UAE 2016 Day 02: Textile Souk

The next place of interest Ginny and Sern took us was the Textile Souk, also known as the Old Souk or Bur Dubai Souk. The Textile Souk is a bazaar that consists of a long line of restored sand-coloured stone buildings covered by a wooden roof in one area and topped with attractive wind towers.

arriving at the Old Souk

seemingly endless rows of shops

we were literally lost in the landscape of fabrics 

the wooden roofs

providing shade and style all at once

Situated at the old trading centre of Bur Dubai, on the opposite side of the Dubai Creek from Deira, we were overwhelmed by the number of colourful fabrics on display here.

walking along the lane

wind towers in the distance

a fire gutted this store

an Indonesian store?

bevy of colours

There seemed to be an endless selection of raw silk, cotton, and embroidered fabrics at this market. Plus, Cat was enthralled with the vast array of sequins, buttons and lace. A costume is being conjured in her mind, I reckon?

heading to the next Souk

a quite alleyway

the barajeel or wind tower

a happy shopper?

in the general direction of the Creek

At one point a peddler grabbed Brendan, which caused us much alarm and consternation. However, much to our amusement (and relief) Brendan became a real life mannequin for the peddler to practice his skills at wrapping the Shemagh or Ghutra (an Emirati traditional head scarf).

he must have mistaken Brendan for this?

Weaving through the marketplace we learnt that apart from fabric and textiles, this marketplace also houses many stalls selling clothes, footwear and souvenirs. We found quite a number of tailors plying their trade here as well.

Cat walked on enthusiastically

striking a bargain?

Ginny and Sern leading the way

we could not get enough of this roof

and the bevy of colours

Quite satisfied by the feast of colours we walked towards the Bank of Baroda building, our landmark for Dubai Old Souk Marine Transport Station to board an Abra that will take us across the Dubai Creek.