Wafi City's Sunken Souq

Highlighting the handicrafts and artisans of the Arab World, Turkey and beyond, the Souq Khan Murjan at Wafi City will open for business early next year.

The two-floor underground souq covers an area of 4,650 square metres and is constructed using traditional materials such as stone, copper and stained glass found in the original markets.

The souq's architecture will be divided into four styles – Turkish, Egyptian, Syrian and Moroccan – and contain 160 shops, many of which have already been leased out.

“Dubai has everything – the tallest, biggest and all these things. But come here and you can enjoy the exotic themes and authenticity. You won't find any Starbucks here,'' says Deep Bader, General Manager of Khan Murjan.

He says the project - in its second year of construction - has faced numerous challenges, including sourcing materials and craftsmen to develop the idea.

“It's all hand work, piece by piece, and finding the craftsmen was troublesome but we have pieces worked on in Morocco and Syria and each area has been specialised,'' he says.

Dr Mahmoud Mabruk, a professor of architecture and the project designer added: “A team from the Egyptian National Museum in Cairo is supervising every detail of the project from a historical perspective. Much of the stonework is done on-site,'' he said. “Experts are overseeing the various details to differentiate between what is authentic and what is not.''

To fill the shops, Bader has travelled throughout markets in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey, looking to entice artisans to develop their business in Dubai.

However, attracting the artisans to showcase their work in Dubai has been a challenge. As a compromise, many of the artists will travel to Dubai frequently, some for two or three months at a time. Others will depend on third parties to represent their crafts.

Dr Salah Al Qassam, Secretary General of the Dubai Cultural Council believes Khan Murjan is a creative way of mixing commerce and culture.

“Dubai is taking from international experience, so we are trying to take the good things from different parts of the world and develop the culture and economy. The main thing is that the management has to think and have a programme to run this, and not just rent out the place.''