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Al-Fahidi
Fort, built in 1800, is home to the Dubai Museum, and is thought
to be Dubai's oldest building. 
In the past the fort was used to defend the town from warlike neighbouring
tribes. It has also served, at various times throughout history
as the seat of government, the ruler's residence, a store for ammunition,
and a jail.
The walls of the fort are built from coral and shell rubble from
the sea, and are cemented together with lime. Wooden poles called
handel support the upper floor, and the ceiling is made of palm
fronds, mud and plaster.
A massive, iron-studded door stands at
the entrance, and its battle-scarred walls and towers bear witness
to the conflicts of the past.
When the Museum was opened by the ruler of Dubai in 1971, its main
aim was to furnish a record of the Emirate's traditional life, much
of which is fast disappearing. Local antiquities have been collected
and stored, along with artifacts from many African and Asian countries,
trading partners with the Emirate, throughout its long commercial
history.
At the Museum's entrance, the visitor can browse through a collection
of old maps of the Gulf and the Emirates, together with aerial photographs
showing Dubai's considerable urban expansion between 1960 and 1980.
Inside, a treasure trove awaits. A large section is devoted to musical
instruments, with displays of drums, flutes, lyres, bagpipes made
of goatskin and other locally-made instruments used in performances
on festive occasions.
On a less peaceful note, displays of deadly weaponry are enough
to curdle the blood. The curved daggers known as hanjars are much
in evidence, and the display also includes swords, spears, bows
and arrows, shields made of sharkskin, pistols and axes.
A model of a wind-tower room is an interesting feature of the architecture
section, with diagrams and photographs showing different types of
wind-towers from the older areas of Dubai city.
Narish Khyma, situated close to the Museum, is a typical Arab summer-house,
with an interesting collection of local boats. These include a replica
of the famous abra -- the ferry boats used for transporting passengers
across Dubai's river Creek.
Visiting Hours
Saturday to Thursday: 08:00-22:00 daily
Friday: 08:00-11:00 and 16:00-22:00
Ramadan: 09:00-24:00
Activities timing:
21:00-24:00
Telephone: 04-3937151
Commercial Life
The museum's realistic lifesize
static displays provide an insight into the traditional occupants
of Dubai. Those have included dhow building, fishing, pearl diving
and trade. Indeed, the export of fine pearls was a major factor
in Dubai's rise to prominence as a trading centre.
The Creek
has always been the lifeline of Dubai, providing a safe harbour
to mercantile and fishing vessels, as it does even today. Visitors
to the museum can view a splendid diorama depicting the old charm
and bustle of commercial life along the banks of this fabled waterway.
Souks have been often referred to as the real heart of Arabia, and
nowhere is this more true than in Dubai. The city's famous souks
have, since the late 19th century, attached merchants and traders
from as far afield as India, Iran, the eastern coast of Africa and
beyond. At the museum, you can experience all the atmosphere of
a soul in the 1950s, as you stroll through a labyrinth of spice
stores, pottery and carpentry workshops and rows of shops, including
tailors, grocers, textile merchants and date-sellers.
Domestic Life
Traditional Dubai houses are
considered to be among the finest examples of Gulf architecture.
The earliest houses were constructed with humble building materials,
including the leaves and trunks of palm trees (areesh), rocks and
earthen clay. As flourishing pearl trade brought greater prosperity
in the latter half of the last century, however, these gave away
to houses built of stone and adorned with magnificent wind towers,
the world's earliest form of air conditioning. |
