In Cairo, you may occasionally notice a figure moving slowly through crowded streets, cafés, and markets, surrounded by soft spirals of fragrant smoke.

This person is known as a mubakharati (مبخراتي)—literally, “the one who fumigates with incense.”

Sometimes considered a kind of “street beggar“ as I’ve been told, a mubakharati arrives with a distinctly ritualistic tone. What they offer seems less like a service and more like a fleeting spiritual encounter rooted in long-standing traditions.

Practice

Their practice is called tabkhir (تبخير)—ritual fumigation believed to cleanse a person or space from the evil eye, negative energy. Many also associate it with attracting good fortune, and blessing a journey ahead.

A mubakharati typically carries a small metal incense burner, shaped like a hanging pot with a handle so it can be gently swung while walking. Inside, glowing charcoal heats aromatic substances such as frankincense—a resin with a deep, almost temple-like scent—myrrh, or bakhour, a fragrant blend of wood chips infused with oils.

The smell is dense, sweet, and smoky—you often sense it before you see the person coming. As the burner moves, the smoke rises upward in soft circular patterns, forming delicate geometric shapes in the air. The visual effect is intentional and at some point sacred, wordlessly drawing attention.

Often, the charcoal comes from nearby shisha cafés. Café owners may offer small pieces of coal and sometimes 5–10 Egyptian pounds as a gesture of support—and because the incense leaves the space smelling pleasant. There is an unspoken understanding that many mubakharati rely on these small acts of community generosity to survive.

It is important to understand that this practice is not an official Islamic ritual, but rather a form of folk spirituality shaped by cultural memory and shared belief.

The mubakharati usually does not perform a full recitation of the Quran. Instead, they rely on short, familiar religious phrases, blessings, and duas. Sometimes they recite the opening lines of widely recognized passages, most often verses associated with protection. Other times their delivers the duas in his own words.

Among the phrases you might hear are lines from Al-Fatiha, the opening chapter known to nearly all Muslims, or Ayat al-Kursi, a verse commonly connected with safety and divine protection.

Prayers Shaped Around Your Life

What makes the encounter feel personal is the adaptability of the prayer. Mubakharati often tailor their words to whatever concern is voiced in the moment.

Someone might say, “I feel pain here,” and receive a prayer for health. Another might whisper a wish for pregnancy, and the blessing shifts toward fertility and hope. Those carrying grief may ask for mercy for someone who has passed away. People in distress sometimes speak their needs openly—and the mubakharati listens. They tend to be expressive and persuasive speakers, capable of creating a sense of emotional connection that makes their prayer feel intimate and meant specifically for you.

There is no fixed price for this interaction. You may give any amount that is appropriate, depending on the moment and your experience. Even a small contribution is acceptable if you did not feel particularly like it. Still, offering something is widely seen as a respectful gesture in Egypt—not only toward the person, but toward the ritual itself. And it is acceptable to decline in the beginning. A polite refusal is enough; no explanation is required. A mubakharati will simply move forward—there is always more street ahead of them, more people to pass, more prayers to offer—the smoke dissolving behind him as the rhythm of the street resumes.

Where to Find Them

In areas such as Khan el-Khalili, it is common to see several mubakharati passing by throughout the day, weaving between tourists and locals alike. They are more frequently found in lower-income neighborhoods, where communities often remain closely connected to traditional philosophies and spiritual practices. In places shaped by economic hardship, belief in blessings and intangible protection can carry particular meaning.

You may also encounter them in tourist districts, where curiosity and openness make visitors receptive to symbolic experiences. They are passersby by nature, walking through cafés, stopping near shop entrances, moving across markets—anywhere people gather. If someone shows interest, mubakharati pause; if not, they continue on their path.

A Moving Ritual

The mubakharati gently rotates the incense burner so the smoke spreads in widening circles, enveloping the air. The rising scent becomes part of the street itself again, briefly transforming an ordinary moment into something almost ceremonial.

They move through the streets almost like pilgrims, carrying prayers and fragrant smoke with them. Sometimes they pause, but they are always on their way—slowly moving forward, swinging a burner in their hand, as if turning luck itself through the air.