[gallery size="medium" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" td_gallery_title_input="Al-Manakhah Souq in Madinah takes visitors back to the Prophet's times" ids="154522,154519,154520,154521"] MADINAH — Souq Al-Manakhah, which dates back to the era of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), is witnessing a flurry of shopping activity due to the huge inflow of visitors to Madinah from all parts of the world, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported Tuesday. Souq Al-Manakhah, located to the southwest of the Prophet's Mosque, is a historical heritage site related to the life of the Prophet. Ataa Bin Yasar, one of the Prophet's companions, is quoted as saying that when the people of Madinah requested the Prophet to choose a souq for them, he chose this souq. No permanent building was constructed in Al-Manakhah, in line with the orders of Caliph Omar Bin Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), who made the souq an endowment for Muslims. Al-Manakhah remained a public market and a place where pilgrims could rest. Due to its importance, Souq Al-Manakhah was rehabilitated in line with the directives of Prince Faisal Bin Salman, emir of Madinah Province, to enable the hawkers to display their goods after regularizing them. The display of goods conformed to the traditional way in practice through the ages. In an attempt to safeguard the traditional nature of this historic market, a committee designated 1,000 spots for hawkers and gave them special identity cards that allow them to benefit from specified locations.
