Palembang produces the finest songket — Malay-style hand-woven silk fabric brocaded with gold or silver threads — anywhere in the archipelago. A single ceremonial cloth can take three or four months of work and sell for several hundred dollars. The main concentration of working family-run workshops is in the Tangga Buntung neighbourhood on the south bank.
Several workshops welcome casual visitors; you can usually walk in, watch the looms in action, and buy direct. The most reliable bet is to ask your hotel to ring ahead — a few of the larger studios (Zainal Songket, Cek Ipah) keep regular hours. A small piece for a wallet or table runner makes a good souvenir; a full sarong is a serious investment.