Friends, I am writing this to you today while wearing leggings and sipping a mug of tea. Why is that significant? Because it is October and – at last! – Cairo is cooling off. And if a dip in the thermometer wasn’t enough of an indicator of the changing season, you would know it around my house by the increased talk of Halloween. Yes, the very moment the clock strikes October, my kids start planning their Halloween costumes.
One of my kids is basically a genius with a sewing machine and makes her own costume each year. October 1st dawns and suddenly she desperately needs organza, faux fur, satin, tulle, and zippers. Immediately. I can’t give her everything she wants (parents, you hear me) but I am usually pretty happy to provide her with the fuel for her creative fire. Happily, this means a trip to Cairo’s cloth market.
(You can (usually) find just the right thing at the Cairo cloth market)
Located north of Tahrir square in the neighborhood known as Bulaq, the cloth market is a DIYer’s dream. Curtains? Yes! Tablecloths? Easy. Christmas jammies? You’ve got this. Scout uniforms? Totally! All you need to know now is how to get there and the location of a few jumping off points.
(The Cairo cloth market–a wonderland of cloth)
Ride the metro to the Gamal Abd al-Nasser station, exit at “Galaa Street,” and take a tuk tuk to this point. Alternatively, take an Uber to the same point or drive your own car and park on this less crowded side of the cloth market. Either way, you’ll know you have reached an entrance to the cloth market when you start to see, well, cloth for sale. Shop after shop of all types of cloth. The shops specialize, naturally, so think about what type of cloth you want in advance (camouflage or animal prints? beaded cloth or lace or brocade? fleece or flannel?) and have pictures ready on your phone to show to the first shop you come across. I guarantee you that the guy working there will help you find what you are looking for, even if it means he has to take you halfway across the souq to another store. Our go-to store for cotton and satin is located here. These guys bend over backward for my very particular daughter, pulling down bolt after bolt of cloth for her until she finds just what she is looking for.
(Take the metro to the Cairo cloth market)
Does all of this sound intimidating? If so, you are not alone. As a matter of fact, I wasn’t exactly thrilled with the prospect of finding just the right shade of khaki for my daughter’s girl scout uniform, but once I did it I felt a huge sense of accomplishment. And to be honest, I feel that every time I go there and come back home with the cloth I needed for that one project that just wouldn’t go away. Plus, it always ends up being fun! That’s why, despite finding the market a bit daunting at times, you can be sure I’ll keep going back. I hope to see you there!
(Start working on those Christmas jammies!)
