Books – Mohamed Fathi Abdel Ghaffar – Photography by Mohamed Nabil
Saturday, May 20, 2023 07:00 PM
“It is the strangest market in Egypt, and you are forbidden to enter it except with a sneeze.. From the first moment you feel that your entire chest is opening from the mixture of scents that you smell.” Welcome to the small Al-Hamzawi market in Al-Hussein area, and it is the most famous and cheapest perfume market in Egypt, from which spices come out. And mixtures to different governorates of Egypt as well as to other countries.
And in a new episode of the “Fathy Show” program, presented by Mohamed Fathi Abdel Ghaffar, we highlight the small Hamzawy market, the cheapest market for spices in Egypt, the sheikhs of El-Attarin, branching from Al-Moez Street, and located in one of the small alleys next to Al-Ashraf Barsbay Mosque and School, and when you pass by In the alleys of Al-Hamzawy Al-Saghir, you will find all the delicious spices, incense, and all the perfumery preparations that you will see for the first time.
There are not only Egyptian spices in this market, but there are spices from around the world with different flavors. Traders declare that the most important items traded for purchase are cinnamon, chili, cumin, black pepper, coriander, curry, turmeric, cardamom, beetroot, pomegranate molasses, maghat, marjoram, ginger, licorice, tamarind, oats, parsley, nigella, and some Some of these varieties depend on local production, others depend on imports from India, China, Malaysia and Pakistan, and black pepper is on the list of the most expensive prices for spices.
It is worth noting that Al-Hamzawy Street is one of the streets of old Fatimid Cairo, known for its narrow area. It is divided into two parts, Al-Hamzawy Al-Saghir Street, which is the largest market for spices in Egypt, and it starts from Al-Azhar Street and ends at Al-Moez Street, and it was opposite it in the other direction, the second part of it, which was named Al-Hamzawy. Al-Kabeer, which is one of the most important textile markets in Egypt today.
It is known that Al-Hamzai Street was one street until the year 1930 AD, when it was then divided into Al-Hamzawi Al-Kabir Street and Al-Hamzawi Al-Saghir, as happened later. Egypt in 1517 AD after he defeated the Mamluks and overthrew their state that had ruled Egypt for more than 250 years.
