For decades tourists and residents alike flocked to a bustling Bur Dubai market in search of a taste of tradition and with hopes of a bargain.
Meena Bazaar comes to life during Eid Al Fitr, a festival that provides a welcome boost to hundreds of traders offering everything from clothes and tailoring services to jewellery.
The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic last year – bringing about stay-home orders and travel restrictions – prompted shops to temporarily close.
Now, owners are reporting that business is starting to return to normal, as customer numbers gradually increase.
The National visited the area ahead of Eid, which will be celebrated next week.
Nizamudheen Vattakkandi, the owner of a shop in Meena Bazaar that sells watches and perfumes, sees hope on the horizon as the holiday season approaches.
“Last year, it was a terrible situation,” the Indian citizen said.
“The shops were closed and we didn’t have any sales during this time, so we weren’t earning anything.
“Now, it is slowly getting better. There are more customers coming in every day and we can see it getting busier with Eid around the corner.”
Mr Vattakkandi said the situation for shop owners in the district “will only get better from here” as the number of tourists in the emirate increases.
He said shops would also get busier once flights from India resume, because Indian citizens are among the top buyers in Meena Bazaar.
The UAE extended the suspension of entry for travellers from India on all flights on national and foreign airlines, as the South Asian country contends with a record number of Covid-19 cases.
Residents in the Emirates are being urged to again celebrate Eid virtually to curb the spread of the virus.
"It will take some time, but business will pick up again," Mr Vattakkandi said.
“There are also lots of customers from Pakistan and other countries who are shopping here for Eid. The clothes shops, in particular, see a lot of customers during this time.”
Mohammed Amjad, a Pakistani sales clerk at a clothing shop, said it is not as busy as it once used to be during the Islamic holiday, but “it is still much better than last year”.
Mr Amjad has worked in the neighbourhood for the past five years.
“We all know that Meena Bazaar is one of the busiest areas during Eid,” he said.
“There were literally thousands of customers rushing to this area for their Eid shopping, but it also got really busy for other celebrations, such as Diwali.
“I don’t think the current situation can be compared to how it used to be, but at least customers have started to come in again. It’s much better than last year, when shops were completely closed and no one wanted to spend on things other than basic needs.”
Apart from stay-home orders and travel restrictions, people around the globe were also cutting back on extra spending, as many lost their jobs or faced a salary cut.
The labour market in the UAE has improved since then and old commercial districts are attracting more customers.
Manoj Kumar, from India, has been operating a clothes shop in Meena Bazaar for the past eight years.
“There used to be a countless amount of sales before the pandemic. We could easily get 200 to 300 customers per day during this time,” he said.
“Now, there are about 20 sales per day. But, things will improve once the pandemic is over.”
How Dubai's Naif community is striving to get back to normal – in pictures
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On April 26, it will be one year since the Covid-19 lockdown in Naif, one of Dubai's oldest districts, was lifted. 'The National' visited the neighbourhood to see how residents and businesses are faring. All photos by Pawan Singh / The National -
Residents were under strict stay-home orders from March 31 until April 26 of last year to control the spread of Covid-19. Authorities carried out mass testing and a sanitisation operation in the area -
Shop owners said their businesses would pick up once more tourists start visiting the area. Naif is one of the oldest commercial districts of Dubai and used to be packed with tourists before the pandemic -
Now, the streets mostly consist of local residents -
Fawaz Bello, from Nigeria, was one of the thousands of people affected by the lockdown last year. He lives and works in the area and said life is slowly returning to normal for him -
Businesses that have been operating for a long time in Naif are fairing well through a loyal local customer base. The Khan Shoes Repairing and Polishing store has been in the area since 1971. Amanullah Khan, pictured, said they are managing to keep their business afloat through long-time local customers who support them -
However, newer businesses in the area are waiting for a tourist influx to increase sales. Moidu Parlat bought his shop four months ago and is trying hard to make ends meet, as business is slow -
Across the road from streets packed with hundreds of shops, there is a waterway in Naif where large dhow and small abra owners operate their businesses. Owners of dhows are attracting customers with attractive deals on dinner cruises -
Another large dhow in Naif -
Small boat owners, however, are still trying to get back on their feet. Mohammed Akram is seen here waiting for customers who would want to use his boat for a sightseeing trip
