Souqs of the Middle East: 22 of the best photos of markets from around the region

National Geographic Abu Dhabi's ninth staging of their Moments photography exhibition received over 50,000 photographs from across the Arab world

Rodi, Syria: In the Syrian town of ‘Afreen, Rodi captured an image of a young Syrian girl amidst a scenic array of green olives during the olive harvesting season, before it is ultimately sold in the local market.

Mohammed El Arkam, Morocco: A lady is seen happily picking out oranges in the local souq of Ijjoukak in Morocco.

Adel, UAE: Adel pays a visit to the Deira Grand Souq as he takes a photo of the entrance of the traditional market.

Adham, Egypt: This photo shows two brothers working in their family’s century-old business of weaving colored cotton in the Darb El Ahmar souq in Cairo

Amal, Kuwait: In the old Mubarakiah souq in Kuwait, Amal captures a traditional clothes shopkeeper and his friends as he opens up shop.

Ali, Saudi Arabia: Ali captures a fantastic image of ‘Uncle Abdullah’, an old vegetable seller counting his money in the Bab Makkah souq in the coastal city of Jeddah. Uncle Abdullah is considered to be one of the oldest merchants in the souq and is revered for keeping traditions alive amid the nation’s globalised advance.

Ahmed, Oman: Ahmed showcases Al Buraimi’s seasonal fruits and vegetable market in this colourful shot as the seller auctions his produce to incoming buyers.

Badr Hashem, Saudi Arabia: An artist is shown with his completed craft of fashioning the almost impossible task of building a tiny ship inside a clear glass bottle in the Okaz Souq near the Saudi city of Ta’if, where a large, diverse group of artists display their crafts.

Mohamed Fathy, Egypt: This photo was taken in Souq Al Fakhareen – The Pottery Market in the Old City in Cairo, where a child is seen posing in a shop selling pottery ornaments.

Khawla, Palestine: Khawla takes a well-timed photo of an old man shopping for groceries in the local vegetable market in Hebron, Palestine.

Mohammed, Saudi Arabia: This photo was taken in the eastern Saudi town of Al Awamiah, where Mohammed takes a trip to the local souq to meet a man crafting saddles out of palm strings before displaying it to the local market’s visitors.

Khalid Harthi, Saudi Arabia: A woman is shown practicing the traditional art of embroidery as she knits and weaves her art into a frame to be displayed in the Okaz Souq near Ta’if.

Saleh, Saudi Arabia: Saleh paid a visit to the Thursday Souq in Syadat Bani Malik, a town near Ta’if and part of the Makkah province, to capture an old man patiently displaying his produce in the town’s open market.

Ramy Hikal, Egypt: The making of carpets is an age-old tradition in the region, with a plethora of variations in the design of each carpet. Ramy captures an old man in Aswan, Egypt keeping this tradition alive as the craftsman devises his latest creation.

Mohammed, Yemen: Mohammed takes an image of an old man selling rotary beads in Souq Al Melh,The Salt Market, in the Yemeni capital of Sana’a.

Nora Ra’oof, Egypt: Nora captures an old man specialising in making traditional handmade crafts in Aswan, Egypt.

Amal, Palestine: This exquisite image showcases a multitude of pots in Gaza City, where traditional ornaments are still in high demand.

Abdulrahman Hamoud, Syria: Abdulrahman pays a visit to the local market to capture a colorful image of a vast array of pickled vegetables.

Mujtaba Al Awami, Saudi Arabia: Mujtaba captures an old man fashioning traditional household items, including baskets, chairs, and small tables, using threads of palm trees in the Ahsa’ province in eastern Saudi Arabia.

Razy Mukarker, Palestine: Razy captures an artist crafting shapes of cities and names of buyers using coloured sand in the Palestinian city of Hebron.

Hussein Hendawi, Egypt: This photo is taken in The Pottery Market in the Old City in Cairo, Egypt’s capital, where ornaments appear lined up systematically.

Sarah Al Hanbali, Jordan: Sarah captured this image of a fruits and vegetables merchant as he organises his shop in the local souq in Al-Salt city in Jordan.

Over 50,000 photographs capturing the "diversity and stories of markets from around the Arab world" have been submitted to judges for this year's National Geographic Abu Dhabi's Moments photography competition.

Open to photographers of all skill levels, the competition has now been running for nine years, and aims to help budding photographers with exposure and mentoring. It's open to entrants from all ages 13 and up, and featured a returning category this year for those aged 13 to 17.

This year's theme was "Souqs of the Middle East", and implored photographers to "capture the diversity and stories of markets from around the Arab world, which have been at the heart of the region’s culture and history". The competition is held in partnership with Almarai.

The competition proved increasingly popular with GCC, and UAE, photographers this year, who constituted one-third of all entries in this year’s edition, doubling last year’s entries from the region.

UAE photographers showed the highest increase in submissions in the GCC, with a 62 per cent rise over last year.

Shortlisted photographs are expected to be announced in the coming weeks following a selection by this year’s judging team, which features Hussam R Abdulqader, chief marketing officer of Almarai, and Mohammad Muheisen, a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner and National Geographic photographer.

This year’s grand prize winner will have their photograph printed in the National Geographic magazine Arabic edition and head on a 10-day international photography expedition trip, worth $10,000, where they will be mentored by National Geographic expert photographers, in addition to $5,000 worth of photography equipment.

Last year, 22-year-old aspiring photographer Mohammed Al Baraway, from Gaza, picked up the top prize at the competition. Over 40,000 entries were received, and 64 finalists were shortlisted.

Take a look at our gallery above of a selection of 22 entries from the competition.