worn by men in the Gulf States), grab yours
at this ageing mall. The place to shop for
national dress, it offers stylish abayas (full-
length black robes worn by women) and
shaylas (headscarves), quality leather san-
dals, and dishdashas (men’s shirt-dresses)
in browns and greys (popular for winter).
There are also some contemporary fashion-
conscious outlets here, including French
Connection, Mexx and Guess, as well as
some excellent specialty shops selling
every thing from Arabic jewellery to hand-
woven rugs.carrefour SuperMarkeT
Map p208 (Deira City Centre, baniyas rd; h9am-
midnight Sat-Wed, 9am-1am Thu & Fri) This
enormous French hypermarket draws big
crowds of Emiratis and European expatsfor its off-the-jet-fresh seafood, foie gras,
French cheeses, freshly baked bread and
plump Arabian olives. It also stocks an
excellent selection of well-priced mobile
phones, digital cameras and electronics.
Also in the Mall of the Emirates.lush beauTy
Map p208 (Deira City Centre, baniyas rd) This
is much more than just another natural
soap and cosmetics shop, with all kinds
of organic body-beautiful products, such
as lip balms made with natural oils, foot
lotion with ginger oil and cloves, lemon
cuticle butter, coconut deodorant, vanilla
puff talc and some wonderful perfumes;
have a squirt of the orange blossom.al Washia aCCeSSorieS
Map p208 (Deira City Centre, baniyas rd) Has
all that bling got to you yet? If so, then you
can glitter along with the best of them by
picking up some accessories here, including
twinkling tiaras, jewelled hairpins, dingle-
dangle earrings, fancy clutch bags and a
few surprises, such as cushion-cover em-
broidery sets with Middle Eastern themes.ManGo Touch aCCeSSorieS
Map p208 (Deira City Centre, baniyas rd) The
stylish Spanish Mango chain has cleverly
bagged a corner of the market with this
boutique store which specialises in origi-
nal, reasonably priced bags, mostly hand-
made with prices dangling at the Dh120
mark. There are a few leather numbers
closer to the Dh600 tag.hennaHenna body tattooing is a long-standing tradition dating back 6000 years, when
central-Turkish women began painting their hands in homage to the Mother God-
dess� The practice spread throughout the eastern Mediterranean, where the henna
shrub grows wild� Today, Emirati women continue the tradition by decorating their
hands, nails and feet for special events, particularly weddings� A few nights before
the nuptials, brides-to-be are honoured with layyat al-henna (henna night)� This is a
women-only affair, part of a week of festivities leading up to the big day� The bride is
depilated, anointed head-to-toe with perfumes and oils, and shampooed with henna,
jasmine or perfume� Her hands, wrists, ankles and feet are then tattooed with intri-
cate floral designs, which typically last around six weeks� Lore has it that the duration
of the tattoos is an indication to the mother-in-law of what kind of wife the bride will
become� If she’s a hard worker – and thus a more desirable daughter-in-law – the
henna will penetrate deeper and remain longer�
Want to give it a try? Henna tents are all over the city� Look for signs depicting
henna-painted hands in Deira City Centre (Map p208), BurJuman Centre (Map p210),
Souq Madinat Jumeirah (Map p218), Jumeirah Emirates Towers (Map p216) and
hotel lobbies�besT booKs for buyinG
carpeTs̈ Oriental Rugs Today, 2nd edition,
by Emmett Eiland
̈ Persian Rugs and Carpets: The
Fabric of Life by Essie Sakhai
̈ Oriental Rugs, A Complete Guide
by Murray L Eiland
̈ The Carpet: Origins, Art and
History by Enza Milanesi
̈ Kilims: a Buyer’s Guide by Lee
Allane
̈ Tribal Rugs by James Opied
eira
Shoppin
G