Souks are open-air markets common in the Arabic world. It is unlikely to find any such place in Europe or the Americas.

Diera Gold Souk is one of the most happening shopping centers in Dubai.

It is a place where one gets amazed by the dazzle of gold and amused by brimming streets. It is located in the district of Old Deira.

Bustling with hordes of locals and tourists, this place is undoubtedly one of the main tourist attractions in Dubai.

Deira Gold Souk offers a wide variety of jewelry items. Emeralds, rubies, rings, bracelets, anklets and much attractive stuff could be found at the Deira Gold Souk, Dubai has it.

Available in the latest designs and with exquisite carvings, these gold items are sure to please the buyers.

The Covered Gold Souk in Deira is Dubai's most famous gold market.

Designs range from 22 carat Indian extravaganzas to delicate18 carat Italian pieces. Prices are based on weight and craftmanship and fluctuate frequently.

The Sharjah Blue Souk is another popular gold market only 15 minutes away from downtown Dubai.

There are also lots of jewelry shops in Dubai's many modern malls.

This is, after all, one of the largest retail market for gold in the world.

Dubai has streets lined up with innumerable shops selling gold jewelry.

There are more than 700 shops here, crammed with all manner of jewelery - from Western to traditional Indian.

Lots of good people watching, and prices that were the lowest we’d ever seen - including our trip to India a year before.

We also wandered through the Old Souk, which was unfortunately mostly closed since it was lunch time.

We wandered along the port (wharfage), took lots of photos of the dhows unloading and loading all kinds of goods, and then headed back to our hotel.

Owned by people of varied origins, these shops are places where you need to do heavy bargaining, and also beware of hagglers selling artificial stuff.

The price of gold is fixed for the day and tend to change from day to day-albeit slightly, in response to the world gold market.

But you will find it to be marginally cheaper than elsewhere. I think it must be because taxes are less or nil.

Though the price of gold per gram is fixed , what changes from retailer to retailer, and from jewellery to jewellery is the 'making charge'. Most shoppers, especially those from the western world are unaware of this fact. So it is on this making charge that one has to haggle.

Most sellers offer a discount when asked, especially if you are paying with cash. So it is a good idea to take some local currency with you if you are planning to make a purchase.
There are 1 or 2 exchange houses in the vicinity of the gold souk but you cant depend on their opeing times.

I went at midday and they were closed. They are supposed to be open after 5pm in the evening as it is then that there are more buyers.

Worldtravel4indians.com provides information on Diera Gold Souk, Dubai and different Shopping Centers in Dubai.