Word: souks
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...SOUK SCENTS Long before petroleum was discovered in the Middle East, Arab trade was dominated by incense, fragrant resins and perfume woods?and Oman, as the center of this trade, prospered. It may seem something of a contradiction that Omanis, given their conservative customs, would indulge in the extravagant and heady scents of rose oil, musk, sandalwood, myrrh and frankincense. But a trip to the souk, or traditional market, in Muttrah quickly reveals this penchant for perfume is not just an aesthetic pleasure?it's big business with a long history. Omanis have been extracting frankincense from the Boswellia carterii...
...sitting on one of the world's fuel tanks. In just over a generation, the area has grown from barren desert to lurid long-haul stopover to modern metropolis. Dubai used to be famous only for funneling bleary-eyed passengers through endless duty-free malls, a drab modern-day souk experience only slightly enlivened by some sensational bargains. But now, offering beaches with year-round sunshine, million-dollar horse races (see Detour) and the world's tallest hotel (see Short Cuts), Dubai is a destination in its own right...
...Madbassa Street near Bethlehem's old souk, a group of peddlers recently set out wares at the side of the road. The intifadeh has hit the economy hard, and this was a chance for locals to buy good quality cheaply--all the goods were stolen. There was everything from jewelry to potted plants. A pair of "Nike" sneakers was $3. Shoppers jostled for bargains. From the rooftops all around, gunmen kept watch...
...these caffeinated rendezvous take place make cheap dives look hospitable by comparison. I know these places all to well, since my significant other is as inveterate a coffee-drinker as I am an anti-coffee complainer. The most prominent Square dealer of coffee is Au Bon Pain. This bustling souk is an appropriate center for the vortex of madness that is Harvard Square. Placing an order here is like snatching food at a U.N. relief center; rather than a line, ABP's organizing principle is a mob, attended to by several semi-competent cashiers. If you've ever wondered where...
...bright, wearyingly busy covers are increasingly and (for this writer, who misses the sedate Cape Cod cottage exteriors) inexplicably monopolized by Art Spiegelman's relentlessly contemporary artwork. The screaming covers are a tacit capitulation to the dictates of commerce, increasingly reflective of the need to compete in that bustling souk known as Out Of Town News...