- Address: Madagascar, Antananarivo, Arabe Rahezavana
- Working hours: Fridays
Madagascar is not just a great exotic island off the coast of Africa. Here live lemurs, whales swim and even grow baobabs . Tourists, visiting the "eighth continent", completely immersed in the exotic landscape and fall in love with local attractions . One of the amazing places in Madagascar is the Zuma market.
Friday Market
The Zuma market is the largest in Madagascar and throughout Africa, and also one of the largest in the world. The Zuma market is located in Antananarivo , the capital of Madagascar, and is rightly considered its main attraction. Territorially it is located near Arabe Rahezavana, in the trading quarter of Analakely.
This is a very noisy, huge and colorful place, not to visit which is simply impossible. The bazaar appeared here in the XVII century, traditionally traders from all over the island come here. The Zuma market operates only one day a week - on Friday, it is done to maintain order and cleanliness in the city. The name of the market, "Zuma", comes from the Arabic language, it just means "Friday".
What is interesting about the market?
The Zuma market is a bouquet of exotic impressions for your sense of smell, hearing and taste. Many different products are sold here: fresh flowers and plants, seed beads and semiprecious stones, batik and natural fabrics, clothes, leather goods, spices, straw hats, handicrafts and souvenirs .
As in the old days, all the goods are laid out on carpets, which are not only put on counters and tables, but also on the ground. You can find here products for home, food, fruits and vegetables. And local residents - Sakalava - sell colored handmade mats, national clothes and mahafali (tablecloths). Also they can buy musical instruments, including an interesting string instrument valiha.
It is difficult to say what the Zuma market in Antananarivo looks like most: the fair, the circus or the Indian bazaar. It consists of several large bazaars. Tourists here wander for hours, trying on things, tasting food and bargaining.
How to get to the market?
For tourists, there are special sightseeing buses that depart from the local bus station. The walk takes about two hours. Many travelers who have settled not far, go here on foot to fully immerse themselves in the atmosphere of the largest trading field.
Watch your things, beware of pocket thieves and be sure to bargain, so you can decently knock down the price.