A coffee at the camel market
In addition to cultural and political salons, Egyptian cafés are also places where people meet
to conduct business. The village of Birqash, about an hour from Cairo, hosts Egypt’s largest camel
market and very early in the morning it welcomes traders and Bedouin camel drivers who arrive from
the most remote areas, their animals in tow.
In most Muslim countries the value of goods is never fixed but is subject to lengthy
bargaining. This is why camel sellers and buyers meet in peaceful places, such as the numerous
cafés dotting the market, in order to haggle over prices.
Alternating sips of coffees and aromatic puffs from a narghile, the transaction – often
interrupted by the opinions of the traders’ respective advisors and even ordinary onlookers –
proceeds for hours. A handshake and a toast with cups of coffee finalises the agreement and the
camels are turned over to their buyer.
Italia
