If you’re traveling to Dubai and want to buy the traditional abaya for yourself or a loved one, but don’t know where to find a good, then look no further than Al Mamzar Centre. The abaya is the long dress that Emirati women, Arab women and in fact Muslim women wear. It is rooted to the religion of Islam because it is something that is considered modest and covers the necessary parts that need to be covered in public. There are some places you can go to to buy an abaya, but essentially it is quite difficult to locate in the country. There’s a few shops in the souq area of the Dubai Mall, but they’re very expensive and they seem like they’re more for the elite local women. Then there’s the old Dubai souq, here the issue is that there’s not that many in concentrated areas, and they all do the same stuff essentially, which lack in quality too. So, the variety and quality is lacking there even if price wise it is decent. Step up, Al Mamzar Centre.
Al Mamzar Centre
Located near old Dubai, right next to Al Qiyadah Metro station, it is very easy to get to whether you opt to go by taxi or metro. So, why Al Mamzar Centre? As we mentioned the flaws of the most common places you’d go to for an abaya were price, quality and variety. This place has it all: price, quality and variety.
Variety: more than 80 dedicated abaya stores!!
When we got there we had no idea of what we were going to witness. The ground floor has some eateries and cafes, but the first floor is the core part of the mall and it is all dedicated to just abayas. So, essentially, this is an abaya mall!! How mad and impressive is that!? If you wear abayas, then this is literally going to be the best place you visit for shopping while you’re here. An abaya mall with more than 80 shops!! And the lovely thing is that no two store is the same. They all have their own styles and designs. They even have dedicated tailors in the malls that can tailor-make your abaya for you or adjust existing ready-made abayas for you. The options here seem endless, literally.
Quality
Due to the presence of tailors, the quality is top tier here. Most if not all are actually abayas that have been tailor-made by local tailors. So, you know you’re getting something that is specially made and not bulk made in a factory somewhere in China. With this high level quality, you’re probably thinking and assuming the price will be equally handsome, think again…
Price
When we were there and from the shops we entered, we saw that the prices ranged from around 80 AED to 150 AED, generally speaking. There were some that were more of course, with prices of 200 and 300 being quoted. This depends on quality and style. But the prices are very reasonable if you compare it to how much you’d pay for the same thing in England.
Getting there:
Google Maps Location link: click here
