10.6092/issn.1973-9494/17305
Many cities worldwide take pride in their traditional markets. This research aims to verify the importance of lessons learned from old traditional markets, characterized by the effective response to their physical environment. This main aim leads to many secondary aims. First is the aim to explain the role of the phenomena of diversity in the establishment of various markets. Second, the research aims to explain the relationship between the specialization of goods, the architectural form and general planning of the market. Third, the research aims to investigate the relationship between markets and the diversity of the goods, width of the corridors, roofing style, and how this diversity affects shoppers, as well as interacting among the shoppers themselves. The research adopts a descriptive analytical methodology for a number of market types in order to study the morphology of traditional markets, their form, their urban context, and their relationship with the diversity of the goods and the impact it has on shoppers. The most important conclusion reached by the research is that the diversity in the morphology of traditional markets corresponds to the diversity and change of goods, the width of the corridors and the style of the roof … etc. This diversity affects shoppers and generates a state of pleasure and social interaction.
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Conservation Science in Cultural Heritage
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The phenomenon of diversity and the effective response to the physical environment: the formation of old traditional markets (Suq)
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Jawdat Goussous
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Department of Architecture Engineering, University of Jordan Amman, Jordan
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The phenomenon of diversity and the effective response to the physical environment: the formation of old traditional markets (Suq)
https://conservation-science.unibo.it/article/download/17305/16521
22
T    HE PHENOMENON OF DIVERSITY AND THE EFFECTIVE
     RESPONSE TO THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT: THE
     FORMATION OF OLD TRADITIONAL MARKETS (SUQ)

   Kabila Faris Hmood *   1




   Department of Architecture
   Al Zaytoonah University of Jordan
   Amman, Jordan

   Jawdat Goussous
   Department of Architecture Engineering
   University of Jordan
   Amman, Jordan

   Keywords: traditional architecture, morphology, architectural environment, formation,
   physical environment



   1. Introduction: the traditional market (suq)

     The traditional market (suq) refers to the place where all kinds of goods are sold.
The market in the architectural archaeologist term is a building which includes a cen-
tralized, large courtyard surrounded by a group of shops giving on to the road. One of
the most famous markets in the Arabian Peninsula is Suq Okaz. Markets were also
common in Europe during the thirteenth and fourteenth century. Markets in Islamic
traditional architecture, such as those found in Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan and other Arab
countries were linear and made up of a continuous line of stalls specialized in a variety
of goods. Cairo’s marketplace, for example, is known as Cairo Qasabba (Cairo’s Great
Street) and runs from the Fotouh Gate in the north, to the Zuwaila Door in the south. It
has hundreds of stores with wooden ceilings to keep merchants and customers safe
from the rain in winter and the sun in summer [1]. The market is split into five urban areas
based on environmental, demographic, professional, commercial, administrative, ideo-
logical, climatic needs, and so on. The particular architecture provides a sense of
beauty and harmonious continuity throughout the market. The five urban areas of this
market extend from 250 and 350 meters [2] (in other Western sources it is mentioned
as 500 meters). Markets were typically located around the congregational mosque in
the traditional city center. The market has three primary activities in general: production,
wholesale and retail trade. Wholesale and retail trades are adjacent in the same market,
and there is a great diversity of goods and commercial businesses. In addition, the va-
rious goods they sell dictate the distance between them and the mosque and speciali-
zing in particular goods regulates the disposition of the stalls in the markets, as happe-
ned in the past (Figure 1). In old traditional cities in the past, the mosque was central,



   * Corresponding author: Khmood85@gmail.com
                                                                                                                           and markets could be found ranging in the type of goods they sold, from bookshops,
                                                                                                                           “Attarin” shops selling medicinal plants and perfumes, and fabric shops, to shops sel-
Kabila Faris Hmood, Jawdat Goussous - The phenomenon of diversity and the effective response to the physical environment




                                                                                                                           ling all kinds of food, while the walls of the city were surrounded by shops for horses
                                                                                                                           and their food and leather.




                                                                                                                            Istanbul, Turkey - porcelain   Aleppo, Syria - old lanterns      Aleppo, Syria - fabrics and
                                                                                                                                                                                             clothes




                                                                                                                            Amman, Jordan - traditional    Amman, Jordan - herbs and         Cairo, Egypt - old woodwork
                                                                                                                            clothes                        spices                            craft




                                                                                                                            Sanaa, Yemen - Yemeni          Cairo, Egypt - silver artifacts   Baghdad, Iraq - leather
                                                                                                                            daggers (Janabiya)                                               handcrafts



                                                                                                                               Figure1. Specialization of goods was a regulatory rule in old markets (source: authors).

                                                                                                                                In addition, the quality of goods in particular places took into account the buyers’
                                                                                                                           desires and their financial capacity [3]. In addition to these characteristics, traditional
                                                                                                                           markets in general, and specifically in Islamic cities, are distinguished by the market’s
                                                                                                                           relationship to the city’s social life. The traditional market is also a place where people
                                                                                                                           spend a great deal of time, therefore, it offers places of comfort, entertainment and
                                                                                                                           social interaction [4]. The archaeological term al qaysariyya refers to an Islamic archi-
                                                                                                                           tectural style derived from the Greek qaysariyya, which means Caesar market or impe-
                                                                                                                           rial market. During the Greek era, they were used as royally supervised stores and


                                                                                                       98
dwellings and were later employed in Byzantine building, in Syria, Palestine, and Nor-
th Africa, before being adopted by Islamic architecture. According to AlMaqrizi, the ol-
dest Egyptian qaysariyyas were built by Abdul Aziz bin Marwan at Foustat during the
Mamluk dynasty in Egypt. In ancient and medieval towns in the East and West of the
Islamic world, the commercial street, which includes the Alkiesr, (a term which refers to
one of the past types of traditional markets and has the same meaning as the term
qaysariyya (see Table 1)) is the most significant planning element. The term qaysariyya
has been found in documents from the Mamluk era and refers to the architectural unit
with a middle courtyard surrounded by several shops to display and store goods, with
above them, residential floors for the traders [5].


    1.1. The appearance of traditional markets in Islamic cities

     Muslims traveled for a variety of purposes, including religion, trade, and the pursuit of
knowledge and, because the distances were long, traders, scholars, and pilgrims re-
quired buildings to provide them with shelter in the summer and winter, as well as other
necessities [6]. As a result, ‘khans’ (see Figure 2 and Table 1) can be seen on trade routes
and travel stops.
     The Al Sowaiqa is a tiny market in the heart of the Islamic city where people’s ne-
cessities were met (Table 1). Next to the markets are also found hamamats (bath-
rooms) and schools. Today, the term khan is similar in meaning to the term caravanse-
rai, which are considered as stores for goods providing opportunities for marketing and
trading in addition to the city’s traditional markets (Figure 3). The Silk Road is also
considered to be one important factor that inspired the construction of several khans
and caravanserai in different towns [7]. Commercial structures were also constructed
along the principal roads to the holy locations in the Islamic world. The establishment
of numerous buildings, such as the markets and their architectural shape, were influ-




                                                                                                         CONSERVATION SCIENCE IN CULTURAL HERITAGE
enced by religion, climate, and social life.




Figure 2. The traditional markets and khans (commercial buildings) of the past (source: authors).


                                                                                                    99
                                                                                                                           Table 1. Features of each type of commercial building and street.
Kabila Faris Hmood, Jawdat Goussous - The phenomenon of diversity and the effective response to the physical environment




                                                                                                                                                           Commercial buildings and streets                                               Definitions

                                                                                                                                                                                                    Caravanserai       The khan and the caravanserai are stores for go-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       ods, in addition to providing housing and security
                                                                                                                                                                                      Khans                            for merchants, but whereas a caravanserai is an
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       urban khan located in the towns, a khan is located
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       on the roads between the cities.
                                                                                                                             Traditional Markets (Commercial buildings and streets)




                                                                                                                                                                                                       Al Sowaiqa      A mini market.
                                                                                                                                                                                                       Qaysariyya      An architectural unit with a middle courtyard
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       surrounded by several shops to display and sto-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       re goods.
                                                                                                                                                                                                         Arasta        A kind of market that is in line with religious
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       buildings, as in Isfahan (Mader-i-Shah) in Iran,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       besides Kava, ​​Flar, Arasta, in Cordoba market in
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Spain, which consists of two rows of 24 shops.
                                                                                                                                                                                                       Chahar-Suq      This is historically the first market and has major
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       intersections within the covered network of market
                                                                                                                                                                                       Markets




                                                                                                                                                                                                                       streets.
                                                                                                                                                                                                          Suq          A market as called in the original Arabic language.
                                                                                                                                                                                                         Bazaar        A network of roofed roads with fortified gates.
                                                                                                                                                                                                 Seasonal market (Al   A seasonal market, and therefore not always open;
                                                                                                                                                                                                     Mawasem)          it opens only in some months, some weekends and
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       some days.
                                                                                                                                                                                                       Arabic suq      A market located on four streets, each going in a
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       different direction.
                                                                                                                                                                                                   Turkish Carse       This Turkish market was a huge junction with a
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       roofed network of shopping streets; the name is
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       given to the whole market complex.




                                                                                                                                                                                                  A)                                                    B)

                                                                                                                           Figure 3. Two khans (old commercial buildings) in Aleppo, Syria: A) Al-Wazeer Khan; B) Al-Showanah
                                                                                                                           Khan (source: authors).


                                                                                  100
   2. Research methodology and discussion

    The research adopted a descriptive analytical methodology for a number of market
types to study the morphology of traditional markets, their form and urban context, and
the relationship of the above with the diversity of goods, and its impact on shoppers
and discussed several traditional markets in various cities, such as Aleppo (Syria),
Tripoli (Libya), Tunis (Tunisia), Sidi Bo Isead (Tunisia), Istanbul (Turkey), etc.
    The research adopted this methodology to examine the concept of traditional markets,
and to verify the importance of lessons learned from the old traditional markets. In addition,
this research looks at the phenomena of diversity in the establishment of various markets,
as their characteristics are very diverse and often missing in current commercial centers.
The methodology is appropriate to explain the relationship between the specialization of
goods and the architectural form, the general planning of the market, the relationship be-
tween market diversity and the diversity of the goods, the corridors’ width and roofing style,
and how this diversity affects shoppers, generating a state of pleasure and social interac-
tion between the market and the shoppers, as well as among the shoppers themselves.


   2.1. The formation of traditional markets

     The mosque was the heart of the city center, followed by the other surrounding
buildings, including the markets [8]. The vaulted bazaar links the mosque and the most
important public buildings in the city. Markets ranged in the type of goods they sold
from bookshops, “Attarin” shops selling medicinal plants and perfumes and fabric shops,
to shops selling all kinds of food, while the walls of the city were surrounded by shops
that catered for horses, and their food and leather.
     The traditional city was integrated with the climate and nature, corresponding to the
human needs in the city. The climate in the old traditional cities affected the formation
of the city, its houses, markets, mosques, hotels (khans) and shrines. As a result, in




                                                                                                    CONSERVATION SCIENCE IN CULTURAL HERITAGE
order to protect people, the markets were covered with wooden or metal vaults.
     Moreover, the phenomenon of street roofing, which covered both sides of the market,
was used to protect particular goods, such as silk and other fabrics. This type of roofing
was known as sagifah, and can be seen in the market of Radwan Sagifah in Cairo
(Alkhyamih, i.e. a tent-covered market). The covering of commercial streets differed de-
pending on the climate and the available building materials. In Cairo, the ceilings were
flat, while in Andalusia they were built using brick vaults, vine patios and wood. Stone
vaults were used in Aleppo and other cities, but fabric tents prevailed in the cities of Al-Sa-
eed in Egypt [9]. The domed or vaulted linear market had holes in the ceiling of every unit,
creating a cool area, in addition to the natural lighting (sunlight) and ventilation they pro-
vided in the typically hot dry climate. Figure 4 shows a variety of traditional markets in a
number of Arab cities with commercial streets and different roof coverings (vaults, domes,
etc.); Figure 5 shows the dense network of commercial streets in the city of Damascus.
     Mud and wood roofs were common in traditional markets, but these materials were
eventually replaced by stones and bricks to build domes and vaults; food markets sold
their wares in tents to protect both goods and buyers.
     The climatic environment also affected the formation of the khans. For example,
the khans found on the plains were wider than those found in the mountains. In addi-
tion, in cold countries, the khans did not have open courtyards, while the khans in hot
countries did. The revival of commercial activities during the pilgrimage season also
influenced the markets [10].


                                                                                                  101
Kabila Faris Hmood, Jawdat Goussous - The phenomenon of diversity and the effective response to the physical environment




                                                                                                                              Aleppo (Syria)                Aleppo (Syria)                       Tripoli (Libya)




                                                                                                                                   Tunisia (Tunisia)             Bab Ibhar (Tunisia)         Sidi Bo Isead(Tunisia)

                                                                                                                                           Figure 4. Traditional markets in some Arab cities (source: authors).




                                                                                                                           Figure 5. The traditional urban fabric of Damascus, all streets in orange are commercial (source:
                                                                                                                           Sawaf, H. Damascus: the oldest capital in the world, 2004).

                                                                                                                               There were many kinds of markets, such as the seasonal market of Al Mawasem,
                                                                                                                           and the Al Sowaiqa. The Al Sowaiqa is a tiny market composed of a group of commer-
                                                                                                                           cial shops, where each Sowaiqa is also the center of an urban sector, so all the
                                                                                                                           Al-Sowaiqas are groups of commercial shops that form the center of each urban sec-
                                                                                                                           tor. Other famous small markets in Cairo were the Prince of Armies and Fishermen
                                                                                                                           markets. The khan, caravanserai, qaysariyya, suq and the mini-suq were all commer-
                                                                                                                           cial structures used for shopping. The khan and the caravanserai, as well as being
                                                                                                                           stores for goods, also provided housing and security for merchants.


                                                                                       102
    Another type of market is the Arasta, which is a kind of market that is in line with
religious buildings, as seen in Isfahan, Iran (Mader-i-Shah), and Kava, Flar Arasta in
Cordoba, Spain, made up of two lines of 24 shops [11].
    Roads, which can be considered as the arteries of the city where humans and
economic activities come together, were taken care of by Islamism. Legislation and
laws have helped protect the environment and kept Islamic cities clean. For example,
there are many necessary conditions to be respected in butcher’s shops regarding
public health and safety; baker’s shops too, must have a high ceiling and good ventila-
tion to allow fumes and smoke to escape. Moreover, these activities were situated far
from the city centers, as in the case of industrial buildings, which often produced three
types of negative factors – smoke, odor and sound pollution, as stated by jurists – and
therefore had to be built in suburban areas [12].
    Traditional Islamic architecture fulfils people’s needs and consequently explains
why some environmental processors in these cities’ planning have succeeded in per-
forming more than one successful function at a time.


   2.2. The three different types of traditional markets

    The most famous traditional markets of Abbasid Baghdad (the capital of Iraq),
Umayyad Spain, Fatimid Cairo (Egypt) and Bukhara (Uzbekistan) have been mentio-
ned in the Islamic literature of historians and geographers. Cordoba, in Spain, repre-
sents one of the most important markets in the western Islamic world and had all
kinds of Eastern goods. Bukhara was the point that connected India, the Far East,
and northern Europe. Silk came from China via the Sasanian lands (now Iran) to the
Upper Euphrates to be sold in Rome, or from India via Yemen and the Arabian Pe-
ninsula through Petra, as well as through Palmyra to get to Rome and then on to
Constantinople [13].




                                                                                              CONSERVATION SCIENCE IN CULTURAL HERITAGE
    Al-Maqdisi described Egyptian markets by saying that they gathered goods from Al
Andalusia, Turkey and China, to store them or to sell them in partly roofed markets
located along narrow alleyways. Ottoman markets, found in all countries of the Otto-
man Empire at that time, were considered to be the most important market types and
were often domed.
    The distinctive shapes of the traditional markets were identified by particular ele-
ments, used since 2000 BC, which included the open arena and roofed roads lined
with shops on both sides. Traditional markets throughout the world were specialized
markets based on their goods. The bazaar is the standard form of roofed market with
a series of vaults linked to each other by a high domed space, or an open intersecting
area, which is often closed in by a wall or a fence. The bazaar is a self-grown pheno-
menon and is associated with the same basics as the formation of the city, for exam-
ple the presence of gates, fences and narrow meandering streets. During his visit to
Constantinople in 1331 AD, Ibn Battuta noticed that the bazaar was structured accor-
ding to what was sold there, as the streets varied in direction and width depending on
the difference in the type of goods offered for sale. At night, the gates to each bazaar
market were locked [14].
    There were three types of traditional markets: one had a network of roofed roads
with gates that were guarded (type A); another was a colossal edifice with a roofed
central courtyard (Qaysariyya) (type B), and then there were the khans or caravanserai
(type C), as illustrated in Figure 6.


                                                                                            103
Kabila Faris Hmood, Jawdat Goussous - The phenomenon of diversity and the effective response to the physical environment




                                                                                                                           Figure 6. The three types of traditional markets. A) Al Bazar (a network of roofed roads); B)
                                                                                                                           the Qaysariyya (green arrows indicate location of the Qaysariyya); and C) the khans or cara-
                                                                                                                           vanserai.




                                                                                                                           Figure 7. Al Bazar in Aleppo. The market has a network of roofed roads with fortified gates (photos
                                                                                                                           by researcher, G. M., The Architecture of Islamic world, 2002).


                                                                                   104
    Eleanor Sims believes that the architecture that Muslims encountered on their tra-
vels and conquests, as well as their own skills and needs, is at the basis of the chosen
style in the design of these traditional markets. The simple design which characterized
the market remained the same throughout the centuries in spite of the different places
and building materials, without losing its identity or character. The Arab suq is a market
located on four streets, each going in a different direction, so it may be said that the
crossroads generated the central market. The first Islamic market was called Chahar-
Suq (Table 1) due to the major intersections within the covered network of market streets
and was made up of roofed streets with extensions. The Turkish carse (Table 1) or
Turkish market was a huge junction with a roofed network of shopping streets [15].
Aleppo’s traditional markets are considered to be some of the best-preserved old mar-
kets in which streets intersect with each other and are sometimes covered with domes,
or left open, as shown in Figure 7 [16].
    Walls, floors and ceilings in the old traditional markets were a means for exhibiting
goods, making them as appealing as the buildings in the city’s urban fabric and making
us feel that everything is suitably arranged and in its proper place.


   2.3. The traditional markets and the urban context

    The market arose from an urban fabric and played an important part in its forma-
tion. The result was mutually harmonic, making it difficult for us to determine the origin
of this relationship and which is more effective, the market or the urban fabric. To suit
the social and psychological demands of shoppers, traditional markets vary in size,
goods, shape, and space. The inherited architecture was originally designed in accor-
dance with the needs of the people, the inhabitants and the travelers and this is what
the buildings, with the diversity of their functional types, witnessed. The buildings were
often simple, not luxurious, and because of their weak and simple building materials,




                                                                                               CONSERVATION SCIENCE IN CULTURAL HERITAGE
few have survived.
    Markets were located in two areas inside the inherited city’s urban fabric.
   1. The markets outside the city walls were often specialized in equipment needed
      for travelling and stables, all located around the city gates. These market stalls
      were separated from the housing area to protect people from the polluting smoke,
      and odors, as well as other factors linked to their safety, which was an essential
      aspect that was taken into consideration. However, a number of markets were,
      exceptionally, connected to dwellings, or what was called (Al Arrabd), such as
      Al Mahdia city in Tunisia, and in Cairo, but this was due to the expansion of the
      urban areas which caused them to spread toward the original marketplace in
      Fustat (the old name for Cairo, Egypt), which led to the dwellings and markets
      becoming as one with the city.
   2. The markets inside the city walls were one-story roofed structures and were
      commonly found in the center of traditional Islamic cities around the mosque.
   3. At the beginning, the market occupied the land near the mosque, but with time,
      they developed into continuous linear shopping streets. These markets linked
      the main gates to the city center. This design appeared in the Umayyad era
      (661-750 AD) and was very clear in Baghdad during the Abbasid era (750-1258 AD).
      There were other markets near the city gates which also followed the previous
      pattern, and this is what we see nowadays at the Damascus gates, for example,
      at the Bab Touma (Thomas Gate), which is one of several gates in the city walls


                                                                                             105
                                                                                                                                  [17]. This was evident in Cairo Qasaba, which is divided into five parts as mentio-
                                                                                                                                  ned before; the first part specialized in steel handcrafts; the second part speciali-
Kabila Faris Hmood, Jawdat Goussous - The phenomenon of diversity and the effective response to the physical environment




                                                                                                                                  zed in trading contemporary aluminum; the third part ended with a group of
                                                                                                                                  Qalawoon, built in 1284-1285 AD (Mamluk era) and specialized in copper han-
                                                                                                                                  dcrafts; the fourth part specialized in gold and money exchange and the fifth part
                                                                                                                                  specialized in fabrics, carpets, cotton and textiles [18].
                                                                                                                               There were other markets, held weekly or seasonally in the Islamic city, on the
                                                                                                                           open lands and main roads of the city. In Tunis, we can find all these types of markets,
                                                                                                                           both central and linear. Linear markets generally have curved or straight axes and are
                                                                                                                           roofed, while the squares are open, and the corridors and the axis intersect, and they
                                                                                                                           all generate markets with parallel or perpendicular corridors, as those found in the
                                                                                                                           markets of Istanbul [19].


                                                                                                                              2.4. Types of markets in some of today’s Arab cities

                                                                                                                              Figure 8 illustrates the types of markets that exist in traditional Arab cities nowadays.




                                                                                                                                      Figure 8. Types of current markets in Arab cities today (source: author).



                                                                                                                              2.4.1. Preserved traditional markets that are still used

                                                                                                                               We can see that many cities across the world, as well as many cities in the Arab
                                                                                                                           world, still retain and preserve the old traditional markets (Table 2). Some of Baghdad’s
                                                                                                                           traditional markets include Bab Al Agha market and Al Safareen market (copper prod-
                                                                                                                           ucts); there is also Al Samoaal Street, which has many khans representing wholesale
                                                                                                                           markets; another example is Al Kadhimiya (in Iraq). These are just a few, but there are
                                                                                                                           many more. Al Astarabadi market is the most famous and is roofed with trusses. The
                                                                                                                           Arab market in the Al Shorja area in Baghdad is considered a modern market. There is
                                                                                                                           also the Indian roofed market which sells spices in Basra city and there are the old
                                                                                                                           traditional Al Mosul markets, including Bab Al Toob market.


                                                                                    106
    There are other markets in Tripoli, Libya. These markets were, and are, still special-
ized in traditional Libyan folk costume. Also, there are the Cairo markets in Khan
Al-Khalili, which are well known, and Sanaa markets near Bab al-Yemen, including the
salt market. Some are specialized in certain goods and their stores are situated around
the unroofed center courtyard. There are a lot of traditional markets in Seaoon and
Hadramout (Yemen).
    In Amman, Jordan, we can find the Al Bukhariya market, named after the Bukhara
immigrants who lived in Amman in the mid-twenties of the twentieth century. This mar-
ket was built around the Al Hussein Mosque area in 1930, and then, in 1950, it was
moved to the opposite side of the Al Hussein Great Mosque. Currently, it sells acces-
sories, some souvenirs, and supplies for tailors. There is also the Manco market built
in 1942, the first market for pedestrians, and is connected with Basman Street through
an arch and some stairs. It still works efficiently compared with the modern markets,
because it is a more convenient place for shopping [20].
    Damascus is known for its old special markets. Damascus seems not to be com-
posed of locally similar elements but of dissimilar parts which are aggregated and
bound together by the line of walls and limited within their confines by the dynamics
and constraints which govern the global structure of the street layout [21]. It has seven
gates which work as commercial markets and a lot of Ottoman buildings, as well as
new markets, such as Al Hamidiya and Al Muhagereen. Old Damascus has an oval-
shape, its long diameter being Medhat Basha Street or the Eastern door, which mea-
sures 1600m, and the smaller diameter measuring 1000m. The history of Al Hamidiya
market (Damascus, Syria) goes back to 1780AD/1195AH. The governor, Hussein Na-
zim Basha changed the wooden roof of this market and other big markets and re-
placed them with iron and zinc roofs to protect them from fire [22]. In Hamidiya market
they sell all kinds of textile products of different origins, as well as oriental antiques
and refreshments. The market dimensions are about 600m. x 15m. and its height
covers two floors.




                                                                                               CONSERVATION SCIENCE IN CULTURAL HERITAGE
    Damascus also includes Al Hal market, which is a wholesale market for fruit and
vegetables. It was built in the era of the French mandate. Traders’ stores were on the
ground floor while cheap hotels were on the upper floors. There are also other markets,
such as Ali Basha Market, Al Srojiyeh, Al Zarabliyeh, Al Tiben market, Al Kheel market,
Al Ateeq market…etc. [23].
    Markets were also connected to each other, beginning with the narrow roofed Qa-
wafeen market, which connected and ended at the unroofed Silah market, in addition
to Al Qaimariya market … etc. There are 58 old traditional inherited markets [24].
    Damascus was famous for its wonderful markets: some of them have disappeared
from the modern map of Damascus while others have witnessed the long history of this
commercial city. The Ottoman markets form an integrated architectural unity contain-
ing commercial stores; the khan, the mosque, the bathroom and the school. The best
examples are Al Khayateen market and Al Hamidiya market. In Al Khayateen market
there is Khan Khojiah, which is located in the southwest of the Umayyad Mosque and
in the silk market there was another khan called the Khan of silk (Al Hareer).
    In Aleppo there is Al Najareen, which had a vaulted ceiling and is a roofed market
in Al Bayadha inside Bab Al Hadeed (gate of iron). Throughout the past ages going
back to the tenth century BC., Aleppo remained the global economic commercial cen-
ter linking the continents and oceans, and it was also the route crossed by the silk,
spice, textile and perfume traders. The volume of trade doubled in Aleppo during the
Ottoman rule and the khans and markets expanded [25].


                                                                                             107
                                                                                                                           Table 2. Some old preserved traditional markets that are still used in several Arab and Middle East
                                                                                                                           cities
Kabila Faris Hmood, Jawdat Goussous - The phenomenon of diversity and the effective response to the physical environment




                                                                                                                                    City                Market                     Form                        Use

                                                                                                                              Baghdad - Iraq      Bab Al Agha market        linear roofed street             leather
                                                                                                                                                  Al Safareen market           row of shops                   metal

                                                                                                                                                   Al Samoaal Street       open street with many       wholesale markets
                                                                                                                                                                                   khans                different goods

                                                                                                                                                     Al Astarabadi       roofed street market with     fabrics and clothes
                                                                                                                                                        market                     truss
                                                                                                                                                    The Arab market        vaulted street market       fabrics and clothes
                                                                                                                             Basra city- Iraq      The Indian market           roofed market                  spices

                                                                                                                              Tripoli - Libya        Many markets           open street markets       Libyan folk traditional
                                                                                                                                                                                                            costume
                                                                                                                               Cairo - Egypt         Khan Al-Khalili        roofed street market       Egyptian traditional
                                                                                                                                                                                                         folk costume
                                                                                                                              Sanaa - Yemen         Bab al-Yemen -          roofed, open street       Yemen traditional folk
                                                                                                                                                     Salt Market           markets and unroofed           costumes
                                                                                                                                                                            centered courtyard
                                                                                                                             Amman - Jordan       Al Bukhariya market       roofed street market       accessories, some
                                                                                                                                                    near Al Hussein                                        souvenirs
                                                                                                                                                     Great Mosque
                                                                                                                                                     Manco market           unroofed central yard      fabrics and clothes
                                                                                                                                                                         surrounded by many shops
                                                                                                                            Damascus - Syria      Al Hamidiya Market       roofed Ottoman street        accessories, some
                                                                                                                                                                                  market                 gifts for tourists,
                                                                                                                                                                                                       fabrics, and clothes
                                                                                                                                                     Medhat Basha           open street market        wholesale market for
                                                                                                                                                        Street                                         fabrics and clothes
                                                                                                                                                     Al Hal market          roofed street market      wholesale market for
                                                                                                                                                                                                      fruit and vegetables


                                                                                                                               Now, the question is: Should we construct our contemporary markets as twins to
                                                                                                                           the traditional markets produced by traditional Islamic architecture? And what did our
                                                                                                                           old inherited markets achieve?


                                                                                                                               2.4.2. Modern markets that have an inherited traditional architecture

                                                                                                                               What about the modern experience of Arab markets? In Nazwa, Oman, there is a
                                                                                                                           huge market consisting of ten buildings, surrounded by an external wall and doors. It
                                                                                                                           is integrated into the urban fabric and all its traditional architectural components are
                                                                                                                           original ones. The function of the market is to sell vegetables, fruit, meat, dates and fish
                                                                                                                           and to be a restaurant [26]. The modern shopping center was established in Al Sharjah
                                                                                                                           (United Arab Emirates) to create a new style of architecture. Despite the adoption of


                                                                                    108
similar plans and wide corridors linked to each other, as well as reproducing the same
height in the spaces, the shopping centre does not transmit the same feeling people
had in traditional markets, which were two meters wide, the width of the markets’ cor-
ridors having a role in increasing the efficiency of the environment [27].
    There are modern market centers in Arab Gulf cities such as Al Ghurair and City
Centre in Dubai, and Warba Center, Deera Center and Al Rashed Center in Al Khobar
in Saudi Arabia. In Baghdad, many market centers with multi floors were constructed
but they are not multi-functional (i.e. they are only for selling and purchasing). The
designs were repeated in different areas and lack the elements of commercial attrac-
tion. Their design, moreover, is incompatible with the surrounding urban fabric, such as
Al Mansour market (Baghdad, Iraq), Al Mustansiriya market (Baghdad, Iraq) and Al Adel
market, and Al Thulathaa market (Baghdad, Iraq) with their different design.


   2.4.3. Markets living in the present time away from the past

    These contemporary market centers are not connected with the urban fabric and
the surrounding area, while the traditional markets popped up in the cities and formed
the urban fabric in a way that made it difficult to distinguish whether the markets had
created the city’s urban fabric, represented by the adjoining main and secondary
streets, or if the city, with its main and secondary streets, had created the markets. In
modern markets, the shopper does not enjoy moving around because they combine all
the shopper’s needs under one roof, diversity should be in the market’s form and not
only in what it contains. Modern markets lack diversity in both their goods and their
physical environments and take you on a long boring journey, full of smells, without
experiencing any real social interaction.




                                                                                               CONSERVATION SCIENCE IN CULTURAL HERITAGE
   3. Results

    Traditional markets in traditional architecture extend horizontally on one or more
floors, while most contemporary Arab markets develop vertically with multi-floors and
are protected from the external climate. Since markets were specialized in a variety of
goods, this reflected on the architectural form and general planning of the market,
where the broken (curve) axis or any change in direction was an indication of the chan-
ge in the type of goods.
    In the past the width of the shopping streets was ordered and became narrower
because fewer shoppers frequented them, so shopping streets responded to the num-
ber of shoppers and the importance of the goods. The diversity in the physical environ-
ment corresponded to the diversity and change in goods as well as the diversity of the
corridor’s width and roofing style. This diversity affects shoppers and generates a state
of pleasure and social interaction between the market and the shoppers and among
the shoppers themselves. The element of surprise and change in visuals while the
shopper is on the move, along with the shopping streets, make it an interesting envi-
ronment due to the diversity in size, shape and direction of the market and helps the
shopper break out of their boredom.
    The change in direction of the winding streets in traditional markets also enriches
the architectural image that is saved in people’s memory. The richness in visual diver-
sity greatly affects the variety of information and signals that the design sends to shop-


                                                                                             109
                                                                                                                           pers, making the shopping experience more enjoyable. The traditional market accom-
                                                                                                                           modates future variables and is constantly changing, without it affecting its general form,
Kabila Faris Hmood, Jawdat Goussous - The phenomenon of diversity and the effective response to the physical environment




                                                                                                                           and does so by adopting a principle of repetition of its structural units.
                                                                                                                                Markets were also used for gatherings on certain occasions, such as weddings,
                                                                                                                           feasts, wedding celebrations and other events, thus integrating social uses into these
                                                                                                                           physical structures that were suited to these occasions. They also met the needs of the
                                                                                                                           community by encouraging social interaction among shoppers, which is not usually
                                                                                                                           found in most modern market environments.
                                                                                                                                The research findings regarding the relationship between the phenomenon of di-
                                                                                                                           versity and its role in giving traditional markets distinct characteristics and making it
                                                                                                                           superior in user experience to current commercial centers, especially in traditional Arab
                                                                                                                           cities in general, are summed up in Figures 9 and 10.




                                                                                                                                     Figure 9. The impact of diversity in old traditional markets (source: authors).




                                                                                                                           Figure 10. The relationship between the diversity of goods, types and morphology of old tradition-
                                                                                                                           al markets (source: authors).


                                                                                             110
      4. Conclusion

    Perhaps contemporary Arab multi-floor market centers avert some of the negatives
by using technology to provide a comfortable climatic environment. In this day and
age, technology has helped these centers to achieve climate compatibility and improve
people’s well-being and comfort through the use of efficient heating/cooling systems
inside the buildings, but they do not fulfill their goal in entertaining the shopper and do
not represent local Arab identity. Markets are one of the most important places that
reflect the identity of the country, as it is a stop-off for tourist shoppers and citizens.
Most modern markets have failed in communicating with the old buildings and in fulfill-
ing contemporary shoppers’ needs. In the past and nowadays too, traditional markets
are a reflection of a harmonious society connected with its past and present.
    The market should grant the shopper the opportunity to relax within an effective
and efficient internal architectural environment. This should be a target that is taken
into consideration while designing modern market centers. Thus, the market center
should be in an efficient architectural environment that provides shoppers with a plea-
surable atmosphere and a reason for social interaction with each other, and between
them and the market, without being boring, and by creating a physical environment
that achieves a balance between human needs and the environment (social, cultural,
climatic and aesthetic, etc.).
    The shopper should also be facilitated in easily reaching the market center, find-
ing a parking space, and the external environment should be a green space. In addi-
tion, there is the need to achieve the distinctive character of the market and its streets
through the architectural designs that most suit our traditional original inherited archi-
tecture, while taking into consideration the environmental dimension. Lastly, the re-
search emphasizes that contemporary market models and commercial centers
achieve their purposes, but their design does not successfully achieve the level of
social interaction among shoppers and other important features, as those achieved




                                                                                                        CONSERVATION SCIENCE IN CULTURAL HERITAGE
by traditional markets (Table 3).

Table 3. Comparative findings between traditional and recent markets (source: authors).


                                  Traditional Markets            Recent Middle East markets

  1    Extension          horizontally with one floor or more    most contemporary Middle
                          and are protected from the climate     East markets extend vertical-
                                                                 ly with multi-floors and are
                                                                 protected from the climate
  2    Specialization     goods ranged in order which assures    no clear system in its distri-
                          specialization of kind                 bution
  3    Street form        perpendicular or broken (bent) axis mostly grid network of streets
                          or any change in direction was an in-
                          dication of a change in the type of
                          goods, as the specialization of goods
                          changes with the change in direction
  4    Street width       shopping streets get narrower when     no clear system
                          they were less shoppers.




                                                                                                  111
                                                                                                                             5    Relationship be-      shopping streets were responsive to mostly does not exist
                                                                                                                                  tween street width    the number of shoppers and the im-
Kabila Faris Hmood, Jawdat Goussous - The phenomenon of diversity and the effective response to the physical environment




                                                                                                                                  and shoppers          portance of goods

                                                                                                                             6    Diversity of the      diversity of the physical form (archi- does not exist
                                                                                                                                  physical form         tectural form) of traditional markets is
                                                                                                                                                        responsive to the diversity, change of
                                                                                                                                                        goods, the diversity of the corridors’
                                                                                                                                                        width, and the roofing style
                                                                                                                             7    State of pleasure     this diversity affects shoppers and mostly does not exist
                                                                                                                                  and social inte-      generates a state of pleasure and so-
                                                                                                                                  raction               cial interaction between the market
                                                                                                                                                        and the shoppers and among the
                                                                                                                                                        shoppers themselves
                                                                                                                             8    The element of sur-   this makes it an interesting environ- does not exist
                                                                                                                                  prise for the shop-   ment and helps the shopper to break
                                                                                                                                  pers and the chan-    out of their boredom due to the diver-
                                                                                                                                  ge in optic shots     sity of size, shape and direction of the
                                                                                                                                  they see along with   market
                                                                                                                                  the shopping stre-
                                                                                                                                  ets
                                                                                                                             9    Refraction and        this enriches the architectural image    does not exist
                                                                                                                                  change of direction   and the image that is saved in peo-
                                                                                                                                  of market streets     ple’s memory
                                                                                                                            10    Social interaction    they also met the needs of the com-      does not exist in most mo-
                                                                                                                                                        munity by encouraging social inte-       dern market environments
                                                                                                                                                        raction among shoppers
                                                                                                                            11    Identity              they represent Middle Eastern identity   do not represent Middle
                                                                                                                                                                                                 Eastern identity



                                                                                                                                 Acknowledgments

                                                                                                                               We extend our thanks and appreciation to all the published articles which we ben-
                                                                                                                           efited from as references for our research.


                                                                                                                                 References

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                                                                                                                                   library; Egypt, pp. 155-244.
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[7]     Henri, S. (2002) Islamic Art & Architecture – from Isfahan to the Taj Mahal,
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[22]    Castillo G. (1995) A History of Architecture, Setting and Rituals, SPIRO Kostof,
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      Biographical Notes

    Kabila F. Hmood is a Full Professor in Architectural Engineering; she is a Profes-
sor in the Department of Architecture at Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan, Amman.
She earned her Ph.D. in 1996 from the University of Baghdad, Iraq. She has extensive
academic and administrative experience serving as the Dean of the Faculty of Archi-
tecture and Design, and also as Head of the Architecture Department at Al-Zaytoonah
University of Jordan. She has published many books and more than 35 research pa-
pers in scientific journals or presented them at international scientific conferences.


                                                                                              113
                                                                                                                           Prof. Hmood has over 27 years of relevant experience in the field of Architecture. She
                                                                                                                           was the editor of a book published by an international publisher in 2019 and is a review-
Kabila Faris Hmood, Jawdat Goussous - The phenomenon of diversity and the effective response to the physical environment




                                                                                                                           er for many indexed journals (Scopus).

                                                                                                                               Jawdat Goussous is an Ass. Professor of Architecture at the University of Jordan.
                                                                                                                           He earned his Ph.D. in 1991 from Kiev engineering institute (USSR). During his grad-
                                                                                                                           uate study he taught several undergraduate courses. He has extensive academic,
                                                                                                                           consultancy and administrative experience, serving as the Head of the Architecture
                                                                                                                           Department at the University of Jordan. He has published a number of papers in his
                                                                                                                           research areas of interest which include heritage tourism and CRM, which means
                                                                                                                           (cultural resource management).


                                                                                                                              Summary

                                                                                                                               Many cities worldwide take pride in their traditional markets. This research aims to
                                                                                                                           verify the importance of lessons learned from old traditional markets, characterized by
                                                                                                                           the effective response to their physical environment. This main aim leads to many
                                                                                                                           secondary aims. First is the aim to explain the role of the phenomena of diversity in the
                                                                                                                           establishment of various markets. Second, the research aims to explain the relation-
                                                                                                                           ship between the specialization of goods, the architectural form and general planning
                                                                                                                           of the market. Third, the research aims to investigate the relationship between markets
                                                                                                                           and the diversity of the goods, width of the corridors, roofing style, and how this diver-
                                                                                                                           sity affects shoppers, as well as interacting among the shoppers themselves. The re-
                                                                                                                           search adopts a descriptive analytical methodology for a number of market types in
                                                                                                                           order to study the morphology of traditional markets, their form, their urban context,
                                                                                                                           and their relationship with the diversity of the goods and the impact it has on shoppers.
                                                                                                                           The most important conclusion reached by the research is that the diversity in the
                                                                                                                           morphology of traditional markets corresponds to the diversity and change of goods,
                                                                                                                           the width of the corridors and the style of the roof … etc. This diversity affects shoppers
                                                                                                                           and generates a state of pleasure and social interaction.


                                                                                                                              Riassunto

                                                                                                                                Molte città in tutto il mondo sono orgogliose dei loro mercati tradizionali. Questa ricer-
                                                                                                                           ca mira a verificare l’importanza delle esperienze dei vecchi mercati tradizionali, caratte-
                                                                                                                           rizzati dal loro particolare contesto urbano. Questo obiettivo principale porta a diversi
                                                                                                                           obiettivi secondari. Il primo è spiegare il ruolo dei fenomeni di diversità nella ideazione di
                                                                                                                           vari mercati. In secondo luogo, la ricerca mira a spiegare il rapporto tra la specializzazio-
                                                                                                                           ne dei beni, la forma architettonica e la pianificazione generale del mercato. In terzo
                                                                                                                           luogo, la ricerca mira a indagare la relazione tra i mercati e la diversità dei prodotti, l’am-
                                                                                                                           piezza dei corridoi, lo stile del tetto e come questa diversità influisca sugli acquirenti,
                                                                                                                           nonché sull’interazione tra gli stessi acquirenti. La ricerca adotta una metodologia anali-
                                                                                                                           tica descrittiva per alcune tipologie di mercato al fine di studiare la morfologia dei merca-
                                                                                                                           ti tradizionali, la loro forma, il loro contesto urbano, il loro rapporto con la diversità dei
                                                                                                                           beni e l’impatto che ha sui consumatori. La conclusione più importante raggiunta dalla
                                                                                                                           ricerca è che alla diversità nella morfologia dei mercati tradizionali corrisponde la diver-
                                                                                                                           sità e il cambiamento delle merci, l’ampiezza dei corridoi e lo stile del tetto. Questa diver-
                                                                                                                           sità colpisce gli acquirenti e genera uno stato di benessere e interazione sociale.


                                                                                              114
