At the western end of Midan Tahrir, the battered, grand architecture switches scale to something more intimate as you enter the city’s main souq district. It’s one long, heaving bustle of produce, fish and meat stalls, bakeries, cafes and sundry shops selling every imaginable household item. This is a great area to check out at night.
Sharia Faransa begins with cloth, clothes and dressmaking accessories. The tight weave of covered alleys running off to the west is known as Zinqat As Sittat (‘the alley of the women’). Here you’ll find buttons, braid, baubles, bangles, beads and much more. Beyond the haberdashery you will find the gold and silver dealers and then the herbalists and spice vendors. A couple of blocks west of Sharia Faransa, Sharia Nokrashi (also known as Al Midan) starts at Midan Nasr and runs for about a kilometre through the heart of Anfushi.
