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COTTONS AND LINENS
Egyptian cotton sheets are a rage in the western world, specifically because of the quality and softness of this fiber which makes it softer and stronger at  the same time.
There are towels of every kind and in all sorts of colors, shapes and sizes made from pure Egyptian cotton. Other cotton items to look for are coverta. These blankets covers are made of cotton mixed with a certain heavy fiber that keeps the body warm.
There are also bedspreads, which often have a French flair, though of course there are many different designs, many of which might be considered more Arabic. These covers are made mainly of pure cotton with a little artificial fabric to make them heavier.
The cotton market on Azhar Street, which is located next to Opera Square near downtown Cairo, is really considered by many Egyptians to be the center of the public cotton trade.
Another area that is considered a public center for the cotton trade in Egypt is Wekalet El Balah.
Wekalat Al-Balah
There is no window-shopping in Cairo without passing by all kinds of spacious displayed fabrics. Whether you walk through shopping malls, the streets downtown or across markets, the colorful materials, rich of ornaments and weaves, leap to your eyes everywhere. One of the best and most entertaining places to buy fabric in Cairo is the Wekalat Al-Balah, a whole neighborhood dedicated to that stuff
A large selection of fabrics, curtains, lace panels is sold at the Wekalat Al-Balah in numerous little cubbyholes, outside in the alleys by street vendors and in large, palace-like shops, often two or three stories high.
The Wekalat Al-Balah follows the eternal free market mechanism. The existence of dozen of similar shops guarantees low prices
CLOTHES
Beside the usual souvenir shops and bazaars of all kinds, the whole of Cairo is a large shopping center for modern, western-style clothes, too. Egypt, well known for its quality cotton, is now producing a large range of clothes, for its own retail chains as well as for famous international brands. 
But how and where to buy clothes in Cairo? At first, you should know, what exactly you would like to have, expensive international designer wear or modern Western-style middle-class clothing, cheap Egyptian no-name products or high-quality Egyptian brands.
It would be recommended to having a first look into some shops of Egyptian clothing companies, which aren’t well known abroad, but can easily compete with Western brands, in quality as well as in design. Dalydress is one of these companies. It produces and sells a wide range of fine leisure and business wear, for men, women and children, from cotton, linen and other materials.
Young Egyptians, if their parents provide them with a little more money than usual, buy their clothes at the World Trade Center shopping mall, a three-story mall with a six-story annex next to it. In particular, the part of the building which connects both malls, hosts a lot of shops belonging to rising young Egyptian designers.
 The majority of the shops of the Arkadia Mall and the more recent City Stars mall, are shops for leisure wear, too, with many international brands as for example Diesel and Levi’s. Always a good address for buying clothes is the whole area along and beside Ibrahim Al-Laqqany Street (beginning from Roxy Square) and Al-Ahram Street in Heliopolis. A countless number of glittering illuminated boutiques, especially nice at night after sunset, and at the end, just where the Al-Ahram Street meets a big church, is the glaring El-Horriyya Shopping Mall, up to the roof full of clothing stores, seven floors. Here you will find Benetton, Adidas, Ted Lapidus etc.
EGYPTIAN ARTEFACTS
 One trip to Egypt is enough to know that one of the grandest treasures that remains are the people and the hand made products they produce are the best you can find and see in Egypt. There are many varieties of hand made products, including such items as alabaster objects, painted papyrus, brass and glassware, among others.
DECORATIVE PERFUME BOTTLES
 Glass perfume bottles in Egypt are, modern art, probably having been made since the beginning of the 19th century.
 Today, these bottles are most numerous in the famous Khan el-Khalili market, where one may find every shape, size, color and ornamentation of such bottles. Of course, they are also available in almost every location one might find tourists in Egypt.
These beautiful bottles come in a variety shapes, colors, and sizes, from the very small to extra large. We may find perfume bottles in abstract designs, or in the shape of many physical objects such as a variety of animals.
JEWELLERY-PHARONIC AND MODERN
 This simple, yet elegant bracelet was originally worn by Shoshenq II. Made of gold it depicts a papyrus reed at the ends. Black enamel outlines the papyrus design. Between the papyrus ends is a lapis lazuli scarab fixed in a gold mount.
Egyptians are famous for their jewelry, and probably have been throughout history. Jewelry was used for adornment, protection as in amulets, and of course, as symbols of status. In fact, the world’s oldest known surviving jewelry is said to have been found on an Egyptian Queen Zer, a bracelet made from turquoise and gold. Jewelry was often made of gold, but somewhat later, silver was used. Besides turquoise, which was mined early on in the Sinai, other popular stones included lapis lazuli, and carnelian, and amethyst.
Fatamid Era Jewelry 
In Egypt, jewelry might be broken down into several categories. These might consist of:
 
This includes both jewelry for tourists and Egyptians, which often consists of Bedouin designs made from silver and less precious metals. One may find this throughout Egypt, in both tourist establishments as well as shops that deal with the local populous, though these are often not jewelry stores. This type of jewelry can usually be purchased for well under $10 USD.
The most common jewelry that is pushed to tourists is slightly more expensive, made from either gold or silver. Usually, this jewelry has a pharaonic design, such as the ever popular cartouch.
Regular, or non tourist jewelry can really be broken down into two types of jewelry, consisting of very normal items which might be found anywhere in the world, and items more unique to the Middle East.
By ordinary, we mean jewelry that might be purchased by an Egyptian in Egypt, or people anywhere else in the world in their local jewelry store. However, due to exchange rates and the high competition of many jewelry stores in Egypt, bargains may be easily found. Gold and silver jewelry is often sold almost strictly by weight.
The Egyptians are very fine jewelers, and some of their modern, non-tourist jewelry is elegant and even inspired, not to mention unusual. This jewelry often discourages the use of diamonds in favor of larger, more exotic stones, and the striking result can be fantastic.
HAGGLE YOUR WAY TO BARGAINS IN THE EGYPTIAN MARKETS
Haggling has become an art form in Egypt. Many tourists would rather do anything than haggle over the price of a gold cartouche while on holiday in Egypt. But, from the local point of view, haggling is expected, sometimes encouraged, as a way of communication and human contact. It is also legal in Egypt to haggle, bargain and ask for a discount!!!
As with any type of negotiation, there is a protocol to haggling, and many ways to make sure you don't pay over the odds. But the basic skill is to have some inside knowledge about the value of what you are buying and put a limit of what you are prepared to pay. Always look at the price tag, as the maximum required, not the minimum. Then set a minimum price and negotiate for some medium price in between.
Haggling is effective if you are buying high value items, such as gold and jewelry, but with low value goods it is not worthwhile the time and effort; it becomes more or less a social gesture. If you pay with cash, not a credit card, you should have more leverage for getting a good discount. Shops in Egypt prefer cash. Paying with dollars sometimes helps secure a bargain.
Shop around. Never buy at the first shop; you can always come back. Shopkeepers will try to persuade you that they offer you the best value, but will not be offended when you say you want to look around and would come back. Timing is also important. You stand a better chance for getting a bargain late at night than earlier in the day.
There are places where haggling is not the norm, and these include supermarket chains, where the stock is computerized, fruit and vegetable markets where the prices for tourists are so marginal, they are not worth discounting.
The language could be a handicap in dealing with many traders in Egypt, although increasing numbers of merchants know at least one foreign language beside Arabic. But, it is equally a problem for the vendor as it is for the buyer. So, do not feel at a disadvantage. In these situations, the phrase books and the time and effort in learning the basic Arabic expressions become invaluable. You will be surprised at how you can haggle within a limited vocabulary.
For example:
- Be kam? (How much?)
- Khamseen geneeh (LE 50)
- La'a, da ghaali awy. Mumkin talateen? ((No, that's very expensive, is it possible for LE 30)
- Laa mush mumkin... Arbaeen? (Not possible LE 40?)
- Laa, ma'aya talateen bas. (No, I only have LE 30)
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