It is the oldest and most charming shopping area in Granada, very close to the Cathedral. This maze of narrow streets was the old silk souk in Nasrid times. The name Alcaicería comes from the Arabic al-qaysariyya. In the 16th century there were about 200 shops that remained buoyant until a fire completely destroyed them in 1843. The current market, dedicated mainly to handicrafts, is a reconstruction.