Gulf | Kuwait

Kuwaitis sad over historic loss after market fire

Marketplace was started in the early decades of 20th century

  • Gulf News Report
  • Published: 15:00 January 2, 2013
  • Gulf News

Souq Al Hareem
  • Image Credit: Supplied picture
  • An undated picture of Souq Al Hareem in Kuwait.
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Dubai: Kuwaitis were mourning the tragic fire that severely damaged this historic marketplace.

Souq Al Mubarikiya is an old Kuwaiti market that sells traditional clothes, accessories, kitchenware, fruit, fish and several other stuff, and is a must-see for residents and visitors. The décor reflects the old architecture of the Gulf area and the shops are traditional and old-fashioned.

Souq Al Hareem (Women’s Market in Arabic) within Souq Al Mubarikiya offers invaluable insights into the local culture and old trade traditions.

Historians say that the souq was started in the early 20th century by “amateur traders”, mainly women dressed in traditional clothes, who sat cross-legged on cushions or on stools to sell home-made items or food stuff.

These included henna, traditional eyeliners, accessories for women, bright clothes, kitchenware, soap, locks, wheat, eggs and rice. Bedouin girls getting ready to get married were reportedly among the most eager clients in the souq.

In October, His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on an official visit to Kuwait to attend the Asia conference made an unannounced tour of Al Mubarikiya Suq.

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