, so you take your chances. The Center closes early at 3pm, so plan accordingly.
Transportation and other helpful information: You may travel by private car from Darb1718 to the Foustat Traditional Crafts Center. Parking is plentiful. It may be easier, however, to leave your car at Darb1718, make the 6-minute walk to the Center, and return for your car an hour or so later after your visit to the Center. Whether you go by car or foot, you can chart the path by plotting the directions from “Runk Ceramics” to “Foustat Traditional Crafts Center.” Catching an Uber from in front of the Center is easy. Returning to the Mar Girgas metro station is also simple; just retrace your steps or catch a tuk tuk. Final note: the Center does not have a kiosk for water and snacks, but they do have decent bathrooms – always a plus.
Insider tip: Consider pairing your visit to Darb 1718 and the Foustat Traditional Crafts Center with a trip to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (new home of the royal mummies!) and/or Coptic Cairo. Coptic Cairo is just a 3-minute walk west from Darb1718, and the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization is a 3-minute drive east from the Foustat Traditional Crafts Center. Here are two possible itineraries for a comprehensive tour of Old Cairo:
Option 1 – By foot: Take the metro or Uber to Mar Girgas, tour Coptic Cairo, walk on over to Darb1718 (5 minutes), proceed to the Foustat Traditional Crafts Center (6 minutes), and then walk (30 minutes!) or take tuk tuk (3 minutes) to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization. Note: if you take a tuk tuk, you’ll have to get off across the road from the museum in order to avoid a lengthy U-turn situation. After you visit the museum you can either walk (or take a tuk tuk) back to the Mar Girgas station or catch an Uber to your next destination.
Option 2 – By car: Park at Darb1718 and arrange to leave your car there while you tour Coptic Cairo for an hour or two. Return by foot to Darb 1718 (5 minutes), explore, and then drive to the Foustat Traditional Crafts Center (only 6 minutes but requires a tricky traffic maneuver). From there you will drive to and park at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (7 minutes but once again requires a tricky traffic maneuver). You can see why I suggest taking the metro or Uber to the Mar Girgas metro stop and walking the rest of the way.
Bottom line: whether you want to soak up good energy from local artisans, learn more about Egypt’s rich cultural heritage, give your kids an educational yet fun outing, or treat your friends and guests to a fulfilling and unforgettable tour of Old Cairo, a combined trip to Darb1718 and the Foustat Traditional Crafts Center is sure to do the trick. See you there!
Photo Credit: Bryanna Hunt Photography
One Response
One of the two mementos Hilary purchased on the epic Cairo to Capetown journey was a T shirt from Victoria Falls for her mother. That’s the kind of gal she is. PS this reader really appreciates bathroom quality and location info.