The bustling Naif market in Dubai was evacuated during a drill designed to prepare the authorities and public to deal with a major incident.
About 1,000 people were cleared from the streets in just four minutes, Dubai Municipality said on Thursday.
Naif is home to Dubai's gold souk and is a warren of bustling streets and alleyways.
It is visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists and residents every year and located close to Dubai's main cruise ship terminal.
In a similar drill, Emirates Post Group carried out a mock evacuation and firefighting drill at Dubai Central Post Office in coordination with the Dubai Civil Defence, Al Karama Centre and Dubai Police.
Abdullah Al Ashram, Acting CEO of Emirates Post Group, thanked civil defence for their cooperation.
The drills were meant to ensure the safety of the public during major incidents.
Two years ago, firefighters fought a huge blaze in Muraqqabat, the district next to Naif, during which about 500 residents were evacuated.
A fire took hold of the Al Shamsi building, in the process setting off gas canisters that gutted much of the structure. Despite the scale of the blaze, there were no deaths.
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