Sahara

Tirdzniecības centrs Sahara (Sahara Shopping Centre) is not named after the biggest desert in Africa.
It is named after Soviet human rights activist and Nobel prize laureate Andrei Sakharov.
The shopping center was built in 2004 on the cross of Andreja Saharova iela and Lubanas iela.
People Reaction (2)
hmm.. it's so wierd to name a shopping center after the human-rights activist...!
In the Center of Rio de Janeiro, there is another Sahara Shopping, but in portuguese the word is "SAARA" (without the "H"). It's a huge of little shops along the whole Alfândega Street and other streets near by. They are some pedestrian only streets. The name is an abbreviation of "Sociedade dos Amigos e Adjacências da Rua da Alfândega" (Society of Friends and Adjacencies of the Alfândega Street). Hence the name SAARA. It's a historical place with many popular shops. Almost always it looks like an anthill, because of the amount of clients who is passing by, each day.