In many cities in the Middle East, two contrasting areas can be distinguished. The first is the center, i.e. the old town. The second is a modern city built in the European style. These differences in construction also translate into social and economic status.

The traditional city, or European “old town”, is within the walls. The city walls also included a fortress (قصبة), which was often located in one of the corners. The ruler lived in the fortress, and additionally there were barracks there. It was very difficult to build symmetrical city walls, so it was often an oval or a rectangular shape.

In the very center of the city there was a mosque and Koranic schools surrounding the market square (سوق). It was the most important part of the city where life was lived and goods were traded. The square consisted of partially covered, narrow streets (they used material or palm leaves) that provided protection against the scorching sun. In many of these places, goods were produced locally, so there was a strong link between trade and production.

What could you buy in such a market? It all depended on what the city specialized in, but despite that, you could buy practically everything (sometimes even foreign goods and technical innovations). Interestingly, the closer to the mosque, the better the goods and services were. Near the temple, you could buy gold, jewelry, valuable materials and incense, and accordingly, there were stands with clothes, shoes, and fruit.

There were often hotels (فندق) near the city gates. Merchants or ordinary travelers could stay there. The residential district is also an important part of the city.

What was this part about? It could seem deserted because the back of the house was facing the street. Only here and there could a small window or a simple door tightly appear. Arabs treated (and still treat) the house as their own fortress, therefore they fenced off from the world (even the windows faced only the inner courtyard), and life went on inside the buildings. Additionally, in a traditional city, houses were built on a square or rectangular plan, which created a network of small, often dead-end streets.

In a traditional Arab city, the social and financial status of the inhabitants was very important. Wealthy and important citizens lived near the center, and near the gates one could find the poorest inhabitants. Among this “pyramid” of citizens lived also Jews and Christians, who often separated themselves from the rest of the city and created specific ghettos.

The appearance of the Arab city at a glance

• Centric layout
• The presence of mosques
• Low buildings
• Flat roofs of houses
• Chaotic buildings of old cities with mixing of styles
• Blind walls on the side of the street with a door leading in
• Oval or circular shape (successive buildings protruded from the center)
• The bazaar was connected to the center
• Ubiquitous narrow, winding dead ends
• The presence of the Christian and Jewish ghetto