Makan

Cairo


The Egyptian Centre for Culture & Art runs this intimate space dedicated to folk music. Don’t miss the traditional women’s zar, a sort of musical trance and healing ritual on Wednesday nights (doors open at 8.30pm). Tuesday evening has various performances of folk music, often an Egyptian-Sudanese jam session (doors open at 7.30pm).

To find the space, walk north on Sharia Mansour from Saad Zaghloul metro. Advance booking is a good idea due to limited space.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Cairo attractions

1. Omar Makram Mosque

0.44 MILES

Omar Makram Mosque is the place where anybody who's anybody has a funeral.

2. Midan Tahrir

0.47 MILES

Midan Tahrir (Liberation Sq) gained world renown in early 2011, when millions of Egyptians converged here to oust then-president Hosni Mubarak. On a…

3. Arab League Building

0.56 MILES

This building (a good landmark in the vast Midan Tahrir area) hosts occasional gatherings of leaders from around the Middle East.

4. Midan Talaat Harb

0.65 MILES

Downtown’s two main streets, Sharia Talaat Harb and Sharia Qasr El Nil, intersect at the roundabout of Midan Talaat Harb, where cars whizz around a statue…

5. Groppi’s

0.66 MILES

Groppi’s high point was more than 50 years ago when it was one of the most celebrated patisseries this side of the Mediterranean. It has unfortunately…

6. Mashrabia Gallery

0.67 MILES

One of the first indepen­dent galleries, Mashrabia is bit cramped but represents the bigger names in painting, video and sculpture.

7. Abdeen Palace

0.68 MILES

Unless you're into armaments (or over-the-top golden objects gifted to various Egyptian presidents), Abdeen Palace can easily be missed. Today the once…

8. Cairo Atelier

0.7 MILES

Off Sharia Mahmoud Bassiouni, as much a clubhouse as an exhibition space, frequented by Cairo’s art-world new and old guard.