Introduction:
Every town has a souk (market) selling everything from meat and live chickens, to clothes and jewellery. The gold is usually 18kt or above and there is no charge added for the craftsmanship of items like bangles, chains and earrings.
Tourist-oriented towns offer many handicrafts, including mosaic; mosaic schools train young people to work with the colourful, locally hewn stone.
Another distinctive local craft is ostrich-egg painting: the paint is applied with needle pricks and designs can take weeks to complete.
Other hand-crafted items include sand jars, hand-blown glass and embroidered clothing. Bottled Holy Water from the river Jordan can also be purchased, as can skin-care products made of Dead Sea mud.
Shopping hours:
Sat-Thurs 0930-1330 and 1530-1800; some open as early as 08:00 and close at 20:00.
Shops are closed on Friday except for the souks which usually open from 16:00.
