Architecture &
the Arts
The combination of traditional arabian architecture and extraordinary
futuristic structures is the most obvious reflection of what makes this
city tick� although much of the recent architecture, such as Madinat
Jumeirah, sees a return to traditional arabian forms, projects such as
the burj Khalifa show that the cloud-busting skyscraper isn’t going
anywhere in dubai but up� The city’s arts scene is not nearly as preva-
lent and it will be many years before dubai can compete with the major
european cities when it comes to music, theatre, literature and film�
The painting and sculpture world is proving to be far more dynamic,
however, with the emergence of a number of galleries� similarly, abu
dhabi’s exciting saadiyat island project promises to put this emirate
firmly on the art and culture map�
architEcturE
Traditional Architecture & Wind Towers
On your wanderings around the city, you’ll notice that Dubai’s traditional
architecture consists of essentially four types of buildings: domestic (resi-
dential homes), religious (mosques), defensive (forts and watchtowers)
and commercial (souqs). Readily available materials, such as gypsum and
coral from offshore reefs and from the banks of the Creek, were used in
the construction. The Sheikh Saeed al-Maktoum House (p66) in Shinda-
gha is a fine example of this type of residential dwelling. There were two
types of traditional house: the mashait, a winter house with a courtyard;
and the masayf, a summer house incorporating a wind tower, a unique
form of non-mechanical air-conditioning. You’ll see both of these in Bur
Dubai’s historic Bastakia Quarter (p65).
For a thorough introduction to traditional Arab architecture, visit the
excellent Traditional Architecture Museum (p66).
Courtyard Houses
Houses in Dubai and Abu Dhabi were traditionally built around a cen-
tral courtyard, known as al-housh in Arabic. All rooms surrounded the
courtyard and all doors and windows opened onto it, except those of the
guestrooms, which opened to the outside of the house. A verandah pro-
vided shade, kept sun out of rooms at certain times of day, and was usually
the place where the women did weaving and sewing. For a great example
of a courtyard house, visit the Heritage House (p52) in Deira.
Palm-Leaf Houses
There is something very Robinson Crusoe about the idea of a house made
out of palms. Historically, this method of building, known as barasti, was