The merchants seem to enjoy amiable and happy relations with one another over competiveness and the least fortunate of merchants is afforded a visit from a new customer, provided on the recommendation of their kind and generous neighbor.

Although, the street is a hustle and bustle with commotion, the crafters seem to tend to their trade totally focused upon the work set before them. Herein, the scene suggests that time has virtually stood still for countless centuries.

The arched passageway is the souk's primary path. Daylight attempts to peek through the dust laden air. Here are the perfected scents of various spices.

The souk becomes most busy with shoppers finding their ways past active stalls.

A merchant normally carries his wares on his back while his slightly more prosperous neighbor hires a donkey for the task.

One product, very common in the stalls, are olives. You will find olives prevalent in Syrian cuisine. This naturally is because of the abundance of olive trees which grow easily in the warm sun of the Mediterranean (climate.) Many of the souk's traders are most fortunate in attaining a steady income from the plentiful harvest afforded to them from the olive trees.

Within the city of Aleppo itself, many culturally and significant architectural landmarks exist, complimenting even further the traditional souk. There is the citadel dating back to the 1200s, the mosque with its roots firmly planted within the twelfth century and a variety of palaces dating back to the 1600s.

Relevant to Aleppo's history is the tiled courtyard of the city's great Mosque. The current structure dates back to the twelfth century and stands on the site of a prior mosque constructed in 715 A.D. The original mosque was destroyed in 1169.

Conclusively, while the city's souk dates from the 1200s, the largest portion of the souk was constructed by the Ottomans. This occurred after they “captured” the city of Aleppo in the early 1500s. Subsequently, Aleppo flourished for centuries as traders from Baghdad brought exotic wares such as the finest silks and muslins as well as coffee and various spices.

Other traders from places like France and Venice and England also visited the souk with their products.

Historically, the Industrial Revolution along with the outside acquisition of land by the Europeans caused activities to subside somewhat, thus, putting an end to much of the merchant exchange found on the historic silk road. In effect, a great deal of Aleppo's prominence died out.

Offering Jummah (Friday) prayers in Al-Haram Mosque is a unique experience as almost complete population of Mecca city and surrounding areas reach the holy mosque to offer prayers. Once we went to Saudi Arabia the Friday prayers were held at 1 PM and we went to the mosque at 11 AM to get a place in the shade and to our luck we found place at the rear in the building. People who came late they got place in the outer courtyard and in the sun. Almost at each prayer mosque is full with people and is normally overcrowded at Fajar and Maghrib prayers.

Jumma prayers were lead by Imam Kaaba Sheikh Abdur Rehman Al Sadees and it was a unique experience to listen to the recitation of Holy Qurran during the prayers by him. His sweet voice had a charming effect on all attending the prayers. Best sound system has been installed in the mosque. The pitch and quality of the sound remains the same through out the mosque. We all family members were very happy to had availed this unique opportunity.

A good thing about Saudi Arabia is that at time of prayers all type of business comes to a halt, and shopkeepers close shops till the time prayers are offered. All buyers are encouraged to leave the shop at that time. During my stay at Saudi Arabia, except jewelry shops I never found any shop being locked, only shopkeeper would put a cloth in-front of his shop or at best put a chair or piece of cardboard in front. After prayers shops would open again, markets fills up with customers and shopping spree continues as usual.

I also found street vendors mostly from African countries selling low quality merchandise in the main streets after the prayers and they would flee in the narrow streets after seeing police patrol. These street vendors sell the same products that are available in the main shops but are of inferior quality, it seemed that China has taken over market every where. Mostly people from subcontinent and Africa having limited budget for shopping are often found buying things from these vendors. Mostly these people sell handbags, wrist watches, cut pieces of cloth and sweets

Some Important Statistics of Masjid-ul-Haram

For the benefit of the readers some important statistics of the mosque have been given for general knowledge.

Masjid-e-Nabvi has an engineering marvel incorporated in its construction and that is the use of Floating Domes technique in the ceiling. A total of twenty-seven courtyards have been made in the mosque building and each has been covered with a floating dome. These domes have been specifically designed to evade suffocation by the pilgrims once the mosque is overcrowded. These domes can be moved from their places to let fresh air come in. This concept of floating domes was given during reconstruction of the mosque by Chief Architect of the project Doctor Kamal Ismael and were designed by a German Muslim engineer Mr Mehmood and the design was approved by than King Fahad Bin Abdul Aziz. For the benefit and comfort of pilgrims offering prayers in the courtyard of the mosque or out side the main building huge electronic umbrellas have been installed. When the sun is shinning at its peak these electronic umbrellas provide cool shade to the pilgrims sitting under them.

Masjid-e-Nabvi is centrally air-conditioned and the chilling unit for the mosque has been constructed outside the city and from there chilled air is pumped to the mosque through pipes. This whole cooling system is based upon cooling the air through chilled water. A comprehensive supply system for provision of Zamzam water has been established in the mosque and all pilgrims can take Zamzam water for personal usage from the supply point established. Zamzam water is provided within the premises of the mosque and is shipped from Makkah to Medina Munawarra through huge water tankers. Zamzam water is also available inside the mosque building in plastic water coolers. Big underground ablution / bath areas have been constructed around the main mosque and people can go to the areas by using stairs or escalators. Ablution / bath areas for men and women are separate.