1 SightS
The main sights of deira are all within
easy walking distance of each other
around the atmospheric mouth of dubai
creek�deira Gold souq Souq
Map p206 (btwn Souq Deira & old baladiya Sts)
All that glitters is gold (and occasionally
silver) at this colourful market located
on and around Sikkat al-Khail St. At any
given time over 25 tonnes of gold is on dis-
play in jewellery-shop windows in Dubai.
Even if you’re not in the market for bling,
a stroll through the covered arcades of the
enormous Gold Souq is a must. Hundreds
of stores overflow with every kind of jew-
ellery imaginable, from tasteful diamond
earrings to over-the-top golden Indian
wedding necklaces. It’s the largest gold
market in the region, and one of the largest
in the world.
Settle down on a wooden bench beneath
the wooden-latticed arcades of the main
thoroughfare (Sikkat al-Khail St) and enjoy
the colourful street theatre of touts hawk-
ing knock-off watches, hard-working Af-
ghan men dragging heavy carts of goods,
African women in colourful kaftans and
animated abaya-clad women out on a shop-
ping spree.deira spice souq Souq
Map p206 (btwn baniyas rd, al-ras St & al-abra
St) Just follow your nose to the best buys at
this evocative souq. The guttural singsong
of Arabic bounces around the lanes of this
small covered market as stallholders try
to sell you aromatic frankincense, dried
lemons, chillies or exotic herbs and spices.
While this can’t compare to the Istanbul
bazaar equivalent, it’s still worth a half-
hour of your time to take in the wonder-
fully restored wind towers and the pungent
aromas from the jute sacks. Since this is a
working souq, not a tourist attraction, the
tiny shops also sell groceries, plastics and
other household goods to locals and sailors
from the dhows. Good buys include incense
burners, saffron, rose water, henna kits and
sheesha water pipes.FheriTaGe house MuSeuM
Map p206 (al-ahmadiya St; h8am-7.30pm Sat-
Thu, 2.30-7.30pm Fri; c) This renovated 1890
courtyard house, just north of the Spice
Souq, once belonged to Sheikh Ahmed
bin Dalmouk, the founder of Al-Ahmadiya
School; it offers a rare opportunity to peek
inside a wealthy pearl merchant’s residence.
Built from coral and gypsum, the rooms
wrap around a central courtyard flanked
by verandahs to keep direct sunlight out.
If you are feeling footsore you can sit backcreeK crossinGDubai Creek (the Creek) meanders for some 15km from Shindagha to the Ras al-Khor
Wildlife Refuge, dividing Deira from Bur Dubai� under the leadership of Maktoum
bin Butti, members of the Bani Yas tribe first settled on its banks in 1833� used for
pearling and fishing expeditions in the early 20th century, the Creek was dredged in
1961 to allow larger commercial vessels to dock� The first bridge, Al-Maktoum Bridge,
opened two years later�
To this day, many people have a mental barrier when it comes to crossing the
Creek over to Deira� It’s a bit like some Londoners’ aversion to going ‘south of the
river’ or Manhattanites’ reticence to head across to Brooklyn� While it’s true that traf-
fic can be horrible during rush hour, congestion eased in 2007 with the opening of the
13-lane Business Bay Bridge near Dubai Festival City, and a six-lane Floating Bridge
(open 6am to 10pm) near Creekside Park� A fourth bridge, Al-Garhoud Bridge, was
widened to 13 lanes� There’s also Al-Shindagha Tunnel near the mouth of the Creek,
which is open for both vehicles and pedestrians�
using public transport, you now have three options for crossing the Creek� The
fastest and easiest is Dubai metro’s Red Line, which runs underground, below the
Creek between union and Khalid bin al-Waleed stations� The most atmospheric way
to get across, though is a Dh1 ride aboard a traditional abra (water taxi) that links the
Bur Duba and Deira souqs in a quick five minutes� In summer, you might prefer the
air-conditioned comfort of the water buses, which cost just a few dirhams more� For
more on these options see p175�d
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