Souq al-Suwaiqah (Arabic: سوق السويقة, lit. 'the stem market'), or in Najdi vernacular pronunciation as Souq al-Suweigah and officially as Swaigah Trade Center (Arabic: مركز سويقة التجاري), is a traditional marketplace (souq) and a shopping complex in the ad-Dirah neighborhood of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, that emerged from the ruins of the al-Ajnab quarter.[1][2][3][4][5] Covering an area of 6.2 acres,[6] it is situated east of the Masmak Fortress in the Qasr al-Hukm District. It includes more than 260 shops that specialize in the trading of traditional perfumes, cosmetics and abayas.[7]
 Gate No. 2 of Souq al-Suweigah, 2023 | |
| Native name | سوق السويقة |
|---|---|
| Area | 2.5 hectares (6.2 acres) |
| Location | ad-Dirah, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
| Coordinates | 24°37′54″N 46°42′52″E / 24.63167°N 46.71444°E |
The settlement lies on the ruins of the Al Ajnab settlement, which gradually went extinct following the dismantling of the city walls and subsequent expansion and modernization of Riyadh in the 1970s. The settlement evolved into Souq al-Suweigah and assumed most of its current form during the Qasr Al-Hukm District Development Project between 1983 and 1992.
References
edit- ^ Washmī, Aḥmad ibn Musāʻid (1993). الرياض: مدينة وسكانا،ً كيف كانت وكيف عاشوا (in Arabic). الوكالة العامة للإعلام، نبراس،.
- ^ الوشمي, أحمد بن مساعد عبدالله (2018-05-03). الرياض مدينة وسكانا: كيف كانت وكيف عاشوا؟ (in Arabic). العبيكان للنشر.
- ^ مجلة الفيصل: العدد 231 (in Arabic). مركز الملك فيصل للبحوث والدراسات الإسلامية. 1996-02-01.
- ^ al-Ḥaras al-Waṭanī (in Arabic). Idārat al-ʻAlāqāt al-ʻĀmmah bi-al-Ḥaras al-Waṭanī. 1998.
- ^ الهطلاني, الدكتورة مضاوي حمد الناصر (1996-11-25). مدينة الرياض: دراسة تاريخية في التطور السياسي والاقتصادي والاجتماعي والثقافي 1902 - 1975 م / 1320 - 1395 هـ (in Arabic). OBEIKAN Education. ISBN 978-9960-20-235-8.
- ^ "Al-jazirah". www.al-jazirah.com. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
- ^ Saudi Arabia. Information Office of the Royal Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 1991.