Have you discovered the charm of exploring the old Middle Eastern Dubai? Don’t worry if you don’t have such an idea, I will recommend you visit Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood . Why tourists should go there is an important question to be encountered!
I have found the quaint lanes and winding passageways that pass by wonderfully renovated conventional residences made of stone, gypsum, teak, sandalwood, and palm wood. Also, these homes are topped by ancient wind towers or the famous Al Barajeel which produce a cool breeze.
Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood
There are various places to discover in this small district to enhance the interest in tourism like a coin museum, coffee museum, Arabian Tea House, and others.
According to Wikipedia, another name for Al Fahidi Historical Background is Al Bastakiya, whose construction started in back 1890s. It is a small neighborhood with Bur Dubai that contains some of the old city’s pathways and historic structures.
The unquestioned leaders of the streets provide the culture and history of the city. By visiting the place, I exchanged my ideas with my friends that it is the ideal location for appreciating regional cuisine, artwork, and displays of different items. This is a place to have a glance into the back time of the city to see how it looks in the earlier stage of existence.
Dubai’s Remarkable Evolution in History
The last few decades are enough to give a new look to Dubai with an incredible transformation. The past times from the 18th century clearly show Dubai’s history timeline. The history explains how a small desert town converted into the world’s most vibrant and attractive city.
Like many other nations, it also doesn’t have a good time in the past and extended towards growth in recent years. The transformation started in the 1960s with a surge in health and investment to develop the infrastructure of the city. Bur Dubai is known to be the oldest location in the landmark.
The Al Fahidi district was rescued from destruction in the 1980s and was rebuilt to preserve the heritage and history of the city of Gold. Real progress was seen in the economy as bold initiatives started by the Rulers of the era to diversify the economy and turned the city into a global hub.
Have a look at recent years to see the luxuries, modernity, and innovation of the city by viewing different attractions. These worth-seeing attractions include Palm Islands, Burj Khalifa, Burj Al Arab, the largest Dubai Mall, Dubai Marina, and many others.
7 Best Places to Explore at Al Fahidi
Before visiting the historical place you would have visited the wide open areas of the city like Dubai Marina and its attractions but for now, it is totally reversed. You have to go through the narrow street lanes and slender arrays to explore the vanished Arabia.
My visit to this historical place was wonderful and enough to observe the buildings from indigenous building elements. There are seven best places that show the culture along with various other things just like the Dubai Museum located in it.
Dubai Museum and the ancient Al Fahidi Fort
The oldest city includes a more ancient part in it named Al Fahidi Fort opened in 1971. One of the famous popular tourist destinations is the museum itself. A huge abundance of things is available here to explore the Fort as well as the museum.
However, current remodeling problems have forced it to close nowadays. The museum inside the fort features an extensive collection of regional crafts, ceramics, and armaments from Asia and Africa. Furthermore, engage yourself to catch the original vibe of the marketplace and vintage conventional residences.
The amazing thing that makes a long stay visitor is that everything is preserved in real shape although they were found a hundred years ago.
Find 500 different coins in the Coin Museum
The small museum consists of eight rooms with 500 rare coins. If you are a coin enthusiast and have collected the coins of the past times you will get a place of your interest here.
As the museum revolves I the past times of the city, the coins mostly from the Arab and past eras and regions are on the display in the little museum. You are free to explore the background of a coin including its shape, design, era, substance, and generating date.
Good news for Coffee Lovers at the Museum Shop
Coffee is a worth-loving thing for people overall in the world. So for all coffee lovers, the famous historical neighborhood of the landscape provides the coffee museum. This museum consists of all things dedicated to coffee and is highly recommended to visit it.
The visitors are allowed to get to know about all the cultural significance of coffee in the Middle East Era. There is a lot to learn at this place but I would like to share my thoughts as well. I learned about the various bean variations as well as different coffee cultures that exist all over the world.
The fascinating thing to do here is to pick up coffee brewing supplies at the museum store and try some coffee too here.
Explore Basta Arts Café – The Arabian Tea House
Have you ever listened to Basta Arts Café? You probably haven’t heard this before. It was the old name of the Arabian Tea House that was opened in 1997 in Bastakia. Since 1997 this tea house has been converted into a large cultural organization with branches both domestically and overseas for tourists to explore.
By putting the first step into the tea house, you will get a glance at the past times.
The authentic decor of turquoise seats, white rattan furniture, lace coverings, and lovely flowers give a stunning environment to enjoy. To give yourself a past sensation you may choose to take a sip of Arabian gehwa under a tree while the air around you is swooning dreamily.
The first branch is located in the tranquil courtyard. Relax in the shade of an old tree by enjoying a cold beverage or a cup of coffee along with traditional Emirati cuisine.
XVR Hotel and Café – Al Bastakiya
The heart of Al Bastakiya contains the beautiful XVR hotel and Café in it. Here you can get a distinct type of art and heritage for tourists. The XVR art hotel provides beautiful lodging with works of art created by renowned designers and artists.
There are fifteen lovely guest rooms along with a little shop with various goods. Each room is uniquely furnished with a private bath, tea, and coffee-making amenities, all air-conditioned are standard in each room.
The best thing about the hotel and café is that you may view several minarets and wind towers. The gallery is devoted to contemporary artwork with a focus on showcasing and supporting artists from the Middle East.
The Textile Souk – Al Fahidi Dubai
The old trading hub of Bur Dubai is the main location of the textile souk. What tourists will take here is to discover a number of vibrant fabrics with an endless collection of different materials. Get engaged with one of the well-liked souks.
You can stroll around the surroundings by browsing the crowded alleyways for vibrant textiles. Although shopping malls prefer to use billing by means of a debit card or credit card. But in the case of the textile souk, many stores continue to favor cash instead of a credit card so be prepared for bargaining while purchasing any fabric.
SMCCU – The Al Makhdoom Center
Planning a tour to Dubai without exploring its culture will not give you a good experience. So I am excited to tell you about the famous Sheikh Muhammad Bin Rashid Al Makhdoom for cultural understanding. One of the best places in the city to provide a piece of complete cultural information to visitors.
There is no other better option to understand the culture of the landscape except this place. There is no profit associated with the SMCCU organization that works to break down all cultural barriers.
Tourists are free to avail of different activities including the heritage tours that will take you on a guided walk tour of Al Bastkaiya’s winding alleys. The instructor guide will give you a piece of information about Emirates Culture and customs.
How to get to Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood
Since many people visit the place for the first time and they don’t know how to reach their destination, so I will be pleased to share a step-by-step guide.
- Dubai Metro – The most common source for tourism is the use of the Dubai Metro to visit various places. You have to reach the nearest metro station by means of two major lines towards Al Fahidi Metro Station. By means of a red line, you will reach the Union Metro Station or Burjuman Metro Station. After that, there is a walk of 1.3 km to reach the destination.
- Traditional Boat (Abra) – The use of Traditional Boat Abra is taken if visitors want to have mesmerizing views of their journey and to take Abra they need to reach Deira Old Soul Abra Station which lies behind the Dubai Creek.
What People Ask About Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood
When Al Fahidi Fort was created?
The famous fort was created in 1787, situated on the southern side of the Creek. It was situated on the border of the Emirates that’s why it served as both military command headquarters as well as the residence of the Ruler. After that, the fort also served as both an outlaw prison and a shop for munitions and weapons.
Which one is the oldest place in the history of Dubai?
Al Fahidi is the oldest place built in 1787, in the history of Dubai.
Is there any town that exists that is named “Mini Dubai”?
Yes, a town exists having such a name called Bhatkal and is a small waterfront town close to Managluru near the Arabian Sea.
By which modern name Al Fahidi Metro is known nowadays?
The modern name of this metro is Sharaf DG Station which was named on November 24, 2020.
Is there any ticketing procedure to visit the historical Background of Dubai?
In fact, there is a reservation procedure that guests must follow to reach the location. But each inside place has its own fee like for visiting the museum with kids you have to pay 3 AED for youngsters and 1 AED for kids.
What are the famous archaeological places in the United Arab Emirates?
The famous archaeological places to discover in the UAE are;
- Bida Bint Saud
- Hatta Heritage Village
- Wadi Al Helo
- Jebel Hafeet Tombs
- Jumeirah Archaelogical Site
How many rooms are displayed in the coin museum for tourists?
There are eight rooms for tourists to explore in the museum, each one is used for a different perspective but the first one will give you the background of coins.
Nice and informative blog regarding Dubai history speacialy about al Fahidi