Dubai Textile Souk
25°15′53″N 55°17′42″E / 25.2647482°N 55.2950430°E
The Dubai Textile Souk (
Traditionally, the Dubai Textile Souk was a commercial hub of the exchange in textiles, for functional use of making clothes or for special occasions. Over the years and through Dubai's rapid globalisation, its commercial importance has since faded and has become a more tourist-focused.[3]
History
Trade in Dubai leading to development of Textile Souk
Dubai played a major role in trade of the
The
The pearl industry continued to bring wealth to the Creek and increased the population greatly, coupled with the progressive, liberal lead of Maktoum bin Hashar in 1894, who thoroughly encouraged commerce and trading, the Old Souk begun and was constructed during this time. In 1902,
Modern Era: Worldwide recession and discovery of oil
As a result, the worldwide recession in the 1930s post World War I, trade within the Dubai Creek came to a halt, and the Dubai Textile Souk struggled. And with World War II looming at the end of the 1930s, trade was further affected during this period.[9] Although Dubai quickly recovered from the second world war as oil is discovered in the Trucial States, sparking a major economic boost for the region where immigration, trade and general business flourished.[10] As a result, the growth in the Indian and Pakistani population of Dubai gave new life to the Dubai Textile Souk.
The discovery of oil was a game-changer for
Indian and Pakistani influence
The history of the
Geography
The Dubai Textile Souk's address is 57, Opposite to the Abra. Ali Bin Abi Talib Street in Bur Dubai. It is located along the Dubai Creek opposite the Deira region which is host to the Dubai Gold Souk, Dubai Perfume Souk and the Dubai Spice Souk.[15] The Textile Souk is also a street away from Souk Al Kabeer, also known as Meena Bazaar.[16] People can access the souk from Deira via an Abra (traditional Emirati boat) or can get a metro to either stops named Al Fahidi or Al Ghubaiba stations.[17]
Architecture of the souk
The traditional architecture of the Dubai Textile Souk is relatively well preserved, despite a few modern touch ups.[18] The general architecture of the souk consists of covered alleys lined with small vendors displaying their products. The alleys, which are traditionally known as sikkas are covered by very tall wooden arches that are designed to allow for air ventilation to keep cool in the heat.[19] This is achieved through the gaps between the wooden arches and the walls of the buildings, firstly for hot hair to rise out and wind draft to come in. The arches are in sections with gaps in between each section and have traditional Arabic lamps within each arch section. The arches are held by industrial style large metal pillars, these a modern addition maintain the traditional arches as the former structure had weakened over time.[20]
Pre-Modern era of traditional walkable souks
The pre-modern architecture of souks was developed prior to the 1960s.
Modern era of souk architecture
Post 1960s, immigrant levels increased, oil wealth was found and Dubai was globalising into a major world city.
Economy of the souk
Dubai's historic centre, Bur Dubai and ultimately the Dubai Textile Souk still holds a relevant share of income in Dubai's commerce atmosphere and the original business merchants, shipmen and culture within such souks and areas have been preserved. This historic centre is a lively urban sector and active economy based on the free trade principles established in the beginning of the 20th century.[26] Now the Dubai Textile Souk provides economic value through the large amounts of tourists that it attracts.
Payment methods
The main method of payment and preferred payment of vendors is cash, although there are credit card machine options available at some shops.[27] The souk is also surrounded by multiple ATM's allowing for tourists to get cash out if they need to do so. The currency of the souk is the local Dubai currency, Dirham (AED) with denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1,000. About one US dollar is worth AED 3.67, although this is susceptible to change in different economic environments.[citation needed]
Prices and bartering
Most vendors offer negotiable prices, and there are often sales, particularly around major holidays such as
References
- ISBN 9780470684597. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- ^ Dubai Travel Guide. (2016). Bur Dubai Souk: Dubai Shopping | Travelvui. Retrieved 24
- ^ Thomas, G. (2010). The Rough Guide to Dubai (1st ed.). Rough Guides.
- ^ Rizvi, K. (2017). Dubai, Anyplace: Histories of Architecture in the Contemporary Middle East. A Companion To Islamic Art And Architecture, 48, 1245–1266. doi: 10.1002/9781119069218.ch48
- ^ Time Out Guides Ltd. (2009). Time Out Dubai (4th ed.). Time Out.
- ^ Mathew, N. (2014). Understanding Space, Politics and History in the Making of Dubai, a Global City. Department Of History, Faculty Of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand,.
- ^ Time Out Guides Ltd. (2009). Time Out Dubai (4th ed.). Time Out.
- ^ "Discover Dubai | Discover Dubai | Emirates Australia". Australia. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
- ^ Time Out Guides Ltd. (2009). Time Out Dubai (4th ed.). Time Out.
- ^ Krane, J. (2009). Dubai: The Story of the World's Fastest City (1st ed.). New York: St. Martin's Press.
- ^ "Tourism in Dubai: Dubai's heritage, history of growing interest to tourists – UAE BARQ". Retrieved 28 June 2023.
- ^ Mathew, N. (2014). Understanding Space, Politics and History in the Making of Dubai, a Global City. Department Of History, Faculty Of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand.
- ^ Vora, N. (2013). Impossible Citizens: Dubai's Indian Diaspora. Durham: Duke University Press.
- ^ Time Out Guides Ltd. (2009). Time Out Dubai (4th ed.). Time Out.
- ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
- ^ Lyons, C. (2011). The Unofficial Guide to Dubai. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley.
- ^ "Bur Dubai Souk : Dubai Shopping". Travelvui. 22 August 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
- ^ Ricca, S. (2018). Urban Heritage in the Arabian Peninsula, the Experiences of Jeddah and Dubai. Built Heritage, 3, 107–121.
- ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
- ^ Ricca, S. (2018). Urban Heritage in the Arabian Peninsula, the Experiences of Jeddah and Dubai. Built Heritage, 3, 107–121.
- ^ "Dubai – from souks to space age". The Times & The Sunday Times. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
- ^ "2019 discovery: A new star was named 'Sharjah' and its planet is 'Barajeel'". gulfnews.com. 19 December 2019. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
- ^ Ricca, S. (2018). Urban Heritage in the Arabian Peninsula, the Experiences of Jeddah and Dubai. Built Heritage, 3, 107–121.
- ^ Ricca, S. (2018). Urban Heritage in the Arabian Peninsula, the Experiences of Jeddah and Dubai. Built Heritage, 3, 107–121.
- ^ Vora, N. (2013). Impossible Citizens: Dubai's Indian Diaspora. Durham: Duke University Press.
- ^ Ricca, S. (2018). Urban Heritage in the Arabian Peninsula, the Experiences of Jeddah and Dubai. Built Heritage, 3, 107–121.
- ^ Lyons, C. (2011). The Unofficial Guide to Dubai. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley.
- ^ Explorer Publishing. (2006). Dubai: The Complete Residents Guide (1st ed.). Dubai: Explorer.
- ^ Explorer Publishing. (2006). Dubai: The Complete Residents Guide (1st ed.). Dubai: Explorer.
- ^ Groundwater, Ben (8 May 2018). "The 11 ways to get ripped off while shopping overseas". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
- ^ Rough Guides. (2016). Pocket Rough Guide Dubai. Rough Guides.