Bab el-Khemis Flea Market

Bab el-Khemis means the Thursday gate and the market that has grown outside it runs every day but is biggest on Thursday, sprawling over open ground and side streets in a way that has nothing to do with the souks in the medina. What is sold is second-hand and salvage: doors and shutters taken out of demolished houses, painted cedar panels, ironwork, colonial furniture, lamps, carpets in bad condition, tools, car parts, clothes, and a good deal of junk. Dealers who furnish riads buy here, which is why the same objects reappear restored and expensive in Gueliz shops. Bargaining is harder than in the souks because the sellers are not working the tourist trade and are less practised at the theatre of it, which some people find easier. It is dusty, crowded and disorganised, and pickpocketing is a real risk in the press.

What you actually see

• Architectural salvage - doors, shutters and painted panels from demolished houses.
• The supply chain - dealers buying here for the restored shops in Gueliz.
• Thursday at its largest - a daily market that spreads out on its named day.
• Blunter bargaining - sellers not working the visitor trade and less theatrical about it.

When to go

Thursday morning, October to April. Half a day.

Honest expectations

It is crowded and pickpocketing is a genuine risk - carry nothing loose. Much of the stock is junk and sorting it takes patience. Exporting old architectural material may need paperwork. There is no shade and it is dusty.

Nearby

The northern medina and the tanneries are inside the gate.