Wekalet El-Balah
"Ta3ala bos, be 7'amsa we nos" or
"come and see, costs 5.5 pounds"...Once you enter that "souk" or "Dates market, you start hearing sellers "advertising" for their goods in
their own rhythm! What is the story of this market and how did it get
that name and how does it look like?
As a start, Dates market is a very famous old market located in
Cairo. It obtained its name because in the past, this place was an area
for trading dates because of its unique location which is overseeing
the River Nile and so close to "Rod El Farag"
market of fruits and vegetables. Long time ago, ships used to sail from
the southern area of Egypt loaded with dates to be sold at the dates
market, or maybe use this area as a storage point before shipping to
another port.
In addition, ships used to arrive loaded with huge amounts of
clothes from different parts of the world, especially Europe. These
items were sold once more as used items for very low prices which
accordingly attracted lot of people all over Egypt; hence, this market
started expanding and adding new selling items later on.
Furthermore, once you enter this market, you find a long narrow
street with shops on each side and sellers with no shops as well. Once
you start asking about prices, you will find that a price varies
according to the location of the shop, and above all the appearance of
the buyer! At the end of this street, you would find several branches
leading to much narrower lanes with more sellers. This specific area is
specialized with cloths, clothes.
On the other hand, when you turn to the other side, you would find
another sector for items which is car spare parts and of all car brands
as well. This sector is very systematic; brands are divided upon
sellers that you can never miss any item you are asking about.
Moreover, another sector at this market is located on the other side
and is specialized in selling textiles of huge varieties and prices in
the same time. Seller may sell to individuals or even to other
merchants.
The last sector in the Dates market is the fruits and vegetables
market, which is stuffed with lot of people, lot of gestures. One of
the most outstanding features of this market is the people themselves;
it is a community on its own. It is always crowded, always busy, always
full of goods, always full of stories....
