Culture · Oct 9, 2026

Hurghada Bazaar: How to Shop El Dahar Old Town

Clothes, cotton, spices and souvenirs — what is genuine, how haggling works, and what never to take home

If you search for "the bazaar in Hurghada", you will be sent to El Dahar, the old town north of the marina. It is the part of the city that existed before the hotels: a working neighbourhood where people from Hurghada buy their shoes, school uniforms, vegetables and spices, with a tourist souk folded into it. You can buy proper clothes here, decent cotton and a few things worth carrying home. You can also buy a lot of rubbish. This guide is how we would shop it ourselves — we live here and send guests there every week.

Where is the bazaar in Hurghada?

There is no single covered market hall. "The bazaar" means the streets of El Dahar, the old quarter on the northern side of town, roughly between the mountain ridge and the sea. The lanes nearest the main roads are where the souvenir shops cluster; walk a few blocks further in and the shops start selling to locals instead — fabric, household goods, sandals, fruit and vegetables.

That second part is the more interesting one, and also the more honest one. Nobody there is waiting for a tourist bus.

Shops along the hotel strips in Sakkala and on the Village Road sell many of the same souvenirs. They are convenient if you are staying nearby, but they are not a bazaar, and the prices are set with holidaymakers in mind.

Hurghada old town, El Dahar

Hurghada old town, El Dahar

What the bazaar actually sells

Everyday clothing — T-shirts, cotton trousers, children's wear, underwear, cheap shoes. This is stock for local families, not for tourists, and it is priced that way.
Galabeyas and kaftans — the long, loose Egyptian robe. Plain cotton ones for everyday wear sit next to embroidered "show" versions for evenings and hotel themed nights.
Spices and herbs — cumin, coriander, dried hibiscus (karkadeh) for tea, dried mint, mixed spice blends.
Perfume oils — sold by the small bottle, often in decorative glass.
Papyrus, alabaster, scarabs, statues — the classic Egypt souvenir set, ranging from honest handwork to factory imitation.
Leather goods, shisha pipes, copper and brass, and the usual magnets, T-shirts with camels on them and fridge souvenirs.

Can you buy clothes in Egypt?

Yes, and many of our guests leave with more clothes than they arrived with. Egypt has grown cotton for export for two centuries and still has a large textile industry. Simple cotton shirts, linen-style trousers, loose dresses and galabeyas are good value and comfortable in the heat — often more comfortable than what people pack.

Three honest caveats:

"Egyptian cotton" on a label is a claim, not a guarantee. The Cotton Egypt Association certifies genuine products with its own logo and even DNA testing. In 2016 a large US retailer had to refund sheets sold as Egyptian cotton that turned out to be something else. In a souk stall, assume nothing; judge the fabric by hand.
Brand names in the bazaar are copies. A sports jersey with a famous logo is not the real thing. If you want genuine brands, go to a mall.
Sizes vary. Try things on, or hold them against you. Most clothes shops will let you.

Genuine or tourist tat? How to tell

Papyrus

A lot of what is sold as papyrus is printed banana leaf. Real papyrus shows a criss-cross of layered strips when you hold it to the light, and it bends without cracking. Ask to bend a corner. A seller of the real thing will not mind.

Alabaster

Much of the "alabaster" in souvenir shops is cast resin with painted veins. Real stone is heavy for its size, feels cool even in a warm room and lets light glow through thin parts. Shine your phone torch through it. Painted veins look too regular; natural ones wander and branch.

Spices

Cheap "saffron" in Egyptian markets is almost always safflower — pleasant colour, very little taste. Buy it as safflower if you like, but do not pay for saffron. Hibiscus, cumin and mint are the safe, good buys.

"Antiques"

Any scarab or figurine offered as "real, from a tomb" is either fake or a crime. Antiquities cannot legally be sold or exported from Egypt (more below). Either way, do not buy it as an antique.

A street in El Dahar, Hurghada's old town

A street in El Dahar, Hurghada's old town

How haggling actually works

In the tourist part of the bazaar, prices are not written down, and the first number is the start of a conversation. In the local clothing and food shops, there is often much less room — they sell to neighbours at neighbours' prices. Knowing which shop you are in is half the skill.

Decide what the thing is worth to you before you ask. If you only find out what you think after hearing the price, the seller has set your price for you.
Let them name the first price. Then answer calmly with your own, lower figure. A smile helps more than a poker face.
Do not name a price you will not pay. If the seller accepts your offer, you are expected to buy. That is the one rule that really matters.
Bundling works. Three scarves from one stall get a better deal than one scarf from each of three stalls.
Walking away is a legitimate move, not an insult. Sometimes you will be called back; sometimes you will not, which means you were already near the floor.
Tea is hospitality, not a contract. Accepting a glass does not oblige you to buy, though it is polite to look properly.
Carry small notes in Egyptian pounds. In the souk, cash is normal. Paying with a large note and waiting for change weakens your position.

We cannot give you "the right price" for anything. Prices change, and so does the exchange rate. If you want a reference, ask us before you go and we will tell you what we currently consider reasonable.

Don't want to haggle? Fixed-price shops and malls

Haggling is not for everyone, and there is no shame in that. The alternative is fixed prices:

Senzo Mall on the Hurghada–Safaga road is the city's large shopping centre: clothing chains, a big supermarket, a food court and a cinema. Prices are on the tag, and shops there generally take cards.
Supermarkets across town sell spices, hibiscus, dates, tea and local sweets at printed prices — often the cheapest honest source for edible souvenirs.
Clothing shops in the newer parts of town sell Egyptian-made basics at fixed prices.

You lose the atmosphere and gain certainty. For many families with tired children, that is the better trade.

The "free city tour" and the commission shop

This is the trap most worth knowing about. Someone at the beach, in a café or outside your hotel offers you a free or nearly free ride into town. The ride ends at a papyrus "institute", a perfume "factory" or an alabaster "workshop". The demonstration is pleasant, the tea is free, and then come the prices — high, because the driver, and sometimes the person who stopped you, takes a commission on what you buy.

Shopping stops are also built into some cheap organised excursions. That is not illegal, and some of those shops sell decent goods. The problem is that you have no comparison and limited time.

How to protect yourself:

Ask any operator — including us — exactly where the tour stops and whether shop stops are optional.
Never buy expensive things on the same visit as the demonstration. Take a business card, look elsewhere, return if it still seems right.
Be wary of anyone who says the "government shop" or "last day of the exhibition" is today only.

What to wear when shopping in El Dahar

El Dahar is a residential neighbourhood, not a resort. Nobody will stop you for what you wear, but you will be more comfortable — and treated more like a guest than a target — if you dress the way people there do:

Shoulders and knees covered: a light shirt, long linen trousers or a long skirt or dress.
No swimwear, no bare midriff, no beach shorts.
Closed, comfortable shoes. Pavements are uneven and there is building rubble here and there.
A small bag worn in front, with cash in more than one place.

Women walking alone will get more attention than couples or groups. It is usually words rather than anything more, but a firm, polite "la, shukran" (no, thank you) and keeping walking works better than a long debate.

The best time to go: evening

Midday in Hurghada is hot for most of the year, and the souk is quiet in the afternoon heat. Life starts after sunset: the lights come on, local families come out to shop and the streets fill up. That is the time to go, and it is also when the bazaar feels least like a tourist attraction.

Two things to keep in mind. On Fridays, many shops around the mosques are closed or quiet during the midday prayer. During Ramadan, the daytime is very slow and the evening after the fast is broken is the busiest time of all.

El Dahar, the old quarter of Hurghada

El Dahar, the old quarter of Hurghada

What you must not take home

This part is not about taste but about law, and both Egyptian and your home customs care about it.

Antiquities. Under Egypt's Antiquities Protection Law (Law 117 of 1983), antiquities are public property; trading in them is banned and exporting them is illegal. A "genuine" artefact from a souk is either fake or illegal — neither is worth the risk.
Coral and shells. Law 102 of 1983 on protected areas forbids removing coral, shells, rocks and other natural features. You will see the law cited on signs at Red Sea beaches. That covers the piece you found washed up as well as the one sold in a shop.
Wildlife products. Stuffed animals, turtle shell, coral jewellery and reptile leather can fall under the CITES rules on protected species. German and other EU customs seize such souvenirs every holiday season. If you are unsure, do not buy it.

Spices, papyrus, alabaster, cotton, glass perfume bottles and galabeyas are all fine to take home in ordinary amounts.

Shopping with a guide

If you would like your first visit to El Dahar to come with someone who knows the streets, our Hurghada City Tour covers the marina, the old town, the mosque and the museum. The VIP City Tour with a private guide is the version where you set the pace — including time to shop if you want it, and none if you do not. If you would rather combine town with the sea, the glass-bottom boat and city tour and the speedboat and city tour combo fit both into one day.

A guide is not a price guarantee in a shop, and we will not pretend otherwise. What a good guide does is show you which part of the bazaar is worth your time and translate when you want to ask a real question.

Frequently asked questions

Which is the best bazaar in Hurghada?

El Dahar, the old town. It is the original market district and the only place where tourist shopping and everyday local shopping happen in the same streets. The hotel strips have souvenir shops, but not a bazaar.

Can I pay by card in the bazaar?

Rarely in the souk — bring Egyptian pounds in small notes. In Senzo Mall and larger shops, cards are generally accepted.

Is El Dahar safe for tourists in the evening?

It is a busy, normal neighbourhood and families shop there every night. Use ordinary city sense: keep valuables close, avoid empty side streets late at night, and agree on a taxi fare before you get in.

Do I have to buy something if I accept tea?

No. Tea is hospitality. But if you make an offer and the seller accepts it, you are expected to buy.

Are the brand clothes in the market real?

No. Famous logos in the souk are copies. For genuine brands, use the mall; for good, plain Egyptian cotton basics, the bazaar is fine.

The short version: go in the evening, dress for a neighbourhood rather than a beach, decide what something is worth before you ask, and leave the coral and the "antiques" where they are. If you want a second opinion on a price or a shop, send us a message — that is part of what we are here for.

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