An Iraqi salesman sits at the entrance of a shop at the ‘Al-Bursa’ wholesale market in the northern city of Mosul, on November 28, 2020. ― AFP pic
“The market raked in around 12 to 13 million dollars every month,” said economist Mohammad Naef, a native of Mosul. “The Bursa opened in 1990 and as the years went by, these simple little shops became the most important market in the whole province,” said Mahmud, 27.The level of trade has made an impressive recovery but has yet to reach pre-IS levels.
On any given morning, shoppers flood Al-Bursa on foot, in cars or by motorcycle to pick up everything from children’s toys to coffee or freshly ground spices.“It saves me crazy amounts of time and tons of energy. Before, I had to go sell at each of the little markets in the towns outside of Mosul,” said farmer Khalaf Oweid.