JEDDAH: Seasonal peddlers who sell special Ramadan food items are competing for stalls in distinctive locations assigned by municipal officials.
“The sellers of food items which are usually linked to Ramadan — sambousa, chopped liver, balilah, subiya and others — are fighting to obtain strategic places to do their business,” said Bashir bin Mustapha Abu Najm, director of the department in charge of licenses and control at the municipality.
He said the municipality usually prefers to rent such places to widows, divorcees and low-income citizens to help them meet the rising costs of life.
“The municipality will thoroughly check these places to make sure they are abiding by health regulations aimed at preserving the safety of consumers,” Abu Najm said.
He said teams from the municipality would inspect the warehouses where foodstuffs are stored and the kitchens where they are cooked to make sure they are hygienic and safe for human use.
Muhammad Al-Jihani, who sells subiya from a stall during Ramadan, said he faced “harsh competition” to keep the same space he uses each year.
Al-Jihani now sells subiya more as a tradition, while using the stall to market other Ramadan fare along with the special Ramadan beverage.
Ismail Zaki said months before the advent of Ramadan he and his sons work to secure their space from the municipality.
In Quwaizah district in the northeast of Jeddah, more than 50 citizens and expatriates establish their temporary shops in the Ramadan market. The same pattern is followed in other areas of the city.
