SOUK HAMIDIYE

The most tourist part of the souk is built along the axis of the Roman city, which was headed towards the temple of Jupiter, now the Umayyad mosque. The whole was named Hamidiyé in honour of the Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II (1876-1909), under which the former Al-Jedi souk was reworked. The architects recouvrirent the entire corrugated roof roof and the bordèrent of two-storey shops. The small holes visible in the roof would, it says, be the French bombing of 1945. The shops, the real caves of Ali Baba, feature two floors of brass, inlays, tablecloths, dresses, carpets… Wonders that can be found in the specialized districts of the souk at a low price (see Shopping).

On both sides of the main axis, other lanes give access to more specialized the: Harika (lingerie and jewelry shops), Bazouriyé (fragrant scents), Midhat Pasha (the Bedouin kingdom). The soukh of the hookahs, the scarves, the jewelry and so on, is also found at the main entrance of the Great mosque, which is marked by Roman porticos from the ancient temple of Jupiter.