THIRTY shops have shut down in the Old Muharraq Suq, reportedly due to a significant drop in business which traders have blamed on road closures, widened pavements and large planters installed when the market was redeveloped recently.
A severe shortage of parking space has led to even long-established businesses struggling to survive in one of Bahrain’s oldest heritage areas, according to many several shopowners.
Businessman Fouad Shuwaiter described the situation as dire and accused the revamp of “destroying the soul of the historic market.
“This is a suq and not Hyde Park – what remains is putting animals in the planters and turn it into a zoo,” he told the GDN, speaking on behalf of the affected traders.
“Thirty businesses are out, 10 others are struggling and scores are barely surviving. This is the oldest marketplace in the region, more than 250 years old, and it is being treated as an afterthought.”
Mr Shuwaiter warned that traders are considering relocating if urgent corrective measures are not taken. The expanded pavements have made it ‘nearly impossible’ for customers to reach shops, while the planters have swallowed large sections of what used to be parking areas.
An out of service toilet in the suq
“Visitors can’t find a place to stop, so they simply go elsewhere,” he said.
He stressed that the market’s heritage value will mean little “if the businesses that kept it alive for centuries disappear.
“We’ve reached a breaking point. Every week, another shop downs its shutters.”
Muharraq Municipal Council chairman and area councillor Abdulaziz Al Naar echoed the traders’ concerns, saying the suq’s current condition is especially worrying as it prepares to host Muharraq Nights next week – an event known to attract scores of visitors.
Preparations underway for Muharraq Nights
“The festival is very popular, but the hassle of car parks and toilets makes the experience unnecessarily tiresome,” he said.
“Valet parking helps, but fixing the suq is the longer-lasting solution.”
Mr Al Naar stressed the lack of adequate parking and basic amenities at the heart of the suq, warning that even successful events will not revive commercial activity if structural issues are left unresolved.
The traders’ complaints follow growing pressure at the national level.
During Tuesday’s Parliament session, MPs voted unanimously to reverse the recent design changes in the Old Muharraq Suq, arguing that they caused an estimated 80 per cent drop in visitors.
The urgent proposal, which was referred to the Cabinet, called for restoring the original parking layout, narrowing the expanded pavements, removing the new planters and exploring acquiring land nearby for additional parking.
Legislators said the redevelopment, though designed to enhance the suq’s cultural character, had inadvertently harmed commercial life, created traffic bottlenecks and frustrated visitors.
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
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