Monday, June 2, 2008

SOUQ-AL-GOMA'A

I visited the Souq-al-Goma’a (Friday market) this Friday -the equivalent of “Chor Bazaar” in Bombay,India. “Chor”, which literally means a “robber” best characterizes the “Chor Bazaar” since it is a place where the stolen items find a ready market. The Souq-al-Goma’a has a similar reputation. In fact, when my driver informed our bawaab that he would be taking us to the souq-al-goma’a the following day, he wanted to accompany us to find his bicycle which had been stolen some days back! But of course, even if he was lucky enough to actually find his bicycle there, he would have to buy it back!

The Souq-al-Goma’a sprawls for miles under the Al-Tonssy flyover-anything and everything can be found here. It is quite intimidating to walk through this market; definitely a predominantly male domain. Our driver had accompanied hubby and me into the market and he kept warning us to keep a tight hold on our wallets and mobiles. In fact, when I wanted to take some snaps, our driver advised us to click pictures from the safety of the bridge. Though we did not linger long, it was nevertheless a fascinating experience-to see everything form a small pin to mobiles, plastic ware, clothes etc sold here. Sometimes, we even came across some broken and old items and I wondered if anyone actually buys them! Apparently, the right time to visit the market is early in the morning-the vendors actually start laying out their wares the evening before and the buyers start pouring in from early morning.

Check out some of the pics!



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