All addresses
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.



