Egypt is a wonderland of shopping opportunities. Of course, there are the famous bazaars such as the Khan el-Khalili, but then there are also thousands of unusual stores scattered about the country, and especially in Cairo, though some products are better purchased perhaps from the locale from which they are produced, such as alabaster in Luxor. However, Cairo provides a huge variety of everything from antiques to fine clothing and especially jewelry.

In some shops, you must haggle while in others the price will be set. Which type of store provides the best possible deals depends both on the shop itself and the haggling ability of the buyer an seller. Frequently though some of the best deals at the best consistent quality is found in stores with fixed prices. For example, one might haggle over a mother-of-pearl box in the Khan el-Khalili and wind up paying a fairly low price but for an inferior products, while in a fixed price shop, one might end up paying more, but for a far superior mother-of-pearl box.

The purpose for this section is to provide Tour Egypt readers with information both on how to shop in Egypt, as well as to enlighten them on how to tell what makes various products better or worse from the standpoint of quality. Of course, for those not traveling to Egypt, our Virtual Khan el-Khalili, Tour Egypt's online shop provides many quality products found in Egypt at reasonable prices.

Egypt is a shopper's paradise - especially if you're interested in Egyptian-themed souvenirs and kitsch, of course. That said, a number of high quality goods are to be had, often at bargain prices. Some of the most popular purchases include:

• Antiques (NB: not antiquities, the trade of which is rightly illegal in Egypt)
• Carpets and rugs
• Cotton goods and clothing
• Inlaid goods, such as backgammon boards
• Jewellery
• Leather goods
• Music
• Papyrus
• Perfume
• Sheeshas (water-pipes)
• Spices