Markets

From Jaffa Gate, the quickest way to enter the Old City’s markets is to descend David St. Shopkeepers peddling everything from bottled water to jewelry will badger you for a shekel. In the wake of the intifada, the souk is not the place to dazzle shopkeepers with your Hebrew; haggle a little in English if you wish to buy, or continue down the slippery stone steps. It’s impossible to determine whether the souk (shuk in Hebrew) smells of mint leaves, hashish, your breakfast, or the greasy cart in front of you. Nonetheless, it is unforgettable. (See Bargaining under Essentials
for some tips.)

Although all of the Old City is riddled with shops, there are several concentrated commercial thoroughfares. David Street (Souk al-Bazaar Rd.), and its continuation, HaShalshelet Street (Bab as-Silsilah St.), run from Jaffa Gate to the Temple Mount. Halfway down David St. on the left are two cavernous rooms that house a fruit and vegetable market called Souk Aftimos. Extending north from David St. to Damascus Gate is Khan az-Zeit and the three-laned Armenian market. Built atop the Roman Cardo Maximus, Khan az-Zeit also covers the Cardo’s Byzantine addition that today houses luxury shops in the Jewish Quarter.