Around Middle East: Part Eight

All that glitters is indeed gold in Dubai 

14.12.2024: Tour Day Three 

I woke up at 7am and had breakfast with Neha at 8:30am. Fellow travellers were clicking photos for memories. We left the hotel at 9:15am and reached the Gold Souk at 10am. The bus was parked away from the main market. We had to walk our way to the souk.

The Gold Souk is arabic word for Gold Market. Souks are a traditional part of many Arab and Middle Eastern cities, known for their vibrant atmosphere, diverse goods, and often specialized sections. A Gold Souk is a market that primarily specializes in the trading of gold jewelry, precious metals, and sometimes other gems like diamonds and silver. These markets can range from traditional, bustling alleyways filled with numerous gold shops to souvenirs and perfumes shops.

We started with Megnaas gold shop. I am not a shopping enthusiast so I walked through the whole shop and was sitting on a chair, waiting for Neha and MJ. Then we explored the Red Mountain shop for chocolates, dryfruits, etc. We were allowed to taste as many flavours as possible. The chocolate was not peanut size but an egg size. We bought chocolates, kunafa, baklava etc. Done with the shopping, we headed to watch the golden ring which was at the end of gate 3. On the way to the ring, Neha shopped for some souvenirs. A market full of gold shops with no security. It was amazing! Now the search for the gold ring began. Our imagination of the ring and the actual ring was different. Never mind we are humans after all. 

Star of Taiba 

It refers to the Najmat Taiba, which holds the Guinness World Record for being the largest gold ring in the world. Approximately 64 kilograms of 21-carat gold. Studded with 5.1 kilograms of precious stones and diamonds, as well as 615 Swarovski crystals. It took 55 workers 45 days, working 10 hours daily, to create this massive piece. It is seen as a testament to the ambition and wealth of the UAE, capturing global attention as an extraordinary piece of jewelry. It also reflects the cultural importance of gold in Middle Eastern society as a symbol of prosperity and achievement.

Concluding with the gold ring search, we headed back to the gate 3 entrance and shopped for the perfumes at Fakruddin Perfumes. My job was just to occupy a seat and enjoy the fragrance of the multiple perfumes, oud, musk, blends which Neha and MJ were trying out. Done with the shopping, we walked to the bus and headed to the Landmark hotel for lunch. Few travellers were left behind at the gold shop due to transaction issues. They joined the venue after a while. 

We had lunch at Pistaha restaurant at 1:30pm and headed to our hotel by 2pm. It took around 30 minutes to reach the hotel, change to white dresses and assemble at the reception for the Desert Safari. More on this in next post.