"'Shuk' Jerusalem" (Jerusalem, Arab Market)

Max Pollak

After moving to the United States in 1927 and after his success with his prints of New York, Max Pollak spent time in the early 1930s in the Holy Land where he found inspiration for a series of color etchings and aquatints, an example being "Shuk, Jerusalem".

Pollak did this color intaglio of the Arab "Shuk" around 1933. The 'Arab Shuk ' or 'Souk' is located on David Street in the Christian center of the old city of Jerusalem, Israel. This, the oldest of the Shuks was established during the Ottoman Empire. Vendors sell their tourist items, food and wares from their stalls, often calling out the prices. There are other "shuks" throughout Jerusalem that cater to other ethnicities.

On Thursdays and Fridays, the food marketplace is filled with shoppers stocking up for Shabbat, until the Friday afternoon sounding of the bugle that signifies the market will close for the Sabbath. In recent years, the 'shuk' has emerged as another of Jerusalem's nightlife center, with restaurants, bars and live music.