Souq Al-Juma

The Friday Market at Al Rai is a very large open-air market that runs on Fridays and through the weekend, selling secondhand and new goods across an enormous area: furniture, carpets, tools, electronics, clothes, birds, plants, car parts and a great deal that defies category. Traders come from across the region. It is the sort of market where the point is walking it rather than buying anything specific. Adjacent to it is the animal and pet market, which operates on the same days and draws its own crowd.

What to look for

• The scale - an open-air sprawl covering a very large area.
• The secondhand trade - furniture, tools and goods of every kind.
• The bird and plant sections - the live markets within the complex.
• The Friday rhythm - a market built around the weekend.

When to go

Fridays and the weekend are when it runs; it is quiet or closed otherwise. November to March is the comfortable season. Mornings are best before the heat.

Practical notes

It is crowded, dusty and chaotic. Much of the stock is genuinely junk. Summer heat makes the open sections unbearable.

Nearby

Al Rai is around it, and Kuwait City is northeast.