Located in the Emirate of Sharjah in the cross-hairs between the Emirate of Dubai and the Emirate of Ajman, is the very famous, Blue Souq of Sharjah. The Blue Souq of Sharjah is a long twin set of buildings, and adorned on the outside and inside in Arabesque-like architecture. While it's name "Blue Souq" clearly marries with it's bluish mosaic theme on the outside, the Blue Souq also goes by a very popular name amongst residents. They call it the Old Gold Souq.
Souq in the modern Arabic language basically means "market". And for the Blue Souq to have once carried the name Old Gold Souq must mean that perhaps it once was a hub for gold trading.
Today, Sharjah's Old Gold Souq is a beautiful Arab-themed indoor shopping mall with storekeepers hailing from many parts of the world. Inside the Blue Souq are stores across the floor exhibiting a myriad of gold products, carpets, antiques, thobes (also popularly known as kandurahs), shoes, gems, jewellery, perfumes, souvenirs, gifts, and so on. While the ground floor may be attention-grabbing, the Blue Old Gold Souq of Sharjah also features a second story floor that aligns with the stores on the ground floor.
Inside, the souq stretches long and away, and features a high vaulted/arched ceiling also beautifully crafted with arabesque designs, that perhaps may go unnoticed due to the glitz and glamour of the shops on either side (inside). Said to measure about 80,000sqm, the souq was completed in the year 1978.
As mentioned, the Blue Souq is actually a twin building. Although apparently identical in structure, the wares/stores inside each of the buildings differ.
To get to the next building, each building features multiple exit and entry points from the ground floor, and across the road, or through the second floor across the elevated tunnel structure. Or better called a footbridge.
Without a doubt, for the feel of the experience, if you want to get to the second building, then go upstairs to the second floor, and look for a walkway aligned on either side with shops.
Yes, the elevated tunnel like structure actually has even more stores inside it.
Sharjah's Old Gold Souq, or now known as Sharjah's Blue Souq, is a picturesque building and neighbours multiple other picturesque landmark locations.
Including, the truly simple but beautiful King Faisal Mosque also known as the "Saudi Mosque", that captivates one's senses, the Souq Al Jubail, a huge shopping mall that has an immense selection of meat, fish, spices, vegetables, and so on, and also the landmark bus station known popularly as Al Jubail Bus Station.
Sharjah, is a location that can perhaps be described as beautiful, serene, residential, industrial (where certain areas are purely industry capitals), and so on. And the King Faisal Mosque, the Blue Souq, Souq Al Jubail, are just some landmarks that are very close to the intelligently located Al Jubail Bus Station, a landmark point of connectivity, and in the cross-hairs between two Emirates, the Emirate of Ajman, and the Emirate of Dubai, of the United Arab Emirates.