All about the Dubai Museum

Dubai is one among the top traveling destinations. Dubai has a rich cultural heritage and has grown by leaps and bounds. It is a land of multicultural diversity reflecting regions across the world.

Dubai museum showcases life in the past and the traditional ways of Dubai. It focuses on the rich cultural heritage of the Arab world. It is one of the oldest buildings in Dubai.

A trip to Dubai is not complete if you have not visited the Dubai Museum.

Dubai Museum is located in Al Fahidi Fort. This fort was built in 1787 to protect the Dubai Creek against invasion. It was transformed into a museum in 1970.

The Al Faidi Fort is the oldest building in Dubai.This building was not only used for protection but also served as the ruler's residence, to store ammunition and also housed the jail.

Local antiques and artifacts from countries that traded with Dubai are displayed. There are dioramas showing life in Dubai during the past.

The Al Fahidi Fort is square shaped with towers located at three corners of the building. The Fort is built out of coral rock and mortar. The entrance is adorned by two massive grand iron doors. Two grand cannons adorn the main gate. In the center is a large courtyard housing a dhow, which is the traditional boat of Dubai.

Another highlight of the Dubai Museum is the summer house “Arish.” The Arish is made from palm fronds that are weaved together.

This summer house is an example of how houses were cooled without modern day technologies. It is an example of how halls, bedrooms, and kitchens were constructed in the olden days.

One of the main features of Arish summer houses are the wind towers. The wind towers served as a source of cooling in those days. These towers cooled the houses and protected the people from the scorching sun.

The Dubai museum has many galleries that showcase scenes from the creek, traditional Arab houses, the souk, date farms, desert and marine life.

Pearl diving exhibits are fascinating to see. A collection of old weapons and arms from different periods and traditional music instruments are also displayed.

Another unique feature is the reconstruction of a street scene in those days. There are life-sized dioramas that represent Dubai in the pre-oil era. There is a creek side display with olden day shops that have mannequins of vendors and customers.

There are representations of life in the desert with Bedouins, tents, camels and date palm trees.

The largest diorama is about the sea and their seafaring ways. It showcases the dhows that were used, how they fished and about marine life that existed during those times.

The dhow occupies an important place in UAE history. In the olden days the dhow was an important connection to the sea. It was built out of wood and had one or more lateen sails.

The dhow helped to transport goods and to connect UAE to different parts of the word.It was taken out to sea to fish and was a means of sustenance of life.

Even today dhows can be seen on in and around the Arabian Gulf.

The Dubai museum also has a diorama that represents the archaeological site of Al Qusais dating back to 3000 BC. This diorama has a display of archaeological finds. There is another display of the archaeological site at Umayyad in Jumeirah.

Finally there is a gift shop from where you can buy gifts representing your visit to Dubai, to take back home with you. A memory to last for a lifetime.

Entry fee for adults is 3 Dirhams and for children 1 Dirham.

No trip to Dubai is complete without visiting the Dubai Museum.