One of the key highlights of the Liwa Date Festival is the Traditional Market. It sheds light on Emirati heritage and reinforces the cultural legacy the Emirati ancestors bequeathed to their sons and daughters.
The Liwa Date Festival has gained considerable attention and recognition on account of its increasing role in tourism and economy, and its role in linking the local date and palm tree handicrafts to tourism and economy.
The visitor of Liwa and its festival finds in the market a model of the flourishing oasis decorated with meticulously-woven palm leaves. There, he has a chance to discover all products made of date palm, in addition to date sweets, and Jumar (the milky-white inner part of the tree heart). The visitor can also have a close look at every aspect that is related to the daily life of the Bedouin family and the different crafts, such as Al Sadu (a traditional form of weaving).
The visitor of the Traditional Market will grasp Emirati women’s vital role in the deep-rooted Bedouin economy. From their mothers and grand-mothers, women inherit the efficient techniques needed to use these riches and preserve them for post-harvest times. The visitor will also discover the solidarity between the members of Bedouin families and notice the constant subsistence of tribal unity. The Traditional Market is a continuous local festival in itself. It is, indeed, a perfect platform to share expertise and reproduce entrenched heritage for the benefit of future generations.
 
Conditions & General rules for Participation in the Traditional Market
 
- The participant must respect the deadlines set by the Festival’s Committee (from 4pm to 10pm).
- The participant must stay in his shop from opening time to closure time and has no right to leave his shop in the hands of a worker or a maid.
- The participant must respect the specificity of the festival and its market. He must display only the products that were designated earlier by the organising committee. The organisers have the right to remove any displayed products that are inconsistent with the specialty of the market. They also have the right to remove any products that are incompatible with the Islamic doctrine or products that violate the sovereignty of the state.
- The participant is bound to refrain from displaying, selling or storing any material that is banned or prohibited by the local authorities. He has no right to display, sell or store any flammable materials. Material, moral, penal, and legal responsibilities fall on the participant alone, with no liability whatsoever to the organisers.
- The participant takes full responsibility for the transport of his goods to the market site and their arrangement in the shop at his own expense, and within the allotted space. He will only be allowed to bring products into the market or take them out during the working hours, and in respect of the deadlines preset by the organising committee.
- The organising committee has the full right to use the space allotted to the participant if he fails to arrange it at least day before the beginning of the festival. In this case, he will have no right to apply for the space again.
- If he withdraws, the participant has no right to relinquish his space to any other person without a prior written permission from the organising committee.
- The participant must abstain from making noise or using any audio and visual devices, the reach of which may go beyond the allotted space and disturb other participants. The organisers have the right to cut power in case of violation. If the participant repeats the offence, the organisers have the right to close the shop after sending a written notice. After the shop is closed, the participant will have no right to any compensation.
- If the participant requests extra-power connections, he must check with the organising committee and get its permission. This procedure aims at maintaining the safety of the market and its visitors.
- The participant is responsible for maintaining the cleanliness and the general appearance of the shop. He must dispose of the waste and rubbish and make sure that public passageways inside the market are clean and open for the visitors’ movement.
- The participant must preserve the decent overall shape of the space that has been allotted to him. He must avoid the use of any inappropriate forms or structures in the display of his products. He has to be committed to the allotted space and refrain from expansion, which will lead to the jamming of passageways.
- After the end of the festival, the participant must return the allotted space to the organising committee. The committee is not responsible for loss of anything after the end of the festival.