Dubai Museum is the main museum of UAE. It is situated in the Al Fahidi Fort, at the south of Dubai Creek, constructed in 1787. It is the oldest ancient building in Dubai, which was built about 200 years ago.
The Museum was inaugurated by the Ruler of Dubai in 1971, with the goal of presenting the traditional way of life in the traditional style in Dubai. When you will enter in the Museum, you can see the fort designed and the various displays that go along with it. Another underground museum was established and added to the old fort in 1995.
There is a path from the fort to the galleries that displays the culture of land specially in 1800s. Al Fahidi fort was constructed in many phases. The old most tower was built in 1787 and it is said that it is the oldest building in Dubai that still exists.
They use the fort to secure the landward ways to the town from the raids of Ruker’s palace, a prison and a garrison. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Makhtoum sent a letter in 1969 to Sheikh Badr Mohammad in Kuwait to send a museum expert to help in maintenance of Museum.
Area
The total area of Dubai Museum is almost 4000 sq. There are different wings of the museum which display various stuff.
The monuments wings show antique monuments like pottery, tombs, weapons, urban societies and buildings. The wing of Dubai shows the development of Dubai between present and past. The market wing of 1950s displays detailed examples showing the market atmosphere shops, vendors of shops and goods sold in these shops in those times.
There is also the traditional house and masjid wing, the oasis wing with a sea wing that brings the visitor on a fascinating tour to help to know shipbuilding and creation of ship sources. There are many more wings along these. There is a courtyard of Dubai Museum where they use to display models of local boats and ships and also display bamboo houses with the traditional furniture.
Architecture/Design
Al Fahidi fort is floppy disc shaped with towers engrossing three of its sides. It was built of coral rock and adhesive in many parts. There are walls of museum which lies a rebuild of the ancient city walls. There is a traditional boat (tall dhow) in between of courtyard which covers the galleries.
Two cannons secure the main entrance gate to the fort decorated by flags of UAE. Internal walls of museum have three of the fort walls One of the hall is located at the main gate and hut of ticket office, but others keep a collection of old weapons and arms from historical ages with a model of the city in 1820.
Traditional instruments of music are also showcased next to a window of folkloric music. The hall neighbor to a central yard there is a bronze cannon with cannonballs, different types of boats and a well.
There is a traditional house in the corner of the courtyard which is called Arish. Arish is made up of palm fronds and consists of sitting and sleeping area as well as kitchen and other household objects of old times. It is also known as summer house of Arabs.
There are different galleries of museum, first gallery is occupied with old maps of Dubai then next is video room, displaying a movie that shows Dubai from the discovery of oil to the current situation and developing process. Below that there is a map that depicts the urban city growing in link with the timeline of the video.
Moving forward there are some shops of craftsmen, vendors and buyers, tailor, carpenter, an iron smith, textile designer and many more are displayed in full gallery. Real sounds and videos impacts like real souq.
Then thus street will lead to a model of mosque, house and family members then moving ahead there is displayed a desert life with date farm, camel, wild animals and Bedouin tent of jewelries and beautiful objects from Bedouin life.
There is also a gallery which represent the sea life with huge scene of building of dhow and marine life with equipment of seafaring. Last gallery is about archeological site where they display tombs, skeleton and archeologist with sound and visual effects.
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Collection
The collection is the Museum includes artifacts from Asian and African countries which trade with UAE and local antiques are also display in the Museum. There are also some different types of dioramas which shows the life of emirate before the appearance of oil, and artifacts from latest discoveries as old as 3000 BC.
Unique authentic monuments, raw samples, diagrams and drawings, audio & video media are distributed all over the Museum.
Visitors in Museum;
Dubai Museum has received many visitors per year and numbers of tourists are increasing day by day. As in 2007 the museum has welcomed 1,800 visitors on regular basis and yearly almost 611,840. Then it increases into 80,000 per year and till 2013 it increased into 1 million visitors per year. The most peak times are from August to April.
Visitors can travel through public buses to reach in Dubai Museum, they can take buses from Ghubaiba or Fahidi bus station nearby. Rent cars or cabs are also providing facility of transportation to tourists.
Visitors of Dubai Museum will have a great opportunity to have a full, rich and essential knowledge of the ancient history of Dubai that interlinked with various people and nations throughout the history.
Visitors will have familiarize with different atmospheres of urban and rural communities in Dubai, even they are marine, coastal, desert agricultural or mountain life. The museum offers an opportunity to get enlighten with the history of Dubai, that gives impression of Dubai’s present development, modernity and distinction.
That will only a continuing journey of a different civilization that mentions different cultures and people, it also shows the bond between Islam and Arabism. It also combines the confidence, that Dubai has become now is based on an extremely rooted civilization.
How long do you need in museum?
You should have planned almost 2 to 3 hours for the Dubai Museum as you need to walk around in each gallery and there is a lot more stuff to examine and explore about.
Tickets cost & procedure
The entrance fee is 3 Dh per person for adults and 1 Dh for child below 6. It is the official fee to enter in the museum
Opening Hours & days
Except Friday other all days are having same time to visit the museum.
From 8:30 AM to 8:30 PM
Friday; 2:30 PM to 8:30 PM
visit official website: https://dubaiculture.gov.ae/en/Live-Our-Heritage/Pages/Dubai-Museum-and-Al-Fahidi-Fort.aspx