Bur Dubai

‘Bur Dubai’ is the name given to the mishmash of districts cradling the southern side of the Creek. Comprising Dubai’s oldest area, it is home to some of the city’s historical highlights, including several intri­guing museums and some energetic art galleries.

It is also home to Dubai’s vast Asian community, who have made it very much their own. Here perhaps more than anywhere, visitors can track down the one thing the city’s accused of losing, but can never buy: its soul. A wander through the alleyways of old Dubai without guidebook, map, intent or purpose, particularly at night, provides many with their most memorable city moment.

Historic sites of Al Shindagha Road

Lying just off Al Shindagha Road is a series of historical buildings that house exhibitions. The Shindagha Watchtower is one of Dubai’s rare historical buildings, which once served to alert the city’s citizens to impending peril, including pirates that once plagued the waters of the Gulf. 

The neighbouring Heritage Village and Diving Village style themselves as living museums. You can see craftsmen at work, including women basket-weavers and potters, as well as traditional singing, dancing and storytelling.

The House of the Camel, close to the road, provides a surprisingly interesting introduction to this bedrock of Bedouin culture. Rooms contain informative films on the animal; don’t miss the one on camel racing if you can’t make it to the races.

Nearby is the Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum House. Built in 1896, it’s a traditional courtyard house, and served as the home of several Dubai rulers until 1958. Exhibits include colonial-era documents, but the highlight for most are some exceedingly evocative – and revealing – black and white photographs of old Dubai. 

Next door, the Sheikh Juma Al Maktoum House provides an excellent introduction to the traditional architecture of Dubai and nearby towns.

Ali Bin Abi Talib Street and the Dubai Museum

Near or just off Ali Bin Abi Talib Street are a number of major attractions. The impressive 18th-century Al Fahidi fort houses the Dubai Museum. Providing a useful overview of the city’s history, culture and development, the collection includes some traditional pearling boats and a barasti (traditional mud and palm-frond house). In the basement, a series of alarmingly life-like dioramas (complete with sound effects) include a traditional souk, and pearl diving and Bedouin life pastiches.

Near the museum is the modern Grand Mosque, though built in the style of its 1900 predecessor.

Lying at the heart of the area popularly known as ‘Little India’ is Hindi Lane. Doing a roaring trade with Dubai’s huge Indian community (42 percent of the population) who come to purchase religious paraphernalia with which to adorn the nearby Hindi and Sikh temples, it’s particularly colourful at night.

Though less famous than the souks of its northerly neighbour, the Bur Dubai Souk is still well worth exploring, and the traditional arcade that houses it is more completely restored. At its centre lies the so-called Textile Souk, with reams of fabric leaking from shop fronts that glitter and dazzle (particularly at night) almost as much as Deira’s Gold Souk. Don’t miss the chance to explore the surrounding alleyways, and seek out the stunning views of the Creek from the nearby wharves.

Bastakia's wind-tower houses

Challenging two cultural stereotypes in one, Bastakia demonstrates that Dubai does have some history and is concerned about keeping it. Snatched from the jaws of the bulldozers and currently under renovation, Bastakia is being turned into a pedestrian-only conservation area.

The area’s name comes from the traders who migrated from the Bastak area in southern Iraq in the 1900s. Lured here by tax-free concessions, the wealthy pearl traders and merchants brought their distinct building style with them: the traditional wind-tower house. A wander around the cool and atmospheric alleyways of the area is a very pleasant way to pass a morning or afternoon. 

Contained inside the quarter are some interesting art galleries, including the Majlis Gallery and the XVA Gallery. Even diehard non-culture vultures may opt to visit. Both provide the opportunity to see inside beautifully restored wind-tower houses. In the courtyard of the XVA, cold drinks, snacks or meal, are served in the pretty courtyard, and you can feel at first hand the efficacy of the ancient cooling system.

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• Want more history? Head to Deira