Baghdad's Shorjah market is Ramadan centre, 700 years on

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BAGHDAD (AFP) – A year after it reopened, following rampant violence, shoppers flocked to Baghdad's Shorjah market as they have for centuries to buy goods for the holy month of Ramadan.

Soaring prices and scorching heat, however, along with the bloodshed that engulfed the capital in recent years, have hit at the tradition and, consequently, the family businesses that depend on it.

"Ramadan starts from here," said Abu Issam -- literally, father of Issam -- while gazing at cases of rice and spices in his shop.

"Shorjah was a haven for people from all Iraq, especially during Ramadan," added the 70-year-old, who has worked in Shorjah for five decades, as his son Mohammed tried to turn on a ceiling fan that dates back to 1934.

http://old.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110805/wl_mideast_afp/iraqislamreligionramadanmarket