The largest and busiest market in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia’s Zhenski Pazar (Women’s Market) is a chaotic centre of cheap commerce where traders vend fruit and veg, cheeses, cured meats, dried fruit and nuts, homemade halva and handcrafted ceramics, along with fake designer clothing, expired medicine and tourist tack (recently Syrian sheesha pipes have become popular). The market gets its name because once-upon-a-time only women were allowed to trade their wares there. Today both men and women, of various nations and ages, hold court over their stalls. The vast array of goods are what attract most visitors to the Zhenski Pazar, but for Urban Travel Blog’s Krystyna Dul it was the people who demanded to be photographed.

“The true beauty of this market are the locals. Their rough and beautiful faces were all smiling at me… so I really had to capture them on film.”