UAE Stories and Cultural Learning: Shopping
It’s a mall life in the UAE. With endless list of malls, shopping is a major attraction when visiting the country. Whether in glamorous Dubai or the refined Abu Dhabi, malls are springing up all over the nation, expansions and new retail space construction sites are daily activities in the local engineering agenda.
In the UAE, shopping malls are the biggest and the best, air-conditioned respites from the heat, iconic locations with excellent restaurants, cafes and a wide range of entertainment facilities. Since the foundation of the country in 1971, retail has undergone an impressive development.
Before the discovery of oil, the central souq was the one stop shopping destination for everyone. Most of the other retailers were predominantly street retail. In 1981, Dubai opened its first modern shopping mall: The Al Ghurair Centre which soon became a key economic and commercial hub, paving the way for the establishment of the Emirate’s reputation as a shopping paradise.
Dubai’s retail sector flourished in the 2000s. In 2005, among many others, The Mall of the Emirates opened its doors; then came The Dubai Mall, one of the world’s biggest shopping centers. Things were much different in the Capital; only some twenty years later after Dubai that Abu Dhabi Mall was inaugurated.
Traditional Souqs are the best places to taste the Arab culture. The Arabic word “souq” means marketplace. Historically, dhows from the Far East and India offloaded their cargo full of spices, fabrics, perfumes and exotic goods to be traded over the local souqs.
