What to bring from the UAE as a gift โ 15 best ideas
The United Arab Emirates is a blooming oasis in the desert, a mysterious, alluring oriental tale. A real paradise for shopaholics. People come here for fur coats, electronics, and luxury brand clothing. But much more valuable are items that reflect the national identity of these countries. If you are thinking about the question of what to bring from the UAE as a gift, then we have prepared for you a small overview of the possible options.
Jewelry
The East is always associated with luxury, gold jewelry, jewelry from the fabulous treasures of Scheherazade. In the Emirates, luxury awaits you at every turn. Jewelry can be brought as a gift to loved ones or bought for yourself as a keepsake of this fabulous kingdom. There is a huge selection of jewelry. In the markets and shops you can find real works of art. The most important โgoldโ market in Dubai is the Gold Souk.
There is an incredible amount of products made of gold, silver, precious and semi-precious stones. Buy yourself an elegant necklace and earrings as a keepsake or as a gift to your loved ones. Here you can choose fancy rings and brooches, decorated with emeralds, pearls, garnets. At the request of master jewelers, jewelry will be made to order for you. Jewelery artists will help to sketch or make it according to your own sketch. Prices depend on the size of the product, its type, the number of stones, as well as the complexity of execution. The price for 1 g of gold of the 585th test here starts from $50.
View prices for tours in the UAE
fabrics
The oldest textile market in Dubai is located in Bur Dubai. Its originality also lies in the fact that for all the long years of its existence it remains in the same place and is not rebuilt โ old buildings and shops are reconstructed and continue to perform the same functions as before. For hundreds of years, fabric merchants came here from all over the world, and today the atmosphere of a real oriental bazaar also reigns here.
Entire dynasties of merchants, weavers and tailors from century to century continue to offer their products on this market. You will find a huge selection of fabrics for every taste. Natural hand-dyed silks in the most fantastic colors, chiffon, velvet, satin and chintz, cashmere and pashmina โ choose the fabric of your choice.
Here you can also order a suit from the fabric you like or buy ready-made clothes, including national ones, as well as Indian saris or belly dance costumes. There are a lot of other textile products on the market โ excellent quality bed linen, tablecloths, curtain fabrics, bedspreads, pillows and even traditional oriental shoes with curved toes. The prices for goods are very reasonable. In addition, as it should be in the East, it is customary to bargain here and you can drop up to 50 percent of the original price.
Fur coats
Fur coats are sold in multi-story shopping centers that specialize exclusively in fur products. Most often, sellers in them speak Russian, and prices are indicated in dollars. Here you can buy Greek, Chinese and even Italian fur coats. Italian fur coats are considered the best in quality, Greek ones are not much inferior to them.
In China, there are also a lot of factories where fur coats are sewn. When choosing a Chinese fur coat, give preference to factory-made products and pay attention to the dressing of the fur, its appearance and color uniformity if you choose dyed fur. It is most profitable to buy a fur coat in the UAE in the summer, at this time the prices for fur are much lower. Well, as with any purchase, it is also recommended to bargain here. You can also get a discount if you pay in cash.
Cosmetics
In the Emirates, there are a huge number of shopping centers offering cosmetic products from the world's leading brands. Here you can find those products of luxury brands that are not represented by us. And the prices for products familiar to us are much lower than in Russia. In addition to European goods, there are many cosmetic products from India and other countries of the East. For the most part, this is care and medical cosmetics.
However, the best gift would be cosmetic products that convey national flavor and originality. Any beauty will love a special natural eyeliner โ kajal. With its help, Arab beauties draw the contour of the eyes, giving the look a special mystery and attractiveness. Natural henna is very popular here. Its use among the Eastern peoples has a certain sacred character and is an obligatory attribute of very many solemn ceremonies.
Henna is packaged in beautiful boxes that are nice to give or receive as a gift. Arabic toothpaste Meswak is another original souvenir. It is prepared on the basis of the extract of the โtoothโ tree โ miswak. This paste strengthens the gums and tooth enamel, perfectly cleans and whitens them.
Perfumery
As well as cosmetics, perfumery products of famous brands are widely represented in all shopping centers in the UAE. Here you can buy new items, limited collections of world brands at prices close to European ones. However, the best gift would be authentic oriental perfumes, which for many centuries have been made by local perfumers based on natural essential oils.
Out of habit, they may seem too heavy and sweet to Europeans, but for those who love complex and unbanal compositions, this can be a great gift. Oriental perfumery uses notes of sandalwood, citrus, incense, cedar and musk. One drop of such perfume is enough for the whole day. They begin their action when a person moves. In perfume shops, craftsmen can prepare individual perfumes for you by mixing the ingredients that suit and like you best.
Such perfumes are poured into beautiful curly colored glass bottles, which in themselves will become a wonderful interior decoration. A very good gift can be a perfume made from oud oil, as agar wood is called here. Oud oil is very valuable and has not yet been fully studied by scientists. These essential oils are used to make complex, expensive compositions. The most famous Arabic perfumes based on oud oil are Ajmal Perfumers.
Medications
Medicines are often brought from the UAE. You can buy them at any pharmacy. Prices are almost the same everywhere. There is no pharmaceutical production in the Emirates themselves, medicines are brought here from other countries. It is worth paying attention to the products of Israeli companies โ there is a wider range and lower prices for medicines from Israel than ours. They bring painkillers, eye and ear drops. Their prices are much lower than in Russia, and the quality is much better. Sellers in any pharmacy will advise you and help you choose the right remedy. It is worth paying attention to vitamin complexes and other dietary supplements.
Camel milk products
A camel in the East is not only a means of transportation, but also a real breadwinner. In oriental tales, there are a lot of stories about wise camels who come to the aid of heroes more than once. And today camel milk is a very popular product. It is used everywhere. Camel milk is very useful, it is rich in amino acids and antioxidants, perfectly quenches thirst and helps to cope with many ailments.
Products based on it are in demand all over the world. Bringing natural milk will be quite problematic, but fermented milk products will be an excellent gastronomic souvenir. In the Emirates, they are very strict about the quality of their production, requiring the strictest adherence to technology, so cheese, cottage cheese and other products from such milk meet the highest standards.
You can buy them both in supermarkets and in the market. Prices start from one and a half dollars. An excellent gift, especially for children, will be Al Nassma camel milk chocolate. It is quite expensive, but very tasty. And children can be presented with chocolate camels. A souvenir pack of chocolate will cost you $4.
Sweets
For sweet lovers, the East is a real paradise. Sherbet, nougat, baklava, halva and Turkish delight โ the very names of these sweets sound like an oriental song. All these products are prepared according to old recipes with strict adherence to technology. You can buy them in supermarkets and confectionery shops in the bazaar, having previously tasted each delicacy and listened to the seller praising his product. They cost from $5 to $100, and you can pay $300 for a souvenir package of oriental sweets.
It is convenient to choose them at the market or in small shops by weight. This is how you put together your own set of favorite treats. Many people like chibab with dates โ a kind of sweet cheburek. This is a sweet spicy cake, dates are placed on one half of it, covered like a cheburek and fried. However, it is quite difficult to bring it as souvenirs.
Spices
Since ancient times, oriental spices have been valued on a par with gold. Here they are not only an indispensable attribute of culinary art, but also a cult product. A huge variety of oriental spices will surprise even real gourmets and connoisseurs. unusual colors and aromas will meet you at any oriental bazaar in the place where they sell spices. Choose, smell, listen to the advice of the owner of the shop and be sure to bargain. The cost starts from $2.
A very popular condiment mixture they call โbezarโ. It is added to many national dishes. The mixture includes fenugreek, cumin, turmeric, coriander, pepper, dill and cinnamon. You can buy all these spices separately and mix them yourself. But it is easier to take ready-made mixtures packaged in sachets. They are in all supermarkets or bazaars.
Coffee
In supermarkets and bazaars, there is a huge selection of grains for this drink of varying degrees of roasting and different varieties. Coffee is brought here mainly from Ethiopia and Yemen. Choose to your taste, but be careful: Arabs love the bitter coffee that cardamom gives the drink.
If you are bringing coffee as a gift to lovers of this drink, then buy in addition a cezve or a traditional Arabic coffee pot made of copper โ dalla, which is the symbol of this country. It is very difficult to use it for its intended purpose; rather, it is just suitable as a souvenir. But thermoses in the form of a dalla are very colorful and at the same time practical.
Hookah and tobacco
The tradition of smoking hookah came to us from the East. If you want to bring a hookah as a souvenir, contact the hookah bar, ask the seller about all the subtleties, ask for help in choosing. Be sure to check the device, all its connections and tubes before buying. The store will help you choose and mixes for smoking.
For male smokers, a ceramic smoking pipe decorated with an elegant pattern will be an excellent souvenir. Usually in the same stores you can also choose tobacco blends for the pipe. Fragrant tobacco will be a great addition to the original oriental pipe.
Bahur
Bahur is one of the varieties of oriental incense that is used in everyday life for aromatizing rooms, including as an antiseptic, as well as a relaxing agent. For many centuries, several generations of Bedouins have made them according to the same recipe. And even today, many older Arab women cook it on their own, buying all the ingredients separately.
At the base is agarwood shavings, which are also impregnated with other oils. Arabs love to use oils of citrus plants, sandalwood, jasmine for this. It is made in the form of balls that need to be set on fire. Unlike incense sticks, which are enough to set fire to and they will smolder, exuding a delicate aroma, bakhoor itself will not burn. In special censers, which are called โmabkharaโ here, balls are set on fire and the room is fumigated with this smoke.
When all the objects in the room are saturated with it, open the windows and ventilate. Sold either in the form of balls, or in the form of bars resembling chocolate. To avoid problems at the airport during the inspection of luggage, it is best to buy these incense in factory packaging. One package is enough for about 10 times. Prices start from $ 5, it is best to buy it in the markets or in shopping centers. You can also buy a smoker there. When setting fire to bakhoor, be careful โ follow the precautions and rules for its use.
Carpets
None of the Eastern cultures is unthinkable without soft cozy carpets. They were not only a household item among the Eastern peoples, but also served for understanding people as a kind of book by which one could read the history of the people. In winter, the annual Carpet Fair takes place in the World Trade Center in Dubai. Woolen, silk, cotton carpets of various colors and sizes โ such a variety will amaze even the most sophisticated carpet lovers.
You can bring small rugs with national ornaments, and expensive massive carpets. The best carpets, of course, are brought here from Iran. These are real works of art, and the prices for them will be appropriate. Indian, Pakistani and Afghan carpets are in demand. Sellers will tell you about the merits of each, show you the difference between a handmade carpet and a carpet made on a loom.
Carpets can be bought in numerous shops at the Blue Market in Sharjah. Prices here start at $100 and up. There are a lot of carpet shops in Deira Tower. Do not rush to buy the first carpet you like. Walk through the old markets, look into all the shops, and you will definitely take home โyourโ carpet.
Dagger
Khanjar is the famous Arab dagger. It can be recognized immediately by the curved scabbard in which it is stored. The blade itself is also slightly curved. Usually the dagger is made of brass and copper. Men wore it on their belts to emphasize their high social status. The emirs and families close to them made khanjars of silver, gold and ivory. Such daggers are usually sold in souvenir shops, and in the Heritage Village (Abu Dhabi) you can not only see how it is made, but also make your own khanjar yourself.
It is considered a melee weapon, despite the quality of the metal from which it is made, therefore it is forbidden to transport it undeclared in luggage to the territory of our country. If you decide to take a chance and take it in the usual way, then be prepared for the fact that you may have to part not only with the souvenir itself, but also with a decent amount of money that you will give in the form of a fine.
Subha brushes
The rosary is used by representatives of many religions, and not only Eastern ones. Very often the rosary is sorted out by Orthodox Christians. However, there are certainly differences between them as well. Muslim rosaries, or subha, consist of beads that are made from certain types of wood, as well as from stones, including semi-precious and precious ones. Their number must necessarily be a multiple of 11 โ according to the number of parts in the prayer.
Usually the rosary consists of 33 or 99 beads. By sorting through the beads, a faithful Muslim keeps track of how many times a day he turned to the Almighty with a prayer, and allows him to focus on the prayer itself. Despite the fact that it is primarily a religious attribute, the rosary can serve as an excellent souvenir. You can choose from amber, jade, other stones and minerals.