Daily Kennebec journal., 1914-02-23
TURKISH RETAIL METHODS.
The Shopping Interest Centers in the
Bazaars,

There are no department stores IN
Bagdad. The retail business in this
city and in this entire district is done
in the baZaars,
The word bazaar means bargain,
but it is here generally applied to
series of shops forming a continuous
row on both sides of thoroughfare.
The streets in the bazaar districts are
only eight to ten feet wide. The
larger shops are eight by ten and the
smaller ones about five by six feet,
one whole side opening directly into
the street.
Bazaars are divided into several
classes here, according to the location
and the wares made or sold, as fol-
lows:
I. Karia bashi-This is the name OF
the bazaar where groceries, candies
and liquors are sold.
3 Sug-el- -shorga-Here fruits and
vegetables are sold. The name is also
applied to the district. There are five
drug stores in this district, and 1t is
generally understood that the drug
stores are in the bazaar sug-el-shorga,
though it is so only by accident.
8. In the sug-el-sarai wearing ap-
parel, haberdashery, antiques and rugs
are sold.
a. Sug-el-chukhechi is the name ap-
piled to the bazaar where Bagdad-
made cloth, such as prints, calico, and
silk goods. is sold.
s. Yemenchia is the name or the
bazaar where native shoes are manu-
featured and sold. Generally the man
ufacture and the sale of shoes are car
ried on in different shops, but not al
WAYS, The two branches of this ba-
zaar are, however, in the same district
C. Sug-el-sefaf1r is the coppersmith
bazaar. This is necessarily district
where no other work is done on ac-
count of the noise and smoke. The
copper is heated and worked while
hot inside the shops, but the colo
sheet copper is hammered into shape
out in the street. Cooking utensils,
tubs, trays, etc, are made by the To-
cal coppersmiths.
Z. Bab-el-agha-This bazaar is oc-
cupied by the blacl1smiths, tinsmlths
and carpenters. The blacksmiths make
chains, nails, locks and horse and don
KEY shoes. The tinsmiths manufac-
ture tin vessels. pots, water cans ana
lanterns The carpenters make prac-
tically all the furniture used here ana
collins. doors and door and window
frames.
Different bazaars are segregated in
different sections of the city, and the
district often takes the name OF the
bazaar. Some bazaars are also named
after the district in which they are
situated, there being no sharp dlV1-
sions of the bazaar according TO the
material sold. An example is the pa
zaar sug-el-hanoon in the Jewish dis
trict in this city, which is said to be
patronized by Jews only.
In each bazaar there is khan for
every ten or twelve shops. These khans
are two stories high and have an open
court in the center, the rooms on the
four sides all opening into the court
A large door leads from the open
court into the street. The rooms in
the khan are let to the different shop
keepers for their surplus wares.
Each bazaar has coffee shop. which
is a large open place partly covered
bv q roof where q large number OF
cheap wooden settees are arranged IN
rows Anyone who sits down in a eof-
fee shop is first given cup of Turk
ish coffee and then a narghile, sort
of native pipe in which Shirza tobacco
is smoked. The charges for the coffee
and the use of the narghile is about
two cents. The coffee shop QuahWat
Pasha is the "hourse" for the native
business people Here the merchants
gather to discuss trade bills and other
subjects Representatives of the banks
ascertain here the number of bills 70
be taken up and secure the facts from
which they can determine the exchange
rates for bills and for foreign coins.
The rates are practically determined in
the coffee shors.-Manchester Union.