Sūq ʿUkāẓ ( ar, سوق عكاظ) is a marketplace at ʿUkāẓ, between Nakhla and al-Ṭāʾif, in Saudi Arabia. It was the largest and best known souq in pre-Islamic times. Today it is a popular tourist destination.

History

Sūq ʿUkāẓ was a seasonal market which operated for two weeks each year during the month of Dhu al-Qi'dah. It competed with the fairs of Majanna and Dhu ’l-Majaz̄, which were also held near Mecca at the same time of year.Irfan Shahîd, 'ʿUkāẓ', in ''Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition'', ed. by P. Bearman and others (Leiden: Brill, 1960-2005), , . It was active from approximately 542-726 CE. Strategically located at a central point on the Spice Route through Western Arabia, its growth in the sixth century was partly caused by the Byzantine-Persian wars, which made it harder for Mediterranean markets to access Mesopotamian trade-routes. ʿUkāẓ lay in the territory of the Hawāzin tribal group, and its functions were controlled particularly by the

Tamīm Banū Tamīm ( ar, بَنُو تَمِيم) is an Arab tribe that originated in Najd in the Arabian Peninsula. It is mainly present in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, Algeria, and has a strong presence in Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia, ...

. The gathering was facilitated by the sanctity of the sacred months during which it was held and its proximity to the holy plain of

ʿArafāt Mount Arafat ( ar, جَبَل عَرَفَات, translit=Jabal ʿArafāt), and by its other Arabic name, (), is a granodiorite hill about southeast of Mecca, in the province of the same name in Saudi Arabia. The mountain is approximatel ...

. Although primarily for commerce, the market of ʿUkāẓ was an important center where Arabs would meet to formalize tribal rules, settle disputes, pass judgments, make agreements, announce treaties and truces, hold sporting competitions and races, poetry competitions, and religious gatherings; it has been compared in this respect to the ancient Greek institution of the

panegyris A panegyris ( grc, πανήγυρις "gathering"), is an Ancient Greek general, national or religious assembly. Each was dedicated to the worship of a particular god In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator ...

. It was especially important for poetry competitions, which served to formalize rules of Arabic language verse, grammar and syntax. The site and its sacrality was significant in the

Fijār War The Fijar Wars () were a series of battles that took place in the late 6th century mainly between two major tribal confederations of Arabia, the Quraysh and the Hawazin. Assuming the sources are correct, the fighting took place on eight days over ...

of the late sixth century CE (between the

Qays-ʿAylān Qays ʿAylān ( ar, قيس عيلان), often referred to simply as Qays (''Kais'' or ''Ḳays'') were an Arab tribal confederation that branched from the Mudar group. The tribe does not appear to have functioned as a unit in the pre-Islamic ...

, including the Hawāzin, on the one hand and the

Quraysh The Quraysh ( ar, قُرَيْشٌ) were a grouping of Arab clans that historically inhabited and controlled the city of Mecca and its Kaaba. The Islamic prophet Muhammad was born into the Hashim clan of the tribe. Despite this, many of the Qur ...

and

Kināna The Kinana ( ar, كِنَاَنَة, Kināna) were an Arab tribe based around Mecca in the Tihama coastal area and the Hejaz mountains. The Quraysh of Mecca, the tribe of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, was an offshoot of the Kinana. A number of m ...

tribes on the other). The war was precipitated by the murder of ʿUrwa al-Raḥḥāl of the Banū ʿĀmir ibn Ṣaʿṣaʿa by al-Barrāḍ ibn Qays al-Ḍmıī Kinānī while ʿUrwa was escorting a Lakhmid caravan from al-Ḥīra to ʿUkāẓ during the holy season. This was considered sacrilegious by the pagan Arabs, hence the war's name, ''ḥarb al-fijār'' ('the war of sacrilege'). The site of the market gave its name to a battle in the fourth and final year of the war, ''yawm ʿUkāẓ'' ('the day of ʿUkāẓ', also known as ''yawm Sharab''). The site is prominent in later legends of pre-Islamic Arabian heroes: it allegedly saw preaching visits from the Islamic prophet, Muḥammad and the semi-legendary Christian Quss ibn Sāʿida, and is the scene of some stories about

Hind bint al-Khuss Hind bint al-Khuss al-Iyādiyya ( ar, هند بنت الخس الإيادية, also Hind ibnat al-Khuss al-Iyādiyya) is a legendary pre-Islamic female poet. While older scholarship supposed that Hind was a real person, recent research views her as ...

.Ch. Pellat, 'Hind Bint al-Khuss', in ''Encyclopaedia of Islam'', ed. by P. Bearman and others, 2nd edn (Leiden: Brill, 1954–2005), , . Yet the importance of ʿUkāẓ declined after the rise of Islam, because the increasingly sprawling caliphate facilitated new trade-routes, and altered the social roles of Arabian tribes. The market was definitively destroyed by the

Khārijites The Kharijites (, singular ), also called al-Shurat (), were an Islamic sect which emerged during the First Fitna (656–661). The first Kharijites were supporters of Ali who rebelled against his acceptance of arbitration talks to settle the c ...

in 127 AH (725-26 CE), who sacked it. The location of Sūq ʿUkāẓ was disputed until historian

Muhammad bin Abdallah al-Blahad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monothe ...

rediscovered it. A major study was published in 1960 by Saʿīd al-Afghānī.

Modern Souq

A modern souq has been recreated at the location of the historic souq. Each year's souq honors a different poet. The souq covers 14 million square meters of land. In modern times, as in the past, there are lectures, sporting competitions, poetry, artwork, and items for sale. The souq has 200 shops selling different goods including pottery, silverware, glassware, wall arts and historical manuscripts.

References

External links

Souq Okadh website
{{dead link, date=July 2022
Saudi Arabia Museums websiteSaudi Rock Art Heritage website
Pre-Islamic Arabia Souqs Tourist attractions in Saudi Arabia Annual events in Saudi Arabia

History

Modern Souq

See also

References

External links