It is rich, dark and sweet - and it comes from the mountains.

The honey sold by Benham Commercial is getting a warm welcome from the taste buds of Dubai Shopping Festival buyers, as they choose from the thousands of foodstuffs on offer.

It is almost tempting to say shoppers are crowding at the stall in the Iranian pavilion of Global Village like bees around a honeypot.

Benham, based in Mazandaran, Iran, makes its honey in the Damavand Mountains, in the north of the country.

The honey from this area has a distinctive taste, said Ali Mahmoud, a company representative.

"The manufacture of honey in Iran is very popular. This is mountain honey," Mahmoud said.

"This honey comes from the flowers that grow in the mountains, giving it a special taste."

Although the honey is not the cheapest to be found in Dubai, at Dh250 for 6kg, Mahmoud said it is worth the extra expense.

"The honey has been popular with foreigners and Arabs. Honey is something everybody loves," Mahmoud said, picking up a chunk of honeycomb with a small plastic spoon for a customer to try.

"The flowers that the bees visit are also used to make medicines, so the honey is very good for you."

Iran's pavilion also has stalls selling carpets, Sri Lankan tea, lamps, paintings, clothes, jewellery and plastic flowers.

As well as offering a treat for the taste buds through the honey, the pavilion appeals to the sense of smell through a perfume stall run by Ali Gholami.

There are more than 30 different types of perfume made by Gholami's company, Eman Reza. Based in Mashhad described as Iran's holiest city Eman Reza has been selling about 10 bottles of perfume a day, with prices ranging from Dh30 to Dh80.

Gholami, a friendly 50-year-old who set his company up 11 years ago, does not believe in modesty when it comes to marketing his wares. "We have the best jasmine in the world," he said. "You cannot find jasmine like ours anywhere else."

The company's posters, bearing the slogan: "Best perfume in Iran," are similarly ambitious.

Despite his claims for the jasmine perfume, Gholami said it was another scent that was selling best.

Shabab, which translates as young, was wowing youthful customers with its watermelon smell.

"Young girls and boys love it. It's a very cool smell - that's why the youngsters love it," he said.