A line of gold shops interspersed with narrow lanes gleam under gray buildings, their iron balconies battered by time. This is Alexandria’s famous Sharia Faransa (France Street), a bustling gold market where the sound of singing can be heard on a daily basis.

There are various versions of the history of France Street, the biggest gold and silver trading zone in the governorate that stretches from Tahrir Square to the neighborhoods of el-Mansheya and el-Gomrok in the Bahri district, but all agree on how it got its name. During the French occupation of Egypt, the street was the site of a stable for the French troops’ horses.

“I have lived here in el-Mansheya since I was born, and stayed after I was married,” said Mohammad Sadiq, a goldsmith in his 70s. “I have worked on the street since I was little, with my father, who at the time had a small shop called Bazaar, which sold silver.”

He said, “The neighborhood at the time was full of small bazaars crowded together, interspersed with small mosques and houses owned by Syrians, Greeks, Moroccans and Jews. When I came to the bazaar with my father, I would play with the children from the neighborhood. Some were Moroccans and Libyans, a few of them were Jews.”