Downtown Dubai
This massive shop is El Dorado for bookworms. Shelves are stocked with a mind-boggling half-a-million tomes plus 1000 or so magazines in English, Arabic,…
Must-see shopping in Arabian Peninsula
Marina Breakwater
Carrefour has the best bakery and deli counter in Abu Dhabi, with barrels of delicious olives and local cheeses, good-quality fruit and vegetables, and a…
Qatar
A fantastic family entertainment destination, the Mall of Qatar's spectacular atrium (named the Oasis) is surrounded by restaurants, and hosts live…
Abu Dhabi
This vast wholesale market, partly open-air, is the exchange point for melons from Jordan, potatoes from Turkey and onions from just about everywhere. A…
Abu Dhabi
British architect Norman Foster's immensely pleasant reinterpretation of the traditional souq is a stylish composition of warm lattice woodwork, stained…
Al Zahiyah & Al Maryah Island
Al Zahiyah's major shopping destination with plenty of international brand-names among its 200 shops, a cinema and kid's entertainment area, cafes and a…
Marina Breakwater
In addition to more than 400 stores, this popular mall has plenty of entertainment options, including a multiplex cinema, Bounce, an indoor free-jumping…
Oman
Only half the workshops in this modern arcade are open, but there’s a few mat-weaving establishments (shop nine) and an apothecary (shop 10), where you…
Sharjah
This new souq, shaded by areesh (palm fronds used to construct huts and houses) panels, is built over the site of an earlier souq discovered during…
Sharjah
If you're in the market for glitzy gold jewellery studded with semi-precious stones, then this grand, tile-embellished market building, dating from 1978,…
Riyadh
Urban legend has it that Saudi royals used to ditch their pricey handbags here, but in reality it’s unlikely you’ll find any couture. The city’s largest…
Al Bateen & Al Mushrif
A favourite family hangout on Thursday evenings; there's over 350 outlets in this mall. Most are international brands but there are a few more local…
Al Zahiyah & Al Maryah Island
Shopping for those with deep pockets: this flashy mall with its cathedral-high ceilings and sculptural roof is all about international couture brands …
Abu Dhabi
The garrulous traders from Balochistan, Pakistan, here are good fun, though don't expect to encounter piles of beautiful jewel-toned hand-loomed carpets…
Bur Dubai
The place for traditional Middle Eastern attars (perfumes), Ajmal custom blends its earthy scents and pours them into fancy gold or jewel-encrusted…
Bur Dubai
Rather than rest on its laurels, Dubai's oldest high-end mall (open since 1992) just keeps reinventing itself. A recent remodel added some 200 shops …
Al Zahiyah & Al Maryah Island
For a wide range of souvenirs (shisha pipes, camel-bone boxes, stuffed leather camels, carpets and cushion covers), head to the Khalifa Centre, across the…
Downtown Dubai
The carrots may have roots attached and dirt might stick to the fennel bulb, because both were still in the ground the previous day. Now they're vying for…
Dubai Marina & Palm Jumeirah
The shopping is good if nothing extraordinary, but it's the lavish and exotic design and architecture of this 400-shop mall that steal the show, tracing…
Madinat Zayed Shopping & Gold Centre
Abu Dhabi
For first-time visitors to a gold souq, the window displays of bridal necklaces, earrings and belts, the trays of precious stones and the tiers of gold…
Salalah
Head for this souq to rub shoulders with the jovial Dhofari people who have been assembling in this spot, albeit under different awnings, for centuries…
Abu Dhabi
If you've never been to a regional wholesale hardware market before, then this collection of stalls huddled around the harbour edge is a fun destination…
Kuwait City
The place to buy everything from Afghan coats and antiques to a secondhand sofa, this enormous semi-covered market is a shopping extravaganza – but, more…
Bur Dubai
Arguably the oldest shopping district in Dubai, the Meena Bazaar comprises a labyrinth of streets surrounding the Bur Dubai Souq that are packed with…
Bur Dubai
Now in her 70s, Ritu Kumar is an Indian fashion designer famed for her stunning colourful prints and fabrics. As well as traditional lehengas (ankle…
Al Bateen & Al Mushrif
This Pakistani fashion brand fuses South Asian and Gulf traditional clothing styles to create colourful kurtas (traditional south Asian tunic-style tops,…
Bur Dubai
In business since 1950, Fabindia is one of India's biggest retail chains and mostly sells products handmade by more than 50,000 Indian villagers using…
Manama
This small shopping centre next to Seef Mall has gone for quality over quantity. There's a lovely reproduction of an old Gulf souq in the Souq Al…
Salalah
There's a charm to this 1970s-style parade of shops, with their windows glittering with rows of 22-carat gold bangles, wedding necklaces and headdresses…
Tabuk
Split into sections like a historic souq, this cluster of hundreds of shops offers every product imaginable. There's the sports souq, one for thobes (men…
Doha
A trip to City Center Doha is more event than errand for its congregations of juice-sipping Qataris and huddles of homesick expatriates. In addition to…
Salalah
This attractive mall encompasses a hotel (handy for visiting the Salalah Tourism Festival), recommended restaurants, a branch of Carrefour supermarket …
Dubai
The first outlet mall in the Middle East is a bargain shopper's nirvana with 240 stores offering discounts ranging from 30% to 90%. Don't expect the…
Sharjah
One of the oldest souqs in the UAE, Souq Al Arsah once crawled with traders from Iran and India and local Bedouin, their camels fastened to posts outside…
Doha
Doha's first shopping mall is a relatively low-key affair, with a mixture of midrange international brands and independent local outlets. Look for the…
Oman
Bedouin women, still wearing their traditional peaked-mask costume, sell handicrafts from a small goat-hair tent by the side of the road here. Items begin…
Manama
The country's true mega-mall, City Centre Bahrain has something for everyone. If international brands have a presence in Bahrain, you'll most likely find…
Dubai
The Syrian couple behind Urbanist dedicate the shop's shelf space to hand-curated items rooted in both tradition and modernity, and Western and Middle…
Nizwa
With a traditional diet that relied heavily on dates, Omanis have a particularly sweet tooth. A favourite confection is halwa, a thick, gelatinous sweet…
Oman
Neighbouring the fort, Sohar's revamped heritage souq boasts a covered walkway with a fine wooden ceiling and an arcade with shops that sport wooden doors…
