Dubai & Abu Dhabi 7 - Full PDF eBook

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

1900. 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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