Shopping in Dubai

Dubai – Real Trading Message Middle East. According to different estimates, about 80-88% of foreign guests come here for purchases – and this is about 17 million people! Emirates now does not produce almost nothing, even once glorified by his dates and pearls make up insignificant interest in turnover. The main source of its income is trade in goods coming here from the entire planet. For a number of Parameters, Dubai is generally the largest market in the world – first of all it is gold and jewels, the prices for which are the lowest, and the range is huge. In second place – handmade carpets, first of all Persian (Iranian) and Afghan. In the third position – fabrics, spices and incense of Asian origin, and then everything else. Contrary to widespread opinions, oil and petroleum products in the country’s GDP occupy only 5% – and this once again illustrates the competent orientation of the local economy.

Shops in Mall of the Emirates
30-meter waterfall in Dubai Mall
Tourists visit the Golden Market

Malls and shopping centers in Dubai

Frequently famous as the city of markets, in our days Dubai became the focus of Molls with air conditioned air and modern shops of the best international chains. According to different estimates, the area of commercial premises of the city is hardly equal to its own territory, and in the justice of this assessment it is difficult to doubt – supermarkets, moles, shops, wholesale and retail warehouses and shops of all strings are found here literally on every corner.

Mall of the Emirates Galleries
Interior Dubai Mall
Visitors to Dubai Mall

And it is impossible to say that all goods here are too cheap or belong to the most recent collections or rules. Often, quite the opposite – manufacturers of electronics, for example, are usually brought to Dubai far from the most modern products, and the clothes of international standards are sometimes easier to buy in London, New York or Milan. But there are several nuances. First of all, these are numerous and often very and very profitable special offers, which local merchants are generated with truly Eastern sophistication and Arabian talent. The second feature is the sales periods and several trading festivals (Dubai Summer Surprises, Dubai Shopping Festival and others), within the framework of which all sorts of shares are organized. Well, the third – with the ability to bargain, it is possible to provide yourself with a very favorable price, especially for the markets (in large stores it is worth a bargain). In any case, before going to the store, you should find out the current situation with prices for the goods of interest and proceed in your estimates and requests from this parameter.

Interior Mall of the Emirates
Music team in Deira City Center during Dubai Shopping Festival
Transitions in Dubai Mall galleries

Advise any trading point in Dubai just meaninglessly because of their huge number and in many ways. Here there is literally everything – from traditional markets and whole shopping areas in the old style (especially Deira is famous for this) to more reminiscent of the moon-parks of huge megamollov and shopping centers, department stores of world-class and branded shops with samples of the last collections from Couture. You can find a lot of independent warehouses and eclectic stores offering products for the most specific taste. And by and large, there is no special difference in the acquisition site – more importantly, the ability to find this place, since the choice is colossal. Traditionally, the streets with the highest concentration of outlets are considered the streets of Al Riqqa Road and Al Dhiyafa Road, the area around the area of Bani Yas Square and the metro station of the same name, Karama district and a series of fashionable stores along Jumeirah Beach Road, Dubai Mall (the largest shopping center of the Eastern Hemisphere, His Square exceeds 50 football fields!) near the skyscraper Burj Khalifa and Mall of the Emirates near the metro station on Sheikh Zayed Road, all the Walk Boulevard in the Jumeiirah Beach Residence area (JBR) and Mirdif City Center Mall East International Airport. Not bad and duty-free complex at the airport itself.

Dubai Mall – the largest east hemispheast shopping center
Indoor skating rink in Dubai Mall
Dubai Mall

Shopping time in Dubai

Most Dubai stores are open to 22:00, and the largest on Thursdays and Fridays work until midnight. At the same time, the time to start work is different and depends on the policy and specifics of the institution, although in the morning Friday most shops are closed because it is a church holiday. Everywhere the credit and debit non-cash cards of the leading world payment systems are accepted, but it is better to stock in cash for the market.

Markets in Dubai

Visiting the markets in Dubai often becomes a kind of tourist attraction. It is best to purchase high-quality handmade carpets (the most expensive goods – silk mats from Iran), spices and spices, antiques and products of decorative and applied fishes, skin and jewelry, in some cases – semi-precious and diverse stones, silver and gold. However, Persian carpets can also be bought in the stores of the Persian Carpet House network scattered throughout the city, which is the official dealer of the best manufacturers of Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kashmir and other countries of the region (here you can also bargain).

Fish market in Deyre
Madinat Souk in the Madinat Jumeirah Hotel
Clock with traditional ornament – Popular souvenir in Dubai markets

By virtue of the widest range and special traditions of trade in the market, you can spend literally all day – and not to buy anything, but you can immediately come true and a lot. You can bargain here and necessary, but with one condition – you need to know what we are talking about and not to catch with unfounded statements. The process of trading in the East is a holy case, so it is very easy to hurt the seller and himself "disappear" on rudeness. Before making a purchase, it is necessary to study the range of other benches, assess the price level and quality of goods – and already start the subject bargaining for the thing you like. This should take into account and very reluctantly illuminated in guidebooks a moment about the bias of local market traders to various categories of buyers. Externally, everything is equally decent and fraud, but in practice it is originally present three levels of prices: for tourists – the highest; For Hindus, Pakistanis and other immigrants from East Asia countries (the main category of merchants here) – Weighted average, and for local residents – the lowest. When skillfully trading it is quite possible to move from the first "categories" Third and buy goods are really very cheap, but there may be a weak knowledge of the language by both parties.

Golden Souk. Seller Gold
Spices in the spice market in Deyre
Gold figures on the gold market

Market work in Dubai

Markets are usually open from Saturday to Thursday from 07:00 to 12:00 and from 17:00 to 19:00, on Friday, the schedule is individual (usually from 17:00 to 19:00).

Golden decorations
Neighborhood Madinat Souk
Street Cafe

Parking near markets and shops

When visiting shops and markets, it is advisable in advance to take into account the problem of parking. Many large malls and shopping centers keep their own parking lots, which is paid at the rate of 10-15 dirhams per hour, starting from the second (the first is usually free everywhere, some malls provide up to 4 hours of free parking), the night is very expensive everywhere. Near the entertainment facilities and parking parking usually paid (orange machines, the receipt must be put on the dashboard), but there is free hours (usually from 13:00 to 15: 00-16: 00, but the schedule is individual everywhere).

Paid parking in Downtauna
Covered parking in the Sheikh Zayed Road
Taxi cars on underground parking

Near the markets sometimes find a place for the car is not easy, so it is necessary to first find out the presence of large trading platforms or hotels whose parking could be used. Leave the car on the street in Dubai is not recommended – the parking system on the side of large highways is missing in principle, the fines are high, and specialized parking is sometimes not easy to find by virtue of the pointers on the Arabic and the specifics of the local road. Especially acute is the question of the parking lot in Deira. However, it is often possible to see cars paid directly on the sidewalk, or simply on the sand of the curb – in some cases it is possible, it is only possible to closely monitor the transparencies and signs.

Shopping centers and markets in Bar Dubai

The large shopping complex Wafi City (opened in 2002) to the pyramid hotel Raffles Dubai, one of the largest indoor resorts of the country – Cleopatra’s SPA and the Wafi residential complex;
Mall Burjuman near the metro station of the same name;
Lamcy Plaza Multifunctional Complex (Single Emirate Trade Gallery, opening at 9:00),
The largest streets of Dubai – Karama on the street Za’abeel Road,
Indoor market Khan Murjan with traditional goods shops.

One of the entrances to the Dubai Mall complex
Mall Burjuman
One of the halls of Dubai Mall

This list can be continued to infinity, since the number of shopping and entertainment establishments in the old part of Dubai is truly huge. In essence, each Mall is 100-200 separate stores with a pair of dozens of restaurants, clubs, cafes, discos, children’s game zones and so on. To this it is worth adding an impressive number of small private shops and shops. City Tourist Office regularly releases special bulletins with addresses, programs, lists of shares in these institutions and other related events, since they are not easy to navigate to local residents.

Shopping centers and markets in Deyre

Most tourists are visited by Daire for the sake of its famous shopping areas. Local shopping center is Al Rigga Road Street, running from Union Metro Station to Southeast to Al Maktoum Road. Literally all this boulevard was covered with shops, shopping centers and boutiques, the order of dozens of first-class hotels is concentrated here, many restaurants of Arab, European, Lebanese and even our cuisine. However, the shopping centers and in Deira itself are not counting – Al Ghurair Center, Reef Mall, the huge Deira City Center Shopping Mall with the Carrefour supermarket and the entertainment center of Magic Planet, Festival Waterfront Center and the colossal Mirdif City Center, the restaurant CENTURY VILLAGE and other.

Festival scene in Deira City Center
Architecture Al Ghurair City Shopping Mall
Al Ghurair City Shopping Mall

However, the real decoration of the area – markets in which the trade past of Deira is definitely traced. The business card is undoubtedly the famous Gold Souk (Gold Souk), or the Golden Market, located in the Labyrinet of the streets around Sikkat Al-Khail Road and Old Baladiya Street. This is a huge open market of jewelry, precious metals and stones, one of the most famous trading platforms for this kind in the world. Trade of gold and decorations annually brings an emirate more than 5 billion US dollars, a minimum of 20% of the gold contracts of the planet is held through it, and 65% of all "Jewelers" Dubai guests acquire exactly Gold-bit. And many go to this amazing place not even for trade, but to just watch the nravami and customs of the specific oriental market. The best time to visit Gold Suk – after 16:00, when it becomes not so hot, or even closer to 20:00, when trade reaches a peak and there is a chance to bargain well. At the same time, gold prices are here in many positions – the lowest in the world, although it is still necessary to numbered in the topic for a truly profitable acquisition. In addition, you can order any jewelry on an individual project, with delivery to any hotel UAE, and under certain conditions – and anywhere in the world!

Deira City Center
Showcase with gold jewelry
Sellers of gold jewelry

Nearby is the famous Perfume Souk market (Perfume Souk). Incense in all of their diversity always played a huge role in the life of the Arabic society, ranging from the most common skeins for the body and ending with various herbal mixtures supplied to the table or burned in the house chicken. And nowadays when "Science smell" Put on the stream, it is here that the passion of many people to exquisite fragrances and expensive perfumery is being implemented. Most shops and shops are open here from 10:00 to 13:00 and from 16:00 to 22:00, they work experienced perfumers that can advise on flavors that are most suitable for a specific type of skin or lifestyle. Also with their help, you can create your own fragrance, or choose smoking sticks for the home – the Eastern market offers all imaginable types of services.

And quite near the third famous Bazaar Deira – Spice Souk (Spice Souk), or spice market. Here you can buy traditional Arabic spices and herbs, perfume oils and essences, tobacco and mixes for hookahs, coffee and tea, as well as much and much more. By and large, all major trading in the emirates has long been conducted in modern offices with air conditioning, but only on the market you can find some particularly expensive and exotic components, and the exotic area itself with its narrow streets and colorful shops quite deserves separate attention.

Spice market in Deyre
Visitors to the spice market in Deyre
Fresh fish market in Deyre

Bright illustration of the change of time is another Deira Market – The Electronics Souk, lying on Sikkat Al Khail Road Street almost opposite the perfumery market. Once extremely popular with ours "Chelnotokov", connected here with electronics and household appliances here, now it is a completely standard supermarket with a conventional set of sufficiently medium-level electronic components and other related products.