Saturday 03/January/2026 – 07:24 AM
The decision to transfer the public shader of the Western Mountain in Sohag Governorate to the urban market in New Sohag City sparked a state of anger and dissatisfaction among merchants and workers, stressing that the decision threatens the livelihood of thousands of families, and eliminates one of the oldest wholesale trade areas in the governorate, which was established in 1993.
Western rope shad in Sohag
Teacher Ahmed Al-Shawari, one of the leading shader merchants, said that the Sohag public shader serves thousands of citizens every day, whether those working in wholesale, retail, or transportation trade. He pointed out that thousands of families depend directly on the shadar to earn their daily living, and any harm to it means the displacement of a large number of workers and merchants.
The teacher, Ahmed Salah, added that transporting the shader to New Sohag City represents a great burden on merchants, due to the distance and high cost of transportation, as well as the weakness of the marketing movement in the new area. He stressed that the proposed stores there are not completely prepared for wholesale trade, as the area of the shop does not exceed 30 meters, with a height that does not allow cars to enter or store goods, and that there are shaders closer to New Sohag City in case it is necessary to operate the urban market in New Sohag City.
He explained that the current Shader Al-Jabal Al-Gharbi is designed specifically for wholesale trade, as the area of the shops reaches more than 100 square meters, and the heights are approximately 7 meters, with streets up to 50 meters wide, which allows easy movement and entry of heavy transport vehicles.
For his part, Mohamed Salah indicated that Al-Shader stores are owned, affiliated with the Ministry of Local Development, and subject to the supervision of the local unit of the center and city of Sohag, and Sohag Governorate, while the stores in the new city of Sohag will be on a rental system and subject to the Urban Communities Authority, which represents additional financial burdens on merchants.
Mohamed Salah confirmed that the local unit issued a report stating that Al-Shader stores are on the verge of collapse, which he described as “incorrect.” He explained that there is an approved engineering report stamped with the eagle seal issued by the Faculty of Engineering at South Valley University, confirming the safety of the buildings, and that they only need simple maintenance and restoration work, especially since they consist of only a ground floor.
He added that there are complaints and lawsuits still pending before the Sohag courts, and all merchants are committed to the judicial decisions issued, demanding that the place in dispute not be disturbed until final rulings are issued by the competent investigation authorities and a decision is made between the parties.
At the conclusion of their speech, the merchants of Shader Al-Jabal Al-Gharbi appealed to Major General Abdel Fattah Siraj, Governor of Sohag, to urgently intervene and reconsider the transfer decision, stressing that its implementation in its current form will directly affect their livelihoods, especially since the alternative stores in the new city of Sohag are not prepared for wholesale trade and do not meet the needs of commercial activity that has been in place for more than 30 years.
Shader merchants of the western mountain in Sohag
