My father often brought me to Askalan, his shop in Gaza City’s gold market, as a child. The shop was named after his birthplace in historic Palestine.
While we were in the market, Jamal – my father – would tell stories about my grandparents and introduce me to his friends.
My father worked as a gold trader for 40 years. He was following in the footsteps of my grandmother, who opened a shop in the late 1940s.
After her death, my three uncles kept up her work, each establishing his own business.
The gold market was part of Souq al-Qaysariyya, Arabic for “Caesar’s market.” …..more