ON one of Jeddah’s main streets — Sitteen in fact — between different apparel shops and restaurants there is a unique antique shop that stands on its own to narrate the stories of the past.
Wadi Al-Shuara or The Poets’ Valley is a shop decorated simply with different antique lanterns, the same kind which were used in the past in to decorate Jeddah’s streets. When standing in front of the shop, one might be attracted to a world of antiques — lanterns, radios, clothes, swords, manuscripts and old photographs and posters. A variety of antiques are placed randomly in the shop, allowing the visitor to inquire and learn about the deeply rooted history of each antique.
Though the shop is located far away from the main antique shops near the old airport, it provides the same experience for its visitors. Wadi Al-Shuara is owned by Rashash Abdullah Al-Zahrani. He inherited the craft or the ‘hobby’ as he likes to call it from his father who owns a shop across from the old airport. Pointing at the different antiques in his shop, Al-Zahrani said, “I learned to love collecting antiques from my father who toured the Kingdom looking for what is special and unique.”
Describing an antique sign, which had both Arabic and French handwriting on it, he explained, “I bought this sign from a Syrian trader; it is an important sign that points to where a daya (midwife) is located. It stresses the importance of a job that we only hear about from our mothers.” Their job today is done by gynecologists of both sexes but once it was an occupation restricted to women. However Al-Zahrani said that this sign is not the oddest one that he has, “there is also the equipment used to prepare cotton, the wooden camera, the iron that uses coal, old-fashioned women’s dresses, and the small bed that women used to place their children in.” Among the special items in the shop is a rounded object made of iron with an iron net on it and a holder. According to Al-Zahrani in the past it was used to warn against wars or flood.
The shop also has a collection of old igals (traditional Saudi head wear) that have verses of the Holy Qur’an written on them. The shop also has pictures of King Abdul Aziz, President Gamal Abdul Nasser and King Farouk of Egypt. Other pictures show the Two Holy Mosques in the past and certificates that were presented to pilgrims to prove that they had performed Haj.
In another corner of the shop there are newspapers dating back 70 years. Al-Ahram, Al-Nadwa, and Um-Al Qura are among the newspapers. There is also a collection of Qur’an manuscripts written in a decorative style with different colors. One wonders how Al-Zahrani manages to keep these old papers and manuscripts in good condition. He said that he constantly cleaned the manuscripts and handles them with extra care. “I enjoy cleaning and fixing my antiques. Sometimes however I have to get help from a specialist.” Al-Zahrani urges the Higher Authority for Tourism to encourage these kinds of efforts and to open a market for antiques since such a place would introduce many Saudis to their heritage. Al-Zahrani said that foreigners are more aware of these shops than Saudis. Dalia Abdul Hamid, a high school teacher, said, “I was surprised when an American friend of mine told me that there were antique shops near the old airport. The same friend also told me about the Afghan carpet sellers in Hindawiyah. I didn’t know about the shops and when I visited them, I discovered how little I knew about the city I live in.” Al-Zahrani was sad to report that his customers have changed since the terrorist attacks that took place in the Kingdom a few years ago.
“Foreigners used to come in groups every Thursday to check out what was new but things have changed now.” Though he said few foreign customers come now, he has had an increasing crowd of Arab customers visiting his shop. Perhaps this is a sign of growing interest in Arab culture.
