Business picks up in last days of Ramadan

Business is thriving for stores surrounding the Prophet’s Mosque, with many visitors and Umrah pilgrims flocking to stores to buy souvenirs and memorabilia.
There is a large variety of Islamic artifacts on offer since Madinah has a very powerful spiritual appeal.
There are many stalls that sell all types of rosaries and oriental perfumes, incense, garments, prayer rugs, abayas, Qur'anic plates with various verses (especially the verse of the throne), religious pamphlets that contain special prayers, dates, bottles of Zamzam water, copies of the Qur'an, children's accessories, Qur'an audio cassettes, religious books, and several items of precious stones such as carnelian and amber.
Sabir Shakir, an Umrah pilgrim from Pakistan, says that he is keen on buying memorabilia that reminds him of Madinah. “I also bought dates and some ancient rosaries and copies of the Holy Qur'an, in addition to a number of prayer rugs and presents for family and friends.”
Business increases dramatically in the last 10 days of Ramadan. Low-income pilgrims tend to go to stores that sell items at fixed prices such as 10-riyal stores. Many visitors from Pakistan, India and Iran tend to go to these stores because they believe prices tend to become unreasonable in most shops during Ramadan.
Arab News toured the stores surrounding the Prophet's mosque and noted that many foreign women liked to buy the black Saudi abaya (cloak). The Madinah rosary is also a popular choice thanks to its light weight and sentimental value.
Suhailah Akhtar, a Pakistani visitor, said she likes the Madinah rosary “which comes in various shapes and types.
I purchase the carnelian and amber rosaries instead of gold. I can't afford to buy gold for gift, so I bought many cheaper items from around the Prophet's Mosque.”
Inayat Ahmad, an Egyptian visitor, said she likes to buy local toys for children, which have been around for years.