Dubai also has history: Al Bastakiya
Barely fifty buildings on the south bank of dubai creek configured Al-Bastakiya , which means Iranian place, the predominant nationality of its few inhabitants. Unlike skyscrapers and luxury hotels, plaster buildings, barely two stories high and sandy in color , remember that flashy Dubai as we know it is actually an oasis of gold and steel in the middle of an immense ocean of dunes.
These constructions date only from 1890 and actually only part of the original neighborhood is preserved. Since the oil began to be exploited in the 60s, it was quickly forgotten by the authorities and it was the external intervention of the British Government, which controlled the area centuries before for its value as a commercial port, the one that kept it from disappearing in the 90s.
dubai creek
That is why it is inevitable that the first stop after getting off the Al Fahidi metro stop is the **Sheikh Mohammed Center for Cultural Understanding (SMCCU)**. The so-called Center for Cultural Understanding allows an official approach to the Emirati reality and its traditions. One of its strengths is food. It organizes traditional breakfasts, lunches and dinners that can be attended by appointment. Also only through this center you can visit the Great Mosque , located a few minutes away. Access to foreigners is limited to the official tour organized by the SMCCU.
Low houses and zero ostentation
Coffee occupies an important role in the Middle Eastern way of life and the museum that was created in his honor in 2014 gives a good account of it in one of the traditional constructions near the Al Fahidi fort. In a discreet street, almost hidden, you will find this cultural center with the appearance of a private house. On the lower floor there are two rooms with careful collections of artifacts related to coffee with which to review its history.
One of them brings together European grinders and toasters while the other shows the contrast with appliances of Arab origin. Different coffee cultures in the same room although the local product is the protagonist. It is sitting on the ground of the interior patio where you can taste a cup full of native flavor. A more conventional cafe is located on the top floor, as well as an inevitable souvenir shop.
The neighborhood of Al Bastakiya remembers that, not long ago, it was a discreet town around a river in the middle of the desert
the same strong Al Fahedi, Built at the end of the 18th century and therefore considered the oldest building, it is now the seat of the DubaiMuseum. The space is responsible for telling the local history and incidentally showing some archeology thanks to exchange agreements with museums in Asia and Africa. On the way to the port Bur Dubai souk is the renewed textile market which also offers all kinds of souvenirs and trinkets.
Another advantage of visiting this "historic" neighborhood is its proximity to the famous Or Souk or, located across the river, in the Deira neighborhood. To save the water distance you can take a boat as public transport. Its price shows that Al Bastakiya is light years away from Dubai from Burj Khalifa , the tallest skyscraper in the world, or the seven-star hotel, the Burj Al Arab. ONE journey costs 1 Arab dirham (equivalent to 22 euro cents) .
But this souk brings us back to this emirate's obsession with expensive treats . In short, it is a shopping street full of jewelry stores and under a covered roof, like all the leisure centers that protect the visitor from the local climate. In one of the establishments closest to the main entrance is the largest gold and diamond ring in the world, certified by the Guinness Book of Records. The trinkets of the rich.
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Al-Bastakiya