On the eve of Eid al-Adha, markets of Sheikh Maqsoud overcrowded in Aleppo
Aleppo – Sam Al-Ahmad – North-Press Agency
Unprecedented commercial activity and movement is witnessed in the markets and shops of the neighborhood of Sheikh Maqsoud in Aleppo these days.
Sheikh Maqsud is a Kurdish-majority neighborhood north of Aleppo, which has become a popular destination for many people in the city for shopping and buying items, especially clothes and shoes of all kinds and varieties.
The streets and houses of the neighborhood, as well as its markets and shops, were almost empty years ago, and were subjected to daily heavy and continuous bombardment by the armed opposition groups, which were stationed in the neighborhoods surrounding Sheikh Maqsoud.
The situation has dramatically changed after People’s Protection Units (YPG) took control of the neighborhoods surrounding Sheikh Maqsoud and the departure of armed opposition groups from Aleppo, where stability and security had returned to the neighborhood.
The state of stability and safety has prompted hundreds of families from Afrin and other Aleppo outskirts to return to the neighborhood and revived it, especially professionals, industrialists, clothing and textile traders, who have contributed significantly to the creation of an active business movement in Sheikh Maqsoud’s markets and shops.
Abdulhadi Sabbagh, a resident of Furqan neighborhood, which is considered one of the prestigious neighborhoods in Aleppo, explains to North-Press that many young men and women in Furqan area go to Sheikh Maqsoud to buy clothes and shoes. He said: “The product here is of high quality and fashionable and the prices are very suitable for all classes of society.”
Abdo Hamami, a resident of Salah al-Din neighborhood, says: “The market prices in Aleppo are very high compared to the prices in Sheikh Maqsoud, the prices here are very suitable, so I came with my wife and children to buy clothes.”
Malik Khader, an owner of one of the clothing workshops said:
“Most of the garment manufacturers in Sheikh Maqsoud came from Afrin after the Turkish invasion, and I’m one of them, within a short time we were able to revive this industry, which is characterized by Afrini people, and created an active trade movement that benefited most of the residents of Sheikh Maqsoud and the surrounding areas.”
For his part, Nishtman Abdo, an owner of a clothing store, said that the markets of Sheikh Maqsoud have been witnessing an unprecedented movement for more than a month, “Our customers mostly come from various Aleppo neighborhoods in order to buy goods of high quality and affordable prices,” he said.
The commercial movement in Sheikh Maqsood is not limited to clothing and shoes, as many people in Aleppo go to the neighborhood to shop even for food, car parts and other goods and necessities, which are considered to be affordable compared to other Aleppo markets.
The neighborhood, which was headed news and newspaper columns as the most bombed and destroyed neighborhood in the recent years, is now the most active and popular among Aleppo neighborhoods.