Souq Al Zel riyadh

Souk al-Zal is located in the south of the city, in old Riyadh. 

The name literally means ‘the carpet market’

 – or more precisely, ‘the handmade-rug-that-covers-only-part-of-the-floor market’. 

These are the typical rugs you think of when you picture a Middle-Eastern house – geometric patterns, rich colours, high-quality threads.

Perfume is an important element of Arab culture.

 The most prized scents come from oud, aka bakhour, a tree indigenous to the Far East.

Oud comes from a tree growing in South-East Asia, usually Indonesia or Cambodia. 

You can buy it in two forms; woodchips, or bottled liquid.

 To burn the chips, you’ll want a mubhara (burner), and some faham (charcoal).

Don’t expect a bargain: 

you’ll pay upwards of 200SAR for a tiny 80 gm bottle of the liquid, at least 400SAR  for 200 gm of the chips, and 40-100SAR  for the mubhara (burner).

 With price comes quality, though – the heavy-scented smoke will stay in your clothes for days.

Tip: ask if the oud chips are real or synthetic. 

They look very similar to the untrained eye.

You’ll find many handmade rugs in the souk.

 Most are from Saudi Arabia or Iran, but you can also find imports from Afghanistan and Kashmir. 

Skilled merchants can identify a carpet’s country of origin just by looking at the pattern and material.

The Iranian and Kashmiri rugs are the highest quality.

 The Saudi carpets are usually made from wool, while the Iranian weave uses silk or a silk/wool blend.

 On the floor of one shop was a sixty-year-old Iranian carpet, still going strong. 

Quality lasts.

Prices start around 600SAR  and escalate rapidly in proportion to quality and size.

There are a s-daggering number of swords in the souk

 (sorry, couldn’t resist).

 Known as ‘saif’, the longer ones (pictured) are used for the ardha,

 a traditional Saudi sword dance (see video below).

 Some are newly-made, but you can find antiques too.

In the carpet-shops you’ll also find cushions, blankets, wall-hangings, and other woven goods in a variety of patterns and colours.

Another popular upholstered item is the markha, an oblong armrest you’ll see in every Arab’s majlis (sitting room). 

Arab people love to recline against these, or even use them as a tray for cups of tea and coffee. 

And they’re not all for people 

– I found a Yemeni markha for a camel!