As a thriving port playing host to all manner of travellers and traders arriving in the Kingdom, Dammam is an endlessly lively centre of trade, with an array of traditional markets, malls and jewellers riven through the region.
If you want to know where the best souqs are in Dammam, Khobar, Dhahran, and across the entirety of the Kingdom’s Eastern Province, we’ve got everything you need to know. Next time you cross the Gulf, you can bring a unique souvenir with you to remember the journey of a lifetime.
1. Dammam’s Love Market
By far and away Dammam’s most famous market, and some would argue the city’s best, the Love Market in Dammam is an unmissable part of anyone’s itinerary when visiting the region. Known as the Love Market for its reputation as one of the best jewellery markets in Dammam – and often host to newlywed couples buying ornate bands of gold – the souq thrums with activity as trays of silver pieces shimmer in shop windows.
If you want something at a fair price, you best be prepared to haggle: it’s all part of the long-established theatre of the trade, and nothing to be shy about. Make sure you’ve checked the price of gold before you arrive, and be prepared to stay firm – you’ll be surprised how quickly a vendor’s price can change when you opt to walk away. Whether you come to spend or to browse, you’ll leave feeling assured of having visited one of the best traditional markets in Dammam.
2. Al Othaim Mall
Away from the traditional markets in Dammam, and styling itself in a more slick, modern palette, the Al Othaim Mall is one of the best markets of any kind in Dammam, and a symbol of the city’s economic boom in the last few decades. Built to house an amusement park, bowling alley, cinema, food court, art installations and all manner of international brands, Al Othaim Mall is a youthful and energetic space within the city that all of your family can enjoy.
Spanning an incredible 75,000 square feet across the city’s south-east, a visit here can be a day trip in itself. Begin the day perusing stores like H&M and The Body Shop, stop for ice-cream at Baskin-Robbins, then take the kids out to the water park, Splash Island, while you rest your feet for a moment. It may not be a traditional market – how many souqs have roller coasters? – but as a place to shop, there are few better places in Dammam.
3. Dammam Traditional Market
If the Al Othaim Mall is Dammam as it is today, the Dammam Traditional Market is the city as it’s always been. Here, you’ll find a souq that is very much unchanged by time, save for a few modern conveniences dotted here and there – shiny floors, bright lights, and so on. But don’t be too fooled: at its heart it remains a swelling chorus of chatter and negotiation with fineries on sale, handmade by artisans with exacting standards of craftsmanship. It is the benchmark for traditional markets in Dammam, very much the real thing.
Located on the famous Al Qazaz street in the centre of Dammam, this traditional market is ideal for sourcing those once-in-a-lifetime souvenirs and gifts. It’s renowned for its abayas, which are of such high quality that women travel from across the world to purchase them here. For those with a sweet tooth, the dates you can find at Dammam Traditional Market are extraordinary, with the vaunted Ajwa, Ambar, Safawi and Sukkari varieties available from different vendors.
4. Suwaiket Market
Moving away from Dammam to the markets of Khobar, its neighbouring city, you’d be missing out if you didn’t find the time to completely lose yourself in Suwaiket Market, one of the Eastern Province’s most beguiling and glamorous shopping districts. By entering into any one of its mazey, myriad shopping malls and bazaars, you can find pretty much anything from the finest, brightest perfumes anointed with Taif rose oil and resinous agarwood to the simplest, most durable textiles and craft goods.
The market is at the heart of Khobar’s community and is the oldest one in the city. Go at night, when the crowds are a bit quieter, and the glow of the shop lights lend an ethereal quality to walking through the bazaar – patterns look more vivid, scents seem sweeter, items more appealing. You may spend more than you intend, but you’ll enjoy it that bit more, too.
5. Dammam Seiko Market
Returning once again to one of the very best markets in Dammam – albeit one which often evades the lists of Dammam’s best souqs – we have the Dammam Seiko Market, situated a mere stone’s throw away from the iconic King Fahd Mosque in the city centre. This is indisputably a local’s market; a hidden gem that just as keenly trades in wholesale and food produce as it does in clothing, electronics and all manner of other fineries.
However, while Dammam Seiko Market might be oriented more towards essentials, the real gem here is some of the phenomenal street food they have on offer. You can find exceptional servings of Saudi culinary classics like haleem and kabsa, sold proudly alongside Indian platters of freshly fried samosas and servings of tangy chana. Leave with a taste of the real city, at what is possibly the best food market in Dammam.
6. Qaisariya Market
Take a break from the bustle of the city and head an hour and a half out to the ancient Eastern Province city of Al Hofuf, and to one of the best traditional souqs in the Kingdom – Qaisariya Market. First founded all the way back in 1392, Qaisariya Market remains a cornerstone of trade in the nation’s east, housing well over four hundred vendors – many of them family-owned places that have been operating continuously for centuries.
Built on high ground, with innovative architectural quirks in its roofing that ensure good ventilation for the produce and the vendors beneath, the Qaisariya Market is a triumph of Arabic cultural heritage, still proudly trading in traditional industries and crafts. If you’re looking for the best market for souvenirs and handicrafts near Dammam, take the drive over and marvel at the market’s majesty.
