Saudi Stores Increase Preparedness for Eid Supplies

Saudi markets witnessed a flourishing season during Eid al-Fitr (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi markets witnessed a flourishing season during Eid al-Fitr (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Stores Increase Preparedness for Eid Supplies

Saudi markets witnessed a flourishing season during Eid al-Fitr (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi markets witnessed a flourishing season during Eid al-Fitr (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Shops of jewelry, sweets, gifts and clothing in Saudi Arabia witnessed a flourishing movement during the last ten days of Ramadan, as they prepared for Eid al-Fitr celebrations.

Stores raised their levels of preparedness through a variety of new products and marketing and advertising campaigns while some of them opened 24 hours per day.

The southern region of Jazan saw a thriving purchasing movement in the markets of gold, jewelry, ready-made clothes, and luxuries, and in the popular souks.

A number of shop owners pointed to an increase in the demand for gold during the month of Ramadan, especially in the days preceding Eid Al-Fitr, indicating that this period of the year was considered one of the peak seasons as the markets witness a clear increase in the number of shoppers.

According to a survey by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the Al-Baha region (south of the Kingdom) recorded a great demand in sweet shops, which are traditionally served on the morning of the holiday.

In western Saudi Arabia, in Jeddah, the popular markets called “Al-Balad Souks” witnessed a significant purchase movement, with the approaching Eid.

Customers see that the popular souks provide a variety of options, whether in prices or goods, compared to the major centers and markets.

Jewelry shops in Jeddah’s popular markets attract a large number of residents and visitors, who buy gold, ornaments, jewelry and accessories, while the owners of handicrafts and traditional industries master the manufacture of pottery, antiques and some other popular gifts.

Shops, centers and markets in the Tabuk region were dressed with joy and traditional decorations to welcome shoppers, with the start of the countdown to Eid Al-Fitr.

The residents flocked to the shops to buy the finest fragrances, incense and Oud, as part of a tradition to perfume homes to welcome visitors, relatives and friends.

Similarly, markets and commercial complexes in the cities of Arar and Hail (northern Saudi Arabia) witnessed an increasing demand for clothes, personal supplies, gifts, children’s toys, and others, in preparation for Eid al-Fitr.



Syria to Receive Electricity-generating Ships from Qatar, Türkiye

FILE PHOTO: A view shows electricity pylons in Kiswah, Damascus suburbs, Syria September 8, 2021. REUTERS/Yamam al Shaar/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A view shows electricity pylons in Kiswah, Damascus suburbs, Syria September 8, 2021. REUTERS/Yamam al Shaar/File Photo
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Syria to Receive Electricity-generating Ships from Qatar, Türkiye

FILE PHOTO: A view shows electricity pylons in Kiswah, Damascus suburbs, Syria September 8, 2021. REUTERS/Yamam al Shaar/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A view shows electricity pylons in Kiswah, Damascus suburbs, Syria September 8, 2021. REUTERS/Yamam al Shaar/File Photo

Syria will receive two electricity-generating ships from Türkiye and Qatar to boost energy supplies hit by damage to infrastructure during President Bashar al-Assad's rule, state news agency SANA quoted an official as saying on Tuesday.
Khaled Abu Dai, director general of the General Establishment for Electricity Transmission and Distribution, told SANA the ships would provide a total of 800 megawatts of electricity but did not say over what period.
"The extent of damage to the generation and transformation stations and electrical connection lines during the period of the former regime is very large, we are seeking to rehabilitate (them) in order to transmit energy,” Abu Dai said.
According to Reuters, he did not say when Syria would receive the two ships.
The United States on Monday issued a sanctions exemption for transactions with governing institutions in Syria for six months after the end of Assad's rule to try to increase the flow of humanitarian assistance.
The exemption allows some energy transactions and personal remittances to Syria until July 7. The action did not remove any sanctions.
Syria suffers from severe power shortages, with state-supplied electricity available just two or three hours a day in most areas. The caretaker government says it aims within two months to provide electricity up to eight hours a day.