Generations of women sustain Kelantan's famed Siti Khadijah Market

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KOTA BHARU, Kelantan: Every morning, 80-year-old Fatimah Farik opens her small clothing stall at Siti Khadijah Market, greeting customers and fellow traders she has known for decades. 

The market's oldest trader is the fourth generation in her family to make a living through commerce, a tradition she has no intention of giving up. 

"I've loved trading since I was young," she said. "It started with my father, then my mother, my brother and now me. 

"I really can't sit at home. If I do, I get bored and I don't like it.”

Fatimah's story reflects a defining feature of Kelantan's best-known market, where women make up more than 90 per cent of traders and continue to play a central role in the Malaysian state's economy. 

Around 1,300 businesses operate at Siti Khadijah Market, selling everything from traditional Kelantanese food and snacks to clothing, textiles and household goods.

According to the Bumiputera Petty Traders Association of Pasar Siti Khadijah, the market's range of offerings and its predominantly female traders make it a popular draw for tourists.

"ONE-STOP CENTRE"

"Siti Khadijah Market is essentially a one-stop centre as you can get everything here," said the association's chairman Ahmad Nazri Che Omar.

"That's what we're proud of and what makes it a tourist attraction. People can see the goods for themselves. There is a wide variety here and the characters of the traders themselves are also what continues to draw tourists."

The association estimates that between 2,000 and 3,000 tourists visit the market each day.

The market has also undergone upgrades aimed at enhancing the visitor experience.

In October 2024, the Malaysian government approved RM5.5 million (US$1.35 million) for upgrades to Siti Khadijah Market under the 12th Malaysia Plan.

The upgrading works included replacing old electrical wiring, repairing the roof and improving toilets, drainage and other facilities.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim then said the project was part of efforts to revitalise the market, recognising its importance to those who depend on it for their livelihoods.

LONG HISTORY OF WOMEN IN TRADE

According to Kelantan Entrepreneurship Development sector head Junaidah Ab Aziz, the prominence of women in trade has deep historical roots.

In earlier generations, she said, Kelantanese men often spent long periods away from home working in agriculture, collecting wood or fishing, sometimes spending weeks at sea.

As a result, women took on a greater role in supporting their households financially.

“It’s not that the fathers are not there to contribute. It’s just that physically they are not there,” she said.

This led women to seek out goods to sell, making them a familiar presence in markets.

And their children grew up watching mothers earn an income while also running the household, helping pass that tradition from one generation to the next.

"So that is the thing which defines us Kelantanese women. Very hardworking people, very strong-willed as well,” she added.

It is a tradition that has endured through decades of economic, technological and social change. 

While Siti Khadijah Market may look different from the one traders such as Fatimah first knew, the prominent role women play there remains unchanged. 

And after nearly five decades in business, Fatimah would not have it any other way.

"I'm happiest when I'm here at the shop," she said.