Mina Date Market Abu Dhabi: The cheapest and best date souq in the city

Modern Abu Dhabi is defined by swanky high-rises that would sweep one off their feet, high-end entertainment zones, broad streets and multicultural dining experiences—a cocoon of luxury. Every indoor space here is temperature controlled, even the tiniest of the shops. Open souks (open air markets), a typical feature of the Middle east, have been improvised and lumped together inside posh structures, giving them the anonymity of modern times.

So yes, I am right to be surprised to find a market that deviates from the usual. The Abu Dhabi Date Market or the Mina Date Market is a wholesale market for dates, fruits and vegetables near the fish market at Mina Zayed Port. Everything available here is cheaper compared to the stores and the malls of the city. Don’t let the low price fool you though, Mina market is home to the best quality dates of the world—superior to what the posh stores sell.

It is almost evening when I reach Mina market. I see shops on two sides of a very broad road. Huge sheets of canvas stretched from one side of the street to the other block the sky. I enter Green Lawn, a shop run by a predominantly Malayali workforce from India. They educate me about the different types of dates, the locations of their harvest and their nutrient and mineral content. They allow me to taste samples before deciding which one to buy. In the month of Ramadan, no one is expected to have food and water in public places before sunset, so they allocate me a narrow space between two shelves stacked with food to grab quick bites.

Green Lawn also sells fruits, vegetables and chocolates. Among the stacks of essential supplies, I notice something unique— bottles labelled ‘Date Ketchup’, ‘Date Spread’ and ‘Date Pickles (Aachar)’! As I write this, I realize that instead of just gazing and wondering at the bottles, I should have bought one.

Chai, Pakora and Bollywood

As I leave the shop with a pack of dates, the call of azan throbs in the air. Fasting Muslims start gathering. All the shopkeepers kneel and pray. I am about to call my driver but I change my mind. My driver, being an Egyptian Muslim, must be busy now breaking his fast. And just like that I sit on the clean pavement watching the crescent moon. Hungry men in the shops on opposite the pavement eat their first meal of the day. Their faces reflect joy and satisfaction.

After having food and his daily dose of cigarette, Muhammad, my driver, insists on buying me kadak chai and pakora. From a takeaway counter in the same neighbourhood, an Indian staff hands us the food and beverage, while Muhammad talks about his life in Egypt, Bollywood’s popularity in his country and his admiration for Amitabh Bachchan and Amir Khan.

Iranian Market beside Mina Date Market in Abu Dhabi: A furniture and household articles souk

He takes me to another cheap shopping area, probably nearer to the port—the Iranian souk. This one I can almost call an open-air market! Again, being Ramadan, most of the shops are closed but those that are open have that exact Indian vibe. None of the shops is air-conditioned and their contents sprawl out on the unmarked pavement of the road.

I walk into one such shop whose collection ranges from steel utensils to porcelains. Stacked to the brim, this wholesaler says his products are mostly from China and India. In the next shop, décor items made of cane and wood line the road, in its next section fancy potteries adorn the shelves.

Here I meet Kumar, a Hindu man from Bangladesh. From my appearance, he got a whiff that I must belong from the Indian subcontinent, when he learns I am a native of Kolkata (Calcutta, India) his face curves with a smile. He is just delighted to find someone with whom he can speak in his mother tongue. I share this joy too. It feels surreal to be able to communicate in one’s own mother tongue in a different country; however, I got this opportunity several times in Abu Dhabi.

Kumar has been working for the last 8 years in this foreign city. He visits home once a year. He doesn’t know who owns this shop, he only deals with the manager. In this craft shop, articles are imported from Iran, Pakistan and Singapore. He offers me a date and narrates to me how the Emiratis grow dates even on the street pavements. “Look at those trees,” he says pointing to the line of date palms in the opposite walkway. “Do you know the dates from even those trees would be sold in the market?” He narrates how every night fresh fruits, vegetables and dates arrive in the market to be sold in the following day.

My chitchat session has to be cut short. I am running out of time. Mohammad reminds me of my next destination—a dinner with a local Emirati. I wish Kumar the best and leave for my closest brush with Emirati culture.

To watch my Mina date market (along with other places to visit in Abu Dhabi) video on Youtube, please click here.

Would you like to shop from Mina date market on your trip to Abu Dhabi? Are you an expat/local living in the city? Share with me your experiences at the market by commenting below!

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Disclaimer: Tania was hosted by Abu Dhabi Tourism Board. All thoughts and opinions expressed in the post are of her own.

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