Typical Sunday Bazaar

A day of leisure at a bazaar...Grateful!...found cute smock dresses, kids pajamas, washable sanitary pads and other eco friendly home made products. I think bazaars in other countries offer things at really bargain price, I mean much cheaper, compared to bazaars in Malaysia. Things like home made handicrafts, orange or lemonade stands, spices and vintage things are in abundance. I love watching the street scene, merchants bargaining with buyers,and when you are tired of typical Malaysian food, you might consider eating at those open courtyard bazaars. Everything is so colourful, so vibrant.

One of the more famous souqs or bazaars would be the Souq al Hamidiyah in Syria. The bazaar is located in the old walled city of Damascus. This is a must visit bazaar, if you ever get to travel to Syria. It is the largest and oldest bazaar in the world, it dates back to 1863, during the Ottoman ruler Sultan Abdul-Hamid, after whom the souq was called.

Souq al Hamidiyah is covered with high iron vaulting, so old that sun rays filter through it into the darkness of the souq. The shops here sell just about anything and everything, from tissues to leather-work, from sweets and ice-cream to exquisite handmade brocades, mosaic, and copper inlaid with silver, everyday wear to wedding dresses.

This bazaar consists of three interconnecting souks; Souq Midhat Basha, Souq al Harir and Souq al Bzourieh. Souq Midhat Basha, or the Long Souq stand stands built around 1878 above the Roman 'Street Called Straight' which used to traverse the city from Bab al-Jabieh to Bab Sharqi, and runs parallel to Souk al Hamidiyah, with numerous side-souqs separating them.

The entrance of Souq al Harir is at the end of souq al Hamidiyah just outside the Omayyad Mosque. The shops here are filled with local embroidered clothes, perfume essence, and tailoring and sewing needs.Here, too, a number of old khans have been converted into shops, best known for their cloaks, capes, mantles, shawls, and galabiya'.

Souq Al Bzourieh extends between Souq Midhat Pasha and the Omayyad Mosque and is famous for its quaint little fruit, medicinal herbs and confectionery.  In the middle of this souq you will also find those public baths similar to Turkish Hamam which has been in continuous use from the twelfth century.

It took me two whole days and I still feel that I have not really covered the whole bazaar. My first trip to Souq al Hamidiyah was in August 2009. I hope it won't be my last. (See my Syria album if you are my Facebook friend)