JEDDAH, 2 September 2005 — One of Jeddah’s oldest public markets, the Syrian Souk, is about to become one of the city’s newest markets, but Souk Al-Shawam shopkeepers have been told to clear out so that renovations may begin. The municipality negotiated a 20-year, SR8 million lease with an investor who plans to bring the marketplace up to 21st century standards, but some stubborn shopkeepers decided to stay, forcing the municipality to get tough.
Garbage collections have been halted, and the electricity company has shut off power to more than 400 shops at the souk, but many shops aren’t shutting down on schedule.
The trouble started some time ago when public safety and timely payment of rents to the municipality became issues. Shop owners complained to authorities and in court. They assured all safety measures would be improved and the market modified, but the municipality decided a major revamp was in order after the Fire Department complained that the souk was an accident waiting to happen.
Some shop owners have begun packing up their wares and putting them in storage waiting for a deal with the new investor. Some are seeking other souks.
The shop owners say the whole thing is unfair because they’ve already paid for the whole year; others worry they’ll get soaked at the new souk with higher rents. Despite cutting power to the souk and a Fire Department ban on power generators and candles to prevent a blaze, many people continue to visit the souk — maybe because some shop owners have slashed their prices in half.
But now it’s a sad souk as sellers get set to ship their stuff and wonder why they have been forsaken. “I spent seven years in the Syrian Souk,” one salesperson said. “I’ve had many customers here and become friends with workers in other shops. The decision to move from here belongs to the shop owner. If it was my decision, I would not move at all.”
