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QUICK LINKS - Facts Facts - Dining in Dubai - Lodging in Dubai - Attractions in Dubai - Shopping in Dubai - Tours & Trips - Itinerary ENTERTAINMENT - Excursions - Shopping -in Dubai - Night Life in Dubai - Activites - Eating in Dubai - Sightseeing - Accomodation in Dubai BUSINESS - Investing in Dubai - Eating in Dubai - Accomodation in Dubai - Meetings in Dubai - United Arab Emirates - Business opportunities LIVING - Dubai City Life - Jobs @ Dubai - Housing in Dubai - Dubai Directory - Duba Weather - Schools in Dubai - Universities in Dubai DESTINATIONS - DUBAI - MALDIVES - MAURITIUS - SRI LANKA	THE SHOPPING CAPITAL Dubai is renowned as the “shopping capital of the Middle East”. Being an open port with low import duties and no taxation, Dubai offers unbeatable value. Dubai offers a good place to buy the latest high-tech gadgetry, such as digital cameras, iPods, and the like. Most major brand name products are readily available, and are often less expensive in Dubai than in their country of origin.     Just when you thought shopping in Dubai couldn’t get any better, it did. An annual shopping festival, which runs for a month from mid-January, includes plenty of live music and shows, fills hotels and clogs traffic throughout the city. Modern shopping malls are conveniently located throughout the city. Dubai's malls are glossy, air-conditioned (sometimes too well air-conditioned; bring a jacket) and often feature extras like fountains, eateries and marble floors. Others offer services such as valet parking and shoe-shining. Most major brand name products are readily available, and are often less expensive in Dubai than in their country of origin. OPENING HOURS : Most malls in Dubai open from 10am to 10pm Saturday to Tuesday, from 10am to midnight Wednesday to Friday (weekends in Dubai), and even later during Dubai Shopping Festival and Ramadan (fasting month) often until 1am. Souqs and independent shops (outside malls) have closed during the afternoon for a few hours for prayer, lunch and rest, and haven’t opened on Fridays until late afternoon. Malls buzz on Friday nights. Excellent time for people-watching! BARGAINING : Bargaining is part of the fun of shopping in Dubai. While boutiques, some electronics shops, department stores and supermarkets may operate on a fixed-price basis, most other outlets like souqs consider friendly negotiation as a way of life. Bear in mind that the first price suggested by the shop-owners in souqs is far from realistic. You will get better discount if you buy more than one piece. If you are determined to save as many dirhams; with good bargaining techniques, prices can drop by 20% to 50%. Once the vendor agrees to your figure, you are expected to pay. Going on to offer lower price is considered as an insult and leaving the store empty-handed is impolite. Gold : The quality of Dubai's gold and jewellery is famous, as is the impressive variety of stylish designs. Another reason for Dubai's successful gold industry is the free trade environment, which makes Dubai probably the cheapest place in the world to buy gold. This is because of the low import duties and also the fact that gold is sold in high volumes, allowing low margins. There are over 275 shops in the Gold Souk creak under the weight of tonnes of flashy jewellery, watches and trinkets. It is nearly always busy. Much of the stuff is geared for Indian tastes (24-carat gold is very yellow), but contemporary European styles can also be found (mainly in the more shiny 22-carat gold), and at fairly reasonable prices. The Gold Souk is very much a trading stop: you buy by weight, and the price of any given bracelet changes twice a day. Dubai is known for the purity of the gold products sold. Dubai Municipality Inspections Department also ensures quality through regular checks. In short, you can be sure that gold and jewellery bought in Dubai is 'quality at the world's best price'. Perfume and incense : Just name it, you’ll get it! You will find Arabian perfume shops in all the Dubai malls, but it’s more fun to shop in Perfume Souq, a small area along Sikkat al-Khalil Street in Deira. Shopkeepers will spatter to you various perfumes and if you buy a few – of course after bargaining – you’ll go home with a gift bag of tiny samples! - might save you some dirhams as souvenirs back home. A little goes a long way should be your motto when venturing into Dubai's many incense and perfume shops. Frankincense is widely used by Gulf Arabs in their homes and on their clothes; ask the proprietor to burn some so you can smell it before buying. Carpets : No visit to Dubai is complete without a trip to a carpet store. There are carpet outlets in most shopping centres but, for the essential flavour of the region, a trip to the carpet souq is a must. The best in the country is the Blue Souq in Sharjah, offering the widest range of carpets at the keenest prices, but most carpet souqs will carry an assortment of ancient and modern carpets. The finest carpets come from Iran – the traditional Persian carpets. Dubai is a carpet-lover’s paradise. So if you are having difficulty getting the price you want, just head to another store, there are hundreds of them! Textiles : It makes financial sense to buy material in Dubai and have it made up into the style of your favourite trousers or shirt. Think twice before ordering a tailor-made suit in Dubai: prices may be far below those in Europe or America but, by and large, so is the workmanship. A casual linen suit is the wisest purchase, and a decent one can be had for less than Dh1,000 ($270). Shirts, on the other hand, are a steal. You can get made-to-measure shirts in good cotton for around Dh100 each. Handicrafts & Souvenirs : Pick up an antique dalla (copper coffee pot)—a symbol of Arabic hospitality—on Friday at Dubai lively outdoor market, near Hamriya Fruit and vegetable market. Alternative buys include Muslim prayer beads, camel rugs, intricately carved wooden canes, shisha pipes and falconry paraphernalia. Sheathed daggers from Oman are popular, though not with airport security staff. Need some ideas on souvenirs? How about coloured glasses and lanterns from Morocco, mother-of-pearl inlaid wooden furniture from Syria, Turkish miniature paintings, Kashmiri shawls that look great on tables and sideboards and many more… Take a peep in the souvenir and handicraft stores be it in the city or at the souqs to get the best bargain !
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