For those who love retail therapy Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, is the ideal destination. Its tax free shopping and strategic geographical position as a main trading route means bargain prices and lots of choice. The emirate is known for its cut-price gold and electronic items but there is much more to shopping in Dubai.
From its traditional gold souks to super-sized high-tech malls there is something to attract even the most reluctant of shoppers. Visit during the time of the Global Village exhibit in Dubailand® (between November and February) and sample the food, wares and culture of over 60 different countries.
The Dubai Shopping Festival 2009
The best time to shop in Dubai is during the Dubai Shopping Festival. This annual event runs for 1 month, but timings vary slightly every year. The 2009 Dubai Shopping Festival will be held between January 15th and February 15th. The emirate gets very crowded at this time but tour operators such as the U.A.E's own Emirates Holidays offer good package deals.
Dubai and Sharjah Souks
A visit to any of Dubai’s traditional souks will transport you back in time. Juxaposed between modern skyscrapers and luxury hotels the souks offer good value in furniture, carpets, clothing and textiles. The most famous souk is the Gold Souk in Deira, for wall-to-wall jewelery. Tourists swarm here like bees round a honeypot , lured by the large selection of designs and lower prices than in the West.
The neighboring (more sedate) emirate of Sharjah is definately worth a visit for its architectually picturesque souk on the edge of the Khalid lagoon. Known as the Central Souk or Blue Souk, prices are generally cheaper than in Dubai, especially for textiles and furniture. The amount of gold and jewelry sold here is not so mindboggling as in the Deira Gold Souk, making it easier to choose. It is also much less crowded, with airy areas to sit and relax.
Dubai’s Best Shopping Malls
Nowadays it’s hard to travel more than a few kilometers without coming across one of Dubai’s 40-plus malls, each trying to outdo the other in terms of originality or opulence.
Large Malls
The newly opened Dubai Mall (November 2008), sitting at the foot of the Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest tower, proclaims itself to be the largest indoor shopping center in the world. It has around 1,200 outlets, including an indoor aquarium. Another huge center is the Mall of the Emirates, which is home to the artificial sky slope, Ski Dubai.
Two of the oldest malls in the Dubai are Deira City Center and the more upmarket Bur Juman, both of which have now received a facelift and have been enlarged since their first construction.
The Mega Mall, situated in neighboring Sharjah, which also serves the Northern Emirates, offers a good choice of stores, mainly fashion-based.
Themed Malls
Wafi City was one of the first high-end luxury malls to open in Dubai. It is instantly recognizable by its Egyptian-themed pyramids and obelisks. Themed-malls are an integral part of Dubai’s shopping culture – other’s include the Mercato Mall in Jumeriah – built in a Venetian style, and the Souk Madinat Jumeriah (part of a hotel and leisure complex), designed like a classic Arabian fortress. Here, water taxis (replicas of Arabic dhows found on Dubai Creek) cruise on the canals that skirt the many open air cafes and restaurants. The IBN Battuata Mal bills itself as the world's largest themed mall. The mall is split into 6 main geographical areas, China, India, Persia, Egypt, Tunisia and Andalusia.
The UAE's next biggest shopping project is the Mall of Arabia, a retail resort being built in Dubailand®, which on completion is likely to outclass all other malls in sheer size.
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