Ibn Battuta Mall: The World's Largest Themed Shopping Mall

Published On 12/08/2014 By Anonymous

Once there were two soulmates who vowed to travel and explore the world. On their quest for a new adventure, they were lost in an unknown city and were led by their curious minds and feet to an enchanted train which brought them to an experience like no other. They came by to visit the pyramids in Egypt, conquered the mountain ranges in Andalusia, explored the vast lands of Tunisia, had a quick stop at India, then flew to Persia, diverted to India, and finally decided to watch a movie in China....all in just one day!

Alright. Fine. Nope, I'm not crazy. Homesickness has not taken over my sanity, just yet. Haha! But seriously, it's just that there's this mall in Dubai which is so grand and awesome that I can't even find words to describe it.

Chinese Junk in China Court, Ibn Battuta Mall

I've always dreamed of travelling the world, and although I know that it won't be very soon that I'll get to live that dream, Ibn Battuta Mall has somehow made me cross a few destinations out from my list. Haha! :p

Ibn Battuta Mall, the world’s largest themed shopping mall (yet another world record for Dubai), has six different themes based on the travels of the 14th Century Arabic Explorer, Ibn Battuta. Every section was carefully crafted which makes guests feel and relive the travels of the great explorer.

Egypt Court

Welcoming us to our one-of-a-kind adventure was this mall's facade in the Egypt Court.

With pyramids, hieroglyphics, temples, kings, queens, and pharaohs carved on the walls of the mall, plus a huge Egyptian structure at the center of the court, a tour around Egypt Court somehow brought to life the wonder and romance of Egypt's ancient history and led us to a journey of a whole new discovery.

Andalusia Court

From Egypt, we walked to Andalusia, a Spanish autonomous community. The centerpiece of the Andalusia Court is its magnificent Lion Fountain, inspired by the Fountain of Lions in Alhambra.

Aside from the Lion Fountain, other attractions in this court is the man in an ancient sky glider, plus the marble arches and wooden ceilings.

Tunisia Court

This is my most favorite part of the mall. Blue skies and white fluffy clouds with sparkling stars guided our way through the 14th-century-inspired Tunisia Court. I initially thought that this is an al fresco part of the mall until I noticed how perfectly aligned the 'stars' seem. Haha! The clouds really looked real!

India Court

I was having a game in my head trying to guess which country or region we're in as we explore the different courts. I was so sure that we were in Thailand when I saw this huge elephant centerpiece, until I noticed the arch which has the 'India Court' inscription in it. Good thing I kept it to myself, or else I'll get non-stop laughing and picking on from Mark. Haha! :p

Another attraction, aside from the elephant and Taj Mahal-inspired dome ceiling, are these ancient Indian musicians.

Persia Court

We then went next to the jewel in Ibn Battuta Mall’s crown, the Persia Court. Every court of the mall has it's own arches, pillars, and domes, which are undoubtedly exceptional, but for me, Persia Court's dome beautifully embellished with gold and blue mosaic tiles plus that brass chandelier, is the most captivating of them all.

China Court

Our last destination was the China Court. The most fascinating part of this court is this huge Junk, an ancient Chinese sailing vessel. And as with the other courts, China Court was also intricately designed, from the walls to the ceilings to the pillars.

China Court is also were Mark and I got to have our first movie experience in Dubai in the region’s first and only IMAX theatre.

I can't remember how many 'wow's and 'awwwww's I've uttered and there's no denying how definitely awed I was with Ibn Battuta Mall. Apart from being a shopping mall, it's definitely a massive work of art. Every corner is just picturesque.

With its exciting mix of over 275 retailers, 50 restaurants and food outlets, 21 cinema screens including UAE’s only IMAX theatre, Ibn Battuta Mall definitely is one-of-a-kind! :)

IBN BATTUTA MALL
Sheikh Zayed Road
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
www.ibnbattutamall.com
Mall hours: Sun-Wed : 10am-10pm, Thu-Sat : 10am-12 midnight
Nearest metro station: Ibn Battuta (Red Line)