Camel Family

At the northern entrance to The Dubai Mall's Gold Souk, three bronze camels rest beneath a ceiling painted like a starry night sky. This is Camel Family by the sculptor Donald Greig, and it sets the theme for the souk beyond: the journey of the caravan traders who once crossed the desert to trade gold and goods, greeting shoppers at the threshold of what is billed as the world's largest indoor gold souk.

The group is precisely observed. The adult camel stands about 3 metres tall, the calf around 1.9 metres, and the third, a resting camel, about 1.3 metres — together weighing some 800 kilograms of bronze. Greig spent around eight months on the work, and it was built the slow, traditional way: modelled first in clay over a polystyrene armature, moulded in silicone, cast in wax, dipped in ceramic and finally filled with molten bronze by the lost-wax method. The camel is the enduring symbol of Gulf heritage — endurance, patience, survival in the desert — and here it does quiet double duty, honouring that past while ushering visitors into a very modern temple of commerce.

At the north entrance of the Gold Souk inside The Dubai Mall, under the painted starry-sky dome. Look for the Gold Souk signage; the camels sit at the threshold. The Arabian stallion marks the souk's south entrance if you want to walk the full themed route.