© Anushka Bose. All rights reserved.*
Mall of Dubai (Dubai, UAE)
Anyone and everyone who has lived or been to the Middle East knows that malls are a large part of the social life in the region. The reasons may be multifold, but the simplest reason holds the truth that it is so incredibly hot outside a good chunk of the year, that you have no choice but to seek an indoor playground! Some of my fondest memories from the Middle East include roaming around malls in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, and in Manama, Bahrain. Visits to Dubai, UAE, also took the thrill of malls to another level. The interesting reason, at least for me, was not so much that I enjoyed shopping or being drawn to the consumerist culture, but there was something peaceful about being in a space that suspended time for a little. The smell of oud, the tall ceilings, the long pathways, the smell of mall candy—there was nostalgia and comfort in these sensory experiences.
Mall of Dhahran (Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia)
I have many fond memories from malls, but there is one particular story that I find so memorable to this day. This story is about going prom dress shopping with my dad in Dhahran Mall, in Al-Khobar, during my senior year of high school. My mom was visiting my grandmother, and I had seriously procrastinated getting my dress and heels. I had put it off until the last weekend! If you’re reading this, you probably know that malls in Saudi Arabia seldom have trial rooms. And this particular store didn’t. I looked at the 5 or 6 dresses I was holding in my hand, and I asked the store attendant how I should go about selecting a dress in this situation. She recommended that I buy the dresses, take them to the bathroom across the hallway, try them on, and bring them back and get a refund for the ones I won’t buy. So that’s what I did.
Shakespeare and Co., Amwaj Mall ( Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia)
While I was in the bathroom, I also heard that the long prayer was about to start. And again, if you’re reading this, you likely know that stores in Saudi Arabia close during prayer time. Not only was I stuck in a cramped bathroom trying these dresses on, but the prayer call lit a fire in my brain that I had to make a decision now! No time to deliberate and ponder.
After a few back and forths from the store to the bathroom, and 5 minutes before the store closed for prayer time, I landed on a dress. Next stop was shoes, but the stores were closed for the next hour for the payer. My dad and I killed time walking around the mall and chatting, before going into a shoe store to buy some heels. It’s comical when I think back to this moment because, to my dad, all of these heels looked good. But I had to take my girly moment and try so many on, before landing on these velvet pink heels that I still remember to this day. I loved those shoes. But, as my dear friend from high school would tell you, I took them off at the prom 1 hour in because they hurt my feet so much! I couldn’t admit it to my dad after the amount of time we spent in that store.
When I look back on this memory, I have a huge smile on my face. People usually go prom dress shopping with their girlfriends or maybe their mother, but due to a lack of planning on my part and not thinking too much about the decision — I made my dad go along with me. And all the nuances of doing so in Saudi Arabia — with the restrictions of prayer times, and not having access to a trial room, made it all the more interesting.
City Centre Mall (Manama, Bahrain)
I have so many more amazing memories from malls that will take much too long to explain. Going to the City Centre Mall in Manama, Bahrain, was a ritual for my family, especially when my brother and I were back in Dhahran for Christmas Break. The four of us would go watch a movie, and then get lunch/dinner after at this restaurant called Rendezvous, or at PF Changs. Those became our go-to spots since they were right outside the movie theater area at the mall (and because they’re great restaurants!).
Mall of Dubai (Dubai, UAE)
Mercato Mall (Dubai, UAE)
The pictures I share are from various malls that I’ve been to during the years I lived in the Middle East: these include malls in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the UAE. I hope you enjoyed my little story, and I’d like to now turn the lens onto you: What do you think of malls in the Kingdom/Middle East at large? Which one is your favorite and why? Is there a fond memory you can recall? I would love to hear from you! Feel free to leave a comment or email me directly at bosea9000@gmail.com.
Anushka is a current PhD Student at American University in Washington, D.C. She spent her youth growing up in Dhahran, where she attended Dhahran Elementary, Dhahran Middle School, and Dhahran Academy High School. She loves learning about new cultures and is fascinated by the diversity that brings us all together, especially the expatriate community, where the only thing that is common is that we are all different, in culture, language, and the perspectives we hold. One day she hopes to publish a book on the Third Culture Kid experience. Dhahran continues to hold a big place in her heart.
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