Souq scenes of markets, commerce, buildings and streetscapes. Notable artists in the Orientalist genre include: Jean-Léon Gérôme Delacroix (1824–1904), Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps (1803–1860), Frederic Leighton (1830-1896), Eugène Alexis Girardet 1853-1907 and William Holman Hunt (1827–1910) who all found inspiration in Oriental street scenes, trading and commerce. Souq A souq or souk (, "shuq", "shuka", Spanish: zoco, also spelled shuk, shooq, soq, esouk, succ, suk, sooq, suq, soek) is a marketplace or commercial quarter in Western Asian, North African and some Horn African cities () . The term "souq" goes by many alternatives in different parts of the world; in the Balkans, the
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,