Mayfair: Xarunta Hanti-wadaagga Khaliijiga ee London
Deegaanka Mayfair ee London wuxuu ka mid yahay meelaha ugu taajirka badan adduunka, halkaas oo ay ku badan yihiin maal-gashadayaasha iyo boqorada Khaliijiga. Qoysas ka yimid Dubai iyo Bahrain ayaa booqmaya xilligan Ogosto, iyagoo ka faa'iidaynaya cimilo ka qabow London marka loo eego dalalkooda.
Boqortooyada Khaliijiga iyo Maal-gashiga Mayfair
Mayfair waa mid ka mid ah deegaamada ugu taajirka badan adduunka, waxaana ay soo jiidanaysaa dadka hodanka ah ee Khaliijiga. Sanduuqa Maal-gashiga Dadweynaha ee Sacuudi Carabiya ayaa leh 40 boqolkiiba dukaanka Selfridges, halka Harrods uu leeyahay dowladda Qatar.
Khaled, oo 15 jir ah oo ka yimid Dubai, iyo adeerkiis Mohammed, 53, ayaa booqmaya London oo saddex toddobaad ah joogaya Mayfair, booqasho ay sameeyaan Ogosto kasta. Khaled wuxuu yiri: 'We come to London because we have a lot of investments here and we like to help them out'.
Dadka Caanka ah iyo Suuqyada Luxury-ga
Waddada North Audley Street, Sarra iyo Elaf oo ah saameyn-yaqaanno moodada ah oo reer Kuwait ayaa isku duubaya sawirro. Grays Antique Market wuxuu hayaa in ka badan 80 ganacsade oo madax-bannaan, waxaana soo booqda qoysaska boqortooyada Sacuudi, Bahrain iyo UAE.
Juwaaher-iibiyaha suuqa ayaa xusay in 'Mayfair is the mecca of the Arab world in a way' oo ay ku yimaadaan gabdhaha Khaliijiga oo aanay ka leexan £1,000 oo charm ah. Wuxuu kaloo sheegay booqashadii amiiradda Thai ee 20 xulafo wadata.
Qiimaha Nolosha iyo Caqabaddaha Gaadiidka
Grosvenor Square, oo xilligii 1785 ilaa 2018 ahaa xaruntii safaaradda Maraykanka, hadda waa huteel raaxo leh oo ay ku yaalliin maqaayado ay ku dhex jirto Qinwan Cafe oo leh Qatar. Saddex sandwich oo digaag ah waxay kala kacayaan £20.
Darawalka dhalashada London ee Koonfurta, Hash, ayaa yiri 'Mayfair means money' isagoo ka hadlaya hoos u dhaca dakhligiisa. Wuxuu sheegay in lix sano ka hor uu £500 maalintii kasban jiray, haddana uu nasiib ku leeyahay in ka badan £100.
As the UK braces for its hottest summer on record, wealthy visitors from the Gulf states have flocked to Mayfair, drawn by the cooler climate and the concentration of luxury brands and investment opportunities in one of the world's richest districts.
A Familiar World in the Heart of London
Dubai's ruler Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was spotted walking through Mayfair last weekend, where he was heckled by a Sudanese protester over the UAE's involvement in the Sudan war. A member of his entourage reportedly called the protester a 'Black bitch' before the incident drew condemnation from those present.
The family of Mohammed bin Rashid, including his 15-year-old nephew Khaled, has made Mayfair their home away from home, staying in the area for three weeks every August. Khaled, who plans to attend university in London, described the neighbourhood as a map of 'prime khaleeji hangouts', listing upscale restaurants such as Cipriani, Ivy Asia, Sexy Fish, Supernova and Nobu as his favourite spots.
Luxury Shopping and the Gulf's Spending Power
Selfridges department store, now 40 percent owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, has become a gathering point for Gulf visitors. Two sisters from Bahrain, aged 15 and 17, said they regularly meet school friends from their country in Mayfair, while a Saudi teenager attending a summer school told his school he needs a bodyguard because 'people here are so poor they will try and stab me for my Hermes'.
At Grays Antique Market, which houses over 80 independent dealers, members of the royal families of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE have all been seen shopping. A jeweller there noted that wealthy Gulf visitors are 'an integral part of the business, especially in August', with young girls from the Gulf spending £1,000 on small charms without hesitation.
The Cost of Living in Mayfair
The former US embassy at Grosvenor Square, now a luxury hotel, houses the Qatari-owned Qinwan Cafe, where three small chicken sandwiches cost £20. Delivery driver Hash from south London, who says he used to earn £500 a day six years ago, now struggles to make more than £100 a day, remarking that 'Mayfair means money'.
Inside Selfridges, Arabic coffee is sold alongside promotions for Saudi Arabia, while the Marlborough pub, named after a 17th-century ancestor of Winston Churchill, sees its streets dominated by Gulf visitors. The area's wealth is underscored by the fact that Emirati leaders were educated or received military training in the UK, creating deep historical ties between the Gulf and Britain.
