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A hand plucks the strings of an oud, above the carved rosettes of its soundboard.

Cairo · Mohamed Ali street, Cairo

The ahwas of Mohamed Ali street

The street of instrument makers and wedding musicians, and its waiting cafés.

BudgetOff the beaten track

Mohamed Ali is Cairo's musical instrument street: workshops for oud, qanun and percussion, and cafés where musicians wait to be hired for a wedding. You hear playing in the street at any hour, and it is a piece of the city nothing replaces.

The extra bit

Ask to try an oud in a workshop: they hand it over readily, and that is how the street tells itself.

Know before you go

Instrument prices vary enormously with the wood and the maker: compare three workshops before buying.

Directions

Mohamed Ali street (Al-Qalaa), Cairo

Directions

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