The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1884-09-25
Tunis Bazars.

The most interesting places in Tunis
arc the bazars, where nearly all the
business of the city is transacted. To
visit the great bazar one passes
through many dirty, winding streets,
and all at once finds himself in the
midst of a bowling crowd buying and
selling by auction; on either side OF
the narrow communicating lanes are
little 8xl0 shops packed with goods.
This bazaar is divided into ten sections;
over each of these there is a presiding
officer, to whom all disputes are re-
ferred. The Jews, with their superior
capacity for trade, have now almost en-
tirely displaced the Moors, with the ex-
ception of the trade in carpets and per-
fumes. In one of the narrowest and
dirtiest lanes was the jeWelry bazaar
Here the jewellers were working at
their little forges making the rough,
heavy bracelets and anklets which are
in vogue here. The stock-in-trad Of
each shop consisted of a few pairs of
bracelets, anklets and earrings. Rings
appear, to but little worn here and they
are of very ugly pattern. There are
many diamonds, but they are badly cut
and wretehedly set. One buys iewelry
by weight and then pays the extra
amount charged for the work. The
bey's mark is then affixed to the orna-
ment by the governor of the section,
showing the quality of the gold. The
penalty for cheating in this is said to
be the loss of a hand by the guilty
party. Near here is the department
where the fezes are made. They are
first woven, then clipped and dyed with
vegetable earth, which is rubbed into
the texture. The fez which is made
here is of different shape from the
Turkish fez, being of equal size at the
top and bottom, is heavier and much
more expensive, costing, with the silk
tassel, which is sold by weight, from
five to ten dollars. The beautiful silk
bornouses, turbans, ETC., are all woven
by hand on the most primitive looms.
In another department the gunsmiths
were still making the long guns with
the curious inlaid stocks. Many of the
locks were for flint and steel, and those
are said to be preferred by the Bedouins
on account of the difficulty in procuring
the modern cartridges. The carpet
bazaar is still in the hands of the Moors.
They sit silently in front of their little
shops, dimly lighted by single swing
ing lamp. The valuable carpets are
piled together in the greatest confusion
and covered with dust.
In another department the tailors
were sitting cross-legged making the
magnificent Moorish costumes of many
different colors, embroidered with gold
and silver. They vary in price from
800 to $1,000, the average price being
perhaps 800. The shoe department IS
the largest in the bazar, all the Slip
pers and shoes being sewed by hand.
None of the merchants seem to make
the slightest endeavor to display their
goods or to attract customers. When
a customer enters shop the proprietor
tries to get him to sit down and drink
cup of coffee, which is brought to him
before commencing business; he then
spreads out his goods, and when asked
the price, names an amount much
larger than he expects to get. We
found that one should offer them about
one-third of their first price. They all
seem to take the greatest pleasure in
bargaining. In fact, the life in the ba.
Ear, combined with numerous daily
prayers, seems to take the place of or
binary amusements, as they have no
concerts, theaters or books. It is said
that before the French occupation many
rich Moors had shops and made pre-
tence OF supporting themselves in this
way in order to escape the exactiors of
the BeY's Prime Minister. Many of the
Moors are the descendants of the exiles
from Spain, driven out of that country
in the fifteenth century Some of them
have the KEYS of their houses and the
plans OF their estates in Spain, and look
forward to second period of conquest |
when they can again claim them
1anfS Cor. Boston transcript.