Mekele's main market is a genuine working market serving the farming communities of the Tigray highlands, not a tourist attraction. You will find produce, spices, textiles, pottery, and livestock depending on the day of the week, with Saturday being the busiest. The market spreads across several blocks near the centre of town.
It is the best place in the city to observe daily life and to buy local goods: Tigrayan honey, local grain, woven baskets, and the colourful cotton shawls (netela) worn by women across the region. The injera sold here — made from local teff — is some of the best you will find anywhere, and vendors sell it alongside wot stews that make a good cheap lunch.