Manama Souq is the old bazaar

Bazaar

A bazaar , Cypriot Greek: pantopoula) is a permanent merchandising area, marketplace, or street of shops where goods and services are exchanged or sold. The term is sometimes also used to refer to the "network of merchants, bankers and craftsmen" who work that area...

 (souk

Souk

A souq is a commercial quarter in an Arab, Berber, and increasingly European city. The term is often used to designate the market in any Arabized or Muslim city, but in modern times it appears in Western cities too...

) of Bahrain

Bahrain

' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...

's capital, Manama

Manama

Manama is the capital and largest city of Bahrain, with an approximate population of 155,000 people.Long an important trading center in the Persian Gulf, Manama is home to a very diverse population...

. It lies in the north of Manama Peninsula, in-between the old parts of the city and the Central Business District

Central Business District, Manama

The Central Business District of Manama, Bahrain, is the most vital part of the capital. Many of the city's hotels, office buildings, shops and restaurants are located in the CBD...

, to the east of Noaim

Noaim

Noaim is a district of Bahrain's capital Manama, located in the northwest of Manama city center.Noaim's residents were historically known for their skills in ship crafting and carpentry. In the year 1930, a small clinic was built in Noaim, which was the base for Noaim Health Center, first...

 and west of Ras Rumman

Ras Rumman

Ras Rumman is a neighborhood of Manama in Bahrain. Historically it was a separate village of its own, however with the expansion of Manama, it became incorporated in to the capital city as one of its neighbourhoods. It lies to the east of the Manama Souq and roughly south of the Diplomatic Area....

. The area also is home to Bahrain's only synagogue

Bahrain Synagogue

Bahrain Synagogue is a synagogue located on Sasa'ah Avenue in the lower-class commercial district of Manama, the capital city of the gulf island of Bahrain.- Overview :...

.

It is a bustling marketplace with numerous traditional as well as modern shops. The souq (marketplace) is located in the heart of the city, near Bab Al Bahrain

Bab Al Bahrain

Bab Al Bahrain means Gateway of Bahrain. It is located in the Customs Square in Manama's former central business district and marks the main entrance to the Manama souq. Designed by Sir Charles Belgrave, adviser to the Emir and completed in 1945, Bab Al Bahrain once stood close to the water's edge...

. The souq stretches from Isa Al Kabeer Avenue on the east side, Government Avenue on the north and Shaikh Hamad Avenue on the west. One can see and buy all kinds of spices, fabrics, kaftans, thobes, handicrafts, souvenirs, dry fruits, nuts, and any other thing one can imagine.

The crowd as well as the traders in Manama souq consist of Bahrainis as well as expatriates from countries like India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

, Bangladesh

Bangladesh

Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...

, Egypt

Egypt

Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

 and neighboring Arab countries of the Persian Gulf

Persian Gulf

The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...

. The souq is frequented by tourists from all over the world to experience the traditional setting of the marketplace which has been preserved over the years.

The Gold souk is also worth visiting and all the gold is hallmark

Hallmark

A hallmark is an official mark or series of marks struck on items made of precious metals — platinum, gold, silver and in some nations, palladium...

ed and pure. One can only find 18K and 21K gold items. 10K and 14K are not usually acceptable as 'gold' jewelry. The Bahraini pearls are the only natural pearls in the world today and they are one of a kind. They are not cultured

Cultured pearl

A cultured pearl is a pearl created by a pearl farmer under controlled conditions.-Development of a pearl:A pearl is formed when the mantle tissue is injured by a parasite, an attack of a fish or another event that damages the external fragile rim of the shell of a molluc shell bivalve or gastropod...

 but natural.

The souq is divided into a number of quarters, including:

• Fareeq al-Fadhel
• Fareeq el-Hammam
• Fareeq el-Hatab
• Fareeq el-Makharqa
  Fareeq el-Makharqa
  Al-Makharga or Fareeq el-makharga is a district in the Manama Souq, the heart of Manama, the capital of Bahrain. It neighbours the adjacent districts of Fareeq el-Hammam, Fareeq el-Hatab, Fareeg el-Fadhel, Gudaibiya, and the original city of Manama....
  
  
• Fareej al Mushbir