With an ever-booming population, shiny Dubai has emerged as the shopping capital of the Middle East, with more than fifty malls and counting (many ultra-upscale), and outdoor markets peddling everything under the sun. Stores citywide slash their prices during the month-long annual Dubai Shopping Festival.

One of Marrakech's main and most fascinating attractions is Djeema el Fna, its sprawling labyrinth of vendors selling everything from crafts to rugs to clothing to spices. Other souks specialize, with Siyyaghin concentrating on jewellery and El Kebir focusing on the leather goods for which Marrakech is famed.

Victoria and Albert Waterfront, South Africa's most visited attraction, offers more than 400 shops for all tastes and budgets. St. George's Mall is a popular and very central pedestrian shopping avenue, with arts, crafts and jewellery among the wares. For antiques it's Long Street, one of the city's oldest.

Cairo's bazaars (called souks) are among the world's most famous, where almost anything fathomable - even live camels - is for sale. Be ready for sensory overload, and be ready to haggle, as starting prices are generally double the expected sales price. Khan el-Khalili is one of Cairo's most popular souks.

With its selection of shopping malls, open air markets, and quite a few areas that actually blend the two, Johannesburg draws shoppers from across Africa. Sandton City (with the adjacent Nelson Mandela Square) and Rosebank Mall (with the next-door African Crafts Market) are two of Joburg's shopping musts.