While visiting Dubai and the district of Deira (old Dubai) we couldn’t miss the visit of the souks (a souk is an Arab market). We decide to take a walk through the spice souk and the gold souk.
Both of them are very attractive, and the spice souk is a colourful and aromatic experience. While the gold souk is definitely an eye-catching experience and for us it is only a window shopping experience 😊.
For me, the spice souk was more attractive, maybe because of all the colours and aromas, or maybe because the vendors were very talkative and wanted to show us all their products.
The colourful spices, nicely distributed in the form of a cone, were really attractive and I couldn’t resist. We stopped at a few stands, smelled the spices and herbs, talked with vendors, took some pictures, and of course, bought some of them. A little bit of curry, some dried lemons and menthol crystals. We had never sown or tried them before, so we were immediately attracted by the strong menthol aroma.
The souk itself is very lively, with both locals and tourists. Beside spices and herbs, they are also offering other things (souvenirs) like pashminas, dresses, ceramics, etc. (honestly, I got the impression that this souk is mostly for tourists). The spices and herbs that are positioned in baskets of all sizes are sold by weight, but of course there are also pre-packed options.
It is really nice to wander among many different stalls, and when you are ready to buy something, it is also very nice to talk with the vendors. They give you detailed information about the species and advise you on how to use them, in which combinations, and with which ingredients. There are a lot of Arabic spices on offer, as well as many from the subcontinent. Of course, there are also a wide variety of teas from all over the world.
For my son, it was the first time to visit an Arab market, and he was "the right catch" for all vendors. He was stopping at every stand, and he was attracted by each vendor, so we had to be quite inventive to nicely reject all their attempts; otherwise, we could buy half of the things that were present on the souk 😊.
The golden souk is quite different from the spice souk. No more stalls, but all shops, and it looks more like a shopping area and not a market place.
I think that is the first time that I’ve seen so many diverse things made out of gold. Different pieces of jewellery, but also dresses 😊 I doubt they are comfortable, but for sure, with that kind ofdress,s you don’t go unnoticed.
We walked along the gold souk and just admired all the gold from the windows. We spotted the biggest ring I’ve ever seen. Luckily, my wife is not a fan of gold (she prefers other materials), so I haven’t spent much on the gold souk…😊 Just kidding, but as I understood, the prices of the gold on the souk are quite reasonable, and if you like it, it is worth stopping by and check it out.
At the end of our walk and in between all that gold, we found a real gem, that was an ice-cream made of dates and camel milk. It was so delicious and a perfect refreshment in the hot Dubai morning.
After a morning at the souk, we jumped back on the abra boat to reach the nearest metro station, and we travelled back to Dubai Down Town since an afternoon experience was awaiting us.
Until next time!
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