Traditional Markets in Hail Province

Traditional Markets in Hail Province are open or enclosed sites for buying and selling heritage and handicraft products, traditional foods, and aromatic plants. Among the heritage products sold there are coffee, cardamom, nuts, spices, aromatic plants, medicinal herbs, ghee, honey, dates, palm care supplies, truffles, desert plants, livestock, charcoal, firewood, and desert trip supplies.

The traditional markets in Hail Province follow the Qaisariya style, characterized by open shops arranged around a central courtyard surrounded by an arcade for cultural activities traditionally associated with these markets. Qaisariya style includes a main entrance and subsidiary entrances, with shops potentially interconnected on three sides, leaving the fourth side as an independent entrance to the market.

Hail Traditional Market is located in a flat area in Barzan Neighborhood in the center of Hail City. Covering an area of 6.7 ha, it is bordered to the north by a series of hills, to the west by al-olya Road—one of the main arterial roads running parallel to Prince Muqrin Bin Abdulaziz Road—and to the south by Ghutat Road, which connects it to the city center. Most of the goods sold in the market are locally produced, with activities ranging from selling grains and dried plants to fruits, vegetables, clothing, household furniture, and upholstery.

Hail Traditional Market was one of eight traditional markets in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia targeted for development by the Saudi Tourism Authority (now the Ministry of Tourism) in 2015. The program aimed to qualify and develop these markets as tourist, heritage, and cultural sites. The project involved comprehensive studies and development plans, which were handed over to the relevant municipalities and executed in two phases.

The new Women's Market, (located north of Barzan Market in Hail), is one of the latest traditional markets in the area. It serves as a space for trading food items, clothing, and women's handicrafts. The market is organized and supervised by the Productive Families Charitable Association in Hail Province.

Barzan Traditional Market is one of the prominent markets in Hail Province, known for selling traditional clothing popular among women and children. The garments are made from silk fabrics and adorned with colorful golden threads, including items such as Thobe Manakheel and the traditional headscarf or Ghadfa.