Coronavirus in the UAE: Some information on this website is out of date as a result of measures taken in the UAE to deal with the coronavirus crisis. Confirm with official or authoritative sources.
List of shopping malls in Al Ain
Abu Dhabi malls | Al Ain malls | Dubai malls | Dubai shopping centers | Sharjah malls | Ajman, Fujairah, RAK, UAQ malls
List of shopping malls in Al Ain, UAE. Also souks and shopping centers, with locations, location maps, contact details, opening hours. The largest malls are Al Ain Mall, Al Jimi Mall, Bawadi Mall.
Downtown Al Ain or Central District (of Al Ain) - pedestrian-friendly central city area with restaurants, shops, footpaths, and parking meters.
Al Ain shopping malls and centers
- Al Ain Central Market - behind Bawadi Mall. Same as Al Ain Camel Souk, Al Ain Livestock Souq, or something?
- Al Ain City Center - Khalid Bin Sultan St, Al Sarooj district, between Al Ain Hilton and Al Ain Intercontinental hotels.
- Al Ain Mall (different from the small Al Ain Center in Dubai) - open 2001, 4 screen cinema complex, ice rink, family amusement center, 12 lane bowling alley, food court, restaurants, cafes, and of course some shops. Al Ain Mall expansion (Phase 1 with 135 new shops) opening date 29 November 2011. Phase 2 of expansion expected to open by Q3 2012, and will include 80 additional retail outlets, a 5 star hotel, outdoor area, entertainment areas, and an artificial lake on the second floor.
- Al Ain Outlet Mall - see Barari Mall.
- Al Falah Plaza - downtown Al Ain. Small shopping center.
- Al Foah Mall, opening date unknown, food court, 6 cinemas, hypermarket, amusement center, about 100 shops on 3 levels, GLA 26,000 sq meters, 1100 parking spaces, developer and manager Line Investments & Property LLC (a division of EMKE Group).
- Al Jimi Center (Al Jimi Mall) - first shopping mall in Al Ain, opened in 2001 (?), 110 stores including Carrefour Al Ain, Centrepoint, Home Centre UAE, Fun City for kids.
- Al Safa Center (Al Safa Commercial Center), Hamdan bin Mohamed St, Al Jimi - small collection of shops, not a shopping mall.
- Al Waha Mall (Oasis Mall or Center Al Ain) - Al Hilli district, intersection of Al Falah St and Abu Obaida Bin Al Jarrah St, opposite Hili border post with Oman, under construction, opening date not supplied, might be in 2014? Contractor or construction Nael General Contracting Group. Project value AED 240m? Four floors.
Not related to Al Waha Mall in Dubai.
- Barari Outlet Mall or Barari Mall - community mall, opening in 2013 or 2014? Or Al Ain outlet mall, similar to Dubai Outlet Mall and Ajman outlet mall with factory and branded shops selling old or damaged stock at cheap prices.
- Bawadi Mall - large (for Al Ain) shopping centre officially open end of April 2009, GLA 110,000 sq meters, total area 145,000 sq m.
- Boutik Al Ain - medium size mall (85,000 sq m) opening October 2012 ... December 2012? Includes a Carrefour supermarket and cinema complex. Intersection of Al Ain St (118 St) and Khalid Bin Sultan St (147 St), same intersection as Al Waha Hospital (Oasis Hospital) and Etisalat building.
- Hili Industrial Area community mall - under construction during 2012?
Reference to Oasis Mall or Wahat Hili Mall?
- Lulu Hypermarket, Al Sanaiya (or Al Kuwaitat district?), open August 2009 - tel +971-3-7220055, fax +971-3-7220053 (Lulu website) or tel +971-3-7640555, fax +971-3-7640666 (newspaper advertisement). Area 200,000 sq ft?
- Safeer Mall, Baniyas (Bani Yas St), Al Masoudi area - more of a hypermarket or supermarket on two floors than a proper shopping mall. Also called Safeer Market? Tel +971-3-7633215, fax +971-3-7633216, PO Box 16942, Al Ain, UAE.
- Safeer Market, Hamdan Bin Mohammed Street, Al Jimi - supermarket or hypermarket only, but some shops next to it?
- Safeer Market, Zayed the First St, Al Jimi - next to Zaafaranah Souk, hypermarket, money exchange.
- Town Square - shopping area in downtown Al Ain.
- Wahat Hili Mall (opening date Sep 2013) - Arabian themed mall in the Hili District of Al Ain, a community shopping mall. Developer is Potential Real Estate.
- Area of 50,000 sq meters (GLA 30,000 sq m by the time it opened) on three floors with 160 outlets, includes a Geant Hypermarket (announced 14 December 2009), cafes, restaurants, family entertainment center (My Play Zone).
- Stores and retail outlets include Baby Shop, Fitness First (ladies only?), E-Max (Emax) electronics (800 sq m shop), Jumbo Unwired, Lifestyle, National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) Al Ain headquarters, Shoe Express, Shoe Mart, Splash.
- Cafes, restaurants, and other food and beverage outlets include Baskin Robbins, Burger Hood, China Wall, Fresco, Jamaica Blue coffee shop, La Brioche, Le Bistro, McDonald's, Papa John's Pizza, Pizzaro, Salamlek, Solidair Restaurant, Subway sandwiches.
- The shopping mall is part of a 100,000 sq meter development including a Rotana Group hotel (Arjaan Hotels and Apartments) or Hili Rayhaan by Rotana. Hotel opening date early 2014?
- Chief Executive is Saeed Al Dhaheri. General Manager is Mohamad El Sabawi.
- Construction started in 2008, scheduled opening date was late 2010 ... delayed to Q1 2013 ... then Jun 2013 ... finally opened on 09 Sep 2013 (soft opening, official opening date in 2014 after hotel project completed).
- Website www.wahathilimall.ae and www.whmall.ae.
- Banks: National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) and Abu Dhabi National Islamic Finance company (ADNIF) opening announced 03 Dec 2014, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) opening 2015 Q1 (PR).
Opening hours for Al Ain shopping malls
Generally, shops and shopping malls in Al Ain are open 1000-2200 weekdays. Some malls are open later on Thu-Sat nights. daily. Some shops won't open until 1600 or so on Fridays, especially shops outside malls or in smaller shopping centers. These shops will also often be closed in the afternoon from about 1300-1600 on Sat-Thu. Shops in the larger malls will normally be open all day.
During Eid holidays, and other important dates for example Christmas Eve and New Years Eve, shops might be open until midnight.
Ramadan hours might be extended to midnight for shops and possibly later for supermarkets. Shops might be closed around Iftar (1700-1900 depending on time of year). Food and dining outlets will be closed during daylight hours everywhere in Al Ain except possibly in one or two of the larger 5 star hotels.
Souqs and markets in Al Ain
- Al Ain Souk, Al Ain Old Souk, Souk Al Samak (Souq AlSamak), Central Market, Old Market, Vegetable and Meat Market or Fruit Vegetable Fish Souk? Al Mutawaa District, (Al Mutawa'a), downtown Al Ain, by the Al Ain Oasis area, across Zayed Bin Sultan St from the Central District.
- Al Khrair Animal Souq - behind Bawadi Mall?
- Al Qattara Souk or Souq - historical souk and heritage area, not a shopping mall or center.
- Camel Souk? Bawadi Mall?
- Souq Al Bawadi - next to Bawadi Mall. Souq style collection of small business and shops (travel agents, money changers, etc).
- Souq Al Qaws - next to Bawadi Mall. Shops selling traditional and heritage items, and souvenirs from the UAE.
- Souk Al Zaafarana (Zafarana, Zafaarana, Zafranah, Zaafarah, Zaafaranah, Zafaranah, Market) - large air conditioned vegetable market hall, a section with meat and chicken (dead ones) shops. An indoor area with large trolleys or carts selling souvenirs and other small items, a few small shops with a souq style design. Mubdia'h Village (Mubdiah) is a section for ladies only with small stores selling abayas, perfumes, fashion items and accessories, and other items. Also a couple of garden centers. Next door is a large Safeer hypermarket (Safeer Center), and a few fast food outlets - Hardees, KFC, Pizza Hut.
- SoukExtra! (Souk Extra, SouqExtra) - small community shopping centers in Dubai and the UAE. First Al Ain location opened in Al Bateen, has a Spinneys supermarket.
Souk Al Qattara
Al Qattara Souq (AQS) (not the same as the Al Ain Souq) - historic souk renovated by the Abu Dhabi Culture and Tourism Authority and reopened end of 2012. AQS is a small traditional souk next to the Al Qatara Arts Center (Qatara, Katara) in the Al Qattara Fort, part of the Al Qattara Heritage Area. Has about a dozen stores with traditional UAE clothes, baskets, spices, trinkets, pots, etc. Also a few displays in the same area of traditional UAE heritage stuff - cafe, cooking, pottery, etc. Visit to see a bit of UAE history rather than to go and do your weekly grocery shopping. Go as early as possible in the morning during summer, very little shade, and shops have no airconditioning (?). An interesting place to visit if you're in or visiting Al Ain but on its own is not worth making a special trip from another emirate or country unless it has some particular significance for you.
- Entry is free. Car parking is free and easily available.
- 2013-2014 Dec to Mar (approx) opening hours: 0800 or 0900 to 1300 and 1600-2100 (closed afternoons) Sat-Thu. Only 1600-2100 on Fridays (2013-2014 hours?).
- 2014 Apr to Nov closed? Or opening hours (approx) mornings only 0800 or 0900 to 1300 Sat-Thu. Closed afternoons and evenings, and all day on Fridays. Timings not confirmed.
- Evening traditional UAE entertainment - music, dance, etc on Thu and Fri after about 1900 or 2000 (timings not clear).
- Location is on the road dividing Al Jimi Oasis and Al Qattara Oasis, just drive along until you see the sign, easy to find.
- Al Qattara Oasis is one of the Al Ain UNESCO Heritage Sites.
- Officially reopened 01 December 2012 by Shaikh Tahnoun Bin Mohammed Al Nahyan (WAM 01 Dec 2012).
- AQ souq founded by Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan Al Nahyan, former Ruler of Abu Dhabi in mid 1900s. Also renovated in 1970s (WAM 01 Dec 2012)?
- 2012-2013 timings (Visit Abu Dhabi): 29-30 Nov 2013 from 1630-2100, 01-02 Dec 2013 from 1000-2100. Rest of Dec and Jan: Sat-Tue 1000-2100 (10am-9pm), Wed-Fri 1600-2100 (4pm-9pm). Conflicts with PR info which says 0800-2100 in Dec 2102 and Jan 2013. Closed from Feb 2012 to Nov 2013?
Last update Saturday 13-Dec-2014
Related pages
- Al Ain city - general guide to Al Ain.
- Lulu hypermarkets in Al Ain - a chain of supermarkets, hypermarkets, department stores, and shopping centers.
- List of banks in Al Ain
- Souq Extra Al Ain
- Supermarkets in Al Ain - Al Ain Co-op, Abu Dhabi Co-op (?), Choitrams, Safeer, Spinneys
Related websites (new window)
- [Disabled] Submit URL.