A surprise for souq-lovers

SOUQ-LOVERS are in for a series of surprises as street market entrepreneurs attempt to entice shoppers and tourists with a 21st Century twist to a familiar theme.

A series of events are being held at Bab Al Bahrain over the coming months with the aim of helping to bring life back into the area and to give the traditional trading post a boost.

At the end of each month, Bahrain real estate investment company, Edamah, will stage a cleverly-themed Bab Keys Market featuring an array of stalls supported by a host of activities, including Arabic dancing supported by musicians, for visitors to enjoy.

The first special souq highlighted ‘diving in Bahrain’ and was staged under the patronage of Mahmood Hashim Al Kooheji, acting chief executive officer of Edamah, along with Shaikh Hisham bin Abdul Rahman Al Khalifa, Governor of Capital Governorate.

Edamah executive, Nadeen Shaikh, said: “We have been thinking for a while about how we can promote the area and the monthly event appears to have captured the imagination of shoppers and visitors alike.

“The different themes mean that people will not get bored and will keep coming back for more. We have contacted many different vendors to showcase their goods to keep things interesting for guests.

“We wanted themes to combine the old Bahrain with modern Bahrain. As a hobby, lots of Bahrainis enjoy diving and searching for pearls in our waters goes back in history. The nostalgia and new concept proved to be a great start for us. We even had stalls offering diving classes where groups can enjoy pearl diving sessions too.

“This community initiative will continue to attract people to the old Manama Souq and should also help surrounding businesses. We will even pull people further inside the souq as we will stage competitions and other activities.”

The recent three-day event at the end of October featured 15 stalls including jewellery, water sports facilities, cooking and craft workshops, as well as food and beverage vendors.

Al Hashimi Pearls, a family business located across from the Gold Souq which specialises in pearls, showcased its wide selection of earrings, necklaces and bracelets.

Ishita Shah, 22, from Gufool, and her brother Arpit, 18, a student at The Indian School, were manning their father’s stall. Ishita said: “Pearls are hugely popular in Bahrain, especially as it is the national heritage of the kingdom. Our father started working with jewellers back in 1982 before launching his own business. The fishermen find the pearls and he makes them into jewellery.
 
“We were pleased to be a part of the first event as it gave us the opportunity to display our jewellery and share the beauty of Bahraini pearls.”

Popular pearl earrings were snapped up for BD40 although some of the precious  jewellery can attract prices from BD2,000 to BD50,000. “We even have a necklace worth BD108,000,” added Ishita.

While shoppers admired the perfect pearls, other guests were interested in joining the Bahrain Yacht Club (BYC), located in Sitra, and finding out more about the ScubaMasters team in Mahooz.

Chris Bilton, BYC’s senior sailing instructor, said: “The Yacht Club offers a social water sports club with mooring and other facilities. We also offer water sport courses such as power boating, wind surfing and sailing.
 
“It’s great to be involved in an event that’s supporting diving. It’s a safe sport when accompanied by proper training. It’s not about taking equipment and going out to sea. Boat training is very popular so as to make sure enthusiasts get to the dive site safely.”

Yousef Al Sindi, who is part of the ScubaMasters team, also met individuals interested in diving. He said: “ScubaMaster was founded in 1995 by our colleague Ahmed Al Khalfan. It started off as a hobby and then turned into a business. We are considered as a five-star diving centre catering to all types of divers from junior to professional.

“We also carry out weekly boat trips for dolphin-watching, or fishing, in addition to our regular classes.
 
“Recently, we have noticed a lot more females are becoming interested in this field so we have taken on a Bahraini female diver specially to teach classes.

“This event proved to be an excellent way to get people informed about diving and where to go.”

The ScubaMaster stall ran a promotional offer for the open water diving classes. The training is usually priced at BD195 but was marked down to BD175 for those that wanted to discover the joys of the sport.

Other stalls on hand held workshops for children such as Faizia Saeed’s Mosaic and Dalal Al Kooheji’s Little Chef cooking classes.

Miss Al Kooheji, who operates out of her home in Riffa, said: “I started the business in March this year because I love to cook and I love kids. I teach them the simple things such as how to bake cookies and pizza or making pasta, and so on.”

During the event, children designed sugar cookies, made cupcakes, macaroni salad and sandwiches. Her two-hour courses which include a savoury and a sweet dish are held once a week for a month and cost BD40.

Other stalls on hand featured home-based businesses planning to expand, such as Bossy Kitchen, recently featured in GulfWeekly.

The next Bab Keys will be held on November 28, 29 and 30 to celebrate Bahraini Women’s Day which is on December 1. The opening ceremony will be staged at 6pm on November 28 but the vendors will be open to shoppers and visitors alike by 3pm.

For details on further events, contact 17561208.