At Dubai International Airport, travelers have an opportunity to discover Emirati businesses and the people behind them. The Emirati District brings together a selection of homegrown brands, giving young UAE entrepreneurs a space to display their products and introduce their work to passengers from around the world.
Located in Terminal 3, between Concourses B and C, the district features businesses offering everything from traditional food and home fragrances to locally designed gifts. Among the brands taking part are Amadal, Mira Farms, Nuwa, and From the Arabs.
The project was developed through a collaboration between the Federal Youth Authority and the Fatima bint Mohamed bin Zayed Initiative. It is intended to support young Emirati entrepreneurs as they seek opportunities beyond the local market, while giving airport visitors a chance to shop for products connected to the UAE.
Nuwa and Amadal Introduce Travelers to Traditional Emirati Flavors and Locally Inspired Food Products
The farms and local produce of Al Ain are at the heart of Nuwa, a brand that draws on the area’s agricultural heritage to create products using local ingredients. Its range celebrates the UAE’s farming traditions, with premium dates among the products available for visitors to try.
Amadal turns to another familiar part of Emirati life: homemade food. Established to offer healthy snacks with local flavors, the brand takes inspiration from traditional recipes, including Batheeth, a well-known Emirati sweet.
Its products include date bites with flavors such as cardamom and zaatar. Through these combinations, Amadal brings tastes associated with Emirati homes into a range of snacks that can be enjoyed as part of everyday life.
Mira Farms Connects Traditional Agriculture With New Opportunities for Women and Farming Communities
Mira Farms, a social enterprise under the Fatima bint Mohamed bin Zayed Initiative, focuses on helping low-income communities, particularly women working in agriculture, gain access to international markets for their natural products.
Its work is rooted in traditional farming methods and a commitment to sustainability. The enterprise offers fruits and nuts grown in fertile soil and carefully dried in the sun, following an approach that places importance on natural production.
Alongside selling these products, Mira Farms reinvests its profits to support the communities involved. This allows the enterprise to provide opportunities for farming families while bringing their produce to a wider market.
From the Arabs and M Sentiment Bring Emirati Perfume Traditions Into Modern Homes
From the Arabs specializes in luxury home fragrances inspired by traditional Arabian scents. The brand aims to preserve aromas associated with Emirati culture while presenting them in a form suited to contemporary homes, including those beyond the UAE.
Each piece is handmade using 100% locally sourced materials. The collection draws on the warmth and character of traditional fragrances, combining familiar scents with designs intended for modern living.
M Sentiment offers a different interpretation of the connection between fragrance and personal experience. Founded by Emirati entrepreneur Maryam Al Shamsi, the perfume brand was inspired by the way scents can bring back memories and emotions.
Its fragrances are created around carefully selected notes, accompanied by elegant, simple designs. With storytelling central to the brand’s identity, M Sentiment invites customers to experience perfume through the feelings and memories a particular scent can evoke.
Little Majlis and Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre Highlight Emirati Craftsmanship and the UAE’s Space Journey
Little Majlis brings locally made gifts and Emirati designs to the district. Founded in 2012, it began as the region’s first online marketplace for artisans before developing into a local brand known for its distinctive gifts and creative products.
Its collections draw on the culture and identity of the UAE, giving visitors an opportunity to choose gifts that tell something of the country’s story. Every purchase also supports the local artisan community, whose work remains an important part of the brand.
The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre, established in 2006, is also represented through a range of products inspired by the UAE’s achievements in space exploration.
Based on actual space missions and technologies, these products bring elements of the country’s space program into items that visitors can explore and take home. They are designed to encourage curiosity and learning, particularly among younger generations and those interested in the UAE’s growing role in space science and exploration.
