Dubai: The Surreal, Real City
Expect the Unexpected
Friends who lived in the Middle East highly recommended I visit the Gold Souk (market) during my visit to Dubai. That was all the prompting needed to convince this Card-Carrying Power Shopper to put the Dubai Gold Souk at the top of my list of things to do.
I took a cab from my hotel to the main entrance of the Dubai Gold Souk, located in the business district of Deira. The cabbie dropped me off and pointed to the entrance. I felt disappointed when I saw it. My friends had given me such a sales pitch on the Gold Souk that I thought it would be an entirely different experience than other Arabian markets I had visited. Evidently not.
The Dubai Gold Souk opened in the early 1900s when a group of merchants formed a small gold trading market along the Arabian Sea on the shipping route between Africa and India. The merchant group strategically capitalized on the opportunities presented by Dubai’s ideal geographical location between gold-exporting Africa and gold-importing India. Transactions at the Dubai Gold Souk were tax-free, and the merchants earned a reputation for high standards of honesty and fair, ethical business practices.
I know better than to judge the inside by how the outside looks and I really got caught off guard on this one. Although the Gold Souk looked unassuming from the outside, the interior was in a league all of its own. It was a consortium of retailers selling gold jewelry and creations of every type imaginable and beyond.
The Gold Souk was an experience of sensory overload. It was mind-boggling and surreal!
My head began to swirl, droplets of sweat beaded on my forehead, and my heart started thumping. Oh my goodness! Look at ALL THE GOLD! Everywhere I turned, there were gaudy amounts of yellow ore shining under illuminating spotlights. Behind storefront window after window, TONS of GOLD necklaces, bracelets, bangles, jewelry, coins, sculptures, and adornments beckoned for shoppers to take a closer look. It was overwhelming, el dorado overload! Gold heaven on earth.
Although I’m a Card-Carrying Power Shopper Extraordinaire who can drive a hard bargain no matter what the situation, the Dubai Gold Souk blew the stuffing out of me! This was not your ordinary elaborate large-scale flea market! I was awestruck as I pondered my options.
I stood in the middle of the Gold Souk, gawking like a STUNNED BUNNY.
With 380 vendors, The Dubai Gold Souk has more retailers than the Houston Galleria - the largest shopping complex in Texas. The obvious difference is that ALL the vendors in the Gold Souk sell jewelry or products made from precious metals. Because the United Emirates Government strictly regulates the authenticity of the gold sold in the Gold Souk, Dubai gold is recognized globally for its purity.
Gold products are sold by weight, based on the current price of gold; then, merchants and consumers negotiate the prices paid on the workmanship of products. Merchants continue to exercise the same level of integrity and ethical business practices that Dubai Gold Traders were known for in the early 1900s.
I shook off my STUNNED BUNNY gawking episode and prepared to engage in some serious gold negotiations and finagling.
The object of my attention - a gold bangle. The problem was WHICH GOLD BANGLE? There were at least 100,000 gold bangles in my immediate line of vision!
“Excuse me… Can you help me? I’d like to look at that gold bangle … The 58,349th one to the right of the double-linked gold necklace, please.”
It was a first. I’ve never been defeated as a Power Shopper Extraordinaire, but the Dubai Gold Souk kicked my butt! It defied reason and bombarded me with sensory overload. My negotiation skills became more like putty in the hands of the vendor because my gold-dusted perspective clouded my ability to be on top of my game. In the end, I got a nice bangle and a ring for a pittance compared to what I would pay in the US.
Today, Dubai is a global leader in the gold trading industry, second only to the London OTC (Over-the-Counter) market. Up to 40% of the world’s gold is traded through Dubai. Last year, 2,057 metric tonnes of gold were traded in Dubai, generating $129 billion in sales.
A visit to the City of Gold would not be complete without going up the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa. The skyscraper is an architectural masterpiece - built on a foundation anchored 164 feet (50 meters) below ground level, the unique structure extends upward 163 stories for an impressive 828 meters (2,717 feet).
I went whole-hog and bought the VIP ticket that would give me access to the lounge on the 148th floor. My whole-hog ticket also entitled me to access to the VIP reception, guided tour, and private elevator access.
I arrived at the designated place at the designated time for the VIP reception.
I anticipated as VIPs we would receive a warm welcome from a congenial Emirati host dressed in traditional Arab attire who was the in-house expert on the Burj Khalifa. While sampling local pastries and sipping robust Arabic coffee, we would be showered with volumes of mind-boggling fascinating information about the architectural phenomenon we were about to ascend.
WRONG.
No one, aside from my fellow VIPs, was in sight. The other five VIPs all sat side-by-side on the couch like ducks in a row. I took the only remaining seat, a chair facing all five VIP Couch-Ducks. I felt conspicuously like the center of attention sitting on the hot seat.
The VIP Couch-Ducks looked at me, and I looked at them. They tried to act like they weren’t looking at me, and I tried to act like I wasn’t looking at them. No one acknowledged anyone else.
“Oh wow! This is weird and awkward. Surely this isn’t all there is to the VIP reception before we go to the top of the Burj Khalifa? Is anyone hosting this bizarre event?
Apparently not.
The Couch-Ducks looked so prim and proper, sitting lined up on that couch, silently staring at me, each with their neatly folded hands in front of them. Given that all eyes were on me, I contemplated breaking the ice by saying, “For the record, if you ever run into a grizzly bear, don’t stare at it the way you’re staring at me unless you want to kiss your backside goodbye!” On second thought, I decided to remain silent and forego trying to up the tempo of this nutty “reception” with the VIP Couch-Ducks and the phantom Emirati host.
For this I paid a VIP premium price. Amusement comes in many forms.
There was a quick flurry of activity as an Emirati guide rushed into the reception area and directed the VIP Couch-Ducks and me toward the world’s fastest elevator. Traveling at 10 meters per second, we arrived at the 148th floor of the Burj Khalifa in 60 seconds. The Couch-Ducks and I parted ways at the top.
The Burj Khalifa was designed by world-renowned American architect Adrian Devaun Smith. Designing a skyscraper of such extreme height was a spectacular feat with many obstacles, most notably the formation of dangerous wind vortexes at the top of the structure. To counteract this phenomenon and enhance the structural integrity of the building, Smith designed the Burj Khalifa in a “Y” shape with multiple tiers to manage winds and disrupt the organization of wind vortexes. The unique design of the Burj Khalifa minimizes the sway of the superstructure on the top floors and prevents the formation of dangerous wind tunnels from gaining momentum and causing harm. Down on the ground level, if the earth rattles and rolls beneath the massive building, it is designed to withstand seismic disturbances as well.
From an architectural perspective, Smith’s creation is a feat of brilliance. From a visual perspective, it is a magnificent creation of architectural beauty.
Exhilarating opportunities await the most daring and adventurous workers at the Burj Khalifa. The super-skyscraper employs 36 window washers to keep its 24,348 windows sparkling clean and glistening in the bright Arabian sunlight. Window washers are paid $820 to $1,090 USD per month plus health insurance and travel reimbursement. Successful candidates must have high-rise window cleaning experience, safety procedures and equipment training, and Certification by the International Window Cleaning Association.
Qualified candidates from around the globe apply for the opportunities to strap into harnesses and dangle around the outside windows of the Burj Khalifa, two thousand feet above ground level, armed with squeegees and buckets of glass cleaner. It takes four months to clean all the windows, and then the whole process starts again. It is the TOP DOG of all window cleaning jobs.
I pulled a few daring stunts of my own while I was at the top. Thank goodness I overcame my fear of heights several years ago.
The view from the top of the Burj Khalifa is similar to looking out the window of an airplane as it slowly descends toward an airport to land. Modern buildings and beautiful turquoise waterways were visible throughout the central city. Despite its rapid growth and development, the city quickly gave way to dry desert sands to the east and north of the central area — a reminder that Dubai was built in the Arabian Desert and water was a precious resource.
After a few hours of observation, I took the world’s fastest elevator back down to the ground level. The sun had dropped below the horizon and a choreographed light and water show was scheduled to start right away at the Burj Khalifa fountains. I followed the crowds and sat down on a ledge to watch the show. It was impossible to see the fountains through the dense wall of people. Suddenly the lights on the Burj Khalifa sprang to life, and the impact was breathtaking. The giant surreal skyscraper could be seen for miles and miles.
It was a sight to behold! And a spectacular close to a memorable day in the City of Gold.
Excellent post, Lois. I wish that I could overcome my fear of heights vicariously here!
Awesome images and descriptions, Lois. That gold souk area looks incredible. Re: the Burj Khalifa, such an amazing feat of engineering. I used to work with Samsung C&T (Construction & Trading) in South Korea and they managed the construction phases of the Burj project. Such a fascinating project to learn from the engineering side of things too!