Form and Function in Two Traditional Markets of the Middle East: Souq Mutrah and Souq Waqif
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sustainability Article Form and Function in Two Traditional Markets of the Middle East: Souq Mutrah and Souq Waqif Mark David Major * and Heba O. Tannous Department of Architecture and Urban Planning, College of Engineering, Qatar University, Doha 2713, Qatar; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +974-3136-0842 Received: 7 July 2020; Accepted: 24 July 2020; Published: 2 September 2020 Abstract: This paper presents some of the findings of a study comparing the form and function of two traditional markets on the Arabian Peninsula: Souq Mutrah in Muscat, Oman, and Souq Waqif in Doha, Qatar. Globalization and rapid urbanization characterize both Doha and Muscat, which share similar historical origins as coastal settlements despite stark differences in topography; Oman is mountainous, whereas Qatar is flat. We investigate the urban morphology, land use and function of the two souqs using several representational techniques typical of morphological research, including space syntax analysis. The purpose is to develop a deeper understanding of (1) the evolution of space and form in these marketplaces over time, and (2) the possible implications for their functioning as urban places. The analysis demonstrates the critical importance of the contextual relations at the macro- and micro-scale of the urban environment for understanding the complex nature of these souqs as places today, helping to deepen our knowledge about traditional markets in the Middle East. Keywords: land use; markets; morphology; topography; urban studies 1. Introduction The economic viability and social sustainability of traditional marketplaces or ‘souqs’ is a hot-button issue in cities undergoing globalization and rapid urbanization in the Arabian/Persian Gulf and broader Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. MENA is an acronym lacking standard definition. Generally, it refers to the vast region stretching east-to-west from Iran to morocco and roughly synonymous with the Arab World. The following is a list of commonly-included countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Palestine, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Yemen. Different organizations sometimes include Turkey, Cyprus, Northern Cyprus, Sudan, Mauritania, Somalia and Chad as part of MENA as well. The loss of traditional urban fabric to contemporary development in many of the cities in these countries ties together issues of urban morphogenesis and the socio-economic sustainability of souqs. Space syntax theory and methods seem well-suited to objectively investigate the connection between urban morphology, evolution and the performance of these traditional marketplaces in the past, present and future. We utilize space syntax modeling techniques in this paper to contextualize two traditional souqs within their metropolitan region to describe the spatial processes at work in the urban street network. Such an approach can help us to tailor potential interventions based on the objective parameters of network science, making a sensitive link between the morphological evolution of traditional marketplaces in cities and their long-term economic sustainability as urban places. In human history, marketplaces have played a critical role in the economic, political and social evolution of many settlements, from the agora and forum of the Ancient Greco-Roman World to Middle Eastern souqs and medieval European bastide towns to contemporary strip and Sustainability 2020, 12, 7154; doi:10.3390/su12177154 www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability Sustainability 2020,, 12,, 7154x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 19 21 Middle Eastern souqs and Medieval European bastide towns to contemporary strip and shopping shoppingmalls. Marketplaces malls. marketplaces often serve often as a focal serve point as a focalin the point physical in the and physical spatial andstructure spatial of structuresettlements of settlementsaround the world, around including the world, the including Arabian thePeninsula. Arabian The Peninsula. Arabian ThePeninsula Arabian consists Peninsula of six consists countries of sixforming countries the Gulf forming Cooperation the Gulf Council Cooperation (GCC)—Bahra Council (GCC)—Bahrain,in, Kuwait, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Oman, Arabia Qatar, and Saudi the 2 ArabiaUnited andArab the Emirates United Arab(UAE)—encompassing Emirates (UAE)—encompassing about 3.2 million about square 3.2 million kilometers square (km kilometers2) (Figure (km 1).) (FigureThe Levant1). The and Levant Arabian/Persian and Arabian Gulf/Persian define the Gulf peninsula define the to peninsulathe north and to the northeast, north and respectively. northeast, respectively.The Levant refers The Levant to a large refers area to in a largethe Eastern area in Mediterranean, the Eastern mediterranean, primarily in primarily Western inAsia Western associated Asia associatedwith the Ancient with the Near Ancient East, Nearconsisting East, of consisting Cyprus, ofJordan, Cyprus, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine Lebanon, and Palestine Syria today. and Syria The today.Indian TheOcean Indian borders Ocean the borderspeninsula the to peninsula the south to and the the south Red and Sea the to Redthe west. Sea to Diverse the west. geography Diverse geographycharacterizes characterizes the Arabian the Peninsula, Arabian Peninsula, ranging from ranging a vast from central a vast plateau central plateauto the stony to the desert stony desertin the innorth, the north,dunes dunesto the toeast the and east coastlands and coastlands that are that resplendent are resplendent with withcoral coralreefs reefsin the in Red the RedSea and Sea andmountains mountains in Oman in Oman and andYemen Yemen to the to southeast. the southeast. Figure 1. MapMap showing showing the the Gulf Gulf Cooperation Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in black, with Qatar and Oman highlighted in red. inin Arabic-speakingArabic-speaking countriescountries datedate backback toto at least the 6th (”(” ﺳﻮقTraditional marketplaces (souq “ñ Century BCEBCE [[1].1]. Generally,Generally, souqs souqs are are publicly-accessible publicly-accessible pedestrian pedestrian markets markets with with arcades, arcades, plazas plazas and numerousand numerous shops shops where where people people regularly regularly gather gather to purchase to purchase and sell and goods, sell goods, socialize socialize and walk. and walk. Some areSome street-oriented are street-oriented retail areas. retail Othersareas. Others are covered, are covered, outdoor outdoor or indoor. or Someindoor. are Some permanent, are permanent, whereas otherswhereas are others temporary. are temporary. There is noThere universally is no universally agreed definition. agreed definition. Initially located located outside outside city city walls, walls, souqs souqs shifted shifted to tocity city centers centers as asurban urban populations populations grew. grew. In InIslamic Islamic countries, countries, the theFriday Friday mosque mosque usually usually forms forms the heart the heart of the of settlement, the settlement, with withan adjacent an adjacent souq souqserving serving as an as important an important facility facility to tosupport support peop people’sle’s daily daily activities. activities. Friday Friday prayer prayer has has great significance.significance. The Qur’an invokes invokes the the importance importance of of Friday as a sacred day for worship when people gather and pray together in the main mosque. The The term term souqsouq possessespossesses many alternatives in different different parts of the world, including socco (a(a corrupted corrupted Spanish Spanish term) term) in in northern northern Morocco morocco and and bazaarbazaar inin Iran. Iran. Words inin thethe ArabicArabic languagelanguage tendtend toto be more expansiveexpansive in meaning, but we attempt to explain these terms in English. The The paper paper tends to use the Arabic word, souq. The The word word bazaarbazaar alsoalso tends tends to identify identify areas of a souq selling specialized goods, such as thethe ‘spice bazaar’ and ‘textile bazaar’ in the Old City of Jerusalem. However, However, locals often use the word word souq similarly, similarly, so there is a souq within a souq, i.e., i.e., the Gold Souq. The traditionaltraditional marketmarket of of Souq Souq Waqif Waqif emerged emerged near near a dry a dry river river bed bed known known as Wadi as Wadi musheireb Musheirebearly inearly the in founding the founding of Doha, of Doha, Qatar, Qatar, in the in 1820s the 1820s [2]. There [2]. There is evidence is evidence of communal of communal activity activity in the in area the aroundarea around Muscat, Muscat, Oman Oman dating dating to the to 6th the millennium 6th Millennium BCE, andBCE, Greek and Greek geographer geographer Ptolemy Ptolemy refers refers to the suitabilityto the suitability of Muscat of Muscat as a port as asa port early as as early the 1st as Centurythe 1st Century CE, calling CE, itcallingCryptus it PortusCryptus(‘the Portus Hidden (‘the Hidden Port’) [3]. Souq Mutrah in old Muscat dates to the early-to-mid 19th century, when Said bin Sustainability 2020, 12, 7154 3 of 21 Sustainability 2020, 12, x FOR PEER REVIEW 3 of 19 Port’) [3]. Souq Mutrah in Old Muscat dates to the early-to-mid 19th century, when Said bin Sultan re-establishedSultan re-established the naval the supremacynaval supremacy of Muscat of Muscat over the over Arabian the Arabian Gulf in Gulf an alliance in an alliance with the with United the StatesUnited