Beyond Abu Dhabi’s grand mosques, beaches, and entertainment hub, this city is a shopper’s paradise! There’s literally no shortage of things to buy in Abu Dhabi. The entire country promotes tourism and works towards giving the best to its visitors!
Every unique thing, from oud perfumes to wooden chips used to give aromatic smoke to chocolate-covered dates, is an experience of its own that you cannot miss.
So, if you’re looking to take home a piece of the UAE’s heritage, here’s your ultimate guide to the famous things to buy in Abu Dhabi and also where to buy them from!
Famous Things to Buy in Abu Dhabi
Just like any other tourist destination, you’ll get souvenirs like keychains, jewellery, and more. But also, you can find gifts and souvenirs that are unique to Abu Dhabi.
Dates
A lot of people associate dates with the UAE and vice versa, and for a good reason. Dates are a true Middle Eastern treasure, grown mainly in countries like Algeria, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and, of course, the United Arab Emirates.
These are an important part of Emirati culture and delicacy, as they are naturally grown in the area and also possess a lot of health benefits. They are packed with fibre, nutrients, and energy.
Types of dates include Ajwa, Majdool, Sukari, Rhutab, and more. Their quality depends on their sweetness, size, origin, and the type of palm tree they grow on. And if you prefer something extra special, you’ll also find camel milk-coated, milk chocolate-covered, or nut-filled varieties that make perfect gifts.
If you’re planning to buy dates as souvenirs, look for VIP gift boxes that are beautifully packed and perfect to take home.
According to the locals, the best place to shop for dates is in the Abu Dhabi dates market situated close to Mina Market. Inside, you’ll find an area called Mina Port, where rows of shops sell dates in bulk at wholesale prices.
Recommended shops: Lewa Dates & Gold Dates, Mina Port.
Note: Dates are harvested during the summer months, so you’ll find the freshest ones in August and September. Always check the packaging date before buying!
Gold
Another world-famous thing to buy in the UAE is gold. In fact, many travelers make it a point to shop for gold in Dubai or Abu Dhabi before flying home. The country’s reputation for purity, fair pricing, and designs makes it a true paradise for gold lovers.
The Advantages of Buying Gold in the UAE
- Reduced tax
- No GST
- Competitive prices
- Minimal impurities
- Reliability and authenticity of certified sellers
- Massive collection of designs.
As of 5th November 2025, the 24K gold rate in India is ₹12,148 per gram.
While in the UAE, it’s AED 479 (≈ ₹11,573 per gram), a 4.97% difference!
That’s quite a saving for gold buyers!
Things to do Before Buying Gold in the UAE
- Shop at trusted places like the Gold Souq in the Madinat Zayed Shopping Centre.
- Avoid agents or hawkers who offer to take you to shops selling “cheap gold”.
- Visit 4-6 shops to understand the gold rates of that day, other charges, and designs.
- Ask for certification to confirm purity and authenticity.
- Get an invoice for the gold and submit it at the VAT refund desk at the airport to get around 4.5% of returns.
Before you carry the Gold Back Home
Indian airport customs has a limit on how much gold passengers can carry:
- Men: Up to 20 grams of gold worth ₹50,000
- Women: Up to 40 grams of gold worth ₹1,00,000
Perfumes
Dubai is often called the “Global Capital of Perfumes”, and its neighbour, Abu Dhabi, is no exception. Fragrances are an inseparable part of Emirati culture, and you get to buy world-class brands and notes in the UAE.
The region is known for its warm, rich, and long-lasting scents. Oud, leather, cinnamon, and floral are some of the most popular perfume notes in the Middle East, often blended to create deep and luxurious fragrances.
Luxury brands like Arabian Oud, Al Quarashi, and Rassasi are Emirati favourites!
In case you want to go for something a bit more affordable, there are options like Emirates Pride, Reef, and Lattafa Khamrah.
Buying an Arabian fragrance is a good start. But if you want to smell fantastic just like one of them, here’s how to wear your perfume the traditional way:
- Apply oud oil directly to your skin after a shower, before getting dressed.
- Burn bukhoor (Arabian incense) and let the smoke scent your clothes.
- Finish with your favourite cologne for that perfect final touch.
This way, you can wear and carry the perfume just like the Arabs!
Abu Dhabi also hosts events like the Teeb AlHazm Exhibition, featuring over 500 perfume and oud brands that have traditional Arabian scents with modern luxury.
Popular perfume shopping spots include mall stores at Marina Mall and Al Wahda Mall, as well as local souqs like Qaryat Al Beri Souk, known for their authentic oud and fragrances.
Camel-Milk Products
When you imagine a desert, one image that instantly comes to mind is the camel. This animal has been an inseparable part of Emirati culture and heritage for centuries.
Traditionally, camels were used for transportation, trade, food, and milk, making them a vital part of desert life.
Milk obtained from camels is a massive, thriving industry. Since it is already part of their lifestyle, the health benefits cannot be ignored. Camel milk has much less fat content compared to cow’s milk, and it is recommended for people who are lactose intolerant.
Present day, you can find a lot of brands focusing on manufacturing products that are made from camel milk. Brands like Camelicious & Al Ain Farms have their own camel farms from which they mass-produce. And you can buy them from any of the supermarkets around you in the UAE.
Camel-milk products include fresh camel milk, flavoured camel milk, camel milk chocolates, soap, shampoo, ice cream, and more! Perfect souvenirs!
Dallah
A metal pot that is used to brew Arabica coffee, which is known as ‘gahwa’, and serve it. These pots have been traditionally used in the homes of Emiratis, especially when they have guests at home. Gahwa + dates + sweets is the tradition.
There are types of Dallahs:
- The traditional Dallah is made with copper or brass, which was traditionally used as a teapot.
- Decorative Dallah made with brass, silver, gold-plated, and sometimes even bedazzled. Used solely for decorative purposes, souvenirs, and display attractions at houses, hotels, etc.
- The Electric Dallah, this model made of stainless steel and aluminium, is used as a convenient method for modern coffee brewing.
There are also different sizes of Dallahs used for various purposes:
- 250-500 ml: A small size that is typically used just to serve already brewed coffee. This pot is ideal for 2-3 people.
- 750 ml – 1.2 L: A medium size that is used to brew coffee in itself. Nowadays, you can spot electric pots in this size.
- 1.5 L – 3 L: A large coffee pot used to serve coffee to a large group of people.
- 10 cm – 25 cm: Very tiny decorative piece that is made to look like a dallah. Perfect as a souvenir and easy to carry on a flight.
Bakhoor
If you want your home to smell absolutely heavenly, Bakhoor is the way to go! Bakhoor is a bunch of tiny wooden chips with the luxury smells of fragrant oils.
When you buy a Bakhoor set, you’ll receive a box of small wood chips, a few charcoal blocks, and a burner/stand.
To use it, simply light the charcoal, place it on the burner, and then put a small piece of Bakhoor on top. Within seconds, aromatic smoke will rise and fill the room; that’s the magic of Bakhoor!
Things that you can do to get the Bakhoor to smell amazing:
- Let the smoke spread to all the corners of your house.
- Place the bakhoor on the floor and stand on top of it; let the smoke get into your clothes.
- You can also place the bakhoor inside your closet filled with clothes and shut the door for 3-5 minutes. When you open it, your clothes will carry the most luxurious aroma!
You can use the burner that comes with your Bakhoor kit, or buy one separately. Or even an electric bakhoor burner works perfectly if you prefer something easier to handle.
Note: Some people’s favourite Bakhoor are from brands like Swiss Arabian, HSA & Anfasic Dokhoon.
Arabian Sweets
As we’ve seen, the tradition of an Arab home is to welcome guests with bakhoor, dates, and sweets, a gesture that reflects warmth, generosity, and respect.
Arabian desserts like baklava and kunafa are quite popular worldwide. Let’s find out more about sweet Arabian delicacies!
- Kunafa: Made with shredded dough soaked in sugar syrup, kunafa is layered with cheese or cream filling. Both gooey and crispy at the same time.
- Baklava: Similar to Kunafa, baklava is made with thin layers of pastry filled with nuts and soaked in sweet syrup or honey.
- Mabrooma: This dessert is a type of baklava where the shredded dough is rolled into a cylindrical shape and filled with nuts, especially pistachios.
- Katayef: A sweet typically made only during Ramadan, Katayef looks like a mini pancake that’s cooked on one side, folded into a half-moon shape, and filled with cream or nuts before being fried or baked.
- Basbousa: A short, square-shaped sweet made from semolina (rava), baked and then soaked in sugar syrup with flavourings like rosewater.
These desserts have rich histories influenced by Turkish, Levantine, and Gulf cuisines and are flavoured with saffron, cardamom, rosewater, and nuts. And you can buy authentic sweets in dessert-focused shops like Ibasis Sweets, Tripoli Sweets, and Feras Sweets.
Spices
Arabian food is truly special; from kebabs and shawarma to hummus and mezze platters, every bite bursts with flavour. As Indians, we have a deep love for spices, and Arabs share that same passion for food!
The real secret behind the magic of Arabian cuisine lies in its spices. The region uses both pure spices and spice blends to have the right balance.
Pure spices which are authentically Arab are saffron, sumac, cinnamon, mace, and nutmeg.
Popular spice mixes are Za’atar, Duqqa, Baharat Al-Kabsa, and more!
You can buy these spices in any of the spice souks in Abu Dhabi. Or you can get a good quality one at supermarkets like Al Adil, Lulu, and Carrefour.
Note: Be cautious when buying saffron. Some vendors sell safflower disguised as real saffron. Always check the strands carefully.
Places to Buy in Abu Dhabi
Alright, now we know what the best souvenirs to buy are. Now, it’s time to see where to buy them from. Let’s learn about Abu Dhabi’s markets and malls.
Souks
If you are new to the UAE or researching it for a trip, then you must’ve heard the word ‘souq’. ‘Souk’ translates to ‘market’ in Arabic. It is just a bunch of markets; the locals go to shop for local things and ingredients.
If you are a tourist, the Abu Dhabi markets are the cheapest place you can shop. You can buy spices, clothes, perfumes, and even gold! Yes, you can buy gold from gold souks, which have a tonne of shops lined up selling gold in unimaginable designs.
Recommended souks: Al Ain Souq, Souk Al Bawardi & Souk Al Zafarana.
Hamdan Shopping Centre
Located on Hamdan Street, Hamdan Shopping Centre is a row of stores straight out of the 90s. Being one of the oldest malls in Abu Dhabi, a lot of people reminisce about spending their childhood here.
This place is meant for budget shopping with cheap and knock-off products. You can buy wearables like glasses, clothes, watches, and shoes. Also, you can visit their gift shops for things like plane models and Arab souvenirs.
Madinat Zayed Shopping Centre
This is an all-in-one place mall where you can shop for clothes, especially abayas, shoes, watches, stationery, and more. In case you need some groceries, you have an in-house Lulu hypermarket for all the essentials. Do you want to watch a movie? There are theatres too.
The mall is specifically famous for its gold souk, a 21-carat gold jewellery collection. The food court around the mall has great international and local cuisines.
Now you get an idea of how well-stocked the mall is, where you won’t run out of options and things to do soon!
Mina Market
When it comes to food shopping in Abu Dhabi, there’s no place quite like Mina Market. It’s a one-stop destination where you’ll find just about everything.
Mina Market is famous for two things: fish and dates.
The main Mina Market features stalls selling freshly caught fish, poultry, fruits, vegetables, and spices.
Just next to it, you’ll find the Abu Dhabi Dates Market, dedicated entirely to dates, coffee, chocolates, and other goodies.
Tip: Make sure to bargain at the dates section. The price can be waived off up to 50%.
The highlight of the fish market is that it doesn’t just sell seafood but also cooks it for you!
You can just pick your catch, take it to the restaurant, and ask them to cook it for you, according to your preference. You just need to pay a cooking fee + a table fee.
You can visit Mina Market any day of the week, but expect larger crowds on weekends and during festivals like Ramadan and Diwali. Despite the rush, it might be worth it. The produce is fresher, the atmosphere livelier, and you might find new pop-up stalls adding to the charm!
Market operating hours: 8 am to 10 pm
Conclusion
Abu Dhabi is a destination where centuries of tradition meet modernity. Every souvenir that you bring back home from this city tells the story of the Emirati culture and hospitality. And your loved ones definitely deserve a piece of those goodies.
Plan your Abu Dhabi trip with Dimaak Tours and experience the best of shopping, sightseeing, and culture all in one journey. Let us help you uncover the city’s hidden gems!
Frequently Asked Questions About Things to Buy in Abu Dhabi
What to buy from Abu Dhabi?
You can get signature Arabian things like dates, perfumes, and luxury products like gold, watches, shoes, etc.
What is a good gift from Abu Dhabi?
Dates and perfumes packed in premium packages are the best things to get from Abu Dhabi. You can also buy them loose, but luxury packages will make a good gift and a souvenir.
What’s cheap to buy in Abu Dhabi?
To buy inexpensive goods from Abu Dhabi, go to souqs (markets in Arabic). You can find souvenirs, snacks, and even gold. You can bargain there to get even a better price.
