Interested in some of the history of the modern marvel of Dubai? The Dubai Museum is a good choice for a day of learning about the cultural and historical influences of the area -a great day for young and old alike.
Al-Fahidi Fort, built in 1787, is home to the Dubai Museum, and is thought to be Dubai's oldest building. The fort served as the main purpose of guarding the town from enemies approaching by land. Al Fahidi Fort was officially turned into Dubai Museum in 1971.
At Dubai Museum there are plenty of historical items all in a single location, providing a glimpse into the past of Dubai. Dubai Museum includes archaeological objects such as pottery, stone and metallic items, stone engravings, and skeletons which were discovered during digs in the Emirate of Dubai (Hatta, Al Soffoh, Al Qusais, and Al Jumeira). Some pieces date back 4000 years.
A large section is devoted to musical instruments, with displays of drums, flutes, lyres, bagpipes made of goatskin and other locally-made instruments. Deadly weaponry on display includes curved daggers (hanjars), swords, spears, bows and arrows, shields made of sharkskin, pistols and axes. A model of a wind-tower room is an interesting feature of the architecture section, with diagrams and photographs showing different types of wind-towers from the older areas of Dubai city.
The walls of the museum display a rare collection of historical items of wide and varied nature. Items like descriptive dioramas depict the past of Dubai and gallery collections display Arab houses, markets, land scenes, deserts and waterway visions, all included in Museum’s collection. The walls are built from coral and shell rubble from the sea, cemented together with lime.
In the past the fort was used to defend the town from warlike neighbouring tribes. It has also served as the seat of government, the ruler's residence, a store for ammunition and a jail. On the whole, anything in Dubai Museum, will offer visitors a glimpse of what Dubai looked like during the inception stages and onward.
Some of the much favoured display items in the museum is the pearling trade of days past. Through this display, visitors get to view how pearling was done and the tools used to participate in this popular trade. On viewing such items, one gets a true feel of how pearling was undertaken and why it was an important trade for residents of Dubai. Even items from time periods prior to discovery of Dubai, were picked up at archeological dips in the region;
In short, it is a ‘must’ to halt at the Dubai Museum during a visit to Dubai. The hours of operation and fees are as below:
Hours of operation:
8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Saturday-Thursday;
2:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Fridays
Ramadan period:
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturday-Thursday;
2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Fridays
Admission fees:
Adults: Dhs 3; Children: Dhs 1
Contact information:
971 4 3531862
Dubai Museum Video
