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Dubai Museum

Maryam Ali
Dec 17, 2015
2 min read

Among the many tourist attractions in Dubai, there still remains the historic part of it that reserves its rich beauty. In Al Ahmadiyah area lies the richness of Dubai’s history before the rapid boom of its development. There also lies Dubai Museum, which is the fort used for defense back in the days of British colonialism.

It also has various depictions of the life in Dubai before the Union of the seven emirates. There is a section of the armory and weapons used in the war against the Brits. Some of the weapons resemble those of the Brits (probably due to the Colonialism). Another section had the different parts of a house – Arish: the living area, the kitchen, a well, and the Manama: the place people take a nap in during the evening. All these were made of palm leaves and stone. One section portrays the souq in 1950 (that is two decades before the Union). It has figures carrying out a variety of tasks, like carrying bags from one place to another, children playing, men sitting and smoking the Gado - which is similar to shisha – and a woman buying textiles, among many others.

There are sections that represent the older areas of Dubai, like Al Qusais. There are also some bones in display to represent the tombs that were discovered. Apparently these tombs date back to more than a thousand years. A section also has in display the old distribution of lands and landscapes in Dubai in 2001.

The stairs going to the lower level have birds of the same species that were endemic to the region hanging from the ceiling. In the sea-related careers, there was a figure of a man diving for pearls, a side that has three men building a dhow, and section that has a woman and two or three men working on fish nets and jewelry made of pearls.

On the way out is the mini souvenir store for the tourists and visitors to purchase and keep as remembrance of the rich history of Dubai. There are keychains, mugs, figurines, bags, fridge magnets, pens, and many other variations of souvenirs.

Entrance fee does not cost much (around 10 dirhams or less), and it is a good place for a family bonding while learning something of Dubai’s heritage. The location of the museum is also a good one, if you want to truly be immersed in the older part of Dubai. There is a wide variety of shops and foods in the area, which is great for families or tourists after visiting the museum.