Malls threaten kingdom's 140-year-old souk

Jeddah Souq Al Badu, one of the best-known traditional markets in Jeddah, is struggling to survive because of fierce competition from the city's large, modern malls.

Located near the Bab Makkah Gate, the market is approximately 140-year-old and parts of it have been restored by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities.

It sells all kinds of Bedouin delicacies like Arabian coffee, cardamom, saffron and ginger, as well as souvenirs and more.

In fact, the market derives it's name from the Bedouin goods in which it specialises and it's these that make it unique, although they're in lesser supply than they used to be.

Bedouin women's dresses are sold in the women's tailoring shops and there are a number of stalls which specialise in polishing gold and silver — a service that's continued because of the demand amongst foreigners for old souvenirs used in marriages in some regions of the Kingdom.

In the past, it attracted farmers who came from Makkah to sell grains, dates and other crops, as well as textiles.

The market used to open after the dawn (Fajr) prayer and close before the sunset (Maghrib) prayer.

Buying and selling used to be carried out using the silver riyal and the gold pound, both of which were kept in boxes called ‘Al Manaqeel'.

Traders used to carry these heavy boxes home when they finished work and several of them have, in recent times, been discovered in old houses in Jeddah.

Many of the Souq Al Badu shops have changed.

The old shops were built of stone and had lower rooves than their modern counterparts.

Old traders

Some were used by coppersmiths who used to make or apply plating to utensils, coffee pots and sauce pans.

On another side of the market, there were several shops for silversmiths who made jewellery. Only a few of the souq's old traders still survive. They and their sons work to safeguard the shops of their forefathers and ensure the traditional market continues.

Now, most workers in the market are Asian and what were once the homes of old families in Al Mazloom District now serve as warehouses or residences for these workers.

The shops where once one would smell coffee, cardamom and cloves and hear the rhythmical banging of hammers and chisels used by coppersmiths and silversmiths are now gone.

It may have gone but Souq Al Badu still holds a special place in the heart of the residents of Jeddah.

Despite efforts to revive Jeddah's Souq Al Badu in view of its historical importance, the traditional