www.yementimes.com The old city of Sana’a comprises some forty small popular markets with a unique character that can hardly be found across the Arab region. Within it, there are about 33 caravanserais known locally as “Samsaraâ€, which had a significant role when Sana’a used to lie on the route of trade in the old world. These Samsaras were used as inns for travelers (especially merchants) to sleep in along with their beasts of burden. However, the fame of Sana’a markets is ascribed to its handicrafts and the trading of popular stuff such as raisins and world-class Yemeni coffee.
There is some sort of regularity in the distribution of handicrafts in the city. Each market is concerned with one particular handicraft. For example, there are souks for agate, silverware, fabrics, raisins, etc. And each market has a chief who has a status among other fellowmen giving them his advise and is referred to at times of dispute. He may also give his opinion on the type of matters of the craft of his market. He used to distribute raw materials and products and his responsibilities continued until the 1962 Revolution.
In his writing about Sana’a markets, French writer Frank Mermeir said that post-Revolution Sana’a was no longer “the economic orbit of the city.†This he attributed to enhancement of Yemeni economy’s relations with the international markets. The phenomenon of one specific craft being conducted in one place began to change. He went on saying that this was a move and activity that proceeded with very high tensions, due to one demographic factor: the internal immigration from the rural regions of the country. This factor produced great impacts on Sana’a market, one of which had been the influx of several numbers of new craftsmen and businessmen to this market.
However, there were no noticeable changes that occurred on the structure of the personnel working in Sana’a market, except for the tailoring craftsmanship, although a good number of tailors remained in “Aqeel marketâ€.
The situation of the market was greatly changed with the coming in of new traders who are originally from the rural areas. These have become noticeable in the fabric market and the imported leatherware market. Those two specialized markets selling items with connection to the traditional life have remained unchanged because their production needs specific abilities and is associated with particular traditional pattern gained only by means of long experience in this activity. Such markets include “al Mi’tarah Souk†which continued to be monopolized by original merchants and was closed to traders from rural areas.
Still, certain handicraft markets, such as threads, belts and hookahs had been changed into shops promoting imported products. While others remained of a mere symbolic existence only e.g. the markets of the weavers, stoves and head-turbans. Others, such as those of tailors, carpenters, goldsmiths and daggers contain the bulk of the bustling shops. They, however, are subject to the new economic conditions that posted themselves in post-revolution Yemen. |
