From camel caravans and a nomadic desert culture, Dubai catapulted into modernity with the discovery of oil in the mid 1960s. In a single generation, what was once a broad sweep of desolate sand-dunes became an architectural showcase and a bustling, booming international city. Buildings designed by the world's top architects tilt at improbable angles or twist in circles and spirals. Nothing seems impossible here: The seven-star Burj al Arab luxury hotel is designed to look like a dhow riding full tilt with the wind; while the Burj Khalifa (for now, the world's tallest building) spikes needlelike into the sky, its tower a dizzying 828 meters (2,717 feet) above the ground.
For tourists in search of Dubai souvenirs, there is similar excess, from the bustling gold and spice markets that take up whole city blocks to the Dubai Mall (the world's largest) and the Mall of the Emirates, where Dubai shoppers can take a break from designer goods and go downhill skiing, indoors, even while the desert temperatures outside soar into triple digits.
You won't find a lot of "good deals" here. The United Arab Emirates is an oil-rich country, and the designer items reflect an average per capita income that is, by some measures, higher than that in the United States. So international brands sell at international prices. If you're good at haggling, though, you may find yourself getting good prices in the gold and spice souks, where there is price flexibility and an expectation of bargaining.
Dubai Shopping Malls
In some ways, Dubai shopping malls aren't all that different from malls back home. And yet, between the familiar names of the ubiquitous international brands you'll find a store selling Middle Eastern rugs or abayas (the black outer coverings worn by women) and kanduras (the robes worn by men). Not to mention the prayer rooms that discretely offer Muslims a chance to pray at the required times.
The Dubai Mall is the world's largest shopping mall, based on its total square footage. Opened in 2008 with 600 shops, it boasted the largest mall opening in history. The mall is parts of a 20 billion dollar complex that is part of the Burj Khalifa. It now contains 1200 shops along with an ice skating rink, aquarium and a discovery center, and, on the first floor, the Al Jabber gallery, which has a range of inexpensive souvenirs including hanging metal lamps, carvings (lots of camels), pictures of Dubai, and other trinkets.
The Dubai Mall may be bigger, but its ice skating rink pales in comparison to the main feature at the Mall of the Emirates: an indoor ski slope, complete with ski lifts, a quarter pipe, and the world's. first indoor black diamond slope. Beyond the ski slope, the mall looks like your basic U.S. mega-mall, with many of the same names you'd see in a U.S. mall. Some jarring differences remind the shopper that she's not in Kansas anymore: For example, a display of men's underwear on convincingly sculpted models sits within a few yards of a placards urging foreigners to dress respectfully in deference to Islamic norms (no tank tops and short for women, for example). Elsewhere, women's lingerie displays leave little to the imagination, even as black-shrouded women wearing the traditional abaya float past.
Souvenir Shopping in Dubai's Spice and Gold Markets
It's in Dubai's bustling, colorful specialty markets that you'll feel that you are really in the Middle East. Here, it seems, the mysterious riches of the Arabian peninsula, including precious metals and exotic spices, are arranged on display, the gleaming gold attainable with a credit card and a five-figure credit limit.
Dubai's Gold Souk greets the visitor with an overwhelming clutter and shine. Thousands of necklaces, pendants, bracelets, rings, watches, and cufflinks (just to start the list) are on display in a seeming wall of gold. The gold market is located in the neighborhood of Deira, covered by an awning that provides shade from the blistering sun. Prices here can be up to 40 percent lower than in the West, and there is no VAT on gold purchases. You can also have custom work done, if you have the time. The industry is fairly closely regulated here, with posted prices usually based on weight (and purity, of course). Haggling is a must. Indeed, feel free to leave, haggle with someone else, and play two sellers against each other. Hint: Cash will get you a better price.
More awnings cover the streets of the spice market, adjacent to the gold market. It is a little overwhelming to walk through Dubai's spice market and see pounds of spices piled and stored in vats and barrels. How can even a large city possibly go through that much spice, given that most spices are used a pinch, perhaps a handful, at a time? The scent of saffron, cardamon, cinnamon, cloves, and a hundred kinds of peppers mingle in the air. Spices are laid next to each other, paprika red contrasting with saffron orange and golden turmeric, providing a visual feast, laid out in bright colored piles. If bringing spices into the United States, be aware that vegetable products must be declared. Dried spices are generally okay to bring back; fresh fruits and vegetable products are not.
Souvenir Shopping and More at the Dubai Airport
Dubai's spanking new airport has become a major international crossroads, with Emirates flights heading this way and that, from the far East to the Western United States. For those transiting through the airport en route to Europe, Asia, Africa or the Americas, there are free showers, comfortable lounge chairs, and limited free Internet, along with a cornucopia of stores. Shops carry everything from the usual duty-free to designer luggage to electronics to trinkets such as Aladdin-style oil lamps, wooden camels, and refrigerator magnets.
A final note: Bring your camera on souvenir shopping expeditions. You may not be able bring home a shopful of gold, but you can certainly bring home pictures to remind you of Dubai's unique and overwhelming combination of excess, exoticism, wealth, and ticky-tack.
Karen Berger - Karen Berger is the author of 15 books. Please click on her name to read her full bio.
