Sharjah is famous for its beautiful souks, old and new. Bargain hunters can explore the myriad handicraft shops which stock everything from carpets and antiques to Arabic jewellery, onyx and semi precious stones. Sharjah's gold souk is dazzling and prices are like music to the ears. Tonnes and tonnes of gold hang inside shop windows, luring the willing to convert savings into hard metal and get a hedge against inflation.
In the old souks, one sees shops selling nargilahs, tall hubble - bubble pipes in which the smoke is passed through water veils with decorated edges, pantaloons with embroidered anklets, dress lengths with, similarly embroidered necklines and sari lengths made from raw silks and cottons of the Orient.