Aleppo’s Souq

Warning – this entry is not for the faint of heart! I’m finally getting around to writing about our December trip to Aleppo, and I will start by describing the souq, or the main market. Aleppo has been a place of commerce and trade since Roman times, prominent for its position along overland trade routes. Today most of this trade has moved to the sea (especially the Suez Canal), but Aleppo’s modern culture has been influenced by its cosmopolitan past. Its current local industries include cotton-printing, silk-weaving, and soap making. Products from the local area include wool, hides, dried fruits, and pistachios (for which Aleppo is famous).

The wonderful thing about Aleppo’s souq is that it’s not just for tourists; local housewives still come here to shop for everything from safety pins to cuts of camel meat. As you wander you find a labyrinth of small alleys, each with its own specialty. The butcher’s section is grisly, with stacks of heads piled on top of each other and various dead animals hanging up in the windows. The gold section sparkles with window after window of glittering jewelry. The spice vendors pride themselves on their artful displays. And one of the oddest things we saw was an entire section of stores selling what looked like wedding/first communion dresses for little girls.

We had great fun bartering in the souq for a multicolored scarf which I fancied. It took a while until I was able to get an acceptable price, but it’s so satisfying when you finally do. The bartering itself is like a game between the shopkeeper and the customer, where each has to pretend that his/her pride would be mortally wounded to accept such an offer!

One of the great lines we heard while walking through the souq was, “Where you from? Oh, you’re American? Well, nobody’s perfect!”