Lanterns, lentils and renewal: Ramadan revives one of East Africa’s busiest markets

By Kizito Makoye

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania (AA) – The scent of fresh coriander hangs over Kariakoo Market, drifting above bargaining voices and the rumble of wooden carts as Dar es Salaam’s commercial heart surges into Ramadan, its busiest season.

Under bright fluorescent lights, traders shout prices while porters weave through crowds pushing handcarts stacked with rice sacks and boxes of imported dates.

Rebuilt and reopened last month after a devastating fire in 2021, the market now gleams with tiled floors, reinforced concrete and wide walkways. Yet despite its modern shell, Kariakoo’s pulse remains urgent and loud.

For 38-year-old Fatuma Juma, Ramadan is a season of renewal. Standing behind a display of ceramic lanterns and decorative bowls, she adjusts a gold-painted crescent lamp as customers lean closer.

“Every Ramadan I buy something new for the house,” she said, wrapping a lantern in newspaper. “This year it is a small lantern and two serving plates. They make the iftar table look special.”

A man lifts a blue lantern shaped like a mosque dome. “How much?”

“10,000 shillings (nearly $4),” Fatuma replies.

He counters with eight. They settle on nine. The exchange lasts less than a minute – one of thousands repeated daily in what is widely regarded as East Africa’s largest covered market.

- Ramadan as an economic engine

Ramadan is Kariakoo’s peak trading period. Families stock up for suhoor and iftar meals, restaurants increase bulk purchases and regional buyers return in force.

Traders say orders for Saudi dates and Indian lentils rise by as much as 40% compared to quieter months.

In the vegetable section, tomatoes form neat red pyramids while green chilies spill from woven baskets. Women in headscarves sort onions with practiced speed.

“I know my customers cook soups and stews during Ramadan,” said vendor Asha Mwinyi. “I make sure the vegetables are fresh every morning.”

The surge extends beyond food. White kanzu robes sway from ceiling racks in the textile wing. Embroidered prayer caps called bargashia are stacked in tidy piles. Strings of prayer beads glint under the lights.

“White sells fastest,” said garments wholesaler Salum Bakari. “Every man wants a new kanzu for Eid. Women look for lighter fabrics because of the heat.”

He scrolls through orders on his smartphone, some placed via digital wholesale platforms linking Tanzanian traders to Asian manufacturers, others sent through WhatsApp by retailers in Kigali and Goma.

“Delivery is faster now,” he said. “Even small traders in the region depend on us.”

- A market reborn

Today’s bustle contrasts sharply with the recent past.

In 2021, a massive fire gutted Kariakoo, leaving twisted metal and ash where stalls once stood. Trade continued under tarpaulins for years, supply chains faltered and cross-border buyers hesitated.

Now a multistorey complex rises in concrete and glass, fitted with sprinkler systems, rooftop reservoirs, fire extinguishers and CCTV cameras. Wide corridors replace the old maze-like alleys, while underground loading bays ease congestion.

“This Ramadan feels like a reawakening of the soul,” said Amina Juma, 42, a grains trader who has worked at the market since her teenage years. “We lost everything in the fire.”

Market officials say the new complex can host more than 15,000 traders daily.

“After the fire, traders demanded assurance,” said managing director Ashraph Abdulkarim. “This building meets international safety standards.”

For many, reconstruction restored confidence far beyond Dar es Salaam.

“Kariakoo is an economic engine for the city and the region,” Abdulkarim said.

- Regional ripple effects

Kariakoo has long supplied goods to Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. During Ramadan, those flows intensify.

Jean-Pierre Ndayishimiye, a trader from Bujumbura, supervised the loading of sugar and cooking oil onto a truck bound for Burundi.

“We depend on Kariakoo prices,” he said. “When it closed, our costs increased. Now supply is stable again.”

Traders estimate regional orders have risen roughly 40% compared with the reconstruction years.

A rice shipment unloaded in the morning can reach Kigali within 48 hours. Bales of modest dresses may cross into eastern DR Congo by week’s end. Electronic payment systems simplify cross-border transfers, while redesigned loading bays reduce delays.

“Buyers trust the stability now,” Fatuma said.

By late afternoon, delivery trucks queue beneath the complex. Young men hoist cartons of dates imported from Medina as the underground docks echo with shouts and scraping pallets.

Upstairs, shoppers measure time in minutes as iftar approaches.

“This is our peak,” said trader Hassan Mwinyi. “During Ramadan, families cook more variety. Hotels order in bulk. Even buyers from Rwanda increase purchases.”

At dawn each day, farmers from peri-urban districts arrive with pickup trucks stacked with eggplants and okra still caked in soil.

Rehema Issa, 35, balances a baby on her hip while bargaining for onions.

“I cook for a family of eight,” she said. “During Ramadan, we make pilau, samosas, soups. The market must be fresh.”

She also has a few words of praise for the renovated market.

“The new building is cleaner,” she said. “There is space to move.”

For many households, Ramadan requires months of preparation. Halima Siwale saves through a rotating cooperative scheme known locally as mchezo. For her groceries and other Ramadan needs, she comes straight to Kariakoo.

“This market helps us prepare. Without it, Ramadan would be very difficult,” she said.

- Faith-driven consumption

Ramadan reshapes both daily routines and spending habits. Decorative bowls, lanterns and gift packages of dried fruit become symbols of generosity, as many visitors bring small presents when visiting relatives for iftar.

“People like to bring something,” said Mussa Mtotela, arranging prayer beads near the entrance. “It shows respect.”

Global supply chains converge visibly here – dates from Saudi Arabia, lentils from India, prayer beads from Guangzhou – before dispersing across East Africa.

Yet the ritual remains deeply local. Fatuma, who lost her stall in the 2021 fire, pauses as a young girl buys a small pottery lantern.

“I thought I would give up,” she said quietly. “But customers returned, and now I am stronger.”

As night falls, neon lights cast a silver glow over the market facade. Delivery trucks depart toward Rwanda and Burundi while cleaning crews sweep vegetable leaves into neat piles.

For traders like Salum Bakari, the Ramadan surge is both a test and a promise. “If we can handle Ramadan,” he said, stacking a final pile of white kanzus, “we can handle anything.”