From the glitter of gold stalls in Dubai’s Gold Souk to the dry, resinous smoke of oud that hangs above lanes in Deira, the United Arab Emirates is a place you taste and touch as much as you see.

Walk the wind-swept salt flats of the Liwa Oasis, feel the palm fibres under your fingers in Abu Dhabi’s Heritage Village, or stand beneath the carved wooden mashrabiya of Al Fahidi – each landscape and market carries its own material memory and artisanal voice.

I collected a few of the best local finds, practical picks for anyone who wants to take a piece of the Emirates home as meaningful souvenirs.

Here’s what to buy in United Arab Emirates to bring a piece of its spirit back home.

1. Gold Jewelry

Why pick this up:
Gold is woven into Emirati life — wedding trousseaus, gifts and everyday adornment — and nowhere is that more visible than the narrow alleys of Dubai’s Gold Souk where neckpieces and bangles gleam under warm lamps. A finely worked gold piece is both wearable art and a portable investment tied to local tastes for filigree and arabesque motifs.

What to look for:
Check for clear hallmarks (18k, 21k, 22k) and ask for a certificate of authenticity; inspect clasps and soldering for solid workmanship. Look for regional designs—Arabic calligraphy, crescent motifs or Nakhla palm patterns—rather than mass-produced, stamped pieces.

Price bracket (2025):
د.إ150–د.إ15,000

Where to find it:
Dubai Gold Souk (Deira), Gold & Diamond Park, luxury jewellery districts and major malls.

2. Oud & Bakhoor (Agarwood Incense)

Why pick this up:
The resinous, smoky richness of oud—often called “liquid gold”—is central to Emirati hospitality and fills homes and souks with an almost tangible sense of place. Bakhoor chips and concentrated oud oils capture the desert’s resinous, woody scent in a way perfume sprays cannot.

What to look for:
Prefer single-origin oud chips or pure oil (attar) with a listed concentration; avoid heavily diluted blends that smell synthetic. Ask for small test burners to try the aroma on cotton before buying.

Price bracket (2025):
د.إ30–د.إ3,000

Where to find it:
Deira Spice Souk, perfumeries in historical Al Fahidi and airport duty-free shops.

3. Dates & Date Products

Why pick this up:
Dates are the Gulf’s culinary signature — from the tawny palms of Liwa to boutique gift boxes sold in malls — and they tell the story of oasis agriculture and Emirati hospitality. Specialty items like filled dates, date syrup and artisanal date spreads make excellent edible keepsakes.

What to look for:
Seek Emirati varieties such as Khalas with clear labelling, sealed packaging and minimal preservatives; vacuum-packed boxes extend shelf life. Premium gift tins often indicate higher-grade hand-sorted fruit.

Price bracket (2025):
د.إ15–د.إ200

Where to find it:
Bateel counters, Deira markets, Ripe Market and airport gourmet stores.

4. Sadu Weaving (Bedouin Textiles)

Why pick this up:
Sadu weaving — bold geometric patterns made by Bedouin women — is a living textile tradition in Sharjah and across the Gulf, carrying stories of nomadic life in stripe and weave. A sadu cushion, throw or bag is tactile history: coarse wool, vivid dyes and purposeful irregularities.

What to look for:
Look for natural dyes, hand-loom irregularities and Sadu House certification or artisan attribution to ensure authenticity. Machine-printed “sadu” patterns lack the texture and slight asymmetry of true handwoven pieces.

Price bracket (2025):
د.إ100–د.إ2,500

Where to find it:
Sadu House (Sharjah), Al Fahidi neighbourhood craft stalls, Sharjah heritage festivals and artisan bazaars.

5. Cultured Pearls

Why pick this up:
Before oil, the Arabian Gulf’s pearling industry sustained coastal communities; today, pearls are a wearable reminder of that history and glow with the sea’s soft nacre. A well-selected pearl strand or pendant reflects the ancestral skill of local divers and traders.

What to look for:
Request a certificate that shows whether pearls are natural or cultured, inspect luster and surface for blemishes, and compare colors and matching of strands. Higher-quality Gulf pearls often command premium prices but carry a strong local provenance.

Price bracket (2025):
د.إ200–د.إ20,000

Where to find it:
Gold Souk, high-end jewellers in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, museum shops showcasing pearling history.

6. Arabic Coffee Set (Dallah & Finjan)

Why pick this up:
The dallah (traditional Arabic coffee pot) and tiny finjan cups are as much about ritual as function; brewing gahwa with cardamom is a hospitality practice you can recreate at home. The gleam of brass or copper and the chime of porcelain cups make this a sensorial souvenir.

What to look for:
Choose solid brass or copper dallahs with sturdy spouts and hand-engraved details; ensure small finjan cups and a spice container (for cardamom) come as a set. Lightweight, cheaply stamped pots are common — prefer pieces with weight and artisanal finishing.

Price bracket (2025):
د.إ75–د.إ1,200

Where to find it:
Heritage Village Abu Dhabi, Souk Al Bahar, Al Fahidi craft stalls and specialist homeware souks.

7. Camel-Milk Chocolates & Cosmetics

Why pick this up:
Camel-milk chocolate and camel-milk skincare are novel, regionally rooted products that reflect pastoral life on the peninsula and the region’s agricultural innovation. The milk lends a creamy, slightly tangy note to chocolates and a silky texture to lotions.

What to look for:
Buy from reputable producers with clear ingredient lists and storage instructions; check for proper refrigeration history in market stalls. Look for UAE-origin labels if you want a local-producer story.

Price bracket (2025):
د.إ25–د.إ180

Where to find it:
Specialty food counters, Global Village, airport duty-free and curated makers at Ripe Market.

8. Spices & Regional Blends

Why pick this up:
Walk through Deira’s Spice Souk and you’ll understand how scents layered in kitchens shape local cuisine — saffron, loomi (dried lime), sumac and baharat are staples. A jar of whole spices or a hand-mixed blend will return home with an olfactory memory of the souk.

What to look for:
Prefer whole spices (threads of saffron, whole cardamom pods) in airtight packaging; avoid loose, dusty bins for pricier items. Ask sellers about origin and storage; good saffron should be orange-red and richly aromatic.

Price bracket (2025):
د.إ10–د.إ400

Where to find it:
Deira Spice Souk, Blue Souk (Sharjah), local marketplaces and spice stalls across historic districts.

9. Mabkhara (Incense Burner) and Brassware

Why pick this up:
A mabkhara — the carved burner used for bakhoor — is both decorative and functional, a graceful way to fill your home with Dubai’s smoky-frankincense atmosphere. Brass and copperware items also reflect traditional metalworking found in Gulf homes.

What to look for:
Choose burners with a removable charcoal tray and solid construction; hand-etched motifs or filigree vents are signs of craft. Beware thin, stamped imitations that dent easily.

Price bracket (2025):
د.إ40–د.إ900

Where to find it:
Souk Madinat Jumeirah, Al Fahidi artisans, heritage markets and brassware stalls.

10. Palm-Frond Crafts (Barasti Weaving)

Why pick this up:
Palm-frond baskets, mats and decorative items speak to the Emirates’ oldest building and craft tradition — palms were once the backbone of everyday material culture. These simple, scented weaves bring a direct tactile connection to palm oases and coastal villages.

What to look for:
Inspect tight, even weaving using date-palm fibre and natural, undyed tones; a slight scent of palm indicates fresh, traditional weaving. Avoid plastic versions that mimic the look but not the feel.

Price bracket (2025):
د.إ20–د.إ250

Where to find it:
Heritage Village Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah craft stalls, weekend artisan markets.

11. Perfume Oils (Attar & Concentrates)

Why pick this up:
Concentrated perfume oils — rich with oud, amber, rose and musk — are a deeply local way to carry personal scent with lasting intensity. They are used on fabrics and pulse points and form an olfactory signature of the Emirates.

What to look for:
Select alcohol-free attars with clear ingredient listings and good packaging; test on a scent strip and let oils settle for an hour to judge true notes. Beware of cheap sprays claiming to be pure oil.

Price bracket (2025):
د.إ25–د.إ1,200

Where to find it:
Perfume souks, duty-free outlets and specialist perfumeries in historic quarters.

Tip: Pack delicate glass, brass and pearls carefully in hand luggage and check UAE export rules for food items before you leave 🛍️

Local Shopping Culture & Traditions

Markets in the United Arab Emirates are living theaters: the Gold Souk’s glittering corridors, Deira’s spice‑perfumed lanes, Sharjah’s Sadu House exhibitions and Abu Dhabi’s Heritage Village all reflect different threads of Emirati life.

Bargaining is customary in traditional souks and at open‑air stalls (a friendly, expectant back‑and‑forth), while fixed prices are the norm in malls and branded boutiques.

Weekends bring maker markets like Ripe Market and Global Village’s seasonal pavilions, and craft villages in Ras Al Khaimah and Al Ain host artisans demonstrating palm‑weaving, pottery and sadu weaving.

Cultural influences run from Bedouin nomadism (textiles and palm crafts) to coastal pearling (pearls and mother‑of‑pearl inlays) and long trading ties with Persia, India and the Levant (spices and perfumery).

Many sellers are second‑generation traders; asking about provenance often yields a short story linking object, maker and place.

How to Spot Genuine Local Souvenirs

Look for materials and maker signs: genuine oud is dense, resinous and uneven in color; true sadu textiles show small irregularities in weave and natural-dye variation; real Gulf pearls have a soft, layered luster and often come with a certificate.

For metalwork, weigh the piece – brass and copper have a solid heft  and inspect joins and engraving for handwork rather than laser printing.

With foods, buy vacuum-sealed, dated packages from reputable stalls or certified brands; whole spices and saffron threads should be intact and aromatic, not dusty.

Avoid overly glossy, very cheap items sold in bulk at Karama-style markets if you want authentic craft, ask where and by whom an item was made.

Where to Shop in United Arab Emirates

• Deira Spice Souk and Dubai Gold Souk (Dubai)
• Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood and Souk Al Bahar (Dubai)
• Blue Souk (Central Market) and Sadu House (Sharjah)
• Abu Dhabi Heritage Village and Corniche markets (Abu Dhabi)
• Global Village and Ripe Market (seasonal, Dubai)
• Ras Al Khaimah craft villages and weekend artisan bazaars
• Dubai and Abu Dhabi airport duty‑free for perfumes, dates and packaged gifts

FAQs

Q: Are shopping prices in the UAE high?
A: Prices vary widely — luxury goods and branded items are expensive, while traditional souk finds like spices and palm crafts can be very affordable; bargaining can reduce prices in traditional markets.

Q: Is bargaining common in the UAE?
A: Yes, bargaining is expected in traditional souks and with independent stallholders but not in malls or branded stores; start around 20–30% below the asking price and be polite.

Q: How can I tell if food items are allowed through customs?
A: Check your airline and destination country rules first; buy commercially packaged, sealed items with ingredient lists and expiry dates, and declare fresh or processed foods at customs if required.

Pack a sense of curiosity and wander the souks and craft fairs of the United Arab Emirates to discover meaningful souvenirs.

Let me know in the comments if you have any other top ‘what to buy’ ideas!

About the Author

Colin is the founder of SouvenirsIdeas.com and a passionate traveller with a soft spot for ceramics, markets, and food tours. He writes practical, first-hand guides to help you bring home souvenirs that actually mean something — not just more clutter!