The Souks of Dubai

The Dubai Spice Souk

I’m walking down a narrow, dark alley with wooden barrels on each side – it’s noisy and people are jostling me. A man steps out grabs something and shoves his fist right in my face. My nostrils twitch as the air fills with an intoxicatingly familiar smell. But what is it? This is Dubai’s old Spice Souk and it’s an education; I recognised the smell of vanilla, of lemon from dried lemons, of sandalwood, but I could no more have identified them than flown…

Gold, frankincense and myrrh; the magic of the Middle East must surely be found in its souks (markets). There are several in Dubai, each specialising in different commodities. We’d gone to the Gold Souk first, which deals in jewellery, watches and some clothing – these stores seem to be operated primarily by Indians, Pakistanis and Sri Lankans and you are expected to bargain when you buy. I go for gold jewellery (no surprise if you know my wife): first they weigh the piece, tell you the current price of gold and give you a price. Then you bargain – ‘that’s more than I wanted to pay!/what did you want to pay?/etc… I manage to get my guy to cut 30% so I feel good, whether I should or not…

In the Gold Souk, Dubai

As you walk through the Gold Souk guys call out to you, offering ‘knock-off’ Rolex watches, Gucci purses and Versace shirts, and initially I brushed them aside.  Then I remembered I’d promised to buy a Harley Davidson t-shirt for someone at home so I asked the next tout where I could get one. ‘I only know one place you can get them – follow me…’

I followed him through a maze of little alleys and finally got to a door where an old man stood. The old man ushered me in and up some stairs, looking left and right as he went. Then we reached another door and he flung it open and disappeared. Inside was a young guy surrounded by ‘knock-off’ items – no Harley stuff though. It was then that I realized my guide had mistaken ‘Harley Davidson’ for a luxury brand. So, I bought a Louis Vuiton purse for $25 (£15)…!

Spices in store

Then we went to the much older and more intriguing Spice Souk; many tiny stores jammed with colourful jars and packages, barrels overflowing with produce, and such smells; almost overpowering, unrecognisable but familiar smells. It was the hardest thing not to buy a little of everything. These guys were all Iranian though - no haggling here – I picked up four different items: a jar of curry, a pack of multi-coloured, gravel-like chocolate, sandalwood and frankincense – and he quoted a price. I offered him less, tried walking away, put the cash in his hand but no, the price was what the price was – take it or leave it… I took it!

Looking through Dubai's Textile Souk

Finally, the Textile Souk, which you reach by boat taxi (abra) across Dubai Creek – the most fun you can have for 1 Dirham (25c / 20p) the guidebook says – and it’s true. Passengers cram on one side or the other and head out, rocking from side to side, between huge aging dhows loading goods from the wharf – their crews waving as you pass.

The Textile Souk is housed in shops that open onto a cobbled street. The vendors are more aggressive here and call to invite you in and try a gown, scarf or sandals from the brightly coloured embroidered cloth that fills the street.

There are souks all over UAE but the ones in Dubai around its creek seem the most intriguing… All you have to worry about is bringing your purchases home!

Aboard an Abra crossing Dubai Creek