Houmt Souk has preserved to this day the unique buildings of caravanserais of a peculiar form characteristic of the Maghreb countries (foundouks). Since travelers and traders used to stay in these buildings, they have a square courtyard surrounded by arcade galleries. On the first floor of these caravanserais goods and pack animals were placed, and on the second floor there were rooms for guests. Most of these ancient buildings of the city were built in the 16th-19th centuries, so they have not only aesthetic, but also historical value. Nowadays, most of these houses are being restored, equipped with modern infrastructure and turned into hotels, Tunisian restaurants or shopping arcades. The unique atmosphere of the old trading caravan journeys has been preserved in such hotels as Er-Riadh, El-Aricha, Touring Club, although the living conditions there are quite simple. Most of the surviving caravanserais are located on Habib Bugatfa and Moncef Bay streets, as well as in the former Maltese quarter of the city.