Primary tabs
Transcription
[Page 75]
To wander round these various places one comes across all kinds of oddities in brass work, embroidery, carving in woodwork etc.
Workmen at their various occupation of repairing carpets, polishing precious stones, embroidery, making tarboosh, walking sticks, form a very interesting and instructive part to a visit here. These things are mostly hand done.
The above scenes are repeated along the narrow alley. We meet some interesting personages in these places. The waterman with his leather water bag over his back comes down the alley distributing water to those who wish a drink or may be scattering the water on the ground to "lay the stone". He is a pretty poor man and we learned that some of the business men probably had paid him for his bag of water thus the reason for his lavish manner of distributing the water.
We meet women carrying on their heads cage-like baskets containing rabbits or poultry which are for sale.
One also finds that their are men who have travelled a good bit to be found amongst these shop keepers. We asked one of the salesmen why it was that they put a price on a certain article and after bargaining for a long time he seems quite please to accept half the first price