JEDDAH, 15 June 2007 — Street vendors have congregated in front of or near mosques since time immemorial, but in the day and age of urban development and snarling traffic many people complain that these informal markets are a little too informal.
Zahir Al-Nadri, resident of Jeddah’s Ghulail district, says that when he drives to prayer he parks at least two blocks away thanks to the bazaar that sets up at the entrance to his mosque. “I wish they would at least be regulated — or less concentrated,” he said.
Many people, especially in southern Jeddah, share Al-Nadri’s views about what they perceive as a mad rush of vendors that collect around mosques, especially in the sunset (maghreb) and evening (isha) prayers. After Friday’s sermon is also a popular time for the merchants to pitch their product to the pious.
“I tend to linger inside the mosque after prayer to avoid the congestion caused by the bazaar,” said Misfer Al-Zahrani, a resident of Jeddah’s southern Al-Nuzlah area, who attends prayers at the Al-Amir Mansour Mosque in his neighborhood.
Indeed, anyone who has seen a mosque in Jeddah (and many other places) after prayer has likely seen these impromptu street markets that set up. The most common product is produce, usually sold by South Asian expatriates. Other goods can often be found there, too, such as perfumes, toys, sandals and clothing.
Some of the salesmen spread out their products near the shelves at the entrance to the mosque where the devout deposit their shoes and sandals, causing a bottleneck of barefoot worshippers crowding to retrieve their soles.
Mahmoud Kinsarah, head of the licensing department of the Jeddah Municipality, said that the city is preparing a campaign to crack down on illegal street commerce. According to regulations, street commerce is legal but requires a license and, if food is involved, a health certificate. Officially, street vendors are supposed to be Saudi nationals — a move by authorities to promote employment among its citizens. In practice, however, very few street merchants are home grown.
The campaign is an effort in part to eradicate the sale of expired foodstuffs. Kinsarah said the municipality would like to see a considerably more organized system for street commerce across the city, especially in Jeddah’s historic center where street commerce thrives.
Considering the long tradition of merchants hovering around mosques to sell to the devout, some Jeddah residents are more sympathetic to the vendors. And most expressed a desire to see the street commerce more organized rather than eliminated.
Saleh Basaleem, resident of Jeddah’s Madain Al-Fahad District, said though it becomes annoying at times to come out of the mosque with all the congestions caused by street vendors, he sees nothing fundamentally wrong with somebody earning an honest riyal.
“I pity them, because they are trying to earn a decent living instead of being criminals or dealers of illegal things,” he said.
