I divided my time in Lebanon between the cities of Beirut and Tripoli. Being a majority Muslim city, there were a lot more hijabis to be seen on the streets of Tripoli, and consequently a lot more affordable places to shop!
The best place to buy hijabs in Tripoli has to be in Al Thouq Centre. This is a collection of several shops stocking just hijabs and abayas. Walking into one of these stores is just so much fun; the sheer variety of scarves is fantastic! This is one of the stores to be found, Al-Ahdab:
Azmi Street is Tripoli's more up-market high street. The shops here are mostly independent boutiques that bring in European and Turkish stock. The great thing about shopping here is that you'll find plenty of maxi dresses, long skirts and tunics. However, you'll often find the exact same items for a lower price in the old souq:
Azmi StreetThe old markets in Tripoli are found in historic buildings and are divided into 'Khans' depending on what was traditionally sold there. This photo is of Khan Al-Khayateen, or Tailor's Market, where you can still find tailors who make garments such as sherwal, abayas and bishts:
Khan Al-Khayateen When it came to street style, there was a lot of variation in the way women dressed, but from the point of hijab, sometimes there was a lot to be desired! I can best describe Lebanese hijab style as being quite similar to that of Egypt, in the colour co-ordination and attempts at layering even the skimpiest of tops over a long sleeve tee! The shop window displays give you some idea of what's popular right now:
Shop window display in the old market
Despite what I've mentioned, there were several hijabi trends I loved - keep an eye out for them in my next Lebanon post!
