Badu, one of the city's most important historical markets, is struggling to survive against fierce competition from Jeddah's large, modern malls. The approximately 140-year-old complex receives visitors who are searching for Arabian coffee, cardamom, saffron, ginger, souvenirs and more. Souq Al-Badu, which is located near Bab Makkah Gate, used to attract caravans of farmers who came from Makkah to sell grains, dates, other crops and some textiles. Even water used to be carried on tankers to and from Jeddah through Bab Makkah Gate. The market derived its name from the Bedouin goods it specialized in selling, and from the many visitors and shoppers from the area and nearby deserts. It is distinguished from other traditional markets by some of its goods, which have a Bedouin character, but the Bedouin goods are not as abundant as they were in the past and sometimes they are not easily found. According to plans of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, Souq Al-Badu has undergone a program to revive some of its historical features. Bedouin women's dresses are sold through women's tailoring shops and owners of shops that specialize in polishing gold and silver have been encouraged to continue their work, especially because there is demand among foreigners for old silver souvenirs that were used in marriages in some regions of the Kingdom and their villages. In the past, the market used to open after dawn (Fajr) prayer and close before sunset (Maghrib) prayer. Buying and selling used to be carried out through using the silver riyal and gold pound, which used to be kept in boxes called “Al-Manaqeel”. Some traders used to carry these heavy boxes to their houses and several of them were found buried in the old houses of Jeddah. Now, most shops sell textiles and abayas, head scarves and the like as well as some men's textiles and turbans. Only a few of the souq's old traders are still there. They and some of the sons of the old traders have safeguarded their forefathers' shops and continued their activities. The old shops, built of masonry, had lower roofs than their modern counterparts. Some of them were used by coppersmiths who used to make or apply plating to utensils, coffee pots and sauce pans. On another side of the market, there were several shops for silversmiths who used to make rings and necklaces, which were in demand among women. Now, most workers in the shops are Asians and what were homes of the old families in Al-Mazloom District now serve as warehouses or residences for these workers. Many shops of Souq Al-Badu no longer bear the characteristics and images of the past. The shops where one would smell the aroma of coffee, cardamom and cloves and hear the banging of hammers and chisels used by coppersmiths and silversmiths are gone.
