Egyptian T-shirts

A lot of visitors to Egypt actively look to pick up t-shirts that can be identified as Egyptian. As souvenirs, as a keepsake, or as a reminder that "I was here!".

Yet, a lot of them go back empty handed. There are cheap t-shirts available all over the khan, but they mostly focus on generic Pharonic prints and designs and most of the time, the printing/embroidery quality isn't even good. So once you are back home, and the shopping euphoria has abated, you find that you can barely wear them to the beach a couple of times before discarding them or using them as rags.

There are very very few options available if one is looking for custom t-shirts with Arabic script for example or humor tshirts.

There are the occasional stores like Zafir in Zamalek and slim pickings at Oum al Dunia, Fair Trade Center and the store at All Saints Cathedral.

I was just thinking, that it would make so much sense for a couple of smart locals to get together and produce Egypt tshirts in a variety of colours, prints, designs and cuts. There is such a large market for it (especially given the volume of tourism), that has been left largely untapped.

Any takers?

One stop shop for Interiors and Furnishings

Designopolis is a mall that has opened in 6th of October which will soon be completely occupied (currently only 3 stores have opened doors) with shops selling every need you have to furnish your house.

They also plan to open a similar mall in New Cairo.

I haven't been here yet, but it sounds like a great idea.

I just read about the 3 stores in an article in Business Today.

Samir and Aly - Stationery shop - Cairo

I haven't really needed any stationery after coming to Egypt as I had a surfeit of branded pens, folders and notepads from my client companies that accompanied us during our move here. I tend to store most information on my computer though and don't use too much stationery either.

But today, we needed some canvas and we tried a couple of stationery stores in Mohandaseen. Samir & Aly was the only store among those we checked which carried canvas. Not just any canvas, they had different sizes, pre-stretched on a wooden frame.

They also carry a ton of different stuff. They have a lot of Pidilite/Fevicol products for those familiar with this Indian brand. It was interesting to see the Fevicol craft idea books in this store. The books are dual language and it was surreal to see books with Hindi script being sold in an Egyptian store. (instructions are also in English)

Any kind of pens, pencils, paint brushes are available. It seemed like you just had to think of a stationery product and it was available, including spiral binding machinery and computer printers.

One section I found really interesting was products to make miniature models of houses. Tiny lamp posts, hedges, palm trees, cars etc. I remember that earlier we had to make each of these items ourselves to use in our models. Now they are imported cheap from China :)

They have a section on childrens books and a few educational toys too.

The branch I visited was on Shehab Street in Mohandaseen. But they do have other branches across the city.

Its a one stop shop for your stationery needs.

My Favorite Time Outs in Cairo

Been in Cairo for awhile and seen the pyramids a hundred times?

Here are some ideas for Cairo which are slightly off the beaten path.

Take a walk through Al Azhar Park. You will be surprised to find such a vast green oasis in the midst of the madness that is Cairo. Catch the sunset that is heralded by the calls from the muezzin from multiple surrounding mosques. At just 5Le entry, this is great value for money. If you would like to jazz it up a bit, there is a wonderful restaurant on the premises that you can sit at to catch the sunset and a wonderful dinner surrounded by the twinkling lights in the distance of the multiple monuments around the area.

Climb the gate/minarets of Bab Zuwayla. This is one of the three surviving main gates of the Khan el Khalili and the only one that can be legally accessed. The view from the top of the gate is marvelous and for the more adventurous, both the minarets can also be climbed. It is easier to access the pinnacle, in the minaret on the left (when facing the tent makers street). Entry is just 10Le but the view is worth much more than that; and if you are lucky, you may be the only people on this edifice.

Catch a Sufi Performance at the Wikalat al Ghuri. This is a free performance at 8pm every Wednesday and Saturday. The performance here is more devotional and less commercial than those on the Nile cruises and can transport you into a mystical world. Just watching the whirling dervishes can put you into a trance. (Turn right after accessing the street adjoining Al Azhar Mosque in Khan el Khalili) Go early for good seats.

Sakiat El Sawy and Makan are 2 other places to catch a performance. While the former has different performers at different locations within their compact premises, the latter has traditional Egyptian and African performances every Wednesday at 8pm.

By now, the weather should have improved enough to take a picnic basket on a felucca. Hire a felucca on the strip adjoining the Grand Hyatt hotel. They charge around 50Le per hour (if you bargain hard) plus tips. The charge is for the felucca itself, no matter how many people get on board, so it’s a great option for family outings too.

If you want a more luxurious option then you may want to take a Nile Cruise aboard the fancier cruisers. These are available as sunset cruises or dinner cruises. Our personal favorite is the Golden Pharaoh (opposite Four Seasons, Giza). They offer open buffets and 3 course meals served at your seat. Golden Pharaoh also allows you to opt for an Indian menu if you book at least a day in advance. This works out to approximately 200Le per person with meals included.

For a truly extraordinary experience, I would highly recommend a meal at the Revolving Restaurant at the Grand Hyatt. The food is not outrageously priced. This is one of the 2 locations within the hotel where alcohol is still being served. The ambience, food, service and view all combine to make this one of the most wonderful places to enjoy a leisurely dinner in the city.

Christo’s is a lovely sea food eatery opposite the Mena House Oberoi. They offer a wonderful sea food spread (where you choose your sea food and tell them how you would like it cooked) during dinner. The reason, we keep going back here is not just for the food but the wonderful color bathed view of the pyramids while the Sound and Light show is on. Do try their salads and sea food soup too.

Sapporo at the Sheraton (opposite the Opera House) offers a special kind of dinner theater. The Master Chefs prepare Teppenyaki at your table and watching them at work is to view poetry in motion. They offer combinations of meats and seafood and can customize the seasonings to your taste.

For a less pricey meal but one with ambience, chose one of the many eateries on the stationary boats in Zamalek for lunch. They are reasonably quiet at this time and you can gaze at the Nile as she flows past in her eternal journey to join the sea. The Fish Market, TGIF, Chillis, Maharani. . . You have a choice of cuisine and budgets among these boats.

The various bookstores in town are an interesting place to catch up on the latest in the literary world and enjoy some peace and quiet in serene surroundings. Some bookshops have cafes attached where you can sip a cup of coffee while perusing your latest purchases. Diwan has opened at many more locations outside of Zamalek. Kotob Khan on Lasilky road and The BookSpot on Road 9 in Maadi are 2 other locations which offer extremely friendly and non obtrusive service. The AUC bookstores offer a great variety of English books on Egypt that make for great gifts.

Other places that offer unusual gifts while contributing to a worthy cause, include Tukul Crafts at the All Saints Church in Zamalek (products created by prison inmates, Sudanese refugees and other disadvantaged groups), the Fair Trade Center on Yehia Ibrahim street in Zamalek (where the artisans are given fair prices for their creations), Touch Her World Inc (017 280 0756 - products made by young Egyptian women seeking self sufficiency)

Karishma Pais (Kim) is an expat trailing wife in Cairo. She has a Masters Degree in Human Resources and Behaviour. She consults on HR projects, delivers intercultural training at the CSA, counsels new and experienced expats, is the editor of DIVA, writes for several magazines – online and offline, she runs whazzupcairo@yahoogroups.com and whazzupcairo@googlegroups.com among other activities. Her Social Commentary and blog about life in Egypt can be read at http://whazzupegypt.blogspot.com Pictures are by her and her husband Brajesh Bajpai.

This article appeared in the February Oasis and on desicritics.org.

Royal House Supermarket, Heliopolis

I wandered into the Royal House Supermarket in Heliopolis on the advice of a friend who lives in the area.

She sold it to me by saying "its a lot like Alfa Market with the foreign goods, but at much better rates" and she was spot on.

The exterior belies the sheer size of the place. It is almost as large as Carre Four. There is a separate section for home utilities like cutlery, the big cleaning items, crystal, gift items - things I would classify as non-consumables. This is on the right when you enter.

On the left are the consumables. Food, drink and FMCG products. There is also a book shop by Dorling Kindersley, a Cinnabon cafe, a House of Donuts outlet, a radio shack, a Monginis bakery outlet among other shop-in-shops.

This is a place where you can pick up most items on your shopping list. Prices are also reasonable. I would highly recommend this over Spinneys for anyone living in the area.

Edited on 25 Jan 09 to add: Royal House is located next to former Merryland garden, between Roxy and Makhkama square at Hegaz street. (You need to take a turn and go off Hegaz street after the garden - if the garden is on your right)
Phones: 2451 4447 or 2451 4448.

Sabudana + Garam Masala in Cairo

I saw some sabudana and Garam masala on sale in Alfa Market in Zamalek yesterday.

Garam Masala being sold is from the Raj Masala brand.

The Sabudana is a South East Asian brand, it is sold as Tapioca Pearls. There are 2 sizes available. One is the small size that we use in Indian cooking and one is a much larger size, like groundnuts/peanuts/moongphali.

They are on the expensive side comparing to their price in India, but they ARE available if you need to replenish your stock.

Strawberries in the market

Managed to pick up some wonderful baladi strawberries from the market. Really sweet and juicy. About 4.5LE for half a kilo.

There were some unusually shaped ones too.


Strawberry milk shakes, strawberry smoothies, strawberries and cream, strawberry shortcake - we are having a feast!

I've been told that with baladi strawberries, it is hit or miss, so ask for as taste from the lot (and choose one yourself) before packing some to bring home.

Buy Fresh Pizza Dough in Maadi

Manisha also blogged about an interesting "raw" material available in Maadi. . .

. . . . . . . . Fresh Pizza Dough at 16LE/kg.

Check out the details here.

Handmade - Hobby Space & Craft Item Supplier in Cairo

Handmade
39, Abdel Moneim Riad Street
Mohandaseen

3749 7242

I saw a stall that the people behind this store had organised at one of the Christmas Bazaars around town.

They sell knitting yarns, patterns, crochet hooks and a lot of other accessories.

They do have some embroidery kits that seem to be imported, they were a bit expensive at around 250LE, but I guess they can afford to charge a premium since I haven't seen these kits anywhere else in Cairo, yet.

They also offer courses in knitting, crocheting, needlepoint, drawing, painting and decorative crafts for adults, teens and children.

Call them for rates

Zafir - the Egyptian t-shirt shop!

Zafir is a cute Egyptian T-shirt shop on
15B Taha Hussein Street
off Marashly street.
(walk left from Kipling)
Zamalek.

Right next to Touch of Glass

The designs on the tshirts are unique. some have Arabic calligraphy on them with proverbs, some have truck art, some pun on Egyptian pronunciations and some are just cute!

The tshirts come in a range of size and colours and there are a specially curved cuts for women.
They all cost a uniform 110LE and if there is any defect you can bring it back within a week.

Each tshirt comes with a printed card attached explaining the significance of the particular design in English and Arabic. So they are really cute gifts for people back home.

The overall cloth quality looks good. Will let you know how well it washes once I wash my own :)

Edited on 24 May 2009 to add:
Daily News Egypt, did a full length article on this store a couple of years ago. Read the article here.

Siwa House - Shop for Siwan Items in Cairo

Siwa House
Hand Embroidery and natural products from Siwa Oasis.
17 Ahmed Heshmat Street
Zamalek

+2 02 2737 3014
+2 02 2736 3139



They have a really interesting range of items from Siwa. There are 2 parts to their collection - Siwa Creations and Siwa Organics

Their shop in Cairo is much fancier than the counterpart in Siwa which is quite basic. The walls of the shop are decorated with salt crystals and Siwan pebbles.

Siwa Creations items include hand embroidered clothes and Siwan Jewelry. These may seem a little expensive at first glance unless you feel it is worth the price for individually crafted items.

Siwa Organics comprises of Organically grown Siwan specialties like Olives and Dates and products made out of them like tapenades and salad dressings.

You can buy Extra Virgin Olive Oil in Lemon and Orange flavors too. (upto 65LE for a liter)
Pickled and herbed olives also cost about 25LE for a regular sized bottle.
Tapenades and jams (olive, carrot, sycamore, bitter orange marmalade) are also 25 LE.
There is a wonderful variety of Salad dressings in olive tomato, orange and sycamore flavors for 25 LE.
A Kilo of organic dates costs 10LE.
They also have pure organic salt crystals in small jars (165 gms) for 10LE, the olive flavored salt goes for 20LE. These can again be used in salads in their natural form.

Touch of Glass - Shop for Glass Work in Cairo

Touch of Glass is located on
15A, Taha Hussein Street
Zamalek
Cairo

+2 02 2737 1488
They have some really nice items in glass to serve food in and for decorative purposes in different colors.

Their rates seemed reasonable, in the range of 100LE onwards.

They also have a small selection of scented and decorative candles.

Misr Cafe - Home Delivery of Coffee Powder

I just heard about this company and its services from a friend.

Misr Cafe manufactures a variety of coffee powders and specialty coffee mixes.

These include:
Misr Café
Coffee Break
Life Break
Turkish Coffee
Arabic Coffee
Speciality Coffee
Mister Café
Master Café

Life Break is a Coffee substitute made from barley and malt. Turkish Coffee is available with and without cardamom ground into the mix.

My friends said that if you call them and order, they will even deliver home.

I haven't used them myself as I only drink a special fresh coffee mix that my uncle makes and sends me from home to make authentic South Indian Filter coffee.

But you can try out this site by visiting http://misrcafe.com.eg/

New Campus - AUC, Future University Egypt - AUC Book Sale

Since we had already driven all the way to New Cairo and the AUC Press bi-annual sale was supposed to start today, we decided to take a look at the bookstore on the new campus.

We just got to see a bit of the campus when we drove in at the Visitors Gate (no1) . The buildings do look beautiful and they have tried to replicate the architecture of the original campus in some ways, but even the briefest look showed us that the campus wasn't ready to be functioning full time.



The bookstore at the new campus that was opened at the end of August, had more space and seemed well laid out. They are offering a flat 20% off on all books, but the bargain books (upto60% off) are only available at the downtown campus. The sale will continue until the 5th of December. The downtown bookstore remains my favorite of their 3 locations and we returned here to buy our book fix :) today.

New Campus Bookstore 2797 5927
Downtown Bookstore 2797 5887
Zamalek Bookstore 2739 7045

While on our way to AUC's new campus, we also passed by the Future University of Egypt. I'm not sure about the University itself, bu their building did stand out on the road, kind of like a modern structure pushing its way out of the Roman Colosseum. Take a look.

Wady Craft Shop / Tukul Crafts - Free Trade

The Craft Shop next to the All Saints Cathedral has been in existence since 2003. It is called the Wady Craft Shop.

What I do like about this place is that all the products are created by disadvantaged groups: hearing impaired, visually impaired, refugees, prisoners and other disadvantaged families. The center sticks products from the Tukul Craft Program for Refugees, The Boulaq Centre (a women’s aid program for widows and single mothers), The Deaf School Vocational Training Centre, Shams El Birr (a school for visually impaired people),The Menouf Social Service, The Prison Ministry and several independent producers including African refugees and Egyptians.

Whatever you buy here is fairly priced and helps support these people.

I've seen a range of gift options available at this location. African print bags, purses, pot holders, hand made albums, jewelry, mother of pearl inlay work, embroidery, wood work.

, ,

You can find the shop on the side of the All Saints Cathedral (inside the Cathedral gates, to the left when you are facing the Cathedral)
5 Michael Lutfallah Street
Zamalek

Timings:
Open Daily
Winter : 9:30-5:00pm
Summer : 9:30-6:00pm
Sundays & Fridays 11:00-4:00

Tel: 2735 4350
wadycraftshopATyahooDOTcom

You can view some of the products here:
http://wadycrafts.com/shop/
Tukul Craft Program

Buying Tea Bags in Cairo

If you are looking to buy Tea bags in Cairo, there are a couple of brands that you can try.
Twinnings - the tea bags available here are imported for the most part. So quality is assured.
Ahmad Tea - again imported. Quality good.
Lipton - Both imported and locally prepared tea bags are available. Locally made tea bags for plain tea are pretty decent. The flavored and special teas arent as good as the imported varieties.
Isis - local herbal teas. Good quality. I adore the hibiscus and cinnamon variety which is rarely available. So I stock up when it is available.

Flavored and herbal teas are available in a wide range of flavours.

Locally made tea bags will be much more reasonable than the imported ones. You may need to try which brands are acceptable to you and which ones it makes sense to buy the imported variety or bring them with you from home.

For an idea of prices. A box of 15 hibiscus and cinnamon tea bags by Isis costs 2.95LE.


Hibiscus tea (karkadi) is quite unique to this part of the world and is a nice souvenir from Egypt for a gourmand friend back home.

Buying Garlic Paste in Cairo

The concept of ready made garlic paste does not exist in Cairo while it is an essential in Indian cooking. Until a few months ago, the only option I had was to make the paste myself. But recently I have found that "Gold Alex" offers a passable substitute.
Its a bottle of finely minced garlic preserved in a bit of oil and salt. Costs about 5.25LE. . Its handy to have in the fridge for the days when cooking in a hurry.

Buying Rice in Egypt

I'm often asked which brand of rice I use in Egypt. The answer is best given in a series of points.
1. I do not use Egyptian rice for anything except making rice pudding (kheer/ruz bi laban) or risotto because it has a sticky consistency like arborio or sushi rice. This particular rice needs perfection to cook as a side dish for curries, which doesnt suit my touch, taste, see, smell, feel style of cooking
2. To make Indian dosas (rice pancakes of different types) I bring the appropriate rice back from India
3. To make regular rice for daily use, I buy the "Cooker" brand. This used to come in a green topped box, now it comes in a red topped box.

A 2kilo box costs about 26LE. It is also available in 1kilo boxes and also in plastic bags. If you buy a box that isnt dented already, the boxes are very durable and air tight so they can be reused for storing other things at home.


The bottle in front is a current offer at Hyper One where you get a bottle of Crystal hot sauce with a 2 kilo box.

What to look out for when renting in Cairo

EgyptianSanks: Renting in Cairo

Sankalita, a friend of mine has an awesome blog too.

This particular post of hers talks about what the prospective renter needs to consider before signing the lease in Cairo.

Its quite a comprehensive list and highly recommended reading for those coming in to Cairo and who need to rent a place.

Where to you can buy/shop for cheap used and new books in Cairo

My friend Allison of Cairo compiled this information and since it was so interesting and comprehensive, I requested her permission to re-post it here, which she graciously allowed. Thanks Alli.

Buying books in Cairo.

Went downtown yesterday and went to check out Attaba for books since someone was mentioning it previously.

Take the metro to Attaba Station. Take the exit named Attaba Sq or Attaba Garage. Walk out the exit steps and you will be right next to the booksellers.
There are around 100 new kiosks all with arabesque designs and each has good lighting installed. They are the same size as the previous ones, but now each has an address to make it easier to locate a favourite [Big Grin]

The book kiosks are open every day including Fridays from 10am till 9pm, best time to go would be around 12ish to make sure that they are all open and plan to finish before 7ish as some start to close around then.

Types of books
Thousands of Arabic books.
Medical Textbooks ( in English )
Engineering books
IT books
All sorts of Arabic textbooks
Islamic books , tapes and CD's
All kinds of magazines, and periodicals

Stacks of English books mostly used including thousands of novels in both hardback and paperback, the stuff you see in every bookshops at home. Lots of trashy novelettes [Razz]

The classics i.e. Shakespeare, Dickens, Bronte.

Books on learning English and teaching English.

English magazines like Chat, OK, Readers Digests, Cosmo, Good Housekeeping, National Geographic, Bella, Computers, Cars, Body building, Health, etc etc. Both used and new but maybe a few months old.

Miscellaneous Books and magazines i.e. biographies, technical,Politics, History etc.
Tolstoy, Solzenitzen stuff.

There is a fair selection of French, German, Russian,Greek books dotted around, with more languages.

Old rare book kiosks.

Childrens books.

You can find fairly recent books and very old ones too.

I would say that only 1% of the book keepers will hassle you. The rest will let you browse in peace and if they dont have what you want they can direct you to another kiosk who might. [Smile] They are mainly older men who are friendly, but in a nice way [Wink]

Prices vary.
I found one guy who was a real darling. Very polite, helpful who has 2 shops. I bought a load of books and he charged me under 10le a book.

He is at numbers 83 and 84 kiosk.
name Mahmoud Kasem tele:0101218948.

I told him that I would put his name on ES and if any member goes to him and wants to buy books, he will give them a fair and honest price. [Wink]

All you do is tell him the word (ES) he will then know I sent you .

Enjoy your books folks