In general a souk is synonymous with a bazaar or marketplace, and the term souk is used in Arabic-speaking countries, with the Hebrew cognate shuk used in Israel.
A souq or souk (also spelled soq, souk, esouk, suk, sooq, souq, or suq) is an open-air marketplace or commercial quarter in an Arab, or Berber city. A souk or souq is a free-market where vendors can say the going market price for their products. The term is often used for the market in any Arab or Muslim city.
In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a souk (from the Arabic), bazaar (from the Persian), a fixed mercado (Spanish), or itinerant tianguis (Mexico), or palengke (Philippines).
Learn 100 Arabic words for beginners | "At the Supermarket"
What is a Middle Eastern bazaar?
The bazaar (Persian; Arabic, suq ; Turkish, çarşi ), traditional marketplace located in the old quarters in a Middle Eastern city, has long been the central marketplace and crafts center, the primary arena, together with the mosque, of extrafamilial sociability, and the embodiment of the traditional Islamic urban ...
Smart Bazaar, formerly Big Bazaar, is an Indian retail chain of hypermarkets, discount department stores, and grocery stores. The retail chain was founded by Kishore Biyani under his parent organisation Future Group, which is known for having a significant prominence in Indian retail and fashion sectors.
Dubai is like a treasure chest for buying precious metals, spices, dry fruits, perfumes, and other interesting things. The souks are the best place to get your hands on these goods in the city. So what are these so-called souks in Dubai, you may wonder? Souks are an Arab market or marketplace, a bazaar to be specific.
During colonial times, the Arabs were allocated a plot of land near the Istana Kampong Glam, or Sultan's Palace, in the Kampong Glam area. The road names in the area, such as Arab Street, Baghdad Street, Bussorah Street and Muscat Street, point to the Arabic connection.
The term bazaar originates from Persian, where it referred to a town's public market district. The term bazaar is sometimes also used to refer collectively to the merchants, bankers and craftsmen who work in that area. The term souk comes from Arabic and refers to marketplaces in the Middle East and North Africa.
The Grand Bazaar (Turkish: Kapalıçarşı, meaning 'Covered Market'; also Büyük Çarşı, meaning 'Grand Market') in Istanbul is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with 61 covered streets and over 4,000 shops on a total area of 30,700 m2, attracting between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily.
The Bazaar of Tabriz (Persian: بازار تبریز, also Romanized as Bāzār-e Tabriz Azerbaijani: تبریز بازاری, also Romanized as Tabriz Bazari) is a historical market situated in the city center of Tabriz, Iran. It is one of the oldest bazaars in the Middle East and the largest covered bazaar in the world.
Dubai Gold Souk or Gold Souk (Arabic: سوق الذهب), is a traditional market (or souk) in Dubai, UAE. The souk is located in Dubai's commercial business district in Deira, in the locality of Al Ras.
Morocco's souks (markets) are colourful, chaotic and incredibly exotic, with the aroma of spices and baking bread mixed with the pungent smells of centuries-old tanneries, while donkeys bray and merchants call out in some half-dozen languages.
Pre-Islamic Arab trade refers to the land- and sea-trade networks used by pre-Islamic Arab nations and traders. Some regions are also known as the incense trade route. Trade has been documented as early as the beginning of the second millennium BCE.
Arab Street is the centre of Muslim activities in that area, and is famed for its speciality shops, Muslim restaurants and more. Sir Stamford Raffles formed a Town Committee in 1822 and mapped out areas designated for individual communities to live in.
Formal Name: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Al Mamlakah al Arabiyah as Suudiyah). Short Form: Saudi Arabia. Term for Citizen(s): Saudi Arabian(s) or Saudi(s). Capital: Riyadh (estimated population 3.6 million).
The most common but exclusive definition of the Middle East at the time of writing extends to Egypt in the West, Iran in the East, the Arabian Peninsula in the South and Turkey in the North (although occasionally Turkey and, more rarely, Egypt are omitted).
As one of the Emirates' oldest traditional markets, Dubai Gold Souk has over 350 retailers trading tax-free gold of different carats, designs and weights. There are also precious stones, strings of pearls, platinum and silver available here.
The Old Souk is a traditional market (or souk) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Spice Souk is located in eastern Dubai, in Deira and is adjacent to the Dubai Gold Souk.
Kishore Biyani is an Indian businessman who is the Founder & CEO of Future Group, one of India's biggest brick-and-mortar retailers. He is also the founder of retail businesses such as Pantaloon Retail and Big Bazaar.
The word bazaar is from the Persian word bāzār, this word itself comes from the Pahlavi word baha-char (بهاچار), meaning "the place of prices". Although the meaning of the word "bazaar" started in Persia, it has spread and is now used in many countries around world.
