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The Souks
 The souks on both sides of
the Creek are attractive not
just for their shopping
bargains but also as places
for the sightseer and
photographer.
A huddle of narrow alleyways
has survived on the Deira
side despite intensive
building in recent years. In
the tiny lanes of the spice
souk, the atmosphere and the
scents of the past can be
savoured. Bags of spices,
incense, rose petals and
traditional medicinal
products are stacked outside
each stall.
Along the slightly larger
lanes of the gold souk, each
shop window is crammed with
gold necklaces, rings,
bangles, earrings and
brooches. In the evening the
area is a hive of activity.
Gold prices are among the
lowest in the world.
In other small streets, the
visitor can find shops
selling nargilehs (hookah or
hubble-bubble pipes) and
coffee pots, and nearby tea
stalls where both of these
items are in daily use.
There are traditional
bakeries where large flat
loaves of delicious
unleavened bread are baked
to order inside a domed oven
called tandoor. Small
textile shops sell veils
with decorated edges,
pantaloons with embroidered
anklets, and dress lengths
with similarly embroidered
necklines reminiscent of The
Arabian Nights. On the Bur
Dubai side of the Creek are
lanes full of textile shops,
where a blaze of colourful
raw silks and cottons hang
in profusion in shop
windows.
The fish souk in Deira is an
attraction in itself. Early
in the morning and late at
night, local fishermen
unload mountains of fresh
fish which they sell in a
frenzied bargaining session.
Kingfish, red snapper, rock
cod (the popular hammour),
barracuda, tuna, lobster,
crab, king prawn, sea bream,
squid, pomfret, shark,
mackerel, sardine and other
species are available in
abundance for most of the
year.
 Dubai Museum
Al Fahidi Fort, which houses
the Dubai Museum, is another
imposing building. It once
guarded the city’s landward
approaches. Built around
1799, it has served
variously as palace,
garrison and prison.
It was renovated in 1970 for
use as a museum; further
restoration and the addition
of galleries was completed
in 1995. Colourful and
evocative dioramas, complete
with life-size figures and
sound and lighting effects,
vividly depict everyday life
in pre-oil days. Galleries
rescenes from the Creek,
traditional Arab houses,
mosques, the souk, date
gardens, desert and marine
life.
One of the most spectacular
exhibits portrays the
underwater world of
pearl-diving, and is
accompanied by sets of pearl
merchants’ weights, scales
and sieves.
Also on display are
artefacts such as fine
copper, alabaster and
pottery objects found in
3,000–4,000 year-old graves
at Al Ghusais. The main fort
is a fascinating military
museum.
Umm Al Sheif Majlis
The summer resort of the
late Ruler of Dubai has been
restored and is open to the
public.
Built in the early 1950s in
the coastal Umm Suqeim area,
the majlis gardens feature a
reproduction of the
traditional falaj irrigation
system. The majlis provides
an intriguing insight into
Dubai’s rapid development.
Heritage and Diving Villages
A traditional heritage
village, located near the
mouth of the Creek, has been
created where potters and
weavers display their
crafts. Here the visitor can
look back in time and
experience some of Dubai’s
heritage.
The Diving Village forms
part of an ambitious plan to
turn the entire Shindagha
area into a cultural
microcosm, recreating life
in Dubai as it was in days
gone by.
 Magic Planet
Housed in the giant Deira
City Centre shopping mall,
this children’s
entertainment centre is a
unique indoor site with
ten-pin bowling, a crawling
bungle-jungle, variety of
electronic games and a mini
pitch and putt. |
