Souq level of municipal administration. The Muhtasib was responsible for supervising business practices and collecting taxes for a given souq while the Arif are the overseers for a specific trade. Shopping at a souq or market place is part of daily life throughout much of the Middle East. Prices are commonly set by bargaining, also known as haggling, between buyers and sellers. In the 18th and 19th centuries, as Europeans began to conquer parts of North Africa and the Levant, an interest in Middle Eastern culture and architecture began to flourish. This interest spawned a genre of literary works and paintings
Souk El Gharb Souk El Gharb Souk El Gharb (), also spelled Suk, Sug al, ul, Suq), is a town located in the Aley District, Mount Lebanon Governorate, in Lebanon and its name translates to "Western Market". Before the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990), this mountain town surrounded by pine woods was a prosperous mountain resort nestled in the mountains of the Aley District of Mount Lebanon, overlooking Saint George Bay and Beirut. Being located only a few kilometers away from the district capital of Aley, it is now considered one of Aley's suburbs. The villages that lie between Aley and Souk El Gharb