Tunis - Gabes -

Every morning, Adel Mrabet used to open his shop in the traditional henna market in the Tunisian province of Gabes (southeast of the capital) to greet his fellow merchants and neighbors in this ancient market, dusting, arranging and paving his exhibits with great care that delights visitors and onlookers.

For the past 30 years, Adel has been in the Jara market (relating to the Jarah area) selling traditional products that are special to Gabes from the rest of the governorates, and are made by hand, mainly from palm fronds;

From gabions, umbrellas, and fans, in addition to the (furniture) tags of Gabes Al-Aseel.

The morning of Eid al-Fitr, corresponding to the second of May, did not pass happy for the market traders and the residents of Gabes, nor for the Tunisian people who were devastated by the disaster of burning the market, as the fire destroyed 23 shops and devoured them completely and turned them in the blink of an eye into scattered ashes.

The henna market in Gabes after the independence of Tunisia, and the photo is from the Ibn Gabes group, Radwan Al-Zarli (Al-Jazeera)

seriously injured

Adel was lucky that his shop survived this tragedy, but the pain is shared and the injury is great;

The market is a collective heritage, the public interest and the harm are one in view of the mutual transactions between merchants, as he confirms to Al Jazeera Net.

With great sadness, Mrabet (56 years old) recalls the intense market movement before the holy month of Ramadan, as it is an attractive source of internal tourism and the destination of citizens from all Tunisian regions who come to him in droves after enjoying the benefits of the famous hot and healing waters in the Hamma region in Gabes.

An old picture of women in one of the traditional gaf shops in Jara market, and the photo is from the group of Ibn Gabes Radwan Al-Zarli (Al-Jazeera)

It was also called and known as the henna market, in which the best natural and healthy henna products produced by Gabes are displayed, and it is the destination for girls who are about to get married and their mothers, where they find what they want and need from all kinds of incense and traditional furnishings, and a kenstro (a type of box) for the engagement ceremony.

national heritage

Adel stresses that the burning of their archaeological landmark left deep heartache and pain in the hearts of merchants and citizens alike because it is a national heritage and not just a regional one. He called on the authorities to expedite the restoration and reform of the market according to its traditional urban specifications to preserve it as a cultural and tourist destination for the region.

The henna market is an archaeological landmark whose burning left deep heartburn and anguish in the souls of merchants and citizens alike (Al-Jazeera)

Adel also called for providing safety sources for ambulance and civil protection agents to intervene in the market when dangers arise and to organize it "because the market was suffering from overcrowding and severe chaotic erections," as he confirmed.

The henna market consists of two parts: the first is internal and was created in the Ottoman era in 1820 according to the Ottoman architecture and is characterized by its ancient arches and small shops in shape and size, and the second external, which was created in the seventies after the independence of Tunisia, as explained by Abdel Moneim Merabet, Vice President of the Federation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts in Gabes for the island. net.

Part of the henna market built according to the Ottoman architecture (Al-Jazeera)

a source of income

The archaeological market includes about 43 shops, which is a source of livelihood and work for many families in the city.

Jara market is ranked second nationally in terms of the number of shops specialized in traditional industries after the old city in the capital, Tunis.

Abdel Moneim describes the henna market as a mosaic of traditional industries because it displays everything produced by the oasis in Gabes and its delegations (13 regions).

In the neighborhood market, you find the mountain textile from Matmata, the silver from Gabes Al-Madina, Shatt Al-Salam, Al-Qafah, Al-Marwah, from Al-Hama, the “knestro” from Shanni, and Al-Sammar from Al-Matwiah and Wetherf.

A national campaign to save the henna market entitled "It will return better than it was" (Al-Jazeera)

popular giveaway

The market burned, and with it the hearts of all the residents of Gabes and all Tunisians, so they gathered and united under one slogan that says, "It will be better than it was."

Some associations also opened accounts to accept donations to contribute to the reconstruction of the henna market, while the people of culture and art from the capital, Tunis, flocked to the annual “Gabes Cinema Art” festival, which the governorate is hosting from the sixth until May 12, and a number of them visited the market and were encouraged to donate to save This ancient heritage.

It is noteworthy that the Tunisian Ministry of Cultural Affairs announced the formation of a fire crisis cell to present its results on the sixth of this May. It also announced “a commitment by the interests of the National Institute of Heritage to prepare the technical study that will take into account the traditional architecture and the conditions of preventive preservation for the teacher and supervision of restoration.”