Souq Al-Mubarakiya

Souq Al-Mubarakiya is the oldest traditional market in Kuwait City, set in the Qibla district of the old city centre between Abdullah Al-Salem Street and Saud Bin Abdulaziz Street. The market is a grid of narrow lanes, and different sections trade in different goods: spices and dried herbs, textiles and abayas, perfumes and oud, dates, nuts and sweets, and household and antique items. Sacks of spice, rows of dried limes and stalls of Arabic sweets give it a stronger sense of the older Gulf than the modern malls elsewhere in Kuwait. Along the edges and in the side lanes, grill restaurants and old cafes serve kebabs, grilled meats, fresh bread and tea, and the area is the main place in the city to eat a traditional evening meal. The nearby Heritage Souq section adds shops in a more recent traditional style. Bargaining is normal in shops without fixed prices, and a friendly approach usually gets better results than hard haggling. Most shops open in the morning and again after the afternoon break until about 22:00 or 23:00, with shorter hours on Friday morning. The market is at its best from about 17:30, when the heat drops and families, office workers and visitors fill the lanes. Weekend evenings are the busiest, and Ramadan nights are especially lively, with long opening hours. A visit commonly takes between 1.5 and 3 hours, depending on whether it includes a meal. The souq sits close to the Grand Mosque, Seif Palace and Dar Al Athar Al Islamiyyah, so it works well as the final stop of a day in the old city. Visitors should dress modestly, carry some cash for small stalls and keep an eye on belongings in the busier lanes. Photography is welcome in public areas, but it is polite to ask a stallholder before photographing them or their goods.