JEDDAH: The Khan Al-Khalili bazaar, originally built in 1392 AD and rebuilt 130 years later, is the oldest bazaar in Cairo and is as important to local trade and Egyptian livelihood as ever. It is coming to Jeddah as one part of a souk. The other part is dedicated to Andalusia.
The composite souk, a SR40 million extension of the new Red Sea Mall on the Corniche, will become fully operational on March 5.
In the Khan Al-Khalili, one is struck by the juxtaposition of the old and the new. Many artisans still work in traditional crafts of sewing, carving, weaving tapestries, and hammering out beautiful brass and copper items. However, most merchants have taken to selling the manufactured goods of modern society. Nonetheless, the Khan is the quintessential oriental bazaar.
“And that is what is being replicated here,” Abdulrahman R. Addas, board director of Red Sea Markets Company Ltd., told a press conference on Tuesday night.
Al-Andalus was the region of Islamic cultural dominance that included southern Spain and was part of the Umayyad Caliphate (which included northwestern Africa).
This influence endured — especially in southern Spain — through most of the Middle Ages and today remnants of this high culture are found throughout southern Spain, which is called Andalusia.
The Khan will have 53 outlets and the Andalusia part will have 40 others.
The two new sections of the mall hold a magnificent architectural finish, allowing the visitors a walk through Muslim history and culture.
Antiques, garments, mattresses, carpets, souvenirs, silverware, handicrafts and ancient coins, as well as restaurants and cafes will add to the signatures of Arab authenticity and arouse nostalgia, said Sulaiman M. Al-Kelani, the mall’s general manager.
“We aim to leave a mark in this new world of shopping through the establishment of the new composite souk,” Al-Kelani said. The souk provides a fitting ambiance reflecting the heritage of the two cultures.
The regions of Khan Al-Khalili and Andalusia are structurally designed to provide a comfortable freedom of movement for the shoppers, allowing easy access for visitors to walk through the lanes while shopping and at the same time experiencing the era of ancient Andalusia and the Egyptian civilization.
