Searching for Authenticity

Today we decided to wander the extensive market area & look for amulets & textiles. Real ones, not touristy stuff. Once again we braced ourselves to run the gauntlet of touts offering us taxi, horse & carriage & falucca rides. It is exhausting! We had a decent walk down the corniche then crossed the road & plunged into the town proper! It didn't take long to find the souk & for much of it we were clearly the only tourists around, so EVERYBODY wanted us to look in their shop! One man said, "I don't know what you want, but i got it in my shop", another tried, "please, I pay you money to look in my shop". I had a hint of the handworked textiles I was hoping to find, when I came across a dress covered in embroidery & buttons as the bedouin wear for weddings. I was told there was more...in I went, lamb that I am, & was shown a face veil, told it was antique & then had it put on me! Well it certainly had enough old dust in it to start me coughing & wheezing, but on close inspection, it may have consisted of some older components, but it certainly had very modern, plastic beads on it. It had clearly been 'reworked'! The dresses that I came across were similarly patched together. Seemingly beautiful hand embroidery , but clearly not worked on the synthetic fabric of the dresses they APPEARED to belong to. I also found examples where embroidery had clearly been cut from whence it had originated, as patterns had been cut through. As for amulets, they don't know this word here & when I explain good luck charms, they show me the mass produced eye of horus, which they expect all tourists want. To be fair, I have seen very little evidence of talisman use here in Egypt so far. The only place has been on the cabs of the horse & carriages. Perhaps they have them mass produced for their own use?? Quite different to Istanbul, where nearly every house & business had a protective eye on it somewhere. Not even in the 'local' section of the market did i have success. It was very disappointing...but not without interest. We were overwhelmed by the beautiful fruit & vege displayed & particularly enamored with the white aubergine! Lunch was at a Lonely Planet favorite, Panorama, & as we tucked into a delicious meal, we enjoyed looking at the genuine woven & beaded textiles adorning the wall. All collected over a period of years, & NOT for sale, but very authentic!!!