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 Okaz was especially important for poetry competitions, which served to formalize rules of Arabic language grammar and syntax. It was destroyed by the Kharijites in 726. The location of Souk Okadh was disputed until historian Muhammad bin Abdallah al-Blahad rediscovered it. A modern souk has been recreated at the location of the historic souk. Each year's souk honors a different poet. The souk covers 14 million square meters of land. In modern times, as in the past, there are lectures, sporting competitions, poetry, artwork, and items for sale. Souk Okaz Souk Okadh is a souq, or open air market, near Ta'if,