Silk Shop Damascus Souk

Hamadiya Souk in Damascus, Syria 2011

In 2011, the Hamadiya souk boasted luxury items like these silks. You could find brightly colored  high-heeled shoes decorated with rhinestones, poufy ball gowns, like the ones we wore to the prom back  in the day, eye-popping displays of wild and provocative lingerie and of course, gold jewelry glowing in spot lit cases.  Anything and everything was available. The Hamadiya souk has been famous since Roman times.

Learning the Business

Mardin, Turkey 2009: The Copper Shop

This kind of shop interests me more than the fancy apparel shops. I can always find something to buy here. I noticed that the Turks used a copper cup and a small ladle to drink a foamy, liquid yogurt. I’d never seen those copper cups before and I wanted at least one. I bought it from this young man who ran the shop in the owner’s absence. It must be hard for a boy to sit and wait for customers. I’m sure he’d tell his friends to come and visit him while he worked to help the time pass.

Gnaoua men at the Rissani souk.

Rissani, Morocco

Rissani was once called Sijillmassa and was the destination for caravans from the east. It was an important Islamic center as well as a center of commerce. It was here that the goods from the caravans were sent on to the great souks of Marrakesh, Fes and Casablanca.

Rissani is a small, country town but the souk is a busy one. Three days a week farmers bring produce and animals to market and the souk is filled with men. Women shop as well, but mostly they sit facing a wall, covered with the hijab as they learn the latest gossip. Horse drawn wagons bring loads of women to the market. The man of the family drives the wagon and the women sit hunched on the wagon bed. Hidden in black they look out on the market with one eye, but they see everything.