Dubai Spice Souk
Dubai Spice Souk
As with any trading port in that part of the world, there is a massive trade in spices. The spice souq is amazing. The stores have spices and products that you would never see at home.
Everything from frankincense to huge cinnamon tulles to so much saffron to alum to the most amazing Arabian coffee beans to snake oil. The men can be quite aggressive with their selling, and don’t buy at the first store that you visit. They want to know where you are from, and they ask you what things are – it’s a quiz that is asked throughout the souq. You learn what it all is very quickly.
If you want anything, it’s cheap. But you can often find cheaper options in the less touristy stores in Bur Dubai. They heat seal bags to get through customs, complete with labels, knowing the restrictions for different countries. I purchased frankincense here (various grades with various costs) and a brass incense burner here.
In amongst the spice stores are the agarwood or “Oud” dealers, with wood from all over the world. Traded as incense and a perfume (the strong and rich Arabic perfumes are mainly oud oil based).
Due to the successful run for Dubai to host Expo 2020, and subsequent hosting, a lot of stores were converted to sell purely Expo/tourist gear.
My suggestion is to go in the early evening then head to the gold souq, as the spice souq is often dead after 9pm. If someone tells you chocolate is “camel milk” it likely isn’t, there’s only one main camel chocolate company and it’s very clearly labelled. You may be offered what looks like coloured aquarium rocks, but don’t worry it’s chocolate. You might also be shown how menthol cleans out your nasal passages when you breathe it in (be warned).