Shopping in Masirah - authentic goods, best outlets, malls and boutiques

There is a great choice of goods by European brands here on Masirah Island. Bags, women’s and men’s clothes, footwear, and bijou – you can find all this stuff here. All in all, the local prices are comparable with American ones and the local currency has been strictly depended on the US dollar. Moreover, goods made by local handymen are definitely worth buying. For instance, you can purchase the famous khanjar - a traditional dagger of Oman warriors. Today, khanjar is an integral part of the local men’s formalwear for official meetings and essential negotiations. A khanjar is worn in a special curved scabbard. So, if you’re finally deciding to buy it, make sure that the laws of your country allow the import of cold steel. Connoisseurs of qualitative steel have to take into consideration the fact that a true blade knife (that even weapon experts among the Oman men would appreciate) would cost you at least 650$. You’ll get magnificent steel and a splendid scabbard for this price. But, if a souvenir version of the blade would be enough, then it would cost you just about 20$. It actually looks pretty good and, what is more, it will always remind you of your trip to Masirah.

Carpets by local masters are also a traditional kind of goods. They’re not cheap, however, they are woven manually of natural fabrics and decorated with traditional ornaments.

In case if you’re looking for something unique and useful at the same time, pay your attention to incenses. One can easily find burners, lamps and mixture on any local market. Lamps are usually made in the traditional Oman style and decorated with lots of small details. Remember the local burners are suitable not only for house aromatization but for clothes as well. In addition, the choice of smells is pretty large: from strong spicy to neutral flowery ones.

Local fabrics would also be a nice purchase. However, one has to spend some time in order to find real Oman fabrics, as most of them which are sold here are actually made in India.

Many tourists are drawn by the local national clothes. For example, you can find a dishdasha – ankle-length men shirt with long sleeves. Women might like abaya – traditional Arab dress made from light and colourful cloth and decorated with embroidery. You won’t wear a turban in your everyday life, of course, but it just a must-have souvenir for everyone. Pashmina – cashmere large scarf of various colours – would be a pretty and «fashionable» and it would suit any look. Besides, locals create wonderful silver, golden and even platinum jewellery with gems. You can buy it in shops, markets and even from street vendors. They are quite cheap in stores, but at least you will have quality assurance. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

It’s a well-known fact that Oman people like everything that smells delicious. Perhaps it explains why there is such a great variety of perfumes for every (every the most exquisite) taste. Amouage is the most popular perfume brand here. They provide quite a European aroma palette. All their products are produced from natural ingredients, so it guarantees a strong flavor as well as high prices.

You can buy diverse statuettes in Oriental style, clay and ceramic dishes, wicker boxes, peculiar dolls, and knitted wallets. Yet, don’t buy anything connected with local sunken ships because stuff which was found there is forbidden for export.

On the other hand, you can purchase local delicacies. For instance, people here make halva not from common seeds but sliced dates, that’s why they have such a unique taste. Local kind of honey is rather unusual too because of hives in date palms. Furthermore, you should definitely buy a fantastic local coffee. People have been making it with cardamom according to the traditional recipe for several centuries. You can also buy ginger or lemon tea here – they are extremely popular among islanders. Another peculiar product is rosewater. Local housewives add it in coffee and use in cooking.