Closed for 3 years because of renovations, the Darat Market reopened its doors at the beginning of January 2008.
It used to be a squalid but very animated souk and is now a rather deserted shopping mall in the centre of town. A sort of dirty industry has been replaced by ‘upper class’ shops but also Chinese products; and the atmosphere which was the heart and soul of the town seems to be taking some time to come back into being.
There are no more packets of washing powder piled up to the ceiling in premises with flaking paint on the walls. In its place, we find luxurious craftsmanship, wine merchants, salesmen of Chinese portable telephones, one or more silversmiths, a modern bar and other shops.
