ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The gleaming windows of gold shops sparkle with rings, necklaces and hand-made jewelry fit for a Kurdish queen.
Ancient-seeming tea shops are wall-papered with framed photos of times past and heaving with regulars eager to argue over Erbil’s latest news.
Mounds of white Kurdish cheese and fresh goat yoghurt arrive from mountain villages and are piled next to powdered-sugar sweets and honeycomb just from the hive.
Welcome to Erbil’s Qaysari Bazaar – said to be one of the oldest covered markets in the world – where enticing scenes such as these are around every corner in the maze of narrow lanes that emanate from the foot of city’s millennia-old Citadel.
Busy day at Qaysari Bazzar. Photo: Farzin Hassan
This is where time-honored Kurdish traditions meet a new wave of foreign and domestic tourists drawn by a chance to experience the irresistible culture – the food, clothes, crafts and conversations – that defines the Kurdistan region.
The history of Qaysari is evident everywhere in the sprawling complex - even housing the 300-year-old tomb of Kurdish leader named Saed Abdulla – but its future is less certain. A new generation is increasingly enthralled by the glitzy malls and high-end shopping centers that have sprung up across Erbil.
Just ask craftsman Fuad Ali, who has been selling gold in the bazaar for more than 50 years. The hand-made jewelry he crafts in his shop is as beautiful as ever, but demand for his rings, bracelets and necklaces has diminished.
Kurdish craftsman Faud Ali makes jewelry in his shop in Qaysari Bazaar. Photo: Farzin Hassan
Kurdish craftsman Faud Ali makes jewelry in his shop in Qaysari Bazaar on August 20. He says today's women prefer imported gold and modern designs.
Today's women prefer imported gold and modern designs. Photo: Farzin Hassan
In his words, today’s Kurdish customers want slick, name-brand accessories and prefer gold imported from Turkey and Dubai.
“Since the malls opened, I don’t visit the bazaar very often,” said Dlveen Ayad, 21, who said better make-up and popular brands were more available at more-modern places. Plus, she added, the malls are open until midnight.
Housewife Kanar Safin, 25, agreed.
“Before, I used to come to the bazaar every month, but now I only visit the bazaar on special occasions like today. We are here with our new bride doing some shopping,” Safin told Rudaw.
A grumpy 90-year-old shoe salesman, who declined to be named, has operated his shop in the bazaar since 1960. His son, sitting idly at the entranceway, said his father inherited the shop from his grandfather and the family had owned it since the 1880s.
A 90-year-old shoe salesman organizes his shop in Qaysari Bazaar on August 20. This shopkeeper has worked in the Erbil bazaar for 50 years and his family has owned the shop since the 1880s. Photo: Farzin Hassan
The son speculated that the low rate of customers due to the grinding economic crisis in the Kurdistan region brought on by the war with ISIS, refugees and the drop in oil prices.
Even so, some aspects of Qaysari are so popular as ever.
On a recent day, Mam Khalil Teahouse is packed and traditional Kurdish music is wafting out its doors. Considered to be the oldest tea shop in Erbil, the café dates back to 1963.
Mam Khalil, who died in March, was known and loved by everyone in the Bazzar. His only son, Muhamed Khalili Chaychi, is now managing the business.
“When you come here, you have to drink more than one tea,” Chaychi said.
His pride is easy to understand. The teahouse is steeped in history, with photos going back to the 1930s of family, friends and every famous Kurd who ever entered.
Mam Khalil Teahouse, known as Erbil's most famous tea shop, was opened in 1962. Photo: Farzin Hassan
Mam Khalil opens at 6am, and by 10am it’s crowded. Brzo Naman, 48, said he comes every day and stays for almost an hour, enjoying his tea and listening to songs by Mshko Hawleri, a very old Kurdish singer.
“I enjoy coming here because of the atmosphere, old pictures and my many friends since childhood,” Naman said.
No visit to Qaysari is complete without sampling some artisanal foods. Muohamed Khasraw has been selling Kurdish cheese and honey since 1992, when he was just a boy.
His father started managing the shop in 1950 and his grandfather also sold cheese and honey at the bazaar. True to tradition, Khasraw brings the cheese and honey from Haji Omaran near the Iranian border.
Kurdish white cheese is driven to Qaysari Bazaar from Haji Omaran near the Iranian border. Traditional products are what keep customers coming back. Photo: Farzin Hassan
It’s this type dedication his customers have come to expect.
“The tough situation and insecurity that Kurdistan region experience has had a major effect on the market, but we still have our own customers, who are mostly Arabs,” Khasraw said.
In fact, Qaysari bazar still has not lost its appeal to loyal consumers and those who want to show off the “real” Kurdistan.
Baghdad-native Layali Mahdi, 56, said she brought her friend visiting from Sweden to bazaar because it is the most traditional spot in Erbil.
“I think the malls are putting the local and traditional spots in Kurdistan in danger. But there are always foreigners who look forward to coming to Qayssari Bazaar to learn about Kurdish culture,” she said.
This fact is not lost on city officials.
Hameed Hazem, spokesman for the Erbil governor’s office, said the city and regional government consider the bazaar a cultural heritage site and the area, including the iconic Erbil Citadel, could bring in much-needed tourist dollars.
The Erbil government has encouraged the sale of traditional Kurdish products, such as Kurdish chewing gum, at Qaysari Bazaar. Photo: Farzin Hassan
“So far, we have spent millions of Iraqi dinar on the reconstruction of the markets inside the bazaar. We managed to provide water and lighting,” Hazem said.
Hazem said the renovation, which was started in 2012, was on hold due to the economic crisis, but was 90 percent completed. The emphasis, he said, was on preserving its original atmosphere and the items on sale were no exception.
“We have told the shopkeepers that only traditional goods should be sold inside the bazaar because it is considered a historical place,” Hazem said.
Although shopkeepers complain of unfair competition with the new shopping malls around the city, crowds still come to get a piece of Kurdish culture.
“It’s a place for traditional goods but tourists also looking forward to visiting,” Hazem said.
Kurdish sweets are an enticing aspect to any visit to Qaysari Bazaar. Photo: Farzin Hassan
“That is what makes Qaysari Bazaar so unique.”
