The Bab Khemis flea market

This experience is not for everyone! But if you like to give a second life, or give back a soul to furniture and antiques, then you are in the right place. In a world based on throwaways, this is the proof that really everything can be recycled.

Get among its chaos, and try to guess what you will find at the bottom of the next pile of objects you will encounter on your way. The market is divided into different areas. If you start from the area next to the Bab Khemis door, then you will find yourself in an open garage-style space, in the midst of the confusion generated by piles of used clothes and shoes, mismatched crockery, and, tools of various kind…

But sometimes real wonders are hidden in the middle. You just have to take the time to search where you can’t believe, to find just what you were looking for.

Following the stalls and entering the gate, pass under the covered gallery and its labyrinth of alleys, and you will find yourself in the section of the artisan workshops: carpenters, cabinetmakers, mechanics, welders. Here they are able to fix anything and you can admire their gestures as they do it.

Crossing this primordial “shopping center” you arrive at the area of ​​second-hand dealers and antique dealers: try to negotiate the price of old furniture, antique jewels, Berber carpets, French chandeliers, books and objects of all kinds.

With a little mischief you will also learn to distinguish a truly ancient object from a good imitation. For example, to distinguish the wrought iron windows of the 20th century, you must observe if there are welds, which did not exist at the time. The blacksmiths, in fact, drilled the metal to weave the bars together and added clamping rings to hold the pieces together.

We want to reveal a secret to you! Even we at riad Alkemia could not resist the charm of this place. In fact many of our doors and some of the decorations that adorn the riad, such as the birdhouse and some chandeliers, come from here.

When you’ve closed your deal, dive in to find your next one. The market is open from Saturday to Thursday and the advice is to go around 10.00 in the morning to find new arrivals.