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Egypt City Trip

Tanoura Show at Wekalet El Ghoury

The whirling dance in a 16th-century caravanserai

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  • Duration3 hours
  • AvailabilityDaily
  • Languages6 languages
  • PickupHotel pickup included
  • CancellationFree up to 24h

Overview

Most visitors meet the Tanoura as a ten-minute set on a dinner boat. This is where to see it done properly: a full hour and a half by the Egyptian heritage troupe, in the stone courtyard of Wekalet El Ghoury, a caravanserai built in 1504 for merchants arriving with the caravans.

The programme is Sufi in origin rather than theatrical. A group of musicians on ney, oud, tabla and riq play the maqams, and the dancers turn continuously in weighted skirts lit from within, changing them mid-spin. The courtyard has stone galleries on four sides and the acoustics of a building designed before amplification.

We collect you, walk you in through the Al-Muizz street entrance, and get you seated early enough for the good places. Performances run most evenings; we confirm the night when you book.

Highlights

  • A full performance, not a ten-minute floor set
  • A Mamluk caravanserai from 1504 as the venue
  • Live ney, oud, tabla and riq
  • A walk down Al-Muizz street on the way in
  • Seated early, in the good part of the courtyard

Itinerary

  1. 17:30

    Hotel pickup

    Collected from your hotel in Cairo or Giza.

  2. 18:30

    Walk in along Al-Muizz

    The Mamluk street, lit and closed to cars in the evening.

  3. 19:00

    Seated in the courtyard

    Early enough for the galleries and the good seats.

  4. 19:30

    The performance

    Ninety minutes of Sufi music and the whirling dance.

  5. 21:00

    Back to your hotel

    Driver waiting at the Al-Azhar end.

What's included

Included

  • Hotel pickup and drop-off in Cairo or Giza
  • Entry and seating at Wekalet El Ghoury
  • A short walk along Al-Muizz street before the show
  • Private air-conditioned vehicle and driver
  • Bottled water

Not included

  • Any extras not mentioned in the itinerary
  • Personal spending and souvenirs
  • Tipping (entirely at your discretion)

Optional extras

Optional add-ons and prices
ExtraPrice
Tea and shisha at El Fishawy afterwards$12per person
Photographer for the evening$60per group

Meeting point & route

Free pickup and drop-off from your hotel, apartment or Nile cruise dock.

Meeting point: Your hotel lobby in the tour city.

Important information

  • Wear comfortable closed shoes — most sites have uneven stone ground.
  • Bring a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen; shade is limited at open-air sites.
  • Modest dress is required for mosques and churches: shoulders and knees covered.
  • Photography is free at most sites; some tombs and museums charge a small camera fee.

Cancellation policy

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start time for a full refund. Cancellations inside 24 hours are non-refundable, but we will always try to move your date instead.

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