What Next for Marsa Matruh's Souq Libya?
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18 October 2, 2016 Economy What next for Marsa Matruh’s Souq Libya? Ahmad Hafez of Sallum, is closed except for a few hours each day. Security on both sides of the border is tight, given Marsa Matruh the rising spectre of terrorism and weapons smuggling. ouq Libya is facing an un- Twenty-three Egyptian workers certain future. Once a thriv- were briefly kidnapped in Libya in ing market that sold goods August while returning through the from across the world to Sallum crossing. There has been a tourists visiting the Medi- major exodus of Egyptian workers Sterranean resort, the souq’s stalls from Libya via the crossing because are empty and its shelves bare. of the deteriorating security situa- During the era of Muammar tion. Qaddafi, Egyptian businessmen and traders would travel to Libya In addition to a lack of to buy heavily discounted goods, transporting those to Marsa Matruh goods, there is also a to sell for large profits. lack of demand due to But Souq Libya has been in de- the absence of cline since the 2011 fall of the tourists. Qaddafi regime and the chaos that followed. The political and eco- nomic situation in Egypt is no less Ten years ago, the Sallum border tense as tourist numbers plummet crossing saw ambitious Egyptian and Cairo increases security along traders and businessmen flocking its border with Libya, fearing the to Libya to buy goods for import presence of the Islamic State (ISIS) to Egypt. Today Egyptian workers and armed smugglers. are making the reverse journey. Al- Ahmed Gomaa, who owns a spice though goods from countries such shop in Souq Libya, said most of as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi the products for sale in the souq are Arabia, Germany, Japan, Turkey, produced locally. In previous years Tunisia, India, Pakistan and China the main draw of the market was continue to enter the Libyan mar- the availability of foreign, and par- ket, these are not subsidised as ticularly European, imports. before. Libyan imports previously “The market is a victim to what were on par with, if not cheaper, is happening in Libya in terms of than locally manufactured goods. the armed conflict and terrorism “The majority of the goods then that is taking place on a daily ba- were not actually made in Libya sis. We, at least, had stability dur- but they would be imported by ing the Qaddafi era and European Libya from more than 70 countries goods would flow across the border around the world under the con- to Marsa Matruh,” he said. trol of the General People’s Com- mittee… but now Libya’s ports are Souq Libya has been closed and this has had a huge ef- fect on Libya’s markets,” Gomaa in decline since the said. Marsa Matruh’s Souq Libya 2011 fall of the “It is only thanks to Souq Libya’s Qaddafi regime and reputation and history that we are the chaos that even here still,” he added. ticularly in the Sinai, where an ISIS “You cannot punish the shop- ernment’s decision to increase cus- followed. In addition to a lack of goods, affiliate has carried out attacks, and keepers and cut off their livelihood toms taxes, saying this had made an there is also a lack of demand due in western Egypt where Cairo fears because of what is happening in already complicated situation more to the absence of tourists. The infiltration from ISIS in Libya. Libya in terms of security prob- difficult. Cairo increased tariffs “Traders would travel to Libya number of tourists visiting Egypt Souq Libya seller Ahmed Hamid lems. Our livelihood depends on on a wide range of imports earlier themselves and be able to return declined massively after Metro- blamed ISIS for the souq’s decline. continuing trade between Egypt this year, part of an attempt to deal [to Egypt] easily, it was almost as jet Flight 9268 was blown up over “The presence of ISIS in Libya is the and Libya.” with its foreign currency shortage. if they were travelling between dif- the Sinai peninsula in 2015 killing main reason for what we are seeing Hamid, who runs a cosmetics Items such as clothing and house- ferent Egyptian provinces, not all 224 people aboard. A number today in Souq Libya,” he said. “The shop in Souq Libya, said he had lost hold appliances saw increased tar- across an international border. of European countries, including Egyptians have increased security about $11,000 this year due to de- iffs, while custom tariffs on some As for today, it is very difficult to Britain and Russia, suspended di- along the border and are carrying clining sales and lack of tourists in items such as nuts and fruits were transfer any goods between the two rect flights to Egypt citing security out exhaustive searches of any Marsa Matruh, forcing him to sell increased by as much as 100%. countries.” concerns. trucks that are coming from Libya products at a loss as his stock ap- The border crossing between Egypt has ramped up its security for fear that they could be carrying proaches its sell-by date. Ahmad Hafez is an Egyptian Egypt and Libya, near the village presence across the country, par- ISIS elements or arms. He criticised the Egyptian gov- writer. Exporting Palestinian wine as an act of faith Sarah Benhaida 50,000 tonnes of grapes, according nised as the first Palestinian grape. perfect for the summer heat of the to viticulture, said Ghassan Cassis, to the Palestinian Agriculture Min- At the Khourys’ vineyard nearly region’s hills and as an accompani- who farms in the family vineyards istry. 1,000 metres above sea level, vint- ment to grilled chicken. in Bir Zeit near Ramallah, selling the Taybeh Vine-dotted terraces are cut into ners make a fragrant wine that is Helping to sort the fruit on a con- grapes to Nadim Khoury for press- steep hills and in kitchens across fermented and aged in steel tanks, veyor belt leading to a mechanical ing. early 20 years ago, Na- the territories, the fruit is used for press, Madees said they want to “We are 750 metres above the dim Khoury created the desserts and consumed freshly help publicise the Palestinian sea, humidity and dew evaporate first Palestinian brew- squeezed. Grape leaves, stuffed territories, despite the state quickly and the sunshine is good,” ery. Now, with his son with rice or meat, are a staple of not having full recognition said Cassis, who trained in Australia Canaan, he wants to family meals and holiday feasts. from the United Nations. before coming home. Nadd the Palestinian territories to the Palestinians, 98% of whom are As such, exporting a However, he bemoaned the lack map of the world’s wineries. Muslim, produce little wine, de- wine from “Palestine” is of skilled labour in the area. The pair founded a winery in the spite the West Bank being far from far from easy. Khoury, meanwhile, is realistic village of Taybeh in the hills of the devoid of it. “The free trade about the future of Palestinian viti- occupied West Bank in 2013 and Some 400,000 Jewish settlers agreements with culture. the Christian family is now, along have moved to land Israel occupied the United States, with the Salesian priests from the in 1967 in a situation never recog- for example, say The Khourys produce Cremisan monastery near Bethle- nised by the international com- the ‘West Bank’ hem, one of a handful of significant munity. Those settlers have estab- but not ‘Pales- 30,000-35,000 bottles producers of wine in the Palestinian lished more than 20 vineyards tine’, so we had of Cabernet territories. across the region. to change our la- Sauvignon, Merlot and “Since the time of Christ, people For Khoury, producing a Pales- bels,” said Nadim Syrah wines a year. have made wine in the Holy Land,” tinian wine is as much a matter of Khoury. said Nadim Khoury, whose given taste as an act of faith in the Pales- The front of the bottle name in Arabic refers to a some- tinian cause. says “Palestine” but the “Latrun, which was a Palestinian times tipsy meal companion, a char- Christians represent 90% of the label on the back of the city of wine until the 1967 war, is acter found in pre-Islamic poetry. population of Taybeh — one of the bottle reads “Taybeh, West now in Israel and produces a wine “My grandmother and grandfa- highest concentrations in the West Bank”. sold as Israeli,” he said. ther pressed grapes at home,” add- Bank. “God willing, before Christmas The monastery of Cremisan has ed Nadim’s daughter Madees. Their The Khourys produce 30,000- our wine will be sold in the United for years been under pressure from descendants want to “increase pro- 35,000 bottles of Cabernet Sauvi- States,” said Khoury. He is, he said, the nearby separation wall built duction and improve quality”, she gnon, Merlot and Syrah wines a year proud of his “great achievement of by Israel in a bid to protect Israelis said. from local grapes, using oak barrels having kept the name of Palestine”. from attackers from the West Bank, Around 20 varieties of grapes are imported from Italy and France. The Palestinian territories suffer he said. grown in the West Bank and ac- Farther south, near Hebron, from a lack of organised industries Khoury said he worries that Tay- count for a key part of Palestinian known as one of the most conserva- and regulations, so it took two years beh could one day become the only agriculture, second only perhaps tive areas in the West Bank, the Zei- Palestinian Nadim Khoury to get the Palestinian Authority la- traditional winery in the Palestinian to olives.