Muslim Quarter, Jerusalem

This shop sells much more than jewelry but this site only allows for one choice. What makes this place so special is the family that runs it. First of all, it's been in the same family and in the same location for 384 years!! As a retailer, I can tell you you can't stay in business that long and not know what you are doing. They are honorable, honest and sincerely friendly. They are all well educated and speak English perfectly. Omar, the owner is one of the finest men I've ever had the privilege to talk to. They make much of the jewelry themselves. They will not hassle you and push items on you. The pieces are priced to sell and the prices are very fair. The shop is aesthetically pleasing; colorful and warm. Recently, I bought a pair of beautiful silver earrings for my wife and daughter. Go in and enjoy a cup of tea and conversation while perusing the merchandise. Tell them Lev sent you! Enjoy!!

What to pay: the earrings I purchased were about $50 each. They are well worth it and are comparable to prices in the USA, possible a bit less expensive. But, they were made right there.

I went shopping inthe Muslim quarter but this applies for any of the shops in the Old city.

What to buy: This is more of a what NOT to buy suggestion. I wanted to buy souvenir T-Shirts for my Niece and Nephews ages 9-13. This particular shop had many t-shirts displayed on the wall but the actual t-shirts to buy were tightly pulled on a square piece of cardboard, wrapped in plastic with the sizes displayed on the plastic. The problem with this is you can't eyeball the shirt to make sure it will fit who you are buying it for. I realized my error when my two older nephews who are normal sized 12 and 13 year olds barely squeezed into the T-shirts I bought for them. The two younger ones fit into their shirts but not for long but at least they each have a t-shirt to grow into.
I just received an email from my nephew with a picture of the t-shirt I bought him after just one wash and all the writing is completely gone!!!!
Do yourself a favor, only buy a shirt you can look at to make sure the size will fit who you are buying it for and look at the material content, make sure they are pre washed to avoid shrinkage and go with your gut instinct to buy or not to buy.

What to pay: I paid $10 per shirt and bought four

What to buy: You'll get used to smelling that strong Arabic coffee if you hang around this area long enough. But it pays to beware that some of the Arabic coffee has a special ingredient in it which to me, has a very peculiar taste: it's a kind of spice called "hal" or "hel" in Hebrew. If you want to bring home some coffee, buy it from one of the vendors in the Muslim Quarter and you'll be sure of getting the authentic version.

The Bazzar of the Muslim quarter is a wonderful "Oriental" market like you can find in Marakech, Istanbul or Tunis. Endless small shops for antiques, cloths, food, sweets, spices and many more.

What to buy: buy spices like Zaatar, Saffran, Cinnamon; grained coffee, Rahat Lukum sweets

Set along narrow alleys, mostly within the Muslim Quarter, the Old City of Jerusalem is famous with its colorful market called "Shuk" in Hebrew.

The market offers a fascinating variety of lively shops and stalls, from mixed nuts and spices, to different kinds of sweets and pastries, vegetables and falafel, along with souvenirs, ceramics and oriental jewels and cloths.

Its a great place to buys gifts or souvenirs if you like to... just dont forget about the haggling... its part of the game.
most of the sellers tend to sit or stand outside their shops and tempt the people to get in and check what they have to sell... Thats the menthality there so you better get used to it quickly.

One wont get to the old city and miss that Souk which is in the Muslim quarter.
Pretty nice one, makes you feel like you're really in some Arab country, The shops... the looks... the smells.... everything.

As you can see from the photo some of the streets in the Arab Quarter are very colourful & busy!

Its a great place to buy your Jerusalem Souvenirs, You can try bargining, but its not the game you find in places like Egypt etc.

What to buy: Ceramics are nice, t shirts are cheap