You won’t see fabric and traditional women’s clothing shops, women sitting on the ground selling incense products, or what is known as “burqas” except in “Bedouin Market. It is one of the most famous markets in the historical area of Jeddah, according to Al Arabiya.
100 years old Archaeological Market
The Bedouin Market, which used to cater to the desires of some desert inhabitants, has now transformed into women’s fabric shops. Therefore, fabrics dominate the market’s storefronts with varying prices depending on the type. Some reaching 15 Riyals per meter and others up to 35 Riyals per meter.
However, the shops selling copper and iron utensils, places for repairing cooking pots, as well as products like oil, honey, local ghee, iqt (a type of cheese) have faded away.
Contrastingly, some of the original sellers don’t frequent the place much nowadays. Instead, their children have taken their place.
‘Our market is popular’
Ahmed Baqees, a fabric seller, shares some secrets of the place. “Our market is popular… we are happy in it,” he said.
For him, the market has become a daily refuge since his youth, and his soul is filled with “unforgettable” memories.
By the afternoon, he arrives at his shop in the Bedouin Market and leaves at 10 pm.
He also expresses his fear of the cultural changes that have imposed themselves on a new generation. Some of this generation, in his opinion, are not interested in heritage.
Driven by the desire to bridge these differences, he ensures that some of his grandchildren come to the shop. “I insist on my grandchildren’s presence to see how our reality was in the past and what it has become now,” he said.
Popular Stalls
Moreover, at the end of the market’s corridor, many women stop at a lady named Umm Hamza, a seller embraced by the place.
She sells “burqas”, aromatic mixtures, and all kinds of incense.
She said: “I had to sell at the stall after my mother’s absence due to health conditions that prevented her from coming for five months. My mother spent about 33 years in the Bedouin Market. She has kept a list of her customers for about 24 years. Some of them now come to the stall with their children and grandchildren”.
However, over the years, the market has lost some of its old character, especially in selling traditional goods. Most of it has turned to selling fabrics.
What is “Bedouin Market”?
Bedouin Market was one of the first stops for those coming from outside the old wall of Jeddah’s historical area a hundred years ago.
Villagers and Bedouins used to come to buy their goods.
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