Kerdasa

Kerdasa is a large town in Giza Governorate on the western edge of Greater Cairo, not far from the Giza Pyramids. It is best known as a centre of Egyptian hand-made textiles: for centuries local craftsmen wove textiles that were traded along overland routes toward Libya via the Siwa Oasis, and the town's women became known for producing beaded and embroidered panels for the galabiya (the traditional long gown), with bright colours and large motifs, some drawing on ancient Egyptian design patterns. Parliamentarian Mahmoud Pasha Fahmi al-Makkawi, who came from Kerdasa, founded the Cooperative Association for the Textile Industry there in 1943, and the town grew to host hundreds of small textile workshops alongside larger factories built after the 1952 revolution — an industry that remains central to the local economy today.

Kerdasa lies on the western edge of Greater Cairo, close to Giza and reachable by road from central Cairo and from the Giza Pyramids area.

Kerdasa's textile workshops and market streets, where hand-woven carpets, wall hangings, and embroidered galabiya panels are made and sold, are the town's main draw.

Kerdasa is one of Egypt's best-known centres for hand-made carpets, woven textiles, and embroidered galabiya (traditional long gowns), produced by both home workshops and larger factories.

• Giza — home of the Pyramids and the Sphinx, a short trip away
• Cairo — Egypt's capital and the wider Greater Cairo region