Shopping in Riyadh

Riyadh offers many places to shop from high end malls to traditional souqs.


Let's start with Kingdom Center Mall.  This mall is the high end of  high end malls.  They have stores like Louis Vuitton, Christian Louboutin,  Dior and Versace.  This mall is very nice but is really not my cup of tea.  Personally, I would never spend $5000 on an handbag or pair of shoes.  Some ladies really like it and it seems to be popular with the locals. 

There are several other malls in Riyadh but none as high end as Kingdom. 


I prefer the souqs as most things in the malls are available in the US but the souqs sell items that are only available in the Middle East. 





 First,  there is the Kuwaiti Souq. This is a large souq located off King Fahad Road. Here you can find gold, abayas, clothing, shoes, cookware, kitchen supplies, and many different tailor shops.
I enjoy this souq because in the evenings the ladies prepare and sell food in an effort to make their own money as women are not allowed to work in the city.










Now let's discuss the Clock Tower or Batha souqs.  I have heard this area called both Clock Tower souqs and Batha souqs and I'm really not sure if they are the same area or if this large souq is divided into a couple smaller souqs.  Either way, my favorite shop  is near Clock Tower Square.  If you park in the main parking area and walk across the museum grounds (museum on your left) then cross the small but busy street, Samir's shop is the first shop in the alley on the right.  Samir's shop has a large variety of items to choose from and he always gives us a great deal.  Just down the alley from Samir's shop on the left is another shop I really enjoy.  The sign says "All Winter Guests" This is another traditional shop with a good variety and nice people.  Plus, they serve you a bottle of water when you enter which is nice on a hot day.
There are a few specialized  shops in this area, to include, a furniture shop, an electronics shop  as well as a carpet shop but for the most part, most items are available at most shops.





Finally, there's the junk souq.  The junk souq is just that, junk. However there are gems to be found if you don't mind digging and haggling. We have been lucky enough to find real gold and diamond jewelry but had to dig and untangle the pieces from a ball of broken costume jewelry.  The men at the junk souq have been rumored to grope or fondle women when they get a chance but I have been twice with no problems.  If you can bring an Arabic speaking friend, do because they will give him a better deal than they would an English speaking American.