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Iranian Souq Shoppers’ paradise

Braving the rough seas, Hameed Mohtajeb takes a wooden dhow to bring the Persian authentic art works — nomadic rugs and colourful ceramics — to Abu Dhabi to earn a profit from Dh3,000 to Dh5,000 on goods worth Dh60,000 — if lucky.

It is Iranian Souq at the Free Port in Mina Zayed, the shoppers’ paradise in the capital.

The history of Iranian Souq goes back to hundreds of years when merchandise were exchanged between the Arabian Peninsula, the Indus and Mesopotamia Essence, spices, edibles and ancient artworks are still exchanged at the Souq here in the capital.

The dark wooden dhows come and go in hundreds at the free port every year to keep the tradition alive.

According to these traders, the UAE is one of the rare places in the world to conserve a tradition such as these souqs or marketplaces across the country — in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ajman.

“It has all been revived by the late Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan who in early 1970s visited the not-so-developed souq you see now at the port premises where we are. He saw our elders selling goods in the open air on a hot summer day. The next day we saw a lot of officials coming to us and inquiring about our fate and registering our names,” said Mohtajeb from Bushier facing the western region of Abu Dhabi across the Arabian Sea.

Soon, there were all the facilities, including sheltered shops with air-conditioned sleeping places for them and other privileges.

The market is a place where visitors will always see these wooden dhows anchoring along a narrow and concrete lane hugging more than 50 shops in a U-shape facing the sea.

Mohtajeb has brought traditional Persian rugs and Qilims, Isphani ceramics and table clothes. “I have goods worth around Dh60,000 and expect profit between Dh3,000 and Dh6,000. It all depends on the business mood. Now we are approaching the hot season, so I have little hope of going for the maximum margin in profit,” he said.

Another trader at the Souq is Ghulam Allah Yari, who brings goods beyond Persian tradition — antique TV, radio and monogram sets.

“We have lots of antiquities, particularly the modern day products like these aged TV and radio sets. Back home there is little demand for these stuffs, but here we see a good market for them, especially from Westerners,” said Allah Yari, also from Bushier.

The souq is mainly famous for ceramics, authentic plants like pomegranate, different varieties of jasmines and potteries. It is also famous for plastic products, particularly dinner sets and other domestic utensils.

Another trader, Jamshed Rasooli, said the market has two different seasons when it comes to business — winter for luxury goods like rugs, traditional ceramics and classical artworks, while the holy month of Ramadan is for domestic goods like dinner sets, kitchenware, and huge cooking pots.

He said: “In winter months, our customers are foreign tourists shopping for rugs, traditional bedspread, hand-painted pottery and other decorating products. We also have customers for plants — mainly floral and pomegranates. Most plant buyers are from the UAE, both expatriates and locals.”

The traders at the souq come from different small port towns dotting the Iranian coastline from Kurramshahr at Shatt Al Arab (facing Basra in Iraq) to Chabahar in Seistan-o-Balochistan on the coastal border with Pakistan.

“If the weather is good we from Bushier reach Abu Dhabi within three days. But if the seas are rough, it may take us from four to six days and in worst cases it may take over ten days,” said Mohtajeb.

About dhow charges, Mohammed Mohammedi, a former trader now driving a pick-up at the port to serve customers, said for a single tripe it would cost Dh12,000.

He said: “The only cost for this trade is dhow cargo charge. There is no charge for shops to store goods here at the port. No charge for entering the country and the port. We can stay here for 20 days without any charges thanks to (the late) Shaikh Zayed.”

Allah Yari said all the traders come to the port every two months for 20 days to sell their merchandise. “If we fail to sell on time, we go out to the market and auction them. For instance, luxury goods like rugs and authentic ceramics and paintings go to big shops while plants and potteries to small business houses,” he explained.

“And the business goes on with God’s blessing,” said Mohtajeb.

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