This article originally appeared on VICE Arabia.
Smart Beby Saloon, Golden Shower Garments Trading, Testy Meal – these are some of the strangest and most entertaining store names you might come across in Dubai’s oldest neighbourhoods, like al-Satwa and Deira.
Videos by VICE
Irish-Libyan photographer Jalal Abuthina, who’s based in Dubai, has seen a lot of this odd mix of creativity and words lost in translation in Dubai’s shop names. In 2015, he compiled his favourite signs in a photo book called The Best of Dubai Shop Names.
The book is part of a wider series “produced as a counter-narrative to the city’s hugely popular image of opulence and modern architecture,” says the photographer. “The pictures are a photographic journey through old downtown Dubai, showing the less-celebrated side of the city and its inhabitants.”
Scroll down to see more photos from the book:
More
From VICE
-
Pretty Vectors/Getty Images -
Screenshot: Sony Interactive Entertainment -
Screenshot: PlayStation (YouTube) -
Mohamed Rida ROKI/Getty Images
