Shopping at the Meena Bazar in Dubai




In this article you can learn about:

– Where is Meena Bazaar in Dubai
– Meena Bazaar on the map
– History of the Meena Bazaar
– Opening hours
– Jewelry and diamond shops
– Where to grab a bite
– Driving around the Meena Bazaar
– A day at the Meena Bazar

Where is Meena Bazaar in Dubai?

Meena Bazaar is a shopping area located close to Khalid Bin Waleed Street in Bur Dubai. You can get there by car there are several parking lots in the area but getting a parking space is like hitting the jackpot.

For a more stress free shopping at the Meena Bazaar use the public transportation network. You can easily get there by bus, C7 stops at the Faheidi, Roundabout or use the Dubai Metro and get off at Al Fahidi Metro Station 2 on the green line.


Meena Bazaar Map

Here is a map to quickly find the Meena Bazaar in Dubai



The short history of the Meena Bazaar

Meena Bazaar was originally called Cosmos Lane, but taxi drivers in Dubai began calling it Meena Bazaar because of the many  well-dressed mannequins of the textile stores on Al Fahidi street resembled Delhi’s Meena Bazaar. In the 1970s a shop in Bur Dubai changed its name from Shardha Trading to Meena Bazaar, and the title caught on from there. Today Meena Bazaar is a perfect option for old-fashioned shopping in Dubai.

Opening hours at the Meena Bazaar in Dubai

If you would like to go on a shopping spree at the Meena Bazaar in Dubai please note that shops are open from Saturday to Thursday between 08:00 GST and 23:59 GST, Friday from 14:00 Gulf Standard Time until midnight.

Shops are closed daily during lunch break usually lasting 30 minutes to an hour. Please note also that during the Ramadan the working hours in the UAE are reduced by two hours per day.


Jewelry & diamond shops

The first jewellery shop in Meena Bazaar area opened in 1982 after several gold stores from Deira Gold Souq moved to the area for cheaper rents. Today the Meena Bazaar shopping area is full of diamond and gold shops where you can buy jewelry at half price.

Food and drink at the Meena Bazaar

Sometimes shopping around can be exhausting. But don’t worry, there are plenty of coffee shops and restaurants in Bur Dubai where you can recharge your batteries, taste the oriental cuisine and drink a cup of hot coffee.

Rangoli Restaurant Bur Dubai

The Rangoli is a vegetarian restaurant at the heart of the Meena Bazaar serving Gujarati buffet, South Indian dishes and fresh juices. A perfect spot for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Location

Meena Bazar (Cosmos Lane)
51375 Dubai
United Arab Emirates


Driving around the Meena Bazaar – VIDEO

Meena Bazaar is a shopping area not a single souq or bazaar it’s rather a conglomerate of shopping streets in Bur Dubai. Come take a drive with us.

A day at the Meena Bazar

I am not so fond of being in crowded places, but that day, I was compelled to be at the Meena Bazar Bur Dubai a popular market in Dubai.

It all started on a Thursday evening, when my brother came to my place and we were planning to buy wedding clothes for him online. In spite of trying to convince him to get his accurate measurements from a local tailor so that we could order them, he did not heed my advice. Therefore, the following day, we decided to search for a wedding suit for him, as well as bridesmaid clothes for my four-year old daughter.



Meena Bazaar in Bur Dubai

That Friday, being a weekend in Dubai, all shops were to open at around four in the afternoon. Meena Bazar, located in Bur Dubai area, was about forty minutes drive from my residence. So, I set off at around three o’clock, with Beenal and Pravesh. On the way, we chatted, listened to music in the car and Pravesh was so excited that he kept on checking his long list to see if he had missed anything.

I looked at him, a bit irritated, when he uttered happily, “Come on, it’s the first time I am getting married!’’

“It better be the last!’’ I replied.



Soon we could hear ourselves laughing to the top of our voice. I always loved to be around my only brother. We were in separable since childhood and until now we still are. We consider ourselves lucky to have been able to move to Dubai in 2005, on the same flight, with the same company. Meanwhile, Beenal was busy admiring the skyscrapers on the famous Sheikh Zayed Road. At four, she was smart enough to know some of the names of the buildings- like Burj Al Arab, Burj Khalifa.

Finally we reached Bur Dubai and now we had to hunt for a free parking space. Parking was one of the reasons I hated to be there. I drove round and about and when I could not find any space, I decided to look for paid parking, which I managed to spot. As we got down from the car to wander, we saw that the narrow streets were already congested with bicycles, cars and people. But what I liked about Meena Bazaar, was that it was so lively, with people speaking different languages and of different nationalities; Indians, Pakistanis, Arabs, Africans, Afghanis, to name a few. There were so many shops where you could purchase clothes for all occasions, jewelries in unique models, shoes of different designs, tapestries like those in the fairy tales of “Aladdin and the Lamp” and foods from international cuisines.



However, there were many hawkers who would be following you and requesting you to buy stuffs which were supposedly branded, but a very low cost. There would be items like ‘leather’ watches, bags, shoes and reputed designers’ sunglasses.

Nonetheless, we managed to find a shop where we could buy all the stuffs we were looking for all-in-one place how time-saving it was! Although bargaining was not authorized, we managed to get discounts and high class service for being ‘good’ buyers.

On the other hand, seeing Beenal so overwhelmed at discovering a totally new environment made me also feel quite comfortable, as it was something different from our routine-like an adventure. So, from that day onwards, I decided that I would visit Meena Bazar again, only when it would be required.