The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

There’s definitely more to Egypt than just Cairo. There are still lots
of tribes occupying the oases and Sinai who thrive on their own culture and art. Of course, it’s really cool to visit one of these places
yourself and stock up your car with local pottery and lamps; but if you can’t
make it out of the city, you can still get your hands on these handicrafts in
Cairo.

Ranet Kholkhal is located on Mohandiseen’s fashionable Gezirat El Arab Street
across from Mango. The shop feels a little out of place between all the
high-end brands but it makes for nice variety. The inside of the shop is dimly lit, filled with goods and looks
just like a handicrafts atelier.

Various rugs are stocked at the front of the shop. A medium sized rug costs
about 175LE and a door mat will set you back 85LE. It is all supposedly
handmade, which could be true but there could also just be a huge factory in 6th
of October City producing all these products; you may never know. The
best items on sale at the shop are probably the lamps with typical Arabic
designs. A copper wall lamp will set you back about 375LE for a medium-sized
one and 850LE for a large piece. The hanging lamps made of copper and glass vary
from 350LE to 3800LE.

There is also loads of pottery pieces that can be purchased. The designs
are all pretty much the same; in earth colours alternating with blue and pink.
The pottery comes fairly cheap with small cups setting you back 6LE. The
biggest mug costs 20LE and the sizes in between cost 10LE to 18LE. The most
beautiful objects are the bowls. They come in a variety of different sizes, some
of which feature edgy designs. The most beautiful piece we spotted cost 180LE, one
of the most expensive in the entire shop. It was painted in a shiny red
shimmery colour. Other simpler bowls cost about 75LE and for around 20LE extra,
you can buy gold-rimmed versions.

Ranet Kholkhal is a cute shop that will have you lingering around for a
while and picking everything up to check it out, while the staff is very
friendly and helpful. So between shopping for shoes and dresses; take a look
here to pick up some home accessories.