I hardly even know where to begin talking about Aleppo's souk. I've been told it is one of the most authentic of Syria's (or even the Middle East's) souks, and has 12km of narrow streets comprising the whole of the market. Within that massive expanse, there are thousands of tiny stalls, each selling a very specific item. What struck me most of all is that this is actually where people do their shopping, and you can find everything there. The concept of the supermarket as we know it does not really exist in Syria, and people comes to the souks to buy their food, as well as anything else you could want. The souk itself dates back to the 13th century, and remains largely unchanged.
I stepped out of the hotel, and turned the corner into one of the main paths through the souk, only to run very abruptly and hard into the face of a donkey. He stood there looking at me, completely unfazed. I think it was at that exact moment, standing face to face with this donkey, that it really started to sink in that I am actually wandering around in SYRIA. Oh my.
The vendors are grouped by the item they sell. My favorite area
was definitely the spice vendors. The smells are amazing.
The meat vendors probably have the most dramatic section of the souk.
Especially this camel head.
This man sells a drink from the container on his back.
He carries glasses in a belt around his waist, and pours the drink by
leaning to the side. (Theocharis, if you're reading this,
I understand what you meant now.)
Women's fashion here baffles me.
But this baffles me even more.
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