Khalid bin al Waleed Road

A couple of blocks south of Al Fahidi Street lies the broad Khalid bin al Waleed Road (also known as “Computer Street”, and occasionally by its old colonial name of Bank Street). There’s a distinct change of pace here from the narrow streets and souks of the old city centre to the more modern districts beyond, epitomized by the huge BurJuman mall, which nestles on a corner near the road’s eastern end. The strip is best known for its plethora of computer and electronics shops, concentrated around the junction with Al Mankhool Road (particularly in the dated Mussalla Mall and in the Al Ain Centre just over the road) – a good place to pick up cheap digital stuff or simply to enjoy the after-dark atmosphere, when it’s lit up in a long blaze of neon, and locals emerge to haggle over the laptops, phones and mysterious bits of cable.