You might be wondering what is the best thing to keep an eye out for when traveling to Egypt to bring back as a souvenir. Some places in the world are just known for items that are their speciality... Swiss Chocolate, English Teas, Turkey has it's Turkish Coffee, calligraphy from China. So what does Egypt have to offer? Here's a list of my favorite things I'd recommend (and where to find them) to bring back from your trip to Egypt!
1. Papyrus
Papyrus scrolls are famous for being the FIRST paper ever made and you can find beautiful paintings on papyrus for your home with scenes from Ancient Egypt on them. You'll want to purchase it from a Papyrus shop though as then it's guaranteed to be authentic.. you'll find people selling them around the Pyramids or in Khan el Khalili but its not authentic and the quality is not good (they’ll rip easily and not actual papyrus strips). When you go to the shops for Papyrus they'll show you the process of how the paper is made and without giving all the fun away I just want you to know- its fascinating!!
2. Essences
Essences in my opinion are essential oils on steroids- meaning CONCENTRATED TO THE MAX!! Probably my favorite shop to stop at and experience all the homeopathic and aromatic smells at the essence shops! Again you'll want to go to an authentic and licensed shop for this, the vendors at Khan el Khalili water it down so it's less concentrated. What's really cool about essences is that they are the legit base to perfumes and colognes you know, so you can basically buy Chanel No 5 and Invictus for 1/4 of the price and you'll get so much more that will last you ages! The professionals at the store can also help recreate your favorite perfumes for you too!
3. Cartouches
Again leave it to the professionals! Cartouches are the symbol of the name of the Pharaoh (or Royal famly member), so you can have your own name engraved in Hieroglyphs on a gold or silver cartouche and wear it as a necklace! They look so beautiful and now you can brag to all your friends you're Egyptian Royalty!
4. Rugs
I bet you have no idea how long it takes to make a hand woven rug vs machine! It can take anywhere from a month to years to hand weave a rug!! But itll last generations!! We like to stop at the Oriental Carpet and Rug schools outside of Sakkara for you to see rugs being made and its amazing! They come in all shapes sizes, camel wool, silk, Egyptian cotton! And if you're worried about size they'll ship them home for you so you still have more room in the suitcase for more souvenirs!!
5. Shisha
If you've enjoyed smoking shisha (hookah) while on your holiday you can bring the fun home with you! Throughout Khan el Khalili you'll find shisha vendors and their shisha come in all shapes, sizes, plastic, metal, glass.. and all flavors Lemon Mint (my favee), Original, Cherry, Blueberry... whatever flavor you desire they have it- Ive seen champagne and beer flavored even.
For knick knacks like mugs, magnets, Moroccan lamps (like in this picture), spices, tea..Khan el Khalili is the best place to stop and have fun bartering! My tip for haggling... say your price and if they don't agree then walk away! They'll agree eventually. If you hate haggling (like me) ask your guide to do it for you to get you a good price. Hence another reason why its a plus to have a guide with you- and they're more likely to take you to their trusted shops where you won't be completely ripped off!
** BONUS Souvenir: FLYING DRESS PHOTO SHOOT
In all honesty, my favorite souvenirs from my travels have to be my photos! And when I dont get good photos from a trip- it's the biggest let down for me (don't even bring up the Dominican Republic to me). Photos in my opinion are the still frames of the magical experience you had, something that I often look back on and remember all the good memories made from my adventures! If you are like me, and want to be sure your memories in Egypt are captured then be sure to reach out to us for a Flying Dress Photo Shoot. If you would prefer a normal photo shoot at the Pyramids or other location around Cairo we can do that as well... but who doesn't want to feel like a Queen of Egypt?!
While you're in Khan el Khalili you can find the famous Instagram location
and have your guide take your picture!
Hope this helped give you ideas of what to be on the lookout for and to know where is the best places to look for these items (and why you dont want to buy them from just anyone).
Happy shopping!
Comments