A visit to Dubai would be incomplete without a tour of this cleverly-planned museum. It offers a vivid picture of how Dubai has crammed into a third of a century what most cities achieve in several. Located near the creekside historic Bastakiya district, the museum is housed within and beneath one of the city’s oldest buildings, Al Fahidi Fort. It traces the city’s meteoric development from small desert settlement to the center of the Arabian world for commerce, finance, and tourism. Visit here to gain a sensory insight into traditions past and present.
#10. Wooden Dhow
A traditional Arab vessel, the show (above), is on show at the museum’s exit. For celestial navigation, sailors used the kamal, a device that determines latitude using the angle of the Pole Star above the horizon.
#9. Archaeological Finds
Interesting artifacts from excavations of graves that date back to 3,000 BC, such as fine copper and alabaster objects and pottery (left), are on display.
#8. Underwater Pearl Diving Exhibition
This gallery explains the techniques used by pearl divers (above) who wore nose clips to descend to impossible depths.
#7. Desert at Night Exhibitions
Learn how animals that live in the Arabian desert have adapted to cope with lack of water, extreme temperatures and the shortage of food.
#6. Islamic School Dioramas
Young Emiratis recite the lines of the Koran (right) under the eye of their tutor in this
reconstruction of a 1950’s school.
#5. Old Dubai Souq Dioramas
Holographic technology combined with waxwork figures (left), smells sounds and archive
footage transport you into the creekside souq of half a century ago.
#4. Multimedia Presentation
A 10-minute film presentation, with archive footage, explains the development of modern Dubai from 1960 onward. The film takes you through a pictorial tour of Dubai’s transformation over 40 years, decade-by-decade.
#3. Bedouin Traditions Display
A gallery displays the costumes, jewelry, weapons and tools of the Bedouin people. A holographic video presentation of a tribe performing the ceremonial sword dance, the Ardah, is hypnotic.
#2. Barasti Windtower House
The fort’s courtyard houses a CBSBTUJ (date palm frond) home CFMPX and windtower cooling system, common in the region up to the 1950s.
#1. Al Fahidi Fort
Originally built in 1787, this fort, with its magnificent watchtower, was constructed to defend theEmiratis against invasion. Renovated in 1971, it now serves as a city museum.