The diary Game [30-03-2025] : My visit to the Souk El Jeld in Tunis

_{Edited By Canva}

Hello steemians,

My visit to the Souk El Jeld in Tunis, on this unique day marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan began in the heart of the medina, in front of the Zitouna mosque, majestic and timeless, where the faithful, dressed in their most beautiful outfits, finished in an atmosphere imbued with spirituality the last prayers of this blessed month while the neighboring streets began to fill with a lively crowd, eager to make the last purchases before the celebration of Eid el-Fitr.

As soon as you leave the surroundings of the mosque, the call of the souk becomes irresistible, almost instinctive, as the noises, smells, colors and voices weave an invisible thread that guides you through the living arteries of the medina, and this is how I found myself taking the ancient cobblestones leading to the Souk El Jeld, this emblematic place of Tunisian craftsmanship where leather reigns supreme, carried by an ancestral heritage that continues to defy time.

Hanging on the stone walls, the skins of sheep, goats or cows, sometimes raw, sometimes already worked, give off a strong, typical smell, which mixes with the scents of incense, spices and the crowd, forming a unique and almost intoxicating olfactory cocktail, while the stalls are overflowing with hand-sewn bags, colorful slippers, solid and elegant belts, decorative or utilitarian objects all carefully crafted, with an artisanal mastery that you can guess at first glance, each seam, each detail carrying the imprint of know-how passed down with passion and rigor from generation to generation.

That day, the souk was particularly lively, every alley buzzing with contagious energy, with entire families coming from the four corners of the city, sometimes even from further afield, their arms full or their eyes eager to find the ideal gift, the perfect pair of sandals, the leather bag that will complete the festive outfit, and the children, excited at the idea of Eid approaching, scrutinized the windows with stars in their eyes, while the merchants, benevolent and smiling, exchanged festive greetings and greetings, while skillfully practicing the art of bargaining, a real role-playing game in which everyone, customer and seller alike, takes pleasure in negotiating, discussing, sometimes joking, until reaching an agreement that satisfies both parties.

I walked slowly, absorbed by this atmosphere, a blend of religious fervor, the joyful anticipation of preparations, and the raw beauty of the setting: walls covered with Berber rugs, painted or sculpted ceilings, hanging lanterns, colorful mosaics on the thresholds of some shops, windows overflowing with artisanal products, hammered copper, glazed pottery, handmade jewelry, and at every turn of the alley, a new surprise, a new craft, another form of creation, another voice that calls out, inviting you to enter, to look, to touch, to appreciate, and sometimes to buy.

I stopped for a few moments in a small café nestled between two shops, whose walls decorated with old earthenware and traditional lamps recalled the deep soul of the medina, and I took a mint tea accompanied by a crispy egg brik, served with warmth in a family atmosphere, while the surrounding conversations, mixing Arabic, French and local dialects, formed a soothing background sound, a sort of melody of everyday life where everything seems in its place, in harmony. messy but authentic.

What I felt during this visit goes far beyond the simple activity of strolling in a market or doing some shopping, it was a dive into a living world, into a preserved collective memory, where each object tells a story, where each craftsman is a repository of a thousand-year-old tradition, and where leather, a noble and natural material, becomes the support of a cultural expression rooted in the history of Tunisia, vibrating to the rhythm of the seasons, festivals, needs and tastes.

Leaving the souk, as the sky began to take on a golden hue announcing the end of the day and the first calls to prayer rang out in the soft evening air, I had a moment of inner silence, a form of calm gratitude for having been able to live this experience at this precise time of the year, between spirituality and craftsmanship, between faith and commerce, between the past which resists and the present which is inventing itself, and it is with a light heart, a few articles in hand and many memories in the head that I left Souk El Jeld, with the conviction of having touched, if only for a moment, the very essence of the Tunisian soul.

Best Regards,
@kouba01