4/5 Fabio D. 5 years ago on Google
In
general,
souk
(or
souq)
is
the
name
given
to
an
Arab
market.
As
Marrakesh
had
a
strategic
location
at
the
heart
of
Morocco,
many
traders
passed
through
the
city
every
day
(
and
this
explains
also
why
the
medina
has
so
many
gates;
access
to
the
city
was
made
easier
for
merchants
travelling
with
heavily
laden
caravans)
As
the
local
population
grew,
vendors
started
to
hold
smaller
souks
close
to
main
communities.
Then
the
smaller
neighbourhood
souks
gradually
grew
and
many
souks
expanded
so
much
that
they
merged
with
nearby
souks.
Local
craftsmen
started
to
work
close
to
each
others
in
the
same
trade,
giving
birth
first
to
communities
of
artisans
and,
later,
to
souks
dedicated
to
particular
goods.
It’s
very
easy
to
get
"lost"
in
Marrakesh’s
souks
as
the
narrow
alleyways
can
all
look
very
similar
but
do
not
worry
..
getting
lost
is
generally
part
of
the
exploring
experience.
One
advice,
not
to
forget:
if
you
need
to
ask
somebody
for
directions,
try
to
approach
shop
owners,
families
or
females
rather
than
young
men.
While
not
dangerous
(?),
it’s
pretty
common
for
younger
males
to
make
a
friendly
offer
to
escort
you
to
where
you
want
to
go.
Although
this
might
seem
like
a
blessing,
it
often
ends
with
you
paying
a
substantial
"tip"
(in
our
case,
the
police
intervened
to
arrest
this
"kind"
young
man,
who
in
seconds
turned
from
a
hungry
wolf
to
a
crying
sheep)
Finally,
remember
haggling
is
key
!
The
art
of
haggling
is
integral
to
the
culture
of
stall
owners.
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