Khan al-Khalili and Al-Hussein Mosque in Islamic Cairo

Last night our orientation leaders (called Student Orientation Leaders, aka SOLs, haha) took us to the Khan al-Khalili market. This market dates back to the 14th century. It is most well-known for its array of tourist items (such as model pyramids and sarcophagi), perfumes, spices, and fabrics. Luckily, I had learned some bargaining techniques from my Egyptian Arabic teacher, Hana'a, and I was able to haggle a vendor to buy a kiffiyeh (the headdress worn by Arab men, most notably Yassir Arafat) for 20 LE (about $4 USD) when he originally wanted 90 LE. After wandering around for a while (and the girls getting tired of being called Shakira), a group of us sat at one of the maqhas (coffee house). I ordered a cup of coffee, and it was absolutely delicious until I got to the grainy bottom part that felt as though I was drinking mud. Adjacent to the suq (market) is the Al-Hussein Mosque, one of Cairo's holiest sites. The Mosque is said to be above the graves of the Fatimid Caliphs and home of the oldest Koran.

Ma'a salaama,

Blair