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Mahmoud abd el Ghaffar
For belly-dance costumes try Mahmoud abd el Ghaffar (589 7443) and Yasser Bellydance (786 5966; yasserbelly@hotmail.com) in the Khan al-Khalili.
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Makan
This place advertises itself as providing 'Contemporary Egyptian Interiors'. The attractive stock includes furniture, objets d'arts , cushions, rich embroidered and appliquéd fabrics, light-fittings (check out the lights made from old tambourines), paintings copied from tombs and great candelabra.
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Mix & Match
Local designer Madame Shahira creates fetching seasonal collections for women in wool, silk and cotton. Well-made, stylish and reasonably priced, the range is also noteworthy for its particular focus on larger sizes.
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Mobaco
Inexpensive clothes in a great range of colours. There's always a flattering long cotton or linen skirt available, and men can choose from a rainbow of polo shirts sporting a camel logo. There are stores throughout the city, including at the Nile Hilton and the Semiramis.
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Mobaco Cottons
Egypt has always been known for its cotton products, and Mobaco is the most popular of the local chain stores offering reasonably priced, decent-quality cotton clothes for men, women and children. There are stores throughout the city, including at the Nile Hilton and Ramses Hilton Mall.
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Nagada
Beautiful hand-woven silk/cotton textiles and clothes from Nagada (about 28km north of Luxor) are sold here, as well as gorgeous hand-made pottery from Al-Fayoum, lamps and jewellery. If you can't find anything that fits, it will measure and make clothes to order (10-day turnaround).
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Nomad
This well-hidden gem of a place specialises in jewellery and traditional Bedouin crafts and costumes, particularly from Siwa. Standout items include appliquéd tablecloths and cushion covers, dresses made in the oases, woven baskets from Upper Egypt and chunky Yemeni silver jewellery. It's well worth a look. To find it, go past the Egyptian Water Works office to the first floor and ring the bell.
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Noubi Tapis & Antiquaire
An elephant sculpture guards the entrance to Noubi Tapis & Antiquaire, a corner shop, which is chock full of quality antique rugs, glass, postcards, china and books.
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Orange Square
With books to select designs from and a decent stock of fabric, this trendy operation is the easiest place to get a suit made. But not the cheapest: prices start at around £E1800 .
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Osman Ahmed
As he doesn't speak English or stock fabrics, Mr Ahmed is the least convenient tailoring option, but his skills transcend the language barrier. He's used to foreign customers, and can work off a magazine photo.
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Oum El Dounia
In the centre of town, Oum El Dounia sells a small but attractive range of local glassware, Bedouin jewellery, cotton clothes, bags and embroidered shawls. It also stocks a small range of maps, postcards and English- and French-language books about Cairo and Egypt. You can use a credit card for larger purchases.
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Ramses Hilton Mall
Middle class-family oriented, this mall has lots of casual clothing, shoes, jewellery and homewares shops. The centre's top floor houses a cinema, a popular branch of McDonald's and a billiards/snooker hall.
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Said Delta Papyrus Center
A spin-off of Dr Ragab (the father of quality papyrus painting), Said has a vast selection, from ancient Egyptian scenes to cool Cairo skylines. He'll do a cartouche with your name done in about half an hour. Prices are negotiable, and quite reasonable, provided you arrive without a tout. (The shop is up two flights and down a dim hallway.)
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Sami Amin
Cool chunky brass-and-enamel jewellery as well as leather bags, belts and shoes, many imprinted with tribal patterns. And all at bargain prices - bags and sandals start at just around £E33 .
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Samir El Sakka
This old-school tailor trained in Rome; he stocks a small selection of fabrics. Prices start around £E1000 .
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Sawt al-Qahira
Sawt al-Qahira, in an arcade set back from Sharia al-Gomhurriya, stocks the classic crooners on CD.
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Sednaoui
One of Cairo's prime early-20th-century department stores. Nationalised in 1961, its display cases are now stocked with a weird, almost tragic assortment of third-rate goods. But the place still sports its gorgeous three-storey atrium interior.
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Sekem
Sekem ( M0834; 738 2724; Sharia Ahmed Sabry) Off Sharia Brazil, Sekem is Cairo's only health food store, selling a small selection of organic products.
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Sharia al-Muski
Sharia al-Muski is a wonderful street market selling outrageous underwear, cheap shoes, plastic toys, wedding dresses, bucket-sized bras and haberdashery.
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Shorouk
Arabic and English bestsellers, plus a lot of magazines at this two-storey shop.
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Souq al-Fustat
A new market built for tourists, this is nonetheless a nice collection of shops, with vendors of antique carpets, modern ceramics, richly embroidered gallabiyas and wooden toys along with branches of Sami Amin and the bookbinders Abd El Zaher. Sales pressure is pleasantly low.
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Souq al-Gomaa
In the Southern Cemetery south of the Citadel, this sprawling weekly market is all the craziness of a medieval bazaar, in a modern setting: under a highway flyover, expect new bicycles, live donkeys, toilets and broken telephones. Savvy pickers can find some great antiques and vintage duds. Go before , when the crush of people can get overwhelming. You'll need a taxi to get there, about around £E12 from Downtown; tell the driver 'Khalifa', the name of the neighbourhood.
