Dubai Museum

Dubai Museum
Courtyard of Al Fahidi
Established	1971
Location	Al Fahidi Fort, Bur Dubai
Type	Covers the archaeology and history of Dubai, and a historic site by itself

Dubai Museum (Arabic: متحف دبي‎) is the main museum in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is located in the Al Fahidi Fort (Arabic: حصن الفهيدي‎), built in 1787 and is the oldest existing building in Dubai.

The museum was opened by the ruler of Dubai in 1971, with the aim of presenting the traditional way of life in the Emirate of Dubai. It includes local antiquities as well as artifacts from African and Asian countries that traded with Dubai. It also includes several dioramas showing life in the emirate before the advent of oil. In addition to artifacts from recent discoveries as old as 3000 B.C.

In 2007, Dubai Museum welcomed 1,800 visitors daily, with a yearly total of 611,840. In March 2008, the Museum had 80,000 visitors. The most popular times are from August to April.^[1]

History

Al Fahidi Fort circa 1959

Al Fahidi Fort was built in several phases. The oldest tower was built around 1787 and believed to be the oldest building in Dubai that still exists today. The fort was used to guard the landward approaches to the town from the raids of neighbouring tribes. It has also served, at various times throughout history as the ruler's palace, a garrison, and a prison.^[1][2]

In 1969 Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum issued a letter to Shaikh Badr Mohammad Al Sabah, head of the office of state in Kuwait, asking for a museum expert to be sent to Dubai to help establish the museum.^[3] Work on renovating the fort commenced in 1970, and opened as the Dubai Museum on 12 May 1971 by Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, then ruler of Dubai. Additional galleries were built and opened in 1995.

The Fort

Al Fahidi Fort is square-shaped with towers occupying three of its corners. It was built of coral rock and mortar in several phases. Just off the southern wall lie the remains of the city walls. Next to them stands a tall dhow (traditional boat) in the middle of a large courtyard that covers the underground galleries. Two cannons guard the main gate to the fort on the eastern wall, adorned by flags of Dubai and the United Arab Emirates.

Internal halls line three of the fort walls. One hall is at the main gate and houses the ticket office, while the others contain a collection of old weapons and arms from different historical periods along with a model of the city in 1820 AD. Traditional musical instruments are also displayed next to a video of folkloric music.

The halls surround a central courtyard. Here you'll find a bronze canon with canon balls, a well, and various types of boats. In the corner stands a traditional summer house called Arish. The Arish is made entirely from weaved palm fronds. It comprises seating and sleeping areas as well as a kitchen, filled with household furnishings and objects used by the locals in past times. The Arish features the distinct wind tower design, used for air conditioning in the pre-electricity days.

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  Courtyard of Al Fahidi Fort

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  The dhow outside the museum

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  The Arish with the wind tower

The Galleries

Entrance to the galleries is located at the tower on the south-western corner of the fort. After descending the spiral stairs visitors enter the first gallery, where old maps of Dubai are displayed. Next is the video room, showing a video, updated in 2007,^[1] that depicts Dubai from before the discovery of oil in the 1960s to the current day. Below it there is a map that shows the urban scape of the city growing in sync with the timeline of the video.

Life-size dioramas of the pre-oil era await behind the next door. Once they enter, visitors will set foot on a the deck of a dhow unloading at the model creek-side souq. Moving ahead they will see the shops filled with craftsmen, vendors and buyers. A tailor, a carpenter, an iron smith, a textile vendor and others line the street. Realistic sounds and life-size videos of craftsmen at work give the impression of a bustling souq.

The street leads to a model mosque, house and family, then turns to the right where it is surrounded by depictions of desert life. A date farm, a camel, wild animals, and a Bedouin tent filled with jewelry, trinkets and objects from the daily life of Bedouins. The walls tell about their knowledge of the stars and how they used it to guide their activities. Next is the largest diorama which is all about the sea, with a huge scene of the building of a dhow, scenes of marine life detailing local species, in addition to a collection of sea-faring equipment. The last diorama features an archaeological site in Al Qusais area that goes back to 3000 BC. There are tombs, an excavated skeleton, and an archaeologist. All the way sounds, visual effects and electronic guides accompany the dioramas.

Cabinets filled with archaeological finds from Al Qusais site line the walls next to the excavation scene. Finally, the winding track leads to a gallery displaying finds from other sites and historical eras, like the Umayyad site at Jumeirah. The gift shop is the last stop before a spiral ramp takes you up to the museum's southern exit.

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  An old food stall

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  Pearl traders

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  gift shop

Footnotes

1. ^ ^{a b c} Gulf News | Dubai Museum
2. ^ AL Fahidi Fort: Dubai Police
3. ^ Gulf News | Taking the pebbled road to excellence

References

• حصن الفهيدي بدبي "Al Fahidi Fort in Dubai", Alriyadh newspaper, 8 April 2001. (Arabic)
• Al Feheidi Fort on the Dubai Municipality's "Dubai Historic" website. (requires Internet Explorer to view correctly)
• Attractions:Dubai Museum on Dubai Government's website.

External links

• Media related to Dybai Museum at Wikimedia Commons
• Media related to Al Fahidi Fort at Wikimedia Commons
• Gulf News | Dubai Museum
• Dubai Museums information
• Arab.net information
• Photographs on Flickr

Coordinates: 25°15′47″N 55°17′50″E / 25.26306°N 55.29722°E / 25.26306; 55.29722