New traditional souq opens in Deira

Hussain Nasser Lootah, Director-General of Dubai Municipality, has announced that the new "Traditional Souq" in Naif, Deira, will be opened at the beginning of January 2014. "The construction of the Traditional Souq is aimed at maintaining the traditional values of the country and our forefathers, creating an environment of culture and memories for the new generation. The new souq incorporates the modern facilities with the help of advanced technology in line with best practices in the field of preserving heritage and traditional landmarks," he said. "This will be an exotic market to sell and buy anything traditional, with unique facilities and specifications that will adorn the City of Dubai in days to come. The Architectural Heritage Department at Dubai Municipality is busy with preparations for launching of the new souq in an ever memorable way," he explained. Having reviewed the final touches of the projects, Lootah has expressed his delight and appreciation of the team of the Architectural Heritage Department for designing the market. Rashad Bukash, Director of Architectural Heritage Department said, the civic body would make the souq a traditional business landmark of the country with which the City of Dubai can be proud of its heritage and tradition. "The market is expected to be a milestone in the history of the urban development carried out by the civic body in the emirate of Dubai, which would definitely add a new destination for tourists and visitors commemorating the past for generations to come," Bukash said. Khalifa Abdullah Hareb, Director of Assets Management Department, said, "The market, built on 6,125 sq.m. includes 98 shops, a traditional restaurant, a cafeteria for traditional snacks, a prayer hall for women, in addition to internal and external squares for kiosks, folk celebrations and festivals and a Friday market. "It also includes shops dedicated to selling Arabic perfumes, national and Arabic clothing, tools, equipment for land and sea travel, ornaments, coins, jewellery and other products, such as handicrafts, old books, carpets, porcelain, ancient weapons, local souvenirs, local sweets, dates, popular cuisine, spices, old photos, in addition to a studio to take photos with traditional backgrounds," Hareb said.