The Souks of Morocco.
 

The Souks of Morocco. Habous Souk Casablanca.

I only had time for one souk visit thus I leave room here for more members to chip in. Vast supplies of readymade garments and tourist items of the nature Moroccan are mixed with a blend of African/Arabian and other goods..there are few authentic pieces...as low as a few % .

What is clear is that souks draw from the immediate surrounding area and as it fans out from the region and surrounding countries. In Muscat, by comparison, the pull is identical in nature with local authentic items (getting scarce) backed up by trade from Yemen, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Thailand!

Habous is a lovely souk set in and amongst an ancient town design centred on an old style Mosque and the streets that spin off it in all directions. However, looks can be deceiving since it was constructed a lot later than first thought... Heres what Lonely Planet says...

The Quartier Habous, or nouvelle medina , is Morocco-lite - an idealised, almost toy-town, version of a traditional medina with neat little rows of streets and shop stalls. The district was built by the French in the 1930s as an attempted solution to the ongoing housing shortage. It marries the best of traditional Moroccan architecture with modern facilities and French ideals - even the mosque fronts onto a strip of grassy lawn just like a village church.

For fans of the bustle and chaos of traditional markets, it may feel too sanitised to be authentic, but if you fancy some Moroccan character without the associated smells and hassle, it's got a decent selection of bazaars, craft shops, bakeries and cafés. The Quartier Habous is located about 1km southeast of town. Take bus No 4 or 40 from Blvd de Paris, across from the post office.



Read more: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/morocco/...#ixzz3kIZVMyA1


Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi. :shrug:

The items were similar to other souks comprising a mass of tourist items clothing textiles and bric a brac although one or two shops had authentic antiques and furniture...priced accordingly.

THANKS VERY GOOD INFORMATION ,COULD YOU TELL ME IF THOSE POWDER FLASKS MADE OF COW HORNS ARE REPRODUCTIONS OR THE REAL THINGS??SUKHRAN HABIBI
REGARDS RAJESH

Salaams Bandook ~ Your point is well taken and since the souk was awash with repro work as all souks are worldwide I would hesitate to issue the stamp of originality on anything I saw there save a couple of pieces of furniture ...and the lovely tea I drank !!

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi. :)

I would say that the best souks I found were in Fez. That being said, I heard that the most likely place to find true antique weaponry was actually in Marrakesh (which I was not able to visit). I say good stuff, including truly ethnic Berber textiles, and some other things, but lots of new stuff all over Morocco.

Marrakesh has a couple of dedicated weapons stores but you are going to pay top dollar there. Meknas has a little more laid back souq in which they still do koftkagari. Essouuria is a large woodworking area nice burl work. If you go up into the mountains places like tefrout you get more kilim carpets and argon oil products. different areas have different specialties.

WHATS THE RULES FOR EXPORTING ANTIQUE WEAPONS FROM MOROCCO??
I WANTED TO PURCHASE A COUPLE OF PISTOLS BUT SELLER SAID HE WONT BE ABLE TO SEND THEM,AS THE MINISTRY OF CULTURAL HERITAGE HAS BANNED THESE ARTIFACTS FROM BEING EXPORTED.
REGARDS RAJESH

Almost all of these countries have a older than 100 year old law it can not leave the country. When you go to the post office over there you show them what you are sending and pack it in front of them. Remember this is 3rd world and different rules work out there.