Aswan souk | Aswan Old Market

Aswan Souk or "Aswan local market" is is the ideal place to hunt for souvenirs and a wide variety of Egyptian and African goods. It is locally known as "Sharia as-Souq".

The market is located in the centre of the town, north of Aswan international airport, it takes 30 minutes to reach it by car, and 5 minutes from Aswan Railway station, about four blocks from the Nile and running about seven blocks in parallel to the river. Feel the local life and traditions at Aswan Market, lengthening along a 3 km street. 

Local Traders sells a wide set of goods like spices and fruits, and you can find all the types & details of these products below:

1-  Egyptian Karkade or Hibiscus Iced Tea: It is a herbal tea made from the infusion of crimson or deep magenta calyces of roselle flower. You can drink it both hot and cold. It has a cranberry-like flavour.

2- saffron: a powerful spice high in antioxidants

3-  bergamot: An organic product from the tropical citrus "Bergamia plant". Far-reaching all through the Mediterranean nations, the natural product is the size of an orange, yet comparable in shading to lime, some types are yellowish in colour, contingent upon the ripeness. Like different citrus natural products, bergamot has a powerful aroma and flavour. Bergamot is ordinarily utilized in fragrant healing to lift the state of mind and mitigate pressure, bergamot oil is said to have properties like grapefruit organic oil in that it is disinfectant, antispasmodic, and pain-relieving (torment calming). A few professionals will add bergamot oil to the water for use as a wellbeing tonic.

4- Nutmeg: the seed or ground spice of several types of the genus Myristica. Myristica fragrans is a black leaved evergreen tree provide two flavours of natural products which is the nutmeg, from its seed, and mace, from the seed, covering. Nutmeg is found to have medical & health benefits, including its ability to ease pain, soothe nausea, increase cognitive function, detoxify the body, skin health, relieve oral conditions, decrease insomnia, improve immune system functions, prevent leukaemia, and enhance blood circulation.

5-  henna powder: Henna has been used since ages to colour skin, fingernails & hair as well as textiles including wool, leather & silk. 

Henna was used in the Indian subcontinent, Arabian Peninsula, Middle East & other parts of North Africa. The same name is used in other hair & skin dyes, such as neutral henna &  black henna. But they are not obtained from the henna plant. Nevertheless, you could also find it in the market.

Inside lanes, you'll find merchants selling Nubian artefacts like talismans for good luck, skullcaps, colourful wooden baskets, Sudanese sword and carpets, and stuffed animals like crocodiles. You could find dehydrated hibiscus flowers, T-shirts, spices, Ancient Egyptian styled souvenirs, traditional galebeyas  (Egyptian robes), silverware and fabrics. Aswan is also well known for the quality of its peanuts or "fuul sudani".

Nubian needlework also makes a wonderful and unique gift. They are really hard to find anywhere else in Egypt, so don't miss the chance.