The weekly market of Tinghir

The Tinghir weekly market has a tradition of many centuries. At first it was located east of the Ksar Tinghir, at the foot of Ksar Ait Barra. In 1930, according to the Lieutenant Beaurpère, there were sold every Monday from 120 to 200 sheep, 30 to 40 cows, donkeys, mules, food and various objects.

Subsequently it moved a little to the west side of the Ksar Tinghir before leaving the town center for its current location. But, even after that, until the 1990s, every Monday afternoon it returned to its precedent place, called Souk Tahtani or Down Market.

Today the cattle market is made on Saturday morning in an annex enclosure instead of the large market in its western side. It remains important, with many cows, sheep, goats, donkeys and mules. There are also some "accessories" for animals, such as saddlebags, packsaddles, horseshoes and straw for its food.

The big weekly market continue to be on Monday, three kilometers far from the town center on the road of Ouarzazate.

Its enclosure is divided into four areas, separated by wide avenues that facilitate the passage of the crowd from one extreme to the other.

Although the limits are not strict, each area is more or less specialized in some specific activities, which recalls the gremial origin of Moroccan markets.

In general, the western part of the market contains vegetables, grains and modern industrial goods; the eastern part is reserved for handicrafts and agricultural local production, such as dates and olives.

In the northwest part there are mainly fruits and vegetables. Those coming from the Todra gardens are now a minority. The trucks bring most of them from Agadir and Sous valley. They arrive on Sunday morning and this day they are sold to traders of the town. Then, on Monday they are sold to people per kilo.

The grains market is also very important. It includes a covered area where the bags of grain are stored and where they can be sold in case of rain. But, if the weather is good, the grains are exposed on tarps or plastics around this space.

In addition to the wheat, very abundant, in the market of Tinghir we find barley, corn, beans and sometimes lenses.

The grain is not sold by weight, such as vegetables, but by measures. A metal pot named Al Abra, "the measure", is filled to the top and its content poured into a bag where the customer will take it away.

Clothes don't have a special area in spite of its importance. They are distributed among vegetables and grains. There are a wide variety of things: jellabas, jeans, dresses, and also used clothes brought from Europe.

The same think about shoes and sandals, most of them of plastic or rubber, of all colors and all sizes.

The mattresses, the mats woven by plastic and some furniture found its place in the southeast sector, dispersed among other goods.

Other plastic items, such as toys and flowers, abound and give a bit of joy to the overall image with its color diversity.

Kitchenware and house wares, including pots, couscous pots, teapots, glasses, plates, trays and other pieces of aluminum, ceramic or glass, are also sold in the southeast area. Almost everything comes from factories in Casablanca and Atlantic coast.

Teapots and traditional trays of copper occupy a small space in the specific southeast sector. Generally they come from Fez.

Ironmongery is also present, with any sort of tools for carpenters, for masons, for welders, for plumbers and even for farmers. Most of these materials are made in China and they arrive by truck from Casablanca.

But there are also craft tools made by blacksmiths from Tinghir, including sickles, picks, peeled, hammers, hoes and tools to weave carpets.

The shelves of used miscellaneous items brought from Europe by the emigrants are also of great importance. The whole set of these products is known by the Spanish word Chatarra, scrap, and includes a wide variety of objects: boom boxes, pans, shoes, toys, sewing machines, lamps, suitcases, computers...

In this category of objects brought by emigrants, used bikes occupy a fairly important place. There are all qualities and all sizes, at fairly reasonable prices, because buyers are mostly young college or high school students, with very limited economic means.

Almost in the middle of the market, but sometimes also outside, are trees and plants. For most they are fruit trees: olive trees, apricot trees, peach trees, orange trees, almond trees and others for agriculture. But sometimes there are also flowers and ornamental plants.

And, of course, we also see the seeds for any kind of vegetables, as well as for different species of alfalfa: the one from Todra valley, the one native from Tafilalet and even a quality imported from China...

Dates take up a prominently place in the northeast area, especially at the time of recollection, in October. There are very different qualities, at prices also very different.

And even the date pits constitute a commercial product, used to feed cattle. They are sold, such as the grains, by measures or Abrat.

The olives allocated to the production of oil fill the place left by the dates in the month of December, but some sellers remain in the market all the year. They are also sold by measures.

Spices, however, are sold by weight, with high precision balances. Most popular are black pepper, red pepper, cumin, saffron, cinnamon and ginger, each one of a different color, which gives a very attractive appearance to its stalls.

The mineral salt is sold in rocks, especially for livestock (to water the cows and increase its milk production) and various craft work.

The eggs, the poultry and even some rabbits occupy a special place in the northeastern area, not far from the former entrance of the market, today closed. Animals are sold alive to be sacrificed by the buyer at home.

The grease is another product quite requested by Tinghir people, who use it in the cookery, to prepare some dishes. It is sold by kilos.

The henna in leaves or in powder is also in high demand by women, who use it to soften their hair and protect their hands and feet.

Another traditional cosmetic product very used is the bark of walnut, with which people rub their teeth and lips.

The presence of women is minority in the market of Tinghir, where almost all traders and most buyers are men; but, in the area of cosmetic products and personal beauty, all buyers and even some sellers are women.

Local crafts occupies much of the northeast area. Craft specialty from Tinghir are bellows, high demanded by the inhabitants of the region and especially of the mountains.

It is also in the Tinghir weekly market which the pottery of El Hart n'Iaamine is sold: couscous dishes, buckets to knead bread, ashtrays, candlesticks, jars and other objects of daily use.

Braiding of hemp, palm leaves and even plastic is also very abundant, including saddlebags for donkeys and big baskets for multiple uses.

Rubber buckets for raising water from the wells or for the construction are made with old car tires.

The goatskins are very used to make whey, attached among three sticks; although some plastic containers with a mechanism which rotates them began to substitute the skins.

The market of Tinghir also has a few stalls for tourists. The presence of a merchant covered with the blue scarf from the Sahara announces his specialty.

And finally, to rest during the long journey through the market, some popular cafes covered with networks and other built by concrete around the enclose offer to visitors attractive teapots.