Souks
The soul of Arabia rests in the traditional market places or souks. They are the traditional shopping hubs, selling everything from spices, incense, textiles, kitchenware and traditional medicines.They are known for variety and low prices. At the souks one can bargain and get excellent discounts on goods, making them very popular shopping haunts.
The Gold Souq outshines all, and rightly so, with the abundance of jewelry displayed in shop windows.
Trinkets such as bubble-pipes, coffeepots etc., can be purchased at many small shops; or you can try them first in the small cafes dotted around the area. Another specialty is the traditionally baked bread, made in the ‘tannoor’.
On the textile front one can get anything from laced and embroidered ‘burkhas’ or veils and pantaloons (costumes reminiscent of The Arabian Nights) to multicolored silks and cottons in the various textile shops in the alleys of the Creek.
The fish souks are hubs of activity especially late in the night and early in the morning when the fresh catch is auctioned and sold. It is an amazing sight with the bounty of fish such as mackerel, sardine, Kingfish, red snapper, rock cod (the popular hammour), barracuda, tuna, lobster, crab, king prawn, sea bream, squid, pomfret, shark, etc.
Every souq has a distinct ‘personality’; the Indian souqs sell lots of kitchenware, spices, textiles, henna, etc. At the Eastern-most end of the Dubai Creek is the Spice Souq where the air is saturated with aromas of different spices. The Deira Spice Souq, also a spice market initially, but now sells many other items like, trinkets, rugs, glassware and so on.
The Karamah shopping complex, located mainly arond the long street running through the Karamah district, sells cheap and cheerful goods at below average prices. These are mainly sports goods,
T-shirts, shorts, sunglasses, shoes, gifts, and a whole lot of other souvenirs. The area is also famous for selling fake designer goods and accessories. There are also many small restaurants around the area which sell excellent food at low prices.
For those looking to buy electronic goods and home appliances to take back home, the best places to head for are the 'Electronic' Souqs. These are located in several areas in Bur Dubai and Deira, but the main area is the busy street called Al Faheidi Street in Bur Dubai.
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The Creek,