With Eid al Fitr round the corner, Oman's capital city is witnessing people busy shopping late into night.
Shops in Ruwi, Oman Commercial Centre and Muttrah Souq reported brisk business over the weekend ahead of Eid al Fitr, which is expected to be on April 10.
Other traditional souqs in Salalah, Suhar, Barka, Nizwa and Sur are also abuzz with Eid shoppers.
"Although there has been a lull in business in the past few years owing to many reasons, we are happy that there's a positive trend this year, thanks to the Eid shopping nights," said Navaz Kasarkode, a long time businessman in Muttrah Souq.
Not just the signature stores and shopping malls in the capital area, businesses in the downtown Ruwi and traditional souqs are welcoming an increasing number of customers as days go by.
In the oldest shopping mall in Ruwi, OC Centre, men, women and children were seen doing midnight shopping over the weekend mostly for dresses and perfumes.
"I keep the last weekend prior to Eid for purchasing clothes and attar for me and family and I get the best ones at a reasonable price in and around Ruwi," Fatma al Balushi and Aida, friends who were seen at the Centre, told the Observer.
Clothes topped the shopping list followed by perfumes oud, attar and frankincense, and footwear.
Tailors are having a field day as men and women prefer to get their clothes stitched. The tailors said they are working overtime to meet the demand that touched its peak by now.
"We are working day and night with only a few hours rest in between to meet the surging demand. It is a good sign that the ready-made dresses have not conquered the customers' minds," Najiul Fakhri, a tailor of Omani dress, said.
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