The Souk Al Zal in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

 

The north end of the souk

I was with a group of tourists walking from Al Masmak Palace (قصر المصمك) through Safa Square (ساحة الصفاة) to Souk Al Zal (سوق الزل). Safa Square is also called Deera Square (ساحة الديرة) [1]. As we walked by, we saw some women performing their midday prayer. On the north side of the square is the General Presidency of the Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (فرع الرئاسة العامة لهيئة الأمر بالمعروف والنهي عن المنكر) [2]. Punishments were carried out there in the past. But one thing at a time.

The Al Masmak Palace, also called Masmak Fortress or Masmak Fort, was built with mud bricks and clay, planned in 1865 [3]. It was the site of the Battle of Riyadh in 1902. But enough history for now, because we were going to walk across Safa or Deera Square. The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (هيئة الأمر بالمعروف والنهي عن المنكر) has had its powers significantly curtailed in the last 20 years, and the square is now occupied by cafes and restaurants. Previously, it was the site of Hadd punishments (حد). [4] These punishments, prescribed under Islamic law, are for offenses that infringe upon God's rights. Examples include beheading (decapitation), lashing, stoning to death, and amputation of hands or feet. Today, these punishments are carried out in a military prison. Now it's an open space, with nothing to indicate its history.

But now we've arrived at Souk Al Zal. We simply arrived too early in the day, as the main trading hours are traditionally in the evening. We were able to visit various shops, and in retrospect, it was even better this way with fewer distractions. For example, we saw shops selling men's clothing, shoes and sandals, fabrics and children's clothing, toys, antiques, coffee pots and dishes, incense, frankincense and perfume (some alcohol-free [5]), agal, and more were open – I'll reveal the mystery behind the agal shortly.

In Saudi Arabia, men wear the white thawb (ثَوْب) [6], but we didn't see these shops; perhaps they are more likely to be custom-made or these shops are elsewhere. Women wear the black abaya (عباية) [7], but these shops weren't nearby. We saw them later on the trip, as the women in our group needed to buy abayas for visiting Medina. If Saudi Arabians visit government offices and agencies, they should wear the national dress. But let's stick with the men. Clothing varies depending on the region and the weather. For example, we were in Tabuk in warm weather, and 10 days later it snowed there. There are vests (صدارية) and the bisht (بِشْت), a flowing outer cloak [8].

In addition, the ghutrah (غُتْرَة), which is perhaps known here as keffiyeh (كُوفِيَّة) [9], was offered in the shops. It is a square woolen cloth, woven in red and white in Saudi Arabia and Jordan, for example, but black and white among Palestinians. One of my brothers brought such cloths back from Syria or Lebanon in the 1970s and sold them in Germany. Traditionally, the ghutrah was meant to protect against the sun. These shops also sold misbaha (مِسْبَحَة) [10] and walking sticks as accessories. The misbaha is a set of prayer beads; similar items are found as japamala in Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism, or the rosary used in Catholicism, which probably originated from the Greek Orthodox komboskini (κομποσκοίνι) or prayer rope [11].

Another shop manufactured agal (عِقَال) [12] and also sold pre-made ones. The agal is a doubled black cord made of wool and cotton, required for the ghutrah (keffiyah). The different fabrics are twisted together by machine to form a firm agal that should fit quite snugly so that the ghutrah does not slip.

Besides Western shoes, traditional leather sandals are also sold, which are described as very durable. They have a leather flap for the big toe. But in the cities, people probably already tend to wear Western shoes, sneakers, etc.

I also found the fragrance shops interesting and worth mentioning, selling aromatic wood and incense, but also perfume, which, to be honest, smelled too heavy and sweet to me. The wood is burned on a censer, mabkhara (مبخرة) [13], in such a way that a spicy smoke is produced, which is used to scent rooms and is also held towards guests, who then fan the smoke towards themselves.

If you visit the area around the souk, don't miss making a detour there. If you are more interested in the shops than the shoppers, then afternoon is a good time to go, as it is less crowded, while in the evening you will see more shops and more activity.

At about the south end of the souk

Links and Annotations:
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deera_Square
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Committee_for_the_Promotion_of_Virtue_and_the_Prevention_of_Vice_(Saudi_Arabia)
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Masmak_Palace
[4] Hadd has two dd, even if one cannot see it in the Arabic without diacritic markers. The plural of hadd is hudud (حدود).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudud
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadd-Strafe
[5] Traditional perfumes won't contain alcohol. In principle perfumes may contain alcohol according to the sharia, but traditional society banned perfumes for women in public as it could attract men.
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thawb
[7] Look at the Arabic and you it should be written 'abaya. 
[8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abaya
[9] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisht_(clothing)
[10] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keffiyeh
[11] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misbaha
[12] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer_rope
[13] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agal_(accessory)
[14] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mabkhara 

PS. A picture of a shop selling abayas.

PS
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