Dubai Post 27: The Gold Souks

Dubai's gold souk's attract tourists from all over
for the cheap prices of gold. 

The City of Gold, located in the heart of Deira, is any gold lover’s dream.  Located in the old part of Dubai, the gold souk is home to over 300 jewelers selling pounds of gold and diamonds.  The creation of the gold souk began in the 1940s due to Dubai’s free trade policies.  Entrepreneurs from all over flocked to the shores of Dubai creek to set up their shops and haggle away.

If you are planning on shopping for gold, make sure it is in the old gold souk.  Due to the buildup of tourism, a new souk was built somewhat replicating the older version.  The setup of the new souk is in an outdoor plaza similar to what you would see in Miami or L.A whereas the old souk does not have the “fake” feel. 

Getting ready to bargain. 

Merchants fill the narrow alleyways
trying to get gullible tourists to buy anything. 

If you read my last post, the atmosphere is similar to the “Old City” of Dubai.  The streets are narrower, there is a hint of some sort of smell in the air and the buildings look a bit older.  Another way you will know you are in the city of gold is if someone asks you to buy a watch every ten yards.  I realized all the vendors were asking me to buy a watch and not Ozair simply because I was not wearing one.  My advice is to buy a cheap $5 dollar one before heading to shop to avoid the wrangle.

Right next to the gold souk is the spice
souk.  This store was filled with different
type of perfumes and colognes from all over
the world. 

The appearance of stores varies from the ultra-luxurious (complete with coffee and dates upon arrival) to store fronts that looked like they were pulled from inner city Detroit. Yet, no matter the store, the idea is the same.  Items are not marked and price is determined by two factors: weight and how well you can bargain. Bartering is the core of everyone’s business so be sure to bring you A-game when heading to the souk.

Personally, I just wanted to get a lay of the land.  I went into a few shops to test the waters but knew I wanted to leave the day empty handed.  Next time might be a little different.  

Storefronts filled with jewelry line the streets.