Monday, February 11, 2008

A visit to a bazaar

Yesterday, I accompanied my mother and went to the main bazaar near to our neighborhood (Ad Dora Bazaar). In fact, I haven't gone there for more than two years since it was closed and evacuated when all that shit happened.
I used to visit that bazaar a lot since I was a kid. I bought my favorite collection of comics and magazines for kids from a small corner shop. People used to go there to buy their daily life needs, i.e. food (veggies, meat, milk products.. etc), clothes & textiles, house equipments, toys, stationery supplies. You could find also some pharmacies, barbershops, and shops for selling electrical and digital devices (mobile phones, PCs, TVs, washing machines, fans.. etc) and many many more.
One of the familiar themes of that bazaar is OPEN-AIR markets where things are usually cheaper than in shops. Also People used to meet and sell things from the back of their cars which known by "car boot sales".
Ad Dora bazaar was considered one of the largest bazaars in Baghdad if it wasn't really the largest. Thursday evening was the best time for young men to stop at that bazaar as girls often used to go shopping; such as clothes, lingerie, cosmetics and other girls' stuff.
However, the sinful hand of the terrorism didn't let the life to keep going in that bazaar as the turmoil and the death chapters arise. Lives of many innocent people were taken away unjustifiably. The whole thing started with murdering certain individuals; I remember they killed two guys one was selling birds seeds and the other was an old man who was selling cigarettes and matches. I was there when these two poor men were executed, I heard the gunshots but I hadn't witnessed that bloody scene. Later, the killing rate increased, more people were falling down and markets were closed one after another day by day.
Gunfights began to take place everyday between some gunmen (rumored from Al-Qaida) and Iraqi police. The US army often intervened to curb those militias.
Anyway, plenty of procedures and actions were taken to make that bazaar under control. I mean under the control of the American & Iraqi forces to restore stability and constancy to Ad Dora neighborhood generally and to its bazaar specifically. Yesterday, I felt that the life is flowing back in the veins of that bazaar. I can't claim that it's back 100% to its normal, no, The bazaar is changed a lot and many markets and shops are closed & some of them are destroyed by fire. And now you can find some giant masses of concrete are piled together to form walls to block some entries and exits. I asked my mother about the souk and she said that it is getting better there. My mother was there to witness the final days of the ruined souk before it was closed completely. I asked her also about that middle-aged guy who used to sell magazines, newspapers and comics and she answered : "Hon! May he rest in peace! He's been killed.". I really felt sorry about that man as if he was some relative of mine. It's like I've lost another bookmark of my childhood. And what the fuck he did to take a shot to the head? Do his newspapers or comics represent any kind of threat? That's bitchy!
Anyway, one can get veggies, fruits, eggs, meat, milk and milk products from there. You can get some equipments for your house from that bazaar. I saw some clothes markets are open! Ah, girls! You still can buy your cosmetics and lingerie as well. ;)
One funny thing I'd like to tell you about is that when mom and I were walking back home. It was afternoon and the streets were calm and quite when people were having their lunch or a nap. A scary bark broke that dead silence was coming out up from no where. It was an ugly dog running towards mom and it was trying to attack her. My mother made a funny scream and soon she began to run away. The view of his drooling mouth and scary fangs was frightening. However, I grabbed mom's arm* and as a quick reaction my mom slapped the dog with her purse. The dog stepped back and cancelled the idea of terrifying that woman. My mother didn't know if she was crying or laughing. The situation was thrilling but hilarious in the same time. We couldn't stop laughing until we got home safe.

* If you saw a dog running towards you, don't run. Stay calm and steady and try not to show your fear. Dogs can smell the fear inside you! Believe me, I had experienced this in real.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

*hugs you*

And will you stop ogling the poor girls! :P

That dog will have nightmares of your mom and her purse, lol.
You're right about the fear and the running.
If a dog is barking mad though (pardon the pun) I'm afraid it'll eat you anyway.
Good thing most dogs are sane, eh?

Don Cox said...

"Yesterday, I felt that the life is flowing back in the veins of that bazaar. I can't claim that it's back 100% to its normal, no,"_____I think that describes very well the state of Iraq as a whole. Thanks for that report. Hopefully, IF things keep on improving, life will be nearer to normal in a year or two. Mosul seems to be still very bad.

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

Hi Caesar!

It's nice to hear that some things are getting back to somewhat normal. But it's not nice to hear about the dog incident. I've read on some of our guys blogs that wild dogs in Iraq are a real problem. I'm glad your Mom wasn't hurt. That was quick thinking with the purse! No doubt it was quite heavy, too. We tend to carry everything but the kitchen sink in there. :D Maybe that dog will think twice next time. :)

Don,

I think Mosul has been one of the destinations of choice for militants fleeing other areas in Iraq. It may take awhile to get it calmer again.

Anonymous said...

Caesar,

Great to hear from you again. Let's hope that everything continues to improve day by day. Yeah, like Lynnette, I've read that wild dogs are a bit of problem in Iraq.

*

ahmed said...

يمكن هذا قيصر ويزي دازه عليك....منو غيره حشري هيج

Pan said...

You're right about dogs and not running, caesar. Although its hard not to run when one the size of a small horse comes galloping at you, which happened to me today.I hid in a guitar shop.
Also near a market, where I bought some cosmetics. lol
The big difference was the abscence of madmen with guns...

Caesar of Pentra said...

@ Mel,

It's not my first time with mad dogs. actually, when I was young (10 years i think) I had
another incident with a dog. I was walking with my brother, who was 7 years in that time, we were going to school when we saw a punch of kids were messing up with a dog. The dog tried to break out of this and ran toward my brother. My brother was shocked to see a speeding dog coming after him, and soon he decided to runaway. The dog tried to punish anybody for that humiliation, therefore, my brother was the victim. My brother ran as fast as he could for about 100 meters, where the dog realized that it fruitless to chase that Iraqi version of FLASH and then it stopped. My brother was out of breath. He couldn't believe that he had escaped from that ghastly beast. Everytime we mention that incident, we can't stop laughing.

@ Don,
Hopefully, IF things keep on improving, life will be nearer to normal in a year or two.
I hope it gets back to normal sooner than that. But, the mission needs more time to achieve its objectives. As regardig Mosul, the situation is complicated there. I have a cousin lives there and she said to me that it's shitty out there. But everyone here talks about a certain military operations to restore the safety for that city.

@ Lynne,
Help! My name is Henry Gale! ... I'm from Minnesota!
Hehehe, I'm just quoting some of LOST's wicked character (Benjamin Linus). Perhaps, I haven't mentioned that LOST is my favorite series. I'm trying to download the 2nd episode of season 4. They're going to air the episode 3 tonight on ABC and it's centered on that Iraqi chap, Sayid, the former republican guard.
Anyway, back to dogs and bazaars.. Hehehe! The purse wasn't heavy as she could wave it easily.

@ Jeff,
My mother told me once that when she was young, the goverment released a statement that every man killed a wild dog, he would be rewarded. The number of wild dogs dropped down to its minimum levels. But I think it was a bit harsh. I think killing those animals should be a last resort.

@ KKK,
i don't know! But Weezy is busy a lot with his Master degree. I think it was sent by Mudaffer. I promised that I would get some new DVD quality movies for him. And you know how accuarte am I in that thing.

@ Lelly,
Hehehe! Why did that dog come after you? By the way, I don't know if there's any chinatown in the UK. If so, just show a pic of dogs soup to any crazy dog wants to attack you.

Caesar of Pentra said...

Sorry for that lil' stupid typo... It was a Bunch of kids, not Punch. Silly me! :P

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

"Lost" is excellent. They just started the new season here last week. I don't know how many episodes they have filmed though, because of the writers strike. Yup, Ben is a "good" bad guy. :)

RhusLancia said...

Hey Caesar, what do you think of Sayid on Lost? I thought it was cool they had an Iraqi on there, but then they make him RG, and a torturer. Stool! I guess everybody has to have a dark past on that show, but why not make him a Sadr fan, or army deserter or something?

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

lol! I thought one of the best bits of dialogue on "Lost" was in one of the very first shows where they are all getting to know each other. Sayid tells Hurley he was in the first Gulf War and Hurley asks him which branch of the services he was in, Army, Navy or Marines? And Sayid replies Republican Guard. :)

Caesar of Pentra said...

togram@ Lynne,
They only filmed 8 episodes.
ABC has decided that the eight episodes will be aired from February to March, regardless of whether any more episodes are produced in the 2007-2008 television season.
Hehehe, that's right! It was funny prelude to introduce Sayid with the character who serves as the show's comic relief (Hurley).
However, Sayid's arabic is crappy. Anyway, Naveen Andrews (Sayid) was born in London from Indian origins.

@ rhuslancia,
Hey, dude! Sayid is my favorite character in LOST as well as the scottish guy Desmond. When my sister told me that they were airing a series about some ppl who were on an island after they survived from a plane crash and an Iraqi dude was one of the survivors, I started to watch the first episodes just to see what role was that Sayid playing. Actually, I like that character much, he used to be bad person due to his past with the Iraqi army. But I can tell most of the Iraqi RGs like Sayid were forced to do what they did. Death penalty was for those who disobey orders from the upper authoroties.

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

Only 8? Well, I guess I'll have to enjoy what I can.

Hmmm...there are a lot of good characters on that show, but I guess my favorites are Sayid and Sawyer. I'm a little ticked that they killed off you know who in the last season, though, because he played off the others so well.

Pan said...

Dunno why that huge dog would want to attack me.It might just have been playing but it was the size of a small horse so I didn't stick around to find out...Dog soup? You ARE chinese!
;)
( we do have chinatowns btw)

Caesar of Pentra said...

@ Lynne,
Yeah, unfortunately only 8 ones. The filming process would be resumed if the strike goes OFF. You should kindly inform me if they terminate that strike.

@ Lelly,
Hell, no! I'm not chinese!

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

They have ended the strike, Caesar. I don't know if they will be filming any more episodes of "Lost" for this season, though. We'll just have to wait and see how it shakes out...

David said...

Hi Caesar, I'm glad to hear that the situation in Baghdad is safe enough for you to get out and do some shopping in the bazaar. I have never been to anything like a bazaar where lots of ordinary goods are available from small open stalls or car trunks. We have things called "Flea Markets" which are basically individuals who pay a small fee to set up a table and sell their extra junk. Maybe you have heard the phrase "one man's trash is another man's treasure". ;) These days I shop at the world's biggest flea market: Ebay. :)

I am worried about friends in Mosul too. I was chatting with my friend Hud yesterday and she said that the windows of her house had been blown out by an explosion. I was relieved to hear that everyone was ok. I hope that Mosul can be peaceful soon!

Caesar of Pentra said...

@ Lynne,
Yea, I heard that. I hope they continue filming those episodes before airing the 8th episode.

@ David,
Hey, bro! I'm trying to compose some new rap shit. Anyway, I'm worried about those ppl in Mosul. I have a cousin right there who lives with her husband. She can't let her kid to go to school because it is quite unsafe. By the way, you said "Hud". I think you mean "HudA". right?

David said...

Looking forward to your new raps Caesar. :) Yeah, Hud is Huda. She sometimes goes by Dr. Huda. Btw, she told me that she recently defended her dissertation. She now has her Ph.D. in Linguistics. I'm hoping she can find a university job somewhere safe. Her uncle is head librarian at a university in Jordan. Maybe he can help her find something there.

Unknown said...

Thats so funny the dog thing. Im sitting here just picturing you guys with the dog LOL