Dubai & Abu Dhabi 7 - Full PDF eBook

(lily) #1
Pushtimarg, a Hindu devotional sect based
near Udaipur in Rajasthan, India. Just
beyond this temple (heading towards the
Creek) is a colourful alleyway that expats
refer to as ‘Hindi Lane’. Here, vendors sell
religious paraphernalia and offerings to
take to the temples: baskets of fruit, gar-
lands of flowers, gold-embossed holy im-
ages, sacred ash, sandalwood paste and
packets of bindis (the little pendants Hindu
women stick to their foreheads). Tucked
amid the bustle is a series of staircases
leading up to the other house of worship,
the Sikh Gurudaba.

FGrand Mosque Mo Sque
Map p 210 ( i bin al abi Talib St) Situated opposite
Dubai Museum, Dubai’s tallest minaret
(70m high) lords over more than 50 small
and large domes, giving this huge mosque
its distinctive silhouette. It’s much younger
than it looks, dating back only to 1998, but
is, in fact, a replica of the original one from


  1. As well as being the centre of Du-
    bai’s religious and cultural life, the original
    Grand Mosque was also home to the town’s
    kuttab (Quranic school), where children
    learned to recite the Quran from memory.
    As with all Dubai mosques except Jumeirah
    Mosque (p93), it’s off limits to non-Muslims.


b r u dubai souq Souq
Map p 210 (btwn bur Dubai waterfront & ali bin
abi Talib St) The breezy renovated Bur Dubai
Souq may not be old as the Deira souqs but
it can be just as atmospheric – although
be prepared for pushy vendors. Friday eve-
nings here are especially lively, as it turns
into a virtual crawling carnival with expat
workers loading up on socks, pashminas,
T-shirts and knock-off Calvins on their day
off. (The souq is generally hectic at night,
but peaceful in the morning.) There’s an
area known as the Textile souq because
it specialises in colourful bales of fancy
fabrics, most of them from India and other
Asian countries. The surrounding streets –
crammed with tailors, sari stores and jew-
ellery shops – may not be as pleasing to
the eye but are still intriguing and worth
exploring.

s indah Gha heriTaGe area h TiSoriC SiTe
Map p210 The Shindagha waterfront, on
the northern side of the Creek, is one of
the most historic areas in Dubai, with ori-
gins in the 1860s. It significantly gained in
importance in the late 19th century, when

the ruling family relocated here. This old
district has been under restoration since
1996 and many of the gorgeous residences
and mosques sparkle with renewed splen-
dour. A paved walkway dotted with a few
restaurants and museums parallels the
waterfront and is popular with strollers and
joggers. The nicest time to visit is around
sunset; there’s plenty of seating overlooking
the water.

FTradi Tional
archiTecTure MuseuM Mu uSeM
Map p 210 (Shindagha heritage area; h8am-8pm
Mon-Sat, 8am-2.30pm Sun) This magnificent
Shindagha courtyard house has seen stints
as a residence, jail and police station. Today
it houses a thorough exhibit on traditional
Arab architecture. This is the place to learn
how those wind towers really work and why
there are different dwelling types along the
coast, in the mountains and in the desert.
Most galleries feature entertaining and in-
formative videos, which the caretaker will
be only too happy to start up.

s ei h Kh saeed
al-MaKTouM house Mu uSeM
Map p 210 (Shindagha heritage area; adult/
child Dh2/1; h8am-8.30pm Sat-Thu, 3-9.30pm
Fri) The grand courtyard house of Sheikh
Saeed, the grandfather of current Dubai
ruler Sheikh Mohammed, is the crown
jewel of the restored Shindagha Heritage
Area. Built in 1896, under Sheikh Mak-
toum bin Hasher al-Maktoum, the house
was home to the ruling family until Sheikh
Saeed’s death in 1958. Aside from being an
architectural marvel, the building is now a
museum of pre-oil times, with an excellent
collection of photographs of Dubai taken
in the 1940s and ’50s on the Creek, in the
souqs and at traditional celebrations. In-
cluded are some striking colour photos of
girls adorned for the tawminah, a festival
that celebrates children’s successful reci-
tations of the Quran. Other rooms feature
coins, stamps and documents dating back
as far as 1791, as well as an interesting dis-
play on pearl diving.

Fh rie TaGe & diVinG
VillaGes Mu uSeMS
Map p 210 (Shindagha heritage area; h8am-10pm
Sat-Thu, 8-11am & 4-10pm Fri) Located towards
the end of the Shindagha waterfront, the
Heritage and Diving Villages are intended

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