The Invisible Architecture of the Weekly Souk : Between Heritage and Renewal

LAMIA ELAMRANI; Mouhcine BATCHI

Article Details

The Invisible Architecture of the Weekly Souk : Between Heritage and Renewal

Authors:

LAMIA ELAMRANI | Mouhcine BATCHI

Publisher:

Territoires, Environnement et Développement (TED)

Journal:

Territoires, Environnement et Développement (TED) Vol.5 Issue 1, pp.169-178

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

4/2026

Document Language:

French

Document ID (Org No.):

2001845400

pISSN:

2820-7173

Keywords:

Abstract:

 Weekly souks represent an economic and social institution whose roots trace back to antiquity. Under the medieval Islamic empires, their role became consolidated, serving as a vital link between the countryside, cities, and the trans-Saharan and Mediterranean trade networks. They persisted through colonial periods, often reorganized but rarely suppressed, demonstrating remarkable resilience. Souks are part of a complex, hierarchical network system in which each souk has a fixed day of the week. This organized cycle allows merchants, artisans, and farmers to move from market to market, thereby optimizing the flow of goods and people across a territory. This network forms the backbone of the rural and peri-urban economy, connecting production areas to consumption and redistribution centers. The weekly souk profoundly structures and rhythms the territory: It governs the social and economic week of communities in a cyclical and recurrent pattern, contrasting with the linear time of the modern economy. The souk creates an intense social temporality: a moment for exchanging information, settling disputes, meeting others, and celebrating. The souk organizes geographical space and temporarily transforms it. It is a key element of traditional socio-economic balance and remains, despite modern transformations, a place of resilience and cultural identity.

Article Details

The Invisible Architecture of the Weekly Souk : Between Heritage and Renewal

Authors:

LAMIA ELAMRANI | Mouhcine BATCHI

Publisher:

Territoires, Environnement et Développement (TED)

Journal:

Territoires, Environnement et Développement (TED) Vol.5 Issue 1, pp.169-178

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

4/2026

Document Language:

French

Document ID (Org No.):

2001845400

pISSN:

2820-7173

Weekly souk

souk networks

Weekly cycle

cultural heritage

Souk hebdomadaire

réseaux de souk

cycle hebdomadaire

patrimoine culturel

Issues

Article Details

Authors: LAMIA ELAMRANI | Mouhcine BATCHI

Publisher: Territoires, Environnement et Développement (TED)

Journal: Territoires, Environnement et Développement (TED) Vol.5 Issue 1, pp.169-178

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 4/2026

Document Language: French

Document ID (Org No.): 2001845400

pISSN: 2820-7173

Issues

Authors:

LAMIA ELAMRANI | Mouhcine BATCHI

Publisher:

Territoires, Environnement et Développement (TED)

Journal:

Territoires, Environnement et Développement (TED) Vol.5 Issue 1, pp.169-178

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

4/2026

Document Language:

French

Document ID (Org No.):

2001845400

pISSN:

2820-7173