Spice Souk

Take a deep breath. Deira’s Spice Souk smells of cardamom, saffron and, above all, incense. Look at the sacks of pale resin: this is luban, frankincense, which comes mainly from Oman, Yemen and the Horn of Africa and is burned across the Gulf in small censers called mabkharas.

1Beings of smokeless fire

To understand Dubai’s legends, you need to understand the djinn. They are not ghosts: according to the Quran, they were created from «smokeless fire», live in a world parallel to ours and, like humans, can be good or bad. A whole sura, the 72nd, bears their name. On top of that religious foundation, Gulf folk tradition added countless stories: djinn living in wells, abandoned houses or lonely trees, best left undisturbed.

2Smoke against envy

Now look for some small dark seeds: this is harmal, or esfand in Persian. In Iran and much of the Middle East it is customary to throw them onto hot coals to ward off the evil eye, and many of the traders in this souk have roots on the other side of the Gulf.

Frankincense perfumes the house for guests; harmal, tradition says, protects it from envious eyes.

These are living customs that coexist with faith, and the sellers are happy to explain them if you ask respectfully.

3What to look for

• The frankincense, in white or yellowish tears of resin.
• The black limes (loomi), a staple of Gulf cooking.
• The metal and clay censers hanging in the shops.