Souq often used as in the Grand Socco and Petit Socco of Tangiers. In the sub-continent, a different corruption, 'chowk', is often used in place of souq. The term is often used generically to designate the market in any Western Asian city, but may also be used in Western cities, particularly those with a Muslim community. Documentary sources point to permanent marketplaces in Middle Eastern cities from as early as 550 BCE. A souq was originally an open-air marketplace. Historically, souqs were held outside cities at locations where incoming caravans stopped and merchants displayed their goods for sale. Souqs were established
Education in the Middle East and North Africa Arab Emirates (UAE), West Bank and Gaza, Israel and Yemen. Despite that Israel is geographically situated in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region, this article focuses on the countries that are bounded by Arabic language majority, except Iran where Persian is the official language and Turkey where Turkish is the official language. Although most MENA countries share common identity formation features - Islam as the main religion and Arabic as a common language (except Iran and Turkey), they differ in ethnicity, tradition, history and spoken dialects of Arabic. Economic development strategies also vary between the oil-producing states such