Souvenirs from the Dubai Airport
If you’re traveling to the Dubai Airport anytime soon, you’ll be walking into some of the best stores around to purchase souvenirs. It’s relatively easy to buy generic gifts from the usual types of souvenir shops. However, if you are the type of person who values bringing back unique gifts for friends and loved ones, then you’ll want to know more about the Dubai Airport so you can plan your souvenir shopping.
Can you purchase souvenirs from the Dubai Airport? Yes, you can buy a bevy of different souvenirs from Dubai Airport. Dubai is known as “the City of Gold” in the Middle East, and you can find several cultural souvenirs, like Arabian perfumes and clothes, as well as many American designer stores like Mac, Gucci, and Chanel at the airport.
Since there isn’t a lot of information available on the Internet today covering the types of souvenirs you can purchase at the Dubai Airport, we decided to create this article to help you out. Below we will start by discussing twelve amazing souvenir ideas for the Dubai airport, the best stores to shop at in the Dubai Airport, and some excellent Dubai souvenirs you can purchase at the airport.
Curious to see if there’s an American Express Lounge after you shop?
12 Amazing Souvenir Ideas for the Dubai Airport
Anytime you travel somewhere exotic, and it seems necessary to bring back souvenirs to friends and loved ones so that you can share and preserve some memories of your trip. In Dubai, you can find plenty of stylish souvenirs that will help you both preserve and share your desert adventure. Dubai has several exciting, famous elegant, and cultural shopping areas, but one of the best places to go shopping in Dubai is the Dubai Airport.
If you aren’t sure about what you can expect once you walk into the Dubai Airport, we understand. It can be overwhelming to visit this place, but once you know what’s in store for you, you can better prepare. Also, you might even not know what souvenirs to buy your friends and family. So, that’s why we created our list here below.
Since Dubai is known in the Middle East as the “City of Gold,” you’ll have the opportunity to seek out some very unique Arabic and Persian styles if you or your loved ones enjoy clothes or jewelry. To help you figure out what you’d like to purchase for your friends and loved ones, we’ll cover the top seven souvenir ideas that are typically purchased at the Dubai Airport.
#1 Dubai Spices
Dubai has a bevy of spices you can pick from, many of them uniquely cultural to the Middle East. You’ll be able to find frankincense, citrus, and rose petal spices, with a few stores in the airport offering selections from the top spices across the globe. Also, you can bargain shop and haggle at the spice shops, so don’t forget to do that. You can purchase a few spices for friends and family, but chances are, you’ll probably want to take some home for yourself, too.
#2 Bedouin Daggers
Bedouin daggers are trendy souvenir gifts that many people visiting Dubai bring back home to friends and loved ones. Since the Bedouin dagger is unique to the Middle East and an intrinsic part of Dubai’s Bedouin roots, you can purchase a little souvenir that feels like history and culture combined in one unique-looking item.
We recommend making sure any Bedouin dagger you want to purchase has a made-in-UAE stamp or seal on it. That’s because the blades that are made in the UAE faithfully represent the original historical tradition and are made with silver and real gold plating. The made-in-UAE daggers resemble what ancient tribal leaders used to use. Plus, you can also get a frame to keep and preserve the blade.
#3 Cultural Embroidered Purses
Throughout the airport, you’ll see plenty of cultural clothing accessories made with traditional Arabic calligraphy and combined with European leatherwork techniques. Some of these purses also feature humanitarian messages and raise money for humanitarian efforts throughout the Middle East.
Much of the embroidery detailing you’ll see on these purses is done by hand by refugees living locally so they can support their families and generate income, but also to keep their cultural artistry and skills alive. So, you can purchase a lovely souvenir that is a charitable endeavor as well if you decide to get an embroidered purse.
#4 Arabian Perfumes
Another great, unique gift idea is a bottle of elegant, Arabian perfume. If you purchase a bottle for yourself at the start of your trip and wear it daily, you’ll scent your memories with your new fragrance. That way, you can pick up a few bottles for yourself and your loved ones before you return home, and whenever you smell that perfume, you’ll remember the many adventures you took during your trip to Dubai.
There are several famous Middle Eastern perfumes available at the Dubai Airport, including Amber Aoud perfume from Roja Parfums. We recommend this scent because it is both sweet and spicy and has elements of Arabian culture present in the smell. However, this perfume is very light, so it might not be for everybody.
If you prefer heavier scents or you know people that do, then try something from Swiss Arabian, who creates many famous fragrances, and all of them are uniquely Arabian by smell. If you opt for something from Swiss Arabian, our favorite is an oud oil combined with Turkish rose as well as jasmine.
#5 Anything Camel
In Dubai, camel milk is trendy, and you’ll find a bevy of treats that are made from camel milk. Many souvenir shoppers leave the Dubai airport with camel milk chocolates, which is something you can purchase for yourself or gift to that chocolate lover back home. Al Nassma is one brand of chocolate using camel milk that you can find at the Dubai Airport.
The chocolates from Al Nassma are decadent and tasteful. They also come in gorgeous gift boxes and feature a wide variety of flavors, including everything from milk to dates, cocoa, and Arabian spices. Of course, all of that makes this chocolate uniquely Arabian, which is one of the reasons why it makes such a great souvenir for the chocolate lover you know back home.
However, if you don’t like chocolate or you know your loved one isn’t a big fan, you can also purchase some handmade soap featuring camel milk at the Dubai Airport, too. These soaps come from the Camel Soap Factor, made in Dubai, and feature 25% camel milk, which is supposed to be great for your skin. You can pick from several different fragrances like sweet orange, lemongrass, rosemary, and cinnamon.
#6 Neck Adornments: Jewelry and Scarfs
If you love jewelry or you know somebody that does, then you’re in luck. At the Dubai Airport, you can find several unique diamonds, gold, and gem pieces. You’ll come across a few beautiful jewelry stores with gorgeous window displays. In these stores, you’ll be able to find anything you can imagine, from an engagement ring to a unique gold necklace featuring a UAE-inspired charm. If you decide to purchase gold, remember that the price of gold is set in Dubai, so you don’t have a lot of room to haggle.
However, if you find the price of jewelry to be out of your budget or you aren’t that interested in gems in the first place, don’t worry. You can find a bevy of unique, handmade silk scarfs throughout the Dubai Airport with beautiful Arabesque calligraphy on them. Scarfs are much cheaper than precious gems and uniquely Middle Eastern.
#7 Personalized Hats
Once you get to Dubai, you’ll undoubtedly feel like you are in the middle of a summer that never ends. There is plenty of sunshine and blue skies here, so one way people choose to remember this fact is by purchasing a personalized hat. In Dubai, wide-brimmed sunhats have become extremely popular, and you can find a bevy of accessories, designs, and lettering you can use to create your hat for yourself or for somebody that you love.
You can add your name, a loved one’s name, or a favorite saying onto the hat and make it a unique gift choice. However, you don’t have to stick with only sunhats. You can also personalize Panama hats, baseball caps, and a wide variety of other hat styles. That should be good news because you should be able to find a hat in a style that just about anybody would love.
Now that we’ve given you some ideas for unique souvenirs that you can find at the Dubai Airport by listing the seven most popular souvenir items you’ll find at the Dubai Airport, we’ll cover the best stores you can shop at once you reach the Dubai Airport so you’ll know where you can find some of these ideas. As we include the shops, we’ll also be giving you more souvenir ideas.
#8 Dubai Dried Fruits
In Middle Eastern culture, dates are trendy. You’ll see dates often during Ramadan, where dates are traditionally given as gifts and eaten once the fast is completed. Dates are incredibly healthy sources of iron, calcium, magnesium, fiber, and potassium, and also provide energy-boosting health benefits. If you do decide to purchase dates at the Dubai Airport, make sure you ask for fresh, gourmet dates. That way, you know they will taste great.
Along with dates, you can also find several options in dried fruits available throughout the Dubai Airport. So, if your friend or family member loves dried bananas, mangos, apples, or anything along those lines, you should be able to find something to match that person’s palate. You can even consider buying several different dried fruits and creating a souvenir gift basket for a loved one.
#9 Persian Rugs
If you are shopping on a budget, then you might want to move past this idea. That’s because Persian rugs aren’t traditionally cheap, and are expensive for some souvenir shoppers. However, they are still worth mentioning because they are beautiful, captivating, and they do make great gifts. While a Persian rug might be too expensive for you to consider as a souvenir, if you need to buy a birthday present or Christmas gift for somebody and you want something unique, then you might justify the expense.
Since Persian rugs do require an investment, you’ll want to ensure that you know what you are looking for when you shop. That means checking on the quality and authenticity of the rug before you purchase it. However, if you are purchasing a Persian Rug from the Dubai Airport, you should wind up with something high-quality. Sometimes you can find affordable prices at the Dubai Airport on these rugs since they do go on sale quite frequently.
If you want an even more unique gift for yourself or a loved one, you can have a Persian rug specially made for yourself or somebody else. While this isn’t a cheap option, it might be a great gift idea for that special someone.
#10 Real Pashmina Shawls
Purchasing a real pashmina shawl is also another expensive gift. That’s because they are designed from cashmere that comes from the hair of goats found in South Asia. The cashmere is traditionally combined with 30% silk to create a very soft, touchable fabric. However, the design process is one of the reasons why these shawls are so expensive. However, if there is a special woman close to you, this could make an excellent, unique gift.
You can quickly test the authenticity of a pashmina shawl by pulling the entire shawl through a ring. If the wrap passes through the ring, it’s a real Pashmina shawl. If not, then the shawl is made out of viscose but being sold as if it were real pashmina.
However, if a real pashmina shawl is too expensive for you, you can buy the silk or viscose versions of these shawls. That way, you can still bring something home that is both unique and Middle Eastern, and it shouldn’t cost you too much money.
#11 Arabic Coffee Pots and Coffee
In the Middle East, there is a long tradition of coffee farming because of the existence of Arabica coffee. Now, Arabic coffee does taste quite different from the traditional western brew, but many people say the taste eventually grows on them, and they now totally embrace Arabica coffee.
You can find Arabica coffee all over Dubai Airport. If you want to purchase a small souvenir for somebody, then this coffee could be a great idea, especially if you know somebody that loves coffee. However, if you’d like to make the gift a little more extravagant, then you might want to consider also looking for copper Arabic coffee pots that would work for daily use.
These types of pots are designed and called “dallah” pots. You can utilize them for everyday use, or just as a beautiful decoration. If you are purchasing this for display only, then you can buy a cheaper set. However, if you do plan on using the Arabic coffee pot often, you should then spend a little more money on it.
#12 Hookah/Shisha Pipe
Hookah and shisha are mistakenly used interchangeably commonly, and their meanings do differ. Hookah means the pipe itself that one uses when smoking shisha. Shisha is the flavored stuff you smoke by using a hookah. People in Dubai will also use the word “shisha” when talking about the action of smoking through a hookah pipe.
In the Middle East, shisha is a popular hobby. You’ll find shisha bars everywhere in Dubai, and in there, you’ll catch some of the lovely shisha smells. At the Dubai Airport, you’ll be able to find hookah pipes and shisha for sale.
However, smoking shisha isn’t considered any safer than smoking cigarettes. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider buying a beautiful hookah if you want to keep it as a decoration or purchase one for a friend or family member.
Best Stores at the Dubai Airport
Now that we’ve covered the top twelve souvenirs, most travelers purchase at the Dubai Airport, and we’ll talk about some of the best stores at the Dubai Airport. Covering the stores in Dubai Airport should give you an idea of where in the Airport you’ll need to go to purchase some of the items you want to buy. As we review the stores, we’ll also be listing some other souvenir ideas since Dubai Airport has a bevy of great stores for you to experience.
Dubai is well-known for carrying some luxury items and is an attractive place for shoppers to frequent from all over the world. Many people come to Dubai to take part in their once-yearly month-long shopping festival. However, if you can’t make it to Dubai during that time, don’t worry. You’ll find plenty of excellent opportunities to purchase beautiful items at Dubai Airport.
While many people from the west don’t traditionally think of purchasing souvenirs at an airport as the most thoughtful idea, that’s not true of the Dubai Airport. Walking through the Dubai Airport feels somewhat similar to walking through a casino in Las Vegas with the many stores and shopping experiences that line the halls. To give you an idea of what you can expect in Dubai, we’ll cover the best stores at the Dubai airport below.
#1 Visit Al Nassma for Tasty Treats
Al Nassma camel milk chocolate is a unique souvenir idea for that special chocolate lover in your life. If you want to purchase this very Middle Eastern type of treat, you can find a Dubai Duty Free store at the Dubai Airport from Terminal 1 or 3. You can also pre-order these treats online before you get to the airport, and then pick them up.
If you feel that camel milk might not sound appealing to you or your loved one, then you can also pick up some dried dates, another food heavily associated with Middle Eastern culture. Al Nassma not only carries a wide selection of gourmet dates, but they also have several other gourmet dried fruits, too.
#2 Visit the Dubai Airport Gold Shop
Dubai is well-known for having fantastic gold souks and gorgeous gold, gem, and diamond pieces of jewelry. You’ll find a bevy of beautiful jewelry and watch choices at the Dubai Duty-Free Shop. Some brands of jewelry you’ll find here include Rolex, Cartier, Tiffany, and Bulgari. There are even gold bars up for purchase that come in 18, 22, and 24 carats. You can find these items at the Dubai Duty-Free Shop in Terminal 1 and 3.
#3 Visit Dubai World City for Coffee
Do you love coffee? Or is there somebody special in your life you want to buy a souvenir for that is addicted to coffee? If that’s the case, we’ve got some excellent news for you. You can purchase a bevy of Arabic coffee pots as well as samples of Arabic coffee at the Gifts from Dubai shop in the Airport. You’ll find this on the ground floor of Dubai World City, which is found by Gate D in the Dubai Airport’s departures lounge.
#4 Visit Dubai’s Duty-Free Store for Spirits, Wines, and Perfume
You’ll find a bevy of options in liquors, spirits, and wines at the Dubai Duty-Free. Or, you can stop at one of the Le Clos stores that are found throughout the airport. You can get a bottle engraved here, which can make an excellent souvenir gift for a loved one. You can even sample from the wines, spirits, and liquors before you buy one.
If you want something a little rarer and fancy, you can pick up a Cuban cigar or two at the La Casa de Habano, which is found at the Sheikh Rashid Terminal. Millions of cigars are purchased here every year. If you are interested in seeing the duty-free allowances based on the country, go here.
You can also find numerous high-end Arabic perfumes in the Dubai Duty-Free Shops. You can go for a classic or try something new. Fragrances are some of the best-selling products found in duty-free shops across the globe, with about 300 million dollars being spent on perfumes in duty-free shops back in 2017.
#5 Don’t Forget to Enter the Drawing
The Dubai Airport also houses a drawing where guests can enter to win a free luxury car. The Dubai Airport’s drawing first started in 1989, and nowadays, it’s the longest-running duty-free promotional event found across the globe. The drawing is limited to 1300 coupons, and it allows contestants to win a BMW, Audi, Porsche, Mercedes, or Jaguar.
Besides entering the drawing to win a luxury car, you should also consider joining the drawing to win a motorbike, an opportunity that began in 2002. Moreover, Dubai Airport houses a third drawing, which is the chance to win one million dollars. If any of these drawings are going on during your visit, don’t forget to enter!
#6 Get Some Toiletries and Medication at Terminal 3
If you need anything that’s beauty-oriented, like some toiletries, or you need some last-minute medications, you can head to Boots, a store found in Terminal 3. Boots is the largest pharmacy-led health and beauty corporation from the U.K. You’ll also find a wide variety of gift options here, since this store resembles your local drugstore or Walgreen’s, so it’s still worth checking out for some gift ideas.
#7 Thinking Chanel?
If you love Chanel or you have a loved one that does, then consider going to the Terminal 3, concourse A area, where you can find a DXB Duty-Free store selling Chanel and other name-brand products, and that’s open 24-hours. You’ll find some great perfumes, leather goods, accessories, sunglasses, and shoes here as well.
#8 Stop by Salvatore Ferragamo for Fashion
One of the several fashion shops you’ll see at Dubai Airport is the Italian luxury goods company, Salvatore Ferragamo. Inside this shop, you’ll find a bevy of shoes, leather styles, and tons of men’s and women’s name-brand fashion items. So, if you are trying to bring home a souvenir for that fashion lover, consider stopping by this store and buying what you’ll need. You’ll find the Salvatore Ferragamo store at Terminal 3, Gate A.
#9 Gucci Fashion
You’ll also find a Gucci store by Terminal 3, Concourse A, that is open at 10 AM. Inside the boutique, you’ll find a wide range of purses, bags, and accessories for both men and women. The Gucci store offers you another opportunity to pick up some name-brand fashion for that style lover in your family.
#10 MAC for Beauty
You’ll also find another well-known name brand, MAC, at Terminal 3, Gate B. If you’ve got a lover of name-brand make-up products and beauty in your family, then the MAC store is an excellent place to frequent. You’ll find plenty of cosmetics here, as well as a few in-store makeup specialists if you need any help.
Final Thoughts
After reading our article, you should have a pretty good comprehension of the types of souvenirs you’ll find at the Dubai Airport, and where you can go to purchase those souvenirs or my top 5 gifts from Dubai. Now that you’re preparing to bring back some memories for yourself, your friends, and your loved ones, you’ll know what you can find at the Dubai Airport!
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