World of souvenirs leaves Global Village visitors spoilt for choice

Dubai: You don’t have to travel the world to collect souvenirs – mementos from dozens of countries are selling at Dubai’s Global Village.

A dazzling variety is on offer at country pavilions at the giant shopping and entertainment carnival.

Global Village is an annual outdoor fair on the outskirts of Dubai city, attracting millions of visitors each year.

At the Turkey pavilion there are traditional ceramic plates called tabak. Handmade, they come in a variety of sizes and designs, but the red ones – carrying the national colour and crescent-star symbol – are especially eye-catching.

“They are for decoration, but you could use them in dining. Don’t use them for hot food items, that can affect the layers of paint and glass used in making them. You can put fruits on them,” said Ali Kahraman, a young Turkish stall-keeper.

The larger ones — about the size of regular dining plates — cost around Dh180 while the smaller plates are priced at about Dh150.

The plates are made in about two days – a day for heating them in 1,000C furnaces and a day for the paint work to dry, Kahraman said.

Nearby, at the Yemen pavilion, visitors are spoilt for choice when it comes to aseeb – a dagger with a sheath and belt traditionally worn at the waist by men in Yemen.

“I would say 95 per cent of the men wear this, it’s for tradition more than anything else,” said Yahya Zalaat, a Yemeni salesman.

The blade is usually steel while the handle is made from animal horn, Zalaat added. The leather cover is richly decorated – at times with gold and silver – with the motif extending to the belt, called hizam.

An aseeb, handmade within a day’s worth of work, can set you back anywhere from Dh200 to Dh400.

Another Arab symbol of culture is the mudakhin, clay incense burners used for centuries. A variety of them can be seen at the UAE pavilion. One stall there was offering Omani burners.

“They will last you decades, just don’t drop them,” said Salim, an Indian salesman. “They are made by hand, from dried clay. The ones from Salalah area in Oman are really nice.”

On average, the Omani incense burners there cost around Dh80.

Also made from clay are small earthen bowls with wicks used as lamps in India. Called diya, meaning light or lamp, these modest little items have been used since ancient times in rooms at night. They are made by hand, sometimes engraved using simple tools, said Chandanlal, a diya maker.

Each diya has a hollowed out centre to carry oil to help the wick burn. You can pick up three of four diyas for Dh10 at the India pavilion.

Another souvenir with a practical edge is the Moroccan tajeen, a clay plate and cone used to cover food or simply as decoration.

The top cones are ‘embroidered’ with nickel motifs usually, after being dried in ovens, said stall-keeper Laila.

“We’ve been using tajeens for thousands of years. The nice ones are made by hand from a place called Souira in Morocco. The modern ones are sometimes made with metal, by machine. But I like the traditional ones,” Laila said.

The small ones – about the size of tea cup plates – go for about Dh25 per item.

Dozens of other souvenirs, from Africa, Europe and Asia, can be found at Global Village, home to many cultures offering traditional experiences, shopping, shows and cuisines.