Souk
A souk in Marrakesh, Morocco
This is an Arabian term for open-air market. This would be the classic flea market or farmer’s market in the United States. This is stereotypically presented in every movie set in the Middle East as a place with a cacophony of smells, sounds, and visuals.
Why I Looked It Up
The word was used liberally in Cutting for Stone. That novel was set in Ethiopia. I’m not sure if the term is used there, but the main characters are all from India, so they likely carried over terms from that language.
Postscript
Added on
In Bookshops:
One can walk around Athens as if it were a strange souk of bookshops.