Oddbean

I went to the Khan el-Khalili bazaar today. It’s a bazaar that was established 600+ years ago in Cairo and continues to this day. Some of the architecture in and around the bazaar dates back that far as well. The merchants sell all sorts of stuff, and there are also cafes/restaurants in there. The famous Al-Hussein mosque is right next to it, so during the call to prayer several times per day, many of the merchants will go in and do their prayer there. There are also a ton of stray cats, stray dogs, and beggars in the bazaar. The bazaar has a mix of good stuff and lame stuff for sale. A sad thing in Egypt is that a lot of trinkets for tourists are cheap made-in-China objects. Eg if you buy a little metal pyramid keychain, or a little metal statue of an Egyptian god, it’s likely made in China. Within the bazaar, a general rule of thumb is that metal stuff directed at tourists is mostly made in China, while textiles, stone, and ceramic objects are likely of Egyptian origin. A large part of the bazaar caters to tourists, but there are also some subset of shops geared more toward locals. https://image.nostr.build/e12970df05304cabe89af00028645c2e1d34f89d443e05fc680b2cff286efcef.jpg https://image.nostr.build/4e4494aaef798c6c68a75fe1e9ea34a4ca11c4f692d48cfbf02bd3a705144ac5.jpg https://image.nostr.build/3055b86d83004a3b36c6d2d2b5070bd08cfc0f66728a3ca1e36f4eb09b742c1e.jpg https://image.nostr.build/b76fb6933519a6a41fb6422ea6c90acbf0054f49ef1cbdeb846c5a638fc5e25d.jpg

Architecture like this is phenomenal. I often wonder if capitalism has reduced this beauty and faceless functionalism is the order of the day. What’s the best building made since 2000 for example? Second, I always wish when traveling that there were things aimed at tourists but were local, high quality, and had a certain uniqueness and local importance to them. I’d be first in line. I guess with the same concept of free market capitalism not many other people want this (or it’s less profitable) otherwise the market would have closed the gap around this need.

Agree. However I also think some people really like it. You even see that in personal design choices for many homes. People love a shinny glass and modernist kitchen for example. My friends prefer to live in a modernist flat rather than a house. Guess it’s all just different strokes for different folks.

I found a similar thing in Fiji (I guess it's the same anywhere): shops in the centre of town that are run by Indians sell goods amde by Fijians with a markup. Then when I was walking around the small village near my accommodation I found villagers selling the exact same items. No point going to tourist spots to buy souvenirs anymore.