This part of the souk is covered with a sheet-metal awning for shade, butis otherwise exposed to the weather, although there are buildings on three sides.
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| Abu Dhabi is an interesting mix of spectacular Western-style architecture and modern renditions of Islamic traditions. This isn't really a contrast of old and new, since both are newly built. The contrast can be found, however. A good place to find tradition is in the vegetable souk. |
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| "How about some lemons?"
This part of the souk is covered with a sheet-metal awning for shade, butis otherwise exposed to the weather, although there are buildings on three sides. |
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| This is Asima, a Sri Lankan woman who works cleaning houses. One of her customers is our upstairs neighbor. Here she poses in the courtyard of our four-unit building. |
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| These women sell handicrafts in the souk. The woman on the right is holding up a note Octavia just paid her for a small crocheted bag. She seems to be pleased with her bargain; you can see the laugh lines right through the birka. This style of veil is the traditional one in the Emirates, with several variations, as you can see. More prosperous women who choose to veil usually adopt a full-face Saudi-style veil, which leaves only the eyes uncovered, rather than the "country" style worn by vendors in the souk. |