By the late 19th century, increasing industrialisation and the desire for affordable but high-quality European goods led to the emergence of modern retail shops and large urban department stores.
Up to the 19th century, traditional societies throughout the region bought staples and commodities from local markets and fairs, artisans’ workshops, itinerant traders and – in larger towns and cities – suq
s and bazaars, which housed numerous individually owned retail units under one roof. By the late 19th century, increasing industrialisation and the desire for affordable but high-quality European goods led to the emergence of modern retail shops and – in large cities – luxurious department stores. In the Middle East, these were often owned by non-Muslims and closely integrated within the local business infrastructure. Innovative in concept and management, they were nevertheless designed to cater effectively and sensitively for a culturally and ethnically diverse clientele. Due to their convenience and array of goods, department stores in particular often led to the demise of traditional retailers. They also caused a degree of social dissent as they enabled men and women to mingle uninhibitedly within their spaces.