Gift Shop Bazaar — Local services in Cairo

I went here with a friend of mine to grab some gifts for a couple family members. We found it on Google Maps, and originally went because it seemed more touristy (and my family member wanted stereotypical, explicitly Egypt associated earrings). This place DOES have typical souvenirs that are explicitly Egypt (eg the pyramids) and I got what I needed (I got earrings in real silver)! But they also have many other things, including papyrus and more. Tiik and the other owners/workers were so friendly and they really bring the hospitality aspect of Arab culture to anyone, even us who are American! They offered us tea or coffee for free (my friend and I had to leave shortly so we unfortunately couldn’t) gave us some water for free, and even told us to pick out a magnet as a gift. I could’ve definitely spent longer there! While I thought it was just a typical touristy souvenir shop, it was more than that - and very conveniently located.

I was looking at some reviews and looking at the negative ones and people were complaining about prices. First, yes different shops WILL price differently, you may find something cheaper somewhere and find it a little more expensive another place. I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary from what I’ve experienced at this one. Second of all, some specific prices were brought up in previous negative reviewed, such as papyrus prints being 200 LE versus 30 LE. Yes that can be a big difference for certain people and I cannot confirm or deny that they do that or that they scam people, HOWEVER I think people need to take into account that the average Egyptian lives on the equivalent of $3 USD / day. About 1/3 of the Egyptian population (109 million people) live in poverty. Right now in 2023 (I know there was a recent decrease in the Egyptian pound), 30 LE = 97¢ USD. 200 LE = $6.47 USD. That’s it. The difference people are complaining about is really a couple dollars (USD). For me, with how welcoming and excited the owners were, it brought me joy to support them and the Egyptian economy. I highly...

Please do not go here. It's run by the most irredeemable bunch of scammers and cheats. They run a very intricate scam where you will be stopped by an 'engineer' or 'doctor' who happens to be casually walking by; doctoring the truth and engineering utter lies, more like. He will recommend this shop to you and will say that they are 'Government' run and that they have very high quality products; that they purportedly only accept Egyptian Pound as well.

If you read several of the other reviews,they all say the same thing. This shop completely broke my trust in the Egyptian people; it's a travesty that should be shut down. Their products are cheap, flimsy and utterly rubbish. Their products are also overpriced and are clearly made in China and shipped in en masse.

I would suggest you walk down the road a few doors and go to a little hole-in-the wall place called Abo Simple Bazaar. It's simple from the outside but it's what's inside that matters.

Abo Simple has a very genuine seller who smiles and doesn't need a coterie of scam artists to get business. The seller at Abo Simple told us his prices, was very patient and was pleasant throughout. He never pushed and neither did he force us to make any purchase. Whilst his products are simple, they satisfied me more than one can imagine. It has to do with trust, I believe.

I feel utterly let down by this 'Government' gift shop. The Egyptian Government should look into this utterly disgusting practice as they're dragging the entire nation's name...

Honestly, this shop was the highlight of my trip!!

I came to Egypt looking to buy 300 reasonably priced small prize gifts for a children’s summer camp in America. I quickly learned, you can’t trust any Egyptian salesman, except Tika!

I found his shop on Google from its reviews. It was near my hotel so I figured I’d check it out. The shop looks small, but it has literally one of everything! It also has a second story and another larger entire space around the corner. So if you’re looking for anything as a gift, they almost surely have it, or else Tika will be glad to help you get it at a fair price.

I still wasn’t sure I could get 300 of the same type of gift, but I asked Tika if he could help. I’m sure no one else in Cairo would have been able to do what Tika did. I know because asked around at a few other shops, but no one else was willing or able. In just 1 day he sourced 300 small pyramids and then a few days later when I returned from our river cruise to Cairo, on my request he had specially sourced 300 amazing hand made colorful camels at a deal even my Egyptian tour guides couldn’t believe.

Honestly, if you need anything as a gift in Egypt, this shop is the place to go. They also specialize in Nubian art, and I just had to add two beautiful papyrus art pieces to my total purchase.

But really, I don’t care if it’s an hour drive on a long layover from the airport just to visit this shop, it’s totally worth it! I could say more, but if you’re not convinced yet, I don’t know...