The phenomenon of diversity and the effective response to the physical environment: the formation of old traditional markets (Suq)

Abstract

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.