Temporary Naif Souq set to open Thursday

This was stated by Juma Khalifa Al Fuqaei, Director of General Maintenance Department, which is undertaking construction of the temporary market which is located 500 meters away from the original Souq which was gutted in an inferno in early April.

He said that all utilities are connected such as water, electricity, drainage and the Civil Defence requirements such as fire extinguishers are also met with.

"We have completed building the temporary Souq much before the scheduled period. We had announced that the Souq will be set up in 60 days time, However, we have finished all works in 45 days time," said Al Fuqaei.

He noted that the materials used in constructing the Souq were fire-proof and they could be easily reused in constructing similar facilities after dismantling them. "We have used light weight steel structures and no timber wood is used that will catch fire," Al Fuqaei said, adding that the Souq can be made permanent or dismantled later.

Al Fuqaei added that the compensation announced by the Municipality for the shop owners of the old Naif Souq was distributed during the last few days.

He added that there are some 200 shops in the temporary market - the same number of shops in the original market. They have been provided with all safety and security requirements, and include all amenities provided to shop-owners in the original market.

"The shop owners need not pay any additional rents until the new Naif Souq is ready by the end of the year," Al Fuqaei said.

Naif Souq was one of the oldest traditional markets in Dubai, having been named so thanks to its proximity to the ancient Naif Fort. The 60,000 sq ft market was also popularly referred to in Arabic as "Souq Sanadiq" because of the box-type shops before they were renovated in the 80s.