Meet the market traders at Dubai's Waterfront Market

Meet the hardworking vendors at the Deira market, where customers and sellers set the competitive prices

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  Fida Hussain: Fida Hussain has been working in the fishing industry in Dubai for 16 years since moving to the UAE from Pakistan. Although he loves working at the market at the best of times, a clear highlight was “getting a chance to see Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, up close during his visit to the market two years ago,” he says. Hussain also loves “getting a chance to talk and deal with people from different backgrounds that come from all around the world”, and “maintaining the quality of the fish”. Leslie Pableo / The National

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  Sulaiman Abdulla: Indian vendor Sulaiman Abdulla, who works in the meat section, has been working and living in Dubai for 35 years. He speaks candidly about his struggles, in particular how he worries about the “high rent and expenses we have to pay” at the market, which cost more than they used to, he says. But he doesn’t let any of that get in the way of providing his customers with great service, he adds. Leslie Pableo / The National

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  Mohammad Ahmad: Enthusiastic fruit and vegetables vendor, Mohammad Ahmad, who moved from Bangladesh to Dubai 18 years ago, tells us how he has loved every minute here. He says enjoys “everything about my job, from the management support to the challenges and the customers. This job has helped me solve my financial problems.” He praises the market’s team and “the continuous support the management provides in helping ensure we are all good and happy with our jobs”. Leslie Pableo / The National

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  Mohammed Nassir: Mohammed Nassir is from Pakistan and has been living in Dubai for 18 years. “I enjoy socialising with customers from different backgrounds and nationalities and talking about the types of fish in my shop,” he says. “I am always working to maintain the satisfaction of both my loyal customers and new customers. I want to deliver the quality and availability of the fish they desire.” And it’s not just the company of consumers he enjoys, but also his colleagues. “It feels good to work together in the same place and get to see them happy here,” he says. Leslie Pableo / The National

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  Mohammad Ahsan: Having moved moved from Pakistan to Dubai three years ago, Mohammad Ahsan is fairly new to the fruit and vegetables section. “My overall experience since landing in Dubai has been a highlight,” he says with enthusiasm. “This is the land of opportunities and I am very grateful to be here.” Although he enjoys meeting and interacting with new customers every day, he also acknowledges that the language barrier can, at times, be difficult to overcome. He says “dealing with customers that come from other countries and speak other languages” is the most difficult part of his job.. Leslie Pableo / The National

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  Shahid Fazal: Pakistani butcher and meat vendor Shahid Fazal, who has been in the UAE for 18 years, works hard to ensure “my customers are happy with the good service I provide and the goods I sell so they will come back to my shop again”. But that lofty ambition is not without its difficulties. “A shortage of meat from our supplier is the most difficult thing about this job. In such conditions, we cannot fulfil the demand of our customers the way we want to.” Leslie Pableo / The National

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  Mohammad Qayyum: A meat vendor from Pakistan, Mohammad Qayyum has been living in Dubai for 24 years. “My favourite thing about my job is providing my customers with good-quality goods and amazing deals and, on top of that, a great service. They always come back,” he says with confidence. “But shortages from our suppliers can stop us from meeting the requirements of our loyal customers,” he says, echoing his countryman, Fazal’s concerns. Despite that, Qayyum praises the “management, the security and the cleaning team” at the Waterfront Market. Leslie Pableo / The National

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  Mohammad Jamal: Mohammad Jamal, from Bangladesh, works in the seafood section and has only lived in Dubai for eight months. “I have been here for a short time but, so far, I love it here,” he tells us. “Everything in the market is good, from the staff to the security and people.” The move has not been without its difficulties, though, he admits. “Some clients that will be rude have been difficult to handle – but I manage to get by. Leslie Pableo / The National

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  Sibghat Ullah: Pakistani meat seller Sibghat Ullah has lived in Dubai for a whopping 42 years. He never gets sick of pleasing his customers, he tells us. He laments the fact that sometimes he does not have access to good-quality produce but, like Qayyum, he praises the team at the market for making his days more enjoyable. “I can never thank them enough and will never forget this,” he says. “The cleanliness in the market is excellent, and if we face any problems the team will always sort it out quickly and efficiently. Leslie Pableo / The National

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  Mohammed Rafiqe: Mohammed Rafiqe is from Bangladesh and has been living in Dubai for 23 years. He loves his job selling fruit and vegetables in the fresh produce section of the Waterfront Market, and says there is nothing difficult about it. He tells us how he adores “everything, from the customers to the other sellers and the goods we sell”. Most importantly, he is grateful for the opportunity to hone his skills, he says. “The market provides us with great facilities and has been helping us become better sellers to our customers,” he says. “They ensure we are always the best.” Leslie Pableo / The National

If you're looking for fresh market-priced produce, Dubai's Waterfront Market should be near the top of your shopping list.

'Bustling' is an often overused word when it comes to describing malls and markets, but it truly applies here. I visited the Waterfront three times during the height of summer, and the air-conditioned market has been far from quiet. On every occasion, I left with enough seafood to feed a small army.

Click through the gallery above to meet a handful of the men working day and night to give us foodies with the fresh ingredients we crave. 

As a market beside the water, it almost goes without saying that seafood is the main thing on sale. In the Waterfront Market's spacious fish section, shoppers will find everything from octopuses, oysters and lobsters thought to the catch of the day.

Mohammed Nasir, a vendor inside the seafood section at the Waterfront Market, Deira. Leslie Pableo / The National

"We don't set the price," Sami Eid, the Waterfront Market's marketing lead, tells The National. "We want to encourage bartering and bargaining, so the sellers and customers set the prices."

A nightly auction runs from 11pm until 6am, which is when many of the UAE's hotels and restaurants buy their produce. In a bid to encourage small businesses and independent fishermen, small boats are given free entry to the auction and can sell fish 24/7.

It is not merely seafood on offer, though. There are also dry produce and meat sections, and a massive fruit and vegetable hall, as well as a hypermarket. All of this is all housed in a giant building, with a host of restaurants that have views over the water from the back.

There are plenty of varieties of dates inside the fruits and vegetables section at the Waterfront Market, Deira. Leslie Pableo / The National

The Waterfront Market is a relatively new feature on the Dubai shopping scene. It opened exactly two years ago this month, having taken over from Deira's famed Fish Market. That decision received its fair share of criticism at the time, as adoring shoppers mourned the loss of the original marketplace, but, as Eid puts it: no one wants to shop for fish when it is 40°C outside. And, since opening, the Waterfront Market has proven to be a hit.

Crucially, many of the vendors from the old market – including some who have worked in the UAE for more than 40 years – have moved to the new site.

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Read more:

How to save on your supermarket bill in the UAE

Seven ways to be an ethical shopper in the UAE 

A guide to grocery shopping in the UAE: 41 places to buy your food in Dubai and Abu Dhabi

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