Encyclopedia of Islam

Further reading: M. R. Guru Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, God, 

His Prophets and His Children (Philadelphia: Fellowship 

Press, 1978); M. R. Guru Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, Truth 

and Light (Philadelphia: Fellowship Press, 1974); M. R. 

Guru Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, The Truth and the Unity of 

Man (Philadelphia: Fellowship Press, 1980).

bazaar

 

(Persian: marketplace)

One of the most important public spaces in Islami-

cate lands is the urban district known as the bazaar 

or marketplace (called a suq in Arabic-speaking 

lands), the center of business and commerce. Found 

in 

cities

 from North Africa to i

ndia

 and Central 

Asia, it consists of small shops, warehouses, handi-

craft centers, banks, public bathhouses, bakeries, 

cafes, street vendors, and inns. People from all walks 

of life cross paths there—the wealthy and beggars, 

men and 

Women

, seniors and 

children

, farmers 

and soldiers, natives and foreigners, nomads and 

sailors, the literate and the illiterate, the skilled and 

the unskilled, men of religion and the laity, Muslims 

and non-Muslims. The bazaar can be open air, but 

Islamicate cities are also famous for their covered 

marketplaces, with massive gateways that can be 

closed at night for security. The bazaar is typically 

subdivided into zones defined by craft or trade. 

Thus, all of the spice shops are close together, as are 

those of the goldsmiths and silversmiths, copper-

smiths, sword makers, carpenters, cloth merchants, 

booksellers, tent makers, and so on. Businesses that 

do not make large profits tend to be located in sec-

ondary bazaars and peripheral areas, as are the ones 

that pollute, such as tanneries, slaughterhouses, and 

pottery workshops.

Among the distinct buildings of the bazaar in 

premodern cities is the caravanserai (also known 

as the khan, funduq, or wikala), a large rectangular 

structure with an open courtyard, storerooms, 

and stables on the ground level and lodgings for 

traveling merchants above. It is estimated that in 

the 17th century c

airo

 had as many as 20,000 

shops and 360 caravanserais in its marketplace, 

but most premodern cities had smaller commer-

cial zones. In rural areas, bazaars have not usually 

been permanent parts of the landscape. Rather, 

they have operated on a periodic basis according 

to the days of the week, the most popular market 

days being Thursdays and Fridays.

Islamic religious institutions have evolved 

in close relationship to the marketplace. Grand 

mosqUe

s for communal 

prayer

 are typically located 

where the main business districts are. The income 

from commercial properties in bazaars can be set 

aside by the owners as charitable bequests (waqf) 

to provide charity in perpetuity to the poor and 

K  96  

bazaar

---

to pay for the building, maintenance, and staff-

ing of mosques, 

madrasa

s,  q

Uran

 schools, Sufi 

hospices, hospitals, and public fountains. These 

revenues have also been used to maintain holy 

sites in m

ecca

 and m

edina

 and to care for the 

needs of Muslims performing the 

haJJ

. A substan-

tial part of Islamic jurisprudence (

fiqh

) is con-

cerned with regulating commercial transactions, 

and the 

Ulama

 considered the bazaar an important 

arena for enforcing public morality. a

bU

  h

amid

al

-g

hazali

 (d. 1111), for example, drew attention 

to market practices that were violations of the 

Islamic moral code, such as usury, price gouging, 

selling defective merchandise, cheating with the 

scales, and trading in forbidden goods (e.g., wine, 

musical instruments, and silk clothing for men). 

Following a fundamental ethical principle, when 

they encounter such wrongdoing, good Muslims 

are obliged to command what is right and forbid 

what is wrong. Indeed, the medieval office of 

the market inspector (muhtasib) was specifically 

charged with regulating conduct in the market-

place, commercial and otherwise.

Religious authorities have been linked to 

the bazaar in other ways, too. Many have come 

from the merchant class, and even if they have 

not, a considerable amount of their income has. 

They have customarily managed funds from the 

charitable bequests. Studies of the ulama in i

ran

and i

raq

 reveal that they have been supported by 

donations received from lay members of the com-

munity, especially the bazaaris, or merchants. The 

economic relations between these two groups are 

further cemented by their intermarriage.

Public market in Marrakesh, Morocco 

(Federico R. Campo)