Gold souk market, Dubai
Awesome traditional market with a wide variety of products including spices, jewelry and even the world’s LARGEST gold ring!!The Gold souk market Snapshot
Location
The Gold Souk Market in Dubai is located in Deira, Al Dhagaya, Dubai’s famous commercial district. To the north is the Dubai Fish and Vegetable Market, on the other side there is the Dubai Textile Souk.
Hours
Retailers and local jewelers start operation from 10 am until 10 pm, except Friday, where stores are open at 4:00 pm, and some of the vendors close between 1 pm to 4 pm.
What You'll Find
This place is known for its jewelry and gold! After all, it’s where you can find the world’s largest ring. However, you can also find a number of big brands here too. Although if you are looking for knockoffs, you’ll need to be approached and taken to a back room. I found it to be safe, but it’s always good to bring a friend.
Market Video
dubai multi-market shopping Spree
In this video we’re out in Dubai, UAE bargaining at a number of fake markets around town for the hottest products & I’ll show you the sickest ring I’ve every seen. So come along and enjoy the ride!
Everything to Know about The gold souk market
How to Get to The Gold Souk Market
As a tourist-friendly destination, getting around Dubai is pretty easy stress-free. I recommend ride-sharing and the skytrain to get to major destinations, including the Gold Souk Market. But there are other transportation options in Dubai as well.
Transportation in Dubai
Here are some ways you can get around Dubai and get to the Gold Souk Market.
- Ride Share / Taxi: This is the easiest way to get around the city and visit the Gold Souk Market. Dubai has a ride-hailing service called Careem (which is actually a subsidy of UBER). So set that up when you go, it’ll make things a lot easier. You’ll also find taxis all over the city so you won’t have a hard time waiting for a ride. Please take note to bring small bills when riding the taxi as drivers sometimes do not carry enough change. If you notice taxis with pink roofs, these have lady drivers intended for women passengers and families.
- Metro: Anther option is to ride the Dubai Metro Train. Your stop is at the Green Line of Al Ras Metro Station. Exit the station, walk for about 160 meters, and get to the Gold Souk Market. You can ask around, and surely you won’t miss it since it’s a famous tourist spot.
- Tram: Another form of public transportation that was recently added in Dubai is the Tram. It’s like the metro but on the street, tracks connecting highly populated commercial and residential areas. Say you’re from the Dubai Mall Station or Burj Khalifa and wanted to visit the Gold Souk Market. The travel time in a tram is 12 minutes, with six stops. Your stop will be at the Union; you can ride a taxi for a 3-5 minute ride from there. Or walk going to the Gold Souk Market for about 20-30 minutes. The Tram is the cheapest form of transportation since it has a fixed rate wherever your stop is.
- Monorail / Skytrain: The skytrain is also super clean and simple to use. I recommend paying a little extra to use the “premium” train car which is located on one of the train’s ends.
- Bike Share: Careem (the same as the ride-sharing app) recently launched a bike-share program in Dubai. Dubai is a bike-friendly city, and you can rent and hop on a bike and get to any destination you want. You can rent bikes outside metro stations and famous landmarks and bike your way to the Gold Souk Market. Then you can leave the back to other bike stations if you’re tired of biking around. Just be aware…it’s hot to be biking around this city!
Shopping at The Gold Souk Market
Jewelry is popular at the Gold Souk Market. It can vary from silver, diamond, platinum, gold, and even rubies. There are even gold-plated mobile phones and shoes sold here! Popular shops and brands found in the market are Veda, Zenina, Eleganza, Pride, and many more.
Don’t forget to check out the largest ring in the world in the Kanz Jewels shop! It is the Najmat Taiba (translated to English as Star of Taiba), and it is the heaviest gold ring in the world, weighing over 63kg. It has 5.1kg of precious stones with a total whooping value of 3 million US dollars.
This Guinness World Record ring is pretty crazy, can you imagine trying to bargain for that???
Looking for Knockoffs?
If you’re looking for the knockoff stuff, you’re going to have to be approached by someone and taken into a hidden room. I’ve never had a problem while in Dubai, but beware, while going into these shops are quite safe (go with a friend for more security) you are in Dubai, but make sure to read up on the laws before going. Go at your own risk
Where to Stay in Dubai
There are a lot of hotel options around the Gold Souk Market. There’s the Galaxy Plaza Hotel, which is the nearest and cheapest hotel option. There’s also the Al Buraq Hotel with straightforward rooms, has a rooftop pool and restaurant. Then there’s the OYO 312 24 Gold Hotel that is 240 meters away from the Gold Souk Market.
If you’re on a tight budget and would prefer to stay in a hostel near the Gold Souk Market, there are many options. There’s the Hostel Youth at the Silver Corner Building, the Gong Yu Hostel at Baniyas Road, Easyflat Hostel, and a few others.
There are also condominium units and rooms for rent that can be booked through Airbnb. There are many options with reasonably great deals near and far from the Gold Souk Market.
Neighborhoods in Dubai
My favorite area of Dubai is probably near the Burj Khalifa, a lot to see! Make sure to catch the light show in the evenings!
Popular Areas of Dubai
The popular neighborhoods in Dubai that visitors will like is the Dubai Design District (D3), Al Quoz, Jumeirah Beach Residence, Dubai International Finance Centre (DIFC), Jumeirah Lake Towers (JLT), and the Dubai Creek.
The Deira or Dubai Creek is one of the oldest residences or neighborhoods in Dubai. It is a massive area that depicts the culture and history of Dubai. Before the skyscrapers and tall glass buildings, the community had rustic houses, stores, and restaurants.
Besides the Gold Souk Market, you can also find the Spice Souk and the Dubai Museum in the area. It definitely a neighborhood vibrant in Dubai’s history and culture.
Food in Dubai
Dubai is a great melting pot of mainly (seriously, I read it was something like 90%) foreigners from over (mostly) Asia so there are many different dishes to be had throughout the city!
Local Foods to Try in Dubai
The food in Dubai is mostly composed of rice, meat, and fish. Since Dubai is a Muslim nation, pork dishes are prohibited. The major restaurants instead serve meats of camel, beef, lamb, and chicken. Expect the foods in Dubai to be spicy because the locals love heavy spices.
Some famous street foods in Dubai include:
- Shawarma: Chicken/Beef/Lamb with onions, fresh vegetables, sauces, wrapped in a soft flatbread
- Shish Tawouk Sandwich: A spicy and savory sandwich of chicken strips, herbs, spices, vegetables, and pickles stuffed in a flatbread
- Oman Chips Roll: Plain roll with cheese spread and smashed Oman Chips
- Among the other street foods, a must-try are the Harees, Samboosa, Manakish, Luqaimat, Karak, Fareed, Falafel, Madrooba, and Knafeh.
If you get hungry while shopping in the Gold Souk Market, there are many restaurants nearby that you could try.
About The Gold Souk Market
The Gold Souk Market in Dubai started in the early 1900s, where there were just a few local jewelers only. During this era, it was a trade-friendly and tax-free environment. It is strategically located near the waterway; that is why the harbor near the Arabian Gulf supported the importing and exporting merchants who came to buy and sell.
The market became a hit during the 1940s when Indian and Iranian entrepreneurs were allowed to set up a shop thanks to the new trade policies introduced. When the oil and pearl industry boomed, the Dubai Gold Souk Market became the iconic place it is today.
Now, the Gold Souk Market has 400 retailers, mostly consisting of jewelry traders and popular international brands. The eyes of locals and tourists light up when they see all the sparkling jewelry made from gold, silver, diamonds, and platinum. It’s a place that just feels like money!
Introduction to Dubai
Dubai is one of the wealthiest federations of the United Arab Emirates, which is the world’s third-richest country. Dubai screams wealth, luxury shopping, booming nightlife, modern architecture, and gold. It’s undeniably a wealthy country, as proven by Lamborghini Aventador and Ferrari FF police cars!
The country is so rich they have ATMs that dispense GOLD!
Dubai is one of the world’s most developed and vibrant cities with a cosmopolitan mix of huge metal and glass towers in the desert. You can expect a Middle-Eastern country to produce and sell oil, and Dubai is no exemption. But surprisingly, the oil industry accounts for only 1% of the country’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product).
What made Dubai so rich is the pearl industry, since the 1770s. In the present, the economy of Dubai focused on tourism, hotels, real estate, IT, finance, aviation, and of course, gold trade.
Trade & Producing Goods in Dubai
Trade really was a turning point for Dubai long ago. Research has found that Dubai had trading connections during ancient civilizations between Iran, Mesopotamia, and Indus Valley. Most of the artifacts included in that trade were hand-crafted metal objects and gold jewelry.
In the present, 40% of the entire world’s gold trade goes through Dubai. Of all the seven emirates of UAE, Dubai remains the center for tourism, gold exchange, and trade.