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 Mahsoulat founded in 1840 following the orders of the grand vizier Mustapha Saheb Ettabaa. But it kept changing its appellation. Apart of its current name (Souk El Mahsoulat), it is also called Souk Essaay (or livestock market) and Souk El Foundouk. In 1960, the municipality rehabilitated the souk and changed it into a daily fruits and vegetables market. Souk El Mahsoulat Souk El Mahsoulat (Arabic : سوق المحصولات) or market of the harvests is one of the oldest souks of Bab Jebli, in the Medina of Sfax. This souk is specialized in selling local products of Sfax (cereals, almonds, olives, etc.).