Khayamiya hand-appliqué panel (Tentmakers Street)

The last tentmakers on earth work on one Cairo street — hand-stitched pieces bought at the needle cost a fraction of gallery prices abroad.

Price: 4000 EGP (Honest range: small cushion covers E£500-1,200; a genuine hand-stitched ~1m wall panel E£2,500-8,000 (~US$50-165); museum-grade large pieces E£15,000+)

Where to buy: Sharia Khayamiya (Tentmakers Street), the covered market south of Bab Zuweila, Cairo — buy from the workshop where you can see stitching in progress

Price checked 2026-07-03

• Hand vs machine test: turn it over — hand appliqué shows knots, slight stitch irregularity, and dense hand-hemmed edges; machine-printed 'khayamiya' sold in Khan el-Khalili is a fabric print, worth a tenth
• This is a dying UNESCO-flagged craft with only a few dozen masters left — buying from the stitcher directly matters
• Haggling is expected but gentler here than the bazaar; 60-70% of opening is respectful for genuine handwork
• Folds flat — the easiest spectacular souvenir to fly with