Blue Souk

Explore more than 600 shops across two wings at one of the UAE’s largest and most photographed traditional markets, also known as souks.  

Located in the emirate of Sharjah, between King Faisal Road and Khalid Lagoon and overlooking the beautiful Al Jazeera Park and Buheira Corniche, this was the first building in the UAE to represent a modern shopping centre. Thanks to its decorative tiles, the unusual 40-year-old structure is also known as the Blue Souk, and it takes pride of place on the UAE’s AED5 note.  

Made up of two long, parallel domed buildings connected by indoor bridges, the souk’s ground floor is home to a plethora of gold and silver shops, whose window displays shimmer with cascades of finely crafted jewellery. You’ll find fashion and clothing brands, too, while arts, crafts, curios, traditional coffee pots and home ornaments from across the Arab world, India and Pakistan can be found in the galleries upstairs.  

If you’re on the hunt for handmade Persian carpets and kilims from Kashmir and Afghanistan, this is an excellent place to look – and the shop owners, in true regional style, are more than happy to invite you for a tea or coffee in the promise of a sale. 

The building itself is impressive, and its large windows at either end flood the space with light, providing an airy, spacious place to shop throughout the day.