Year-end special: The old curiosity shop

In a land which prides itself on demonstrating to the world that only the newest and flashiest will suffice, tucked away in a small corner of the Al Quoz industrial zone in Dubai is a celebration of the old and unique.
More a sales warehouse than exhibition space, the somewhat misnamed Antique Museum is still a bizarre bazaar in which one can while away the hours admiring the curiosities with the option of taking them home.
A true Aladdin's cave in every sense of the phrase (the tight corridors stacked with all manner of goods take a while to successfully navigate), the vast array of artefacts will leave visitors impressed at how "un-Dubai" the establishment appears. The smell of silver polish coming off the ancient Yemeni jewellery, the wood varnish fumes wafting over from the onsite workshop and the dim Indiana Jones style lighting makes each visit an adventure.
Of course, as with any enterprise specialising in ornaments and gifts, there exists a smidge of novelty tat for sale - mock abayas, stuffed camels and screen printed T-shirts for example - though you don't need to scratch too far below the surface to find those 'hidden gems.'
Handcrafted wooden statues of Tintin from Vietnam, massive marble elephants from India, sculpted canes from Morocco and refurbished ornate Omani doors are probably merely 0.1 per cent of what is on offer. In fact, the museum is so gargantuan, every visitor is assigned a guide at the door for the risk of getting lost is extremely likely.
There are mystery staircases leading to dusty rooms filled with African carvings, Turkish mirrored mosaics reflecting what little light exists positioned all over the shop, and a central atrium that is full to the ceiling of large wooden furniture - impossible to see through.
Perhaps one of the major benefits of the Antiques Museum (depending on your point of view) is that if you are in the market to purchase something, each and every single item has a set price. With its rare barcode system pricing anything from a pen to a wall-mounted rifle and sabre display, there's no room for haggling, which means you know exactly how much you're parting with when you get to the end. Thus any chance of the cost being driven up for a piece you love - a feature at some other establishments around the UAE - is eliminated.
While this may fly in the face of the term 'museum', it is definitely a benefit worthy of qualifying this treasure trove a Dubai hidden gem.
david@khaleejtimes.com
 

• UAE