“Souk in the City”: Tales from a Naive Tourist

“Excuse me, excuse me! Where are you from?” said the shopkeeper in the souk in Jerusalem’s Old City, and being the naive tourist that I was, I took the bait and was reeled in for the catch or overpriced sell, I should say. That’s one of the many lines that you’ll hear shouted out from the many shopkeepers if you ever journey down the streets of the souk within the walls of the Old City in Jerusalem. Let me tell you, they love tourists! When they see tourists, they see dollar signs or shekel signs, if you have them. The handsome young man in the picture above is just one of the many shopkeepers that I encountered during my vacation and days wandering through the souk. Cute, huh?

Just in case, you don’t know what a souk (or souq) is, it’s an open market usually consisting of several independently-owned shops in which you can find many things. The actual term is moreso associated with Arab cities, though they can occassionally be found in other places, as well. My first exposure to souks was in Saudi Arabia. So, I had some experience with them before my vacation in Israel. In Israel, my landlord pronounced it with an “h”, like shouk. I guess that may be it’s Hebrew pronounciation.

Anyway, after my initial overpriced purchase from Mr. “Excuse me, excuse me! Where are you from?”, I managed to not get ripped off again after spending some time talking to him and observing the culture of the souk there. Because Jerusalem is a hot tourist spot, the souk within the walls of the Old City is almost like heaven to the shopkeepers who also live within its walls, amongst whom many I found are much bolder than those I’d encountered in Saudi Arabia.

A Taste of The Finds in the Souk

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I got a chance to have some interesting conversations with some of the shopkeepers and observe some of the interactions that take place between the shopkeepers and their victims…I mean customers…lol. To reel in their buyers, the shopkeepers will usually try to get your attention by giving you a compliment, asking you a question (hence, Where are you from?) or advertising something at a super low price. Usually, if they offer a price that sounds too good to be true, IT IS. Nine times out of ten, if they can get you to take the bait and enter their shop, they will raise the price significantly to more than what it’s actually worth plus try to sell you more. Many don’t like the locals because they know what things are worth. So, they won’t be able to sucker them. Their bread and butter comes from the unwitting tourists that visit daily.

One thing you’ll notice in a souk is that most often there won’t be any set prices. This is what makes the shopkeepers salesmen, I was told by one of the shopkeepers I spoke with. He said that they wouldn’t be salesmen if prices were set. When going through a souk, unless you find something that you don’t want to risk losing or your time is short, you should never take the first offer from the first shop you find something you want at, unless you think it’s an absolute good deal or you don’t care to find a bargain. If you go around to a few shops, you’ll probably find the same item offered at much higher, lower or equal prices. After doing this, you’ll be better prepared to bargain and get a good deal, one in which you’ll be less likely to feel ripped off. You have nothing to lose by trying to bargain, but you could lose big if you don’t if the shopkeeper thinks you’re rich. And believe me that’s what they think, as some shared with me when I chatted with them, especially if they find out a customer is from the U.S. or anywhere in Europe. Lol…while I was sitting with Mr. “Excuse me, excuse me! Where are you from?”, after some tourists who he had previously tried to get to stop at his shop passed by the second time, he asked them, “So, you’re not going to give me a chance to rip you off, today?” Lol…he said that he was just telling the truth.

So, if you ever go to Israel, you should check out the souq in the Old City. Oh, and if you encounter Mr. “Excuse me, excuse me. Where are you from?” tell him hello for me. Tell him that I said to give you a deal, too .

Related articles

• Traditional Souk Waqif still a draw in Doha | British Airways – Travel Industry News (travelnews.britishairways.com)
• Day 3, Part 1: Souk (theseopenpages.wordpress.com)
• The Souks of Marrakech (ebookers.com)
• Khan El Khalili in May: Cairo’s Great Souk is Open for Business (blogcritics.org)

Add a comment October 26, 2011
Tags: Israel, Jerusalem, market, Old City, shopkeeper, souk, Souq, Tourism