Golden City
Dubai is synonymous with gold. People have nicknamed this wealthy city the “city of gold”. And the Gold Souk is one of the places that truly exudes the glamour of this city.
This 70-year-old market is located in the old town of Deira, Dubai. Gold Souk is not only the most famous market in Dubai, but also the largest gold market in Arabia. Tourists whisper to each other that Dubai Gold Souk is one of the most ideal places in the world to shop for high-end jewelry, from a small, pretty item to ostentatious gold bracelets studded with diamonds and precious stones that are meters long.
At first glance, the market looks quite ordinary from the outside, but going deeper inside, visitors will be dazzled by the maze-like walkways, lined on both sides with hundreds of jewelry stores. In addition to 18K to 24K gold, the stores sell all kinds of other precious jewelry from platinum, silver, pearls and cheap gemstones, or cast jewelry according to individual orders.
All goods are strictly controlled by the Dubai government. The most attractive point for tourists is the price of gold. The price of gold in the market is lower than the market price, because only 5% tax is applied. Tourists can bargain freely when buying jewelry. If not shopping, it seems that just seeing and hearing, tourists will feel overwhelmed by the "golden feast that awakens all the senses" in the ancient market.
The gold and jewelry market accounts for 20% of the UAE's total exports, along with oil. Much of that gold comes from Dubai. An estimated 20-40% of the world's gold reserves pass through Dubai each year. And the Gold Souk is where up to 10 tons of gold and jewelry are traded every day.
A Guinness World Record was set in this ancient market for the world's heaviest gold ring. A shop here owns a 64kg gold ring, studded with 5kg of diamonds and 615 Swarovski crystals. Right next to the Gold Souk is Dubai's spice market, near the Deira Old Souk Abra train station. This market sells hundreds of herbs, spices, nuts, oils and teas... like a feast of scents.
You can find almost every spice from common to expensive, such as cinnamon, saffron, dried chili to dried rose buds... Among them, saffron is considered the "red gold" of the Middle East. This is the most expensive spice in the world, when the price can be up to 1,800 USD/kg. Saffron is expensive because it takes a lot of effort to harvest, farmers need to harvest up to 170,000 flowers to make 1kg of dried saffron.
A fairytale Dubai
In contrast to the glitz of the city, the emirate of Dubai still preserves its colorful nomadic culture in the Safari desert. The desert is located about 40km from the city center, with endless sand dunes. The journey to explore life in the desert usually begins in the afternoon, with a series of interesting experiences from conquering sand dunes by ATV, sandboarding, camel riding to watching the sunset, flying hot air balloons...
From the smooth asphalt roads through the desert, the car will rush up the rolling sand dunes like miniature mountains. Going up and down the slope, the car will throw sand everywhere to the sound of vibrant Arabic music... This experience is definitely not suitable for the faint-hearted or those with poor vestibular function.
At the end of the thrilling trip, the fleet of vehicles gathered at the most beautiful sunset viewing spot in the desert. The sun from above like a giant fireball slowly descended, the vast space had only the sound of the wind whistling, the sand moved like ripples on the giant “sea” of sand. The sunset in the desert seemed very different and mysterious.
A day of adventure ends with a lively party in a Bedouin-style campsite. The Bedouins are an Arabic-speaking nomadic people who live in the deserts of the Middle East. Most Bedouins rely on herding livestock, migrating into the desert during the rainy and winter seasons and returning to farmland during the dry summer months.
Following the flow of modern life, Bedouin culture has become a highlight attracting tourists to visit the Safari desert at night. Visitors will enjoy a BBQ party in a comfortable campsite, with grilled dishes marinated in the true Bedouin culinary style. While eating, they will be immersed in the unique melodies of Arabic music, watching the dancers gracefully perform belly dancing, Tanoura dancing or skillful fire dancing. Just like that, at midnight, when the party ends, the music stops, looking up, you will see thousands of stars like sparkling diamonds in the night sky covered with a giant velvet carpet in the desert. A day passes with a full range of emotions, ending an adventure like a scene in a mysterious Arabian fairy tale. The more you explore, Dubai will take visitors through one surprise after another in its own unique way.
