Dubai Textile Souk (Dubai Textile Market), Dubai

The Dubai Textile Souk (also known as the Old Souk, or Bur Dubai Souk) is a traditional souq (market) of textile products located along the Dubai Creek. Opposite to the textile souk on the other side of the Dubai Creek lie the Dubai Spice Souk and Dubai Gold Souk in Deira, accessible via the creek by special abra boats. It is open 10am to 10pm Saturday to Thursday with some vendors taking a lunch break from 1-4pm and Friday is 4pm to 10pm only. The souks of Dubai have a rich history of trade within the Persian Gulf region and have developed over time as Dubai urbanised rapidly.

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.

The history of the Bur Dubai and Dubai Creek region which is where the Dubai Textile Market is located, has led to a large Indian and Pakistani influence due to the large number of Indian and Pakistani traders having settled in the region. This has formed what is now known as ‘Hindi Lane’ which consists of little Indian shops selling arrays of bindis, bangles, flowers, saris and other religious items. Indian influence has also formed other main sections of the textile souk such as Al Fahidi Street where vendors mainly sell Indian clothes, shoes and jewelry.

Similarly, the Pakistani influence is seen in the selling of pashminas traditionally from Pakistan and salwar kameez, the traditional outfit of Pakistan.

The traditional architecture of the Dubai Textile Souk is relatively well preserved, despite a few modern touch ups. The general architecture of the souk consists of covered allies lined with small vendors displaying their products. The allies, 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. The arches are in sections with gaps in between each section and have traditional Arabic lamps within each arch section.