NEIGHBORHOODS, Bur Dubai

From the Deira neighborhood, you can cross the canal onto the west bank, where you’ll find Bur Dubai, the oldest part of the city.

A stroll through this neighborhood will reveal some of the most interesting corners of Dubai, such as Al Bastakiya, where you can still see some old houses equipped with windcatchers, which continue to work perfectly. In this area, a must-see is the Al Fahidi Fort, the oldest construction in the city, built some two hundred years ago for defensive purposes and home to the Museum of Dubai since 1971. Inside, you can admire the most important collection of artifacts, documents, weapons, everyday objects, photos and videos, showing a step-by-step reconstruction of the evolution of this geographical area, which not only features different landscapes such as coasts, deserts and mountains, but has also been influenced by the different cultures it has come into contact with over the centuries, especially thanks to trade.

In the Al Shindafgha area, I suggest a visit to the home of Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum, which was the residence of the royal family until the 1950s. In this simple, austere residence, nothing has been left to chance; for example, the construction faces towards Mecca, underlining the importance of Islamic values. You’re sure to be fascinated by the photos of the royal family, as well as the jewels, coins and other exhibits you’ll be shown during the guided tour.

Bur Dubai is also home to places of worship, such as the Grand Mosque, with the tallest minaret in the city, and the Iranian Mosque, with its distinctively colored façades. With the exception of the Jumeirah Mosque, non-Muslims are not allowed to visit the inside of Dubai’s mosques, but all of them are worth admiring and photographing from the outside.

Bur Dubai also offers plenty of opportunities for shopping, as you’ll find out when you visit the souks, which I’ll tell you about in a file dedicated to them.

An interesting fact: the best way to admire both neighborhoods from above and to enjoy amazing views of the city and the surrounding area is to take the Dubai Creek Park cableway. At 30 meters above ground, you can admire the sea, the Dubai skyline and the desert, and even look right out towards the Emirate of Sharjah.