While browsing through the net, chanced on a website http://www.arte.ae/ that talked about displaying and selling crafts made in the UAE. Now while the buying part was secondary, I jumped at the chance of finally seeing UAE's local culture or something that was finally going to be local!
So headed off to Times Square on a Friday, all ready to see what local stuff was on offer. ARTE stands for Artisans of Emirates, and, is essentially a diverse group of mixed cultural artists & crafters who hold regular Art & Craft Souqs at various locations across the UAE. I think I went expecting local Emirates, which in hindsight, was quite bizarre of me. Given that locals constitute some 10-12% of the Dubai population, and ARTE is intended to be multi-cultural, one should've expected people from different cultures!
I must admit it was a lovely morning. There was a bustle in the place - the entire ground floor of an otherwise quiet and deserted Time Square was buzzing! There were rows and rows of tables selling stuff from paintings, to jewellery to crocheted napkins to sand art.. I mean think of just about anything and it was perfectly possible that it would be there.
I particularly liked an Egyptian lady who did these completely funky trays. If you want a picture , a photograph, anything, she could replicate that on a tray! So if I really do not like someone, I shall have them plastered on a tray and have the pleasure of serving hot tea on that! How horribly wicked!
And I loved this one with brightly coloured tiles! I bought 4 of these to put on my garden wall and they look absolutely fabulous!
There were some tables selling some really gorgeous photo prints of the dessert.
And if all that walking and browsing gets the gastric juices going, there some lovely coffee, sandwiches and massive muffins at Caribou Coffee! Its a great place to sit and watch the souq in action, people browsing excited at some interested find, but for me the best part of the souq was stopping and chatting with the artisans! Its amazing how many of them have been around for a very long time, and then people say this is an itinerant place?
ARTE is held on the 1st Friday of the month at the Festival City and on the 2nd Friday of every month at Times Square.
Times Square Centre : November 11th, 2011 and December 9th, 2011
Phone: 04-3418020
Dubai Festival City : November 4th, 2011 and December 2nd, 2011
Phone: 800 33232
So headed off to Times Square on a Friday, all ready to see what local stuff was on offer. ARTE stands for Artisans of Emirates, and, is essentially a diverse group of mixed cultural artists & crafters who hold regular Art & Craft Souqs at various locations across the UAE. I think I went expecting local Emirates, which in hindsight, was quite bizarre of me. Given that locals constitute some 10-12% of the Dubai population, and ARTE is intended to be multi-cultural, one should've expected people from different cultures!
I must admit it was a lovely morning. There was a bustle in the place - the entire ground floor of an otherwise quiet and deserted Time Square was buzzing! There were rows and rows of tables selling stuff from paintings, to jewellery to crocheted napkins to sand art.. I mean think of just about anything and it was perfectly possible that it would be there.
I particularly liked an Egyptian lady who did these completely funky trays. If you want a picture , a photograph, anything, she could replicate that on a tray! So if I really do not like someone, I shall have them plastered on a tray and have the pleasure of serving hot tea on that! How horribly wicked!
And I loved this one with brightly coloured tiles! I bought 4 of these to put on my garden wall and they look absolutely fabulous!
There were some tables selling some really gorgeous photo prints of the dessert.
And if all that walking and browsing gets the gastric juices going, there some lovely coffee, sandwiches and massive muffins at Caribou Coffee! Its a great place to sit and watch the souq in action, people browsing excited at some interested find, but for me the best part of the souq was stopping and chatting with the artisans! Its amazing how many of them have been around for a very long time, and then people say this is an itinerant place?
ARTE is held on the 1st Friday of the month at the Festival City and on the 2nd Friday of every month at Times Square.
Times Square Centre : November 11th, 2011 and December 9th, 2011
Phone: 04-3418020
Dubai Festival City : November 4th, 2011 and December 2nd, 2011
Phone: 800 33232
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