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DictionarysoukMarketplace
noun

souk

SOOK/suːk/

A marketplace in North Africa or the Middle East.

Shoppers browse spices and woven rugs at the souk in Marrakesh.

A compact contemporary Moroccan souk: neighboring open stalls of spices, pottery and woven baskets line a narrow pedestrian passage beneath a simple masonry arch.
Etymology
soukArabicmarketplace

Arabic suq means “marketplace,” so the English word retains its ancestor’s central meaning. In English it identifies the bazaars of North Africa and the Middle East.

In context

Best Documentary6:53
In the colorful souk, the Iraqis express their age-old talent for commerce. Here, the traces of the heritage bequeathed by the Sumerians are gone. On the stalls, fruit and vegetables have remained unchanged for millennia.
Mesopotamia - The Sumerians

More examples

  • We bargain for a brass lamp in the souk.
  • The souks of Tunis attract visitors and local shoppers.
  • Our guide leads us through the crowded souk in Dubai.

Forms

souk · souks

Similar words

bazaar
Also names similar markets beyond North Africa and the Middle East.
marketplace
A general term for a trading place in any region.