Shopping in UAE

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.

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.

The copyright of the article Shopping in Dubai and Sharjah in United Arab Emirates Travel is owned by Gill Hart. Permission to republish Shopping in Dubai and Sharjah in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Shopping Malls in Dubai and Tax Free Shopping

If you are fortunate enough to be visiting Dubai in February then your timing will coincide with the annual Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF). Drawing around 3.5 million visitors from all over the globe, and in particular from neighboring Gulf States, the Dubai Shopping Festival is the long awaited event of the year for those who enjoy a bit of retail therapy.

This year it runs from January to 24th February 2008. For one month every year Dubai opens its doors to the world’s most devoted shopaholics, providing an endless supply of shopping promotions and entertainment including cultural exhibitions, firework displays, souks and bazaars, handicraft shows.

If you visit during the DSF you'll have the additional benefit of visiting the Global Village, a large open area of shops and stalls based on country themes. Dubai’s wall-to-wall shopping malls offer a huge choice of shopping but during the month long DSF there are special discounts, competitions, cultural events and celebrations. No matter where you are staying you are never far from a mall.

Whilst there are more shopping malls in Dubai than you can count, here is an overview of the most popular ones. All of them participate in the Dubai Shopping Festival by offering extra discounts and special promotions.

Dubai's Shopping Malls and Souks

Deira City Center

•One of the oldest and biggest in Dubai but still one of the best. It hosts a wide range of women’s and men’s fashion outlets and includes a Debenhams department store, a large Zara and a Virgin Megastore.

Bur Juman Center – Bur Dubai

•This is Dubai’s most glamorous mall, which underwent a huge face lift in the early 2000s, almost doubling in size. Here you’ll find the best of the best in fashion houses including Dolce and Gabanna, Christian Lacroix, DKNY, Fendi, Hermes and a Saks Fifth Avenue.

The Mall of the Emirates

•A relatively young shopping mall but what it lacks in experience it makes up for in size and choice. The opulent mall is one of the most popular and can keep you occupied all day. It hosts a wide range of fashion houses, including the UK’s exclusive Harvey Nichols. It also houses the famous “Ski Dubai” where you can go from beach to piste just by crossing the road. Skiing in the desert has to be one of the all-time life experiences.

Jumeriah Emirates Towers Shopping Boulevard

•Part of the towering Emirates Towers complex, if you are looking for haute couture then this exclusive shopping boulevard plays host to designer boutiques such as Gucci, Armani, Pucci and Jimmy Choo.

The Mercato Mall - Jumeriah

•Visiting this mall transports you from the desert sun of Dubai to the watery world of Venice. Like many of Dubai’s shopping malls the Mercato is themed, based on Floretine-cum-Venetian architecture and gives a great view of Jumeriah beach, just across the road from the mall. With its Italian restaurants and open air cafés it would be easy to forget you are in Dubai if it wasn’t for the crowds of Emirati ladies dressed in their Abayas. (black outer coat), laden with their designer purchases.
•Another mall based on a Venetian theme, is just down the road, at the Souq Madinat Jumeriah. Here small Arabic boats (Abras) ply the Venetian-style waterways of the complex.

Dubai Gold Souk - Deira

•It’s hard to resist the lure of gold when visiting this city, as its namesake suggests, Dubai is the City of Gold. During the shopping festival most of the city's 600 gold shops offer good discounts and special offers. The gold price fluctuates daily according to the gold market. Even if you are not intending to buy, the Gold Souk is a must-see for first-timers to Dubai.
Opening Hours
If you are planning to hit the shops then don’t forget, as a Muslim country, Friday is the busiest day as it is a holiday - the equivalent of Sunday in the west. Whilst the main shopping malls open from 10am to 10pm, Saturday to Thursday, they usually open half-day, from 2pm on a Friday, when the malls are at their most crowded.

Avoiding the crowds

During the Dubai Shopping Festival the city swells to such an extent that Dubai hotels are full and traffic congestion increases, especially around the busy malls. Your best bet it to take one of Dubai’s efficient taxis to alleviate parking problems. However, on your return taxi queues can be long, especially on a Friday, the busiest day. Instead of standing in the queue, just walk a block or two outside the respective shopping mall and flag one down on the roadside.

Another way of avoiding the crowds is to plan a visit during the summer, around July and August. At this time a mini and much less crowded version of the Dubai Shopping Festival takes place, entitled Dubai Summer Surprises. There are still huge discounts, special events and competitions during this time, as the city endeavors to attract visitors during its hottest summer months when may of the expatriates escape the heat of Dubai during their long summer vacations.

What To Buy

Aside from the obvious attractions such as gold, carpets, Arabic souvenirs, perfumes and spices, Dubai has some of the best haute couture shopping in the world. This is largely due to the Emirati ladies penchant for handbags, shoes and designer clothes, and shopping is their favorite pastime. Textiles are also amazingly cheap as Dubai is the main (tax-free) trading zone in the region. To attract shoppers and beat the competition, during the shopping festival most retail stores and market stalls offer some kind of special promotion.

For the newly publicized dates of next year's event, read The 2009 Dubai Shopping Festival.

The copyright of the article The Dubai Shopping Festival 2008 in United Arab Emirates Travel is owned by Gill Hart. Permission to republish The Dubai Shopping Festival 2008 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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Dubai Shopping Festival

Shopping in Dubai and Sharjah