If you’ve already done Carmel Market (and its underbelly), popped over to Jerusalem and checked out Machane Yehuda, and yes, even visited the Rosh Ha’ayin market on a Friday morning, you might be ready to check out another little market. A market that almost certainly isn’t in your guide book, and rightly so some might say…
But then, for those of you looking for another authentic Israeli experience and yet another taste of an Israeli market, this could be right up your alley. Open only on a Saturday (as far as I’m aware) it’s got a bit of everything, most of which is covered from the elements, while there are a few booths and car-boot merchants (as in the picture above) scattered round the outskirts.
And what can you find in Kfar Kessem market? Well, perhaps the biggest seller there is the collection of birds. And when I mean collection, I mean collection! If you’re easily offended by animals in cramped cages, this market is definitely not for you, but if you’re able to get past this, there’s quite an amazing array of aviary on show. Turkeys, pigeons, budgies, parrots, chickens, chirpy little yellow things, and musical little green things. Sorry, I’m not a big bird man…but the little ones will love it!
You can also find a number of cheap toys (my kids picked up a couple of toys for 10 shekels and didn’t put them down for two weeks), though there is also a lot of crap on sale. You’ve just got to sort through the piles of junk, part of the joys of markets in Israel, right? And you can also pick up some great baklawah, an Arab pastry that will leave your dentist rubbing his hands in glee…
This market will leave you disappointed if you’re expecting tourist souvenirs to take back home. But if you’re looking for a further taste of real life in Israel, it’s worth a visit.
How to get there: If driving, take Road 5 out of Tel Aviv and take the Kfar Kessem (it might actually be spelt Kfar Qessem) exit, some 15 minutes out of Tel Aviv. Keep to the left, the right lane splits off to Rosh Ha’ayin. Follow the road round and go straight through three traffic lights. After continuing straight at the third light (the right lane leads off to an industrial park, be careful), take a left at the next small roundabout. Follow the road down almost until the bottom of the hill, where it veers left. You’ll actually need a small lane that turns right, you’ll probably see a long line of cars waiting to find a spot in the market car park. Follow them down, just watch your wing mirrors (it’s a tight old squeeze down that lane)!
If you need to ask directions, ask for “shuk Kfar Kessem”.