Keep walking down Souq al Turk, away from the Green Square end, and you’ll come at last to this shop - it’s on the right and is the only one of its kind so is easy enough to find. A small window display leads into a narrow shop with red-lined shelves along each wall. Definitely a cut above the souvenir souq near the entrance to the medina, here you’ll find an interesting mix of old and new. All along one wall there’s a display of old clay cooking pots (photo 1), ordinary domestic wares but with a patina of age and use and in a variety of shapes that is very pleasing. The higher the shelf, the older the pots.
An inner room is a kaleidescope of colour, the walls hung with Berber flat-weave rugs mostly in shades of terracotta, red and orange-gold with black and white. More rugs cover the floor and there are piles of them waiting to be opened out for you to make your choice (photo 2). Coming in a wide range of sizes, they’re both attractive and easy to pack - and very reasonably priced.
Jewellery, metalwork, mirrors and boxes are some of the other items for sale here. The owner is a charming man and you’ll not be pressured into buying anything. Libya is considerably more affluent than most North African countries, added to which many prices are controlled by government decree, so haggling over prices has long ceased to be part of the culture. You may be offered a small discount, especially if you make more than one visit to the shop and are courteous, but don’t expect it as your right as a tourist.