Marked by a distinctive red-brick clocktower, this enormous warren of market halls dates to 1874, but was substantially rebuilt after a 1980s fire. By day, handicraft touts can be a minor annoyance, and the crowds can swell in the evenings, especially on weekends. It's more engrossing just after dawn, when there's a harrowing (and a wee morbid) fascination in watching the arrival of animals at the meat market, with its grizzly chopping blocks, blood-splattered floors and pillared high ceilings.
Within the main market, Chamba Lama is one of the best-known shops to pick up silver and semiprecious jewellery. Another curiosity is Nahoum Bakery, with plum cakes and lemon tarts displayed in its showcases. Little has changed here since 1902, when its erstwhile Jewish owners arrived from Baghdad. The little teak cash desk is more than 80 years old.