Mawali is a magnificent place!  Wide avenues, pale paved streets, white buildings, and flowers everywhere!  And the people… so many people of all sorts, from tiny gnomes peddling their goods and services in little wooden carts to tall Alfar gliding by on their secretive business, and everything in between. And I’ve discovered Isha Nawhei is much more than a song.  I hear that phrase every time I turn around, as people greet each other.  If they know each other they usually hug.  If they are strangers then the response is usually a friendly “Sandaren” accompanied with a bow.  Sometimes I hear a cool “Ishdaren” response, accompanied by a slight nod.  I’m told this is used when a person is wary about the one who has greeted him or her.  It’s a more formal, but more distant, version of Sandaren.

The bazaar is one of the most exciting places I’ve been in a while, though after dark it becomes a much more dangerous place.  There are carts and kiosks, shops and stalls, and rugs piled high with goods.  And the food!  The most wonderful, spicy food I’ve had since my last visit to Istanbul.  And they even have something akin to coffee.  I spent more coin on coffee today than anything else.  You can find almost anything you can dream of in Mawali’s bazaar.  You can probably find the rest if you’re willing to risk it at night.

Here is a description of the city herself: Mawali.  I’m off to find Tamzy’s herbs.  Ta!

This work by Jean Headley is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.