Hawkers from Syria and Jordan can be seen at regular intervals with their vehicles along the International Road that links the Arabian Gulf countries with Jordan, Syria and Lebanon – starting from Dammam and passing through Rafha up to Al-Gurayyat. These hawkers specialize in selling Shami wares – sweets, food, winter clothes, furnishings, souvenirs and children's toys. They use this road as a duty free market for their products. (Al-Shaam denotes the area covering Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon and Syria.) These hawkers trade without any restrictions on the International Road, unlike in the cities where they are pursued by the municipalities and have to pay fines. These fines range in size depending on the city. Hawker Muhammad Al-Dairi, 50, said: “It is strange that some municipalities prevent us from selling our wares despite the fact that the commodities we sell have recently been produced in well-known factories. In other words, the expiry dates of the goods are still far away. Also, they were allowed into Saudi territory after meticulous inspection.” Another hawker Abu Sa'eed Al-Haj said: “As sellers, we are keen to increase our activity during the winter season. This gives us the opportunity to sell winter clothes, which are known to be costly in Saudi Arabia.” Abu Khaleel, also a trader, said: “We travel from one city to another seeking to earn our bread. We don't return to our families unless we sell all the commodities we carry in our vehicles.” He said this often results in him spending long periods on the road away from his family trying to sell his goods. Another hawker spoke of the hardships on the road. “We suffer a great deal in our efforts to earn our living because we drive to a number of cities. We might not find our sustenance in any of them, so we have to travel to other cities. We also suffer because of the cold weather, with temperatures sometimes dropping to below freezing point on the outskirts of the northern cities.” He said that the food and sweets he sells are not spoilt. “I always keep the expiry dates clear and visible. I do not hide it, to win the confidence of customers.” Saudi citizens have various opinions about these hawkers. Hashim Al-Shammari said he does not buy anything from these hawkers because he believes that they do not preserve their goods in the proper manner and that their vehicles are not equipped to transport foodstuff. Fayiz Al-Anezi said that the authorities should set up a location for hawkers to sell their goods, where they can be supervised properly. This will enable citizens to have “peace of mind” when buying from them.
