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For Antiques, All Roads Lead to ‘Trade Routes’

DUBAI — Walking through the alleyways of Trade Routes in Dubai Festival City one can enjoy the soulful strains of chords played on a traditional Oudh, while browsing through a selection of exquisite antiques, Persian carpets and traditional Arabic musical instruments.

Trade Routes is a heritage souk at Dubai Festival City that elaborates Oriental art and culture through its architecture and ambience.

It is a representation of the ancient Arabic culture of business with various neighbouring countries. Located opposite the Canal walk, one can get to Trade Routes after crossing a short bridge and be greeted by narrow corridors lined with tiny shops cluttered with antiques, carpets and small artistic commodities.

Like a typical souk environment, Trade Routes has many interior corridors criss-crossed like a maze with the end of each corridor carrying a pleasant store. Trade Routes would be the apt place to hit for antique and 
art enthusiasts.

Sinbad Antiques, an antique shop run by Bangladeshi Mohammed Alam showcases some fine antiques and handicrafts imported from all over the world. The shop also has a fine collection of locally produced handicrafts and antiques including the traditional Arab sword called the ‘Khanjar’, and antique Bedouin jewellery and the very famous local bronze coffee pots among many other items on display.

“We have a lot of European customers who come to purchase antiques. The locally made silver frames, and sand art designs are hugely popular” said Alam.

One of the most interesting items at Sinbad antiques is the over 100-year old Thornton Pickard large format wooden shutter camera. “This camera is very old and it’s priced at Dh6,000. We also have one of the oldest video cameras and several really outdated shutter cameras and typewriters” said Alam.

The store also has a line up of some ancient marine equipment, including marine compasses, diving equipment. An old diving costume, was also for sale at the shop. A diving shoe made out of leather and brass and weighing over 25 kilograms was also on display at the store.

Ancient guns operated with gunpowder, fish bone statues from Burma, multi-coloured lamp shades, wooden puppets, statues of the laughing Buddha was cluttered across the room. One of the priciest items in the store was the Dh75, 000 miniature cannon and ancient mud urns and flower vases. Tehran Persian Carpets, an exclusive carpet store which sells Iranian, Afghani, Turkish and Pakistani handmade carpets, is worth a visit for its silk on silk carpets.

Ahmed Kabir, a salesperson at the shop displayed a variety of silk carpets with prices that range between Dh35,000 to Dh65,000 for the more expensive silk carpets.

A music store, called Sadek Music sold an array of string instruments including the traditional Oud and a classic guitar. Salesperson Mustafa Mohammed Ahmed from Syria tuned an Oud as he spoke about the different varieties of instruments that the store sells. “Traditional African and Arabic drums are quite popular among the products that we sell here” said Mustafa.
dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com

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