Rumours have been swirling for months that Souq Najada, the 12-year-old shopping plaza opposite Souq Waqif, is about to be shut down.

Confirmation of the demolition of Najada – informally known as the mobile phone souq – remains elusive, but The Peninsula newspaper reports that shopkeepers have now received notice of a government takeover of the complex:

The notice clearly says the property (the souq) has been acquired by the government ‘in public interest’ and it also talks of disconnecting utility supplies in the near future. 

Retailers have apparently been ordered to submit their documents to the municipality’s urban planning department within two weeks.

Those that have, have been given no indication of what will happen to their shops, which sit adjacent to the the massive new Msheireb development. The main issue is that few other locations offer comparably cheap rental rates and high volumes of customers.

Quite frankly, it’s not looking good for them… 

Credit: Photo by Lefty1007