GULF MARKETS CONSERVATION ANALYSIS AND COMPARATIVE: A CASE STUDY OF SOUQ AL-MUBARAKIYA IN KUWAIT CITY

Traditional markets & souks in the Arabian Gulf areas such as Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Traditional markets & souks in the Arabian Gulf areas such as Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates are very important landmarks and a significant part of the urban architecture and traditional heritage. The traditional markets of countries represent the historical development of social interaction with trade routes of land-based or maritime routes. This interaction not only influences the market typology but also the urban morphology of the whole urban fabric. However, in Kuwait, due to the oil discovery in the 50th urban transformation and modernization movement to develop the country, it has had a big impact on the market development to attract tourism and improve the image of the city. The change of the physical and social pattern in Kuwait unintentionally had a significant impact on the authenticity and originality of the markets in the Gulf country, and specifically on"Souq Al Mubarakiya". The research investigates the conservation challenges and transformation processes of "Souq Al-Mubarakiya" in Kuwait City by preparing a comparative analysis of selected traditional markets from the Gulf area that are located on the maritime Silk trading route, including Souq Waqif in Doha, Manama Souq in Bahrain, Muttrah Souq in Oman, and Bushehr Bazaar in Iran. The research included a mixed method approach integrating historical-documentary analysis,architectural field survey, comparative market analysis,visual documentation, in-depth interviews, questionnaire surveys, and SWOT analysis to collect the results from all the methods mentioned.