The historic district of Al Fahidi
The historic Al Fahidi district, Dubai’s oldest neighborhood, is a great escape from the hustle and bustle of the modern city. You can step back in time as you stroll through its bustling courtyards, winding alleys and early 20th-century buildings. This is what Dubai looked like before the first oil deposits were discovered: lavish mansions protected by thick walls and wind towers, shady courtyards and old buildings now converted into galleries, craft stores and cafés.
Formerly known as Bastakiya, the historic Al Fahidi district is the most picturesque of Dubai’s neighborhoods, and undoubtedly the most architecturally interesting. It’s a pleasure to stroll through its charming alleyways for a few hours.
Discover the Dubai of yesteryear in the historic Al Fahidi district
What a pleasure it is to walk through the narrow streets of the Al Fahidi district! Visitors can admire traditional houses with their famous wind towers, most of which have been converted for tourism into art galleries, cultural centers, cafés and restaurants. Don’t hesitate to push open the doors of these old mansions to admire their pretty, shaded courtyards and terraces. The neighborhood is also home to a Bedouin camp and two arish, traditional palm-leaf houses. It’s the last of the emirates to still have beautiful wind towers, each one different from the next. In the past, these were used to “capture” the wind and redirect it towards the interior of the house, providing an ingenious and efficient air-conditioning system.
Things to see in the historic Al Fahidi district
Even if getting lost in the district’s labyrinth of alleyways is the best way to discover it, there are a few sites that are not to be missed. Learn more about the emirate’s history at the Dubai Museum, housed in the territory’s oldest monument, get your fill of art at the Majlis Gallery or the XVA, enjoy a refreshing drink on the terrace at the Basta Art Café, take a guided tour with the Sheikh Mohammed Center for Cultural Understanding, visit the Currency Museum and the Coffee Museum… It’s a real journey into the past that awaits you in this emblematic district.