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
Gold Souq Dubai, UAE. Gold Souq A Gold Souq or Gold Souk () is a gold market in arab countries of Arabian Peninsula and particularly in GCC countries. The word "Souq" is mostly used by Arabs for open markets. The term evolved through the expatriates settled in Gulf Cooperation Council countries, and spread to other Asian and western parts due to the growing numbers of expatriates in GCC countries. The term is often used to refer to the gold market in Arabized or Muslim cities, but also appears in Western and Asian cities. The world's largest indoor gold souq is located at