Thursday, April 2, 2009One of our fondest memories from our time in Erbil five years ago is the Erbil bazaar and surroundings. The bazaar itself consisted of narrow winding passages with small shops in every nook and cranny. There was the fabric section, the gold section, the toy section, the area that sold "antique" Kurdish rugs, and on and on. Beyond the bazaar lay the "Lange Market" which was a wild morass of stalls selling used clothing and used goods of all kinds.
Five years later, we returned to find a giant mall under construction where the Lange Market once sprawled. Although not yet complete, glass doors and marble floors gleam and neon lights flash...
Thus, it was with great with relief that we found that large portions of the original bazaar are still intact--wires still hang everywhere, uneven pavement is still a hazard, carts exist for a variety of food items, and lots and lots of local flavor remain--which the new mall, however elegant, will never have.
