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
Al-Hamidiyah Souq been affected in any way by the ongoing war, although peaceful protests and demonstrations have taken place in the nearby Medhat Pasha Souq which extends from the Al Hamidiyah Souq. It was one of the treasures featured in the 2005 BBC documentary "Around the World in 80 Treasures" presented by Dan Cruickshank. Al-Hamidiyah Souq Al-Hamidiyah Souq () is the largest and the central souk in Syria, located inside the old walled city of Damascus next to the Citadel. The souq is about long and wide, and is covered by a tall metal arch. The souq starts at Al-Thawra street and