Souq Haraj Ibn Qasim (), locally pronounced as Haraj bin Gassem, Haraj bin Jassem, or simply Souq Haraj (), is an outdoor second-hand flea marketplace in the al-Masani neighborhood of southern Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the oldest

flea market A flea market (or swap meet) is a type of street market that provides space for vendors to sell previously-owned (second-hand) goods. This type of market is often seasonal. However, in recent years there has been the development of 'formal' ...

s in the city where largely used furnitures, carpets and other household related appliances are sold and auctioned. It was previously situated in the al-Manfuhah district until 2014 when the

Riyadh Municipality Riyadh Municipality (RM) (), officially the Riyadh Region Municipality or the Municipality of Riyadh, is a Municipality, municipal body which has jurisdiction upon overall city services and the upkeep of facilities in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and the ...

relocated the place to further south of al-Batʼha Street, overlooking al-Anoud Park Mall. The place gets flocked mostly by migrant workers during weekends.

History

Haraj bin Qassim has its origins around the 1940s in the Deera Square, in front of present-day

Grand Mosque of Riyadh Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque (), also known as the Grand Mosque of Riyadh or simply the Grand Mosque (), is a mosque in the ad-Dirah neighborhood of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, located adjacent to Qasr al-Hukm while it overlooks the Deera Square. ...

in the city's ad-Dirah neighborhood. It is attributed to a person called ibn Qassim (), who is believed to be the eponymous founder of the souq after King Abdulaziz granted him the land for setting up an auction market. It was later relocated to al-Batʼha Street in al-Manfuhah neighborhood in 1971. One branch of the souq was also opened in Asir Street and Raʾīs Street, in close proximity to al-Shumaisi neighborhood but was soon closed down as the site was unspecified for the purpose by the authorities. In 2007, the

announced that it would be relocating the souq further south of al-Batʼha Street in a 48-hectares area allotted in the al-Masani neighborhood, in close proximity to the al-Mansurah district and was shifted there in 2014.

References

{{Reflist Souqs Economy of Riyadh