Souq as-Siyyagh

The jewellers’ lane of the Aleppo souq. The claim made for it is a large one: not just the city’s jewellery market but the main one in Syria. The count matches the claim, with 99 shops, and they are not strung along a single corridor but along two parallel alleys.

Why two alleys

Lanes in the Aleppo souq are usually one corridor. As-Siyyagh breaks that pattern with two alleys running side by side. There is a commercial reason. Buying jewellery is buying by comparison, and when ninety-nine shops all sell the same thing, a customer walks both alleys collecting prices. The lane is laid out as one long run of windows.

Getting there

The lane sits inside the covered part of the souq, so there is no entry from the street; you turn off the main axis to reach it. The light from the windows is noticeably unlike the other lanes, which is how you know you have found it. Asking is still the fastest method.

How long it takes

Twenty-five minutes to look. If you intend to buy, the arithmetic changes completely: walking both alleys, comparing prices and bargaining does not finish under an hour. This is not a lane to enter in a hurry.

What most people miss

Where the light comes from. The lane is lit by the display cases rather than the ceiling. Each shop lights its own glass, and the street becomes visible as the sum of those lights. Once the shutters come down the same alley goes dark enough to be unrecognisable. Ask at the start whether a price is quoted by weight or by piece, because the answer can change from shop to shop.