The Joutiya, or the moroccan Capharnaum
As a beginning, I’d like to apologize to my subscribers and all the Substack community for being absent in the last few weeks. It’s all about a personal constraint. I hope you’ve missed me though.
Let’s dive into our today’s topic.
It was like yesterday
In the summer of 2009, as I was a young student, full of vitality but lacking the spirit of the initiative (I’m a typical introvert), a band of my peers invited me to trip in the Atlas mountains nearby my home town.
The first thing I had to think about is buying a backpack and a sleeping bag (Don’t stare, I didn’t use to trip hahahaha).
As I wasn’t wealthy enough to buy a new backpack and sleeping bag that would cost me a fortune back then, I went to the flea market of my town. And guess what ? I’ve bought them both for only 15 dollars (to let you imagine, my friends have bought only the backpack for 40 dollars, which is a huge difference for a nillionnaire student hahahaha. In addition, theirs didn’t last for a month, while mine is still there after 14 years now).
The moroccan Capharnaum
I told you this previous story (that is absolutely true by the way) just to make you perceive the importance of the flea market in Morocco.
The flea market is called « The Joutiya » in Morocco. This name comes from the french verb « Jeter » which means « to throw away » (unwanted stuff).
In the Joutiya, you can find an amalgam of old things. But don’t underestimate it, you can find there some useful stuff (or even precious antiques).
In every city of Morocco, there is a special Joutiya, there are even specialized joutiyas.
In the joutiya, you can find everything, from old clothes to shoes ; from books to computers, without forgetting special stuffs (such as a hunting vest or hat) dedicated only for the lovers of a certain discipline.
The joutyia is not like the weekly souk where you can buy meat, vegetables and fruits.
In fact, in the joutyia of clothes for instance, there is a place for old clothes, coming especially from different european countries, these are mostly brought by the Moroccan immigrants in Europe, who use the resell of clothes as a side hustle.
There is also a section for electronics. In this section, you can buy hairdryers, TVs, computers, dishwashers, coffemakers, you count it.
There are some joutyias where you can find a book section. Old books of different types and writers are there, for like 1 or 2 Dollars, you can easily find an Agatha Christie’s classic.
There are also some joutyias where medecines are sold. But those are illegal because, obviousely, medicines must be taken on a professional advice.
For the middle down class in Morocco, the joutiya is really a shelter in order to buy cheap stuff with a good quality/price value. All you must be is a stuff hunter and your journey to the joutiya will never be worthless.