Al Fahidi Fort is the oldest existing building in Dubai, distinguished by its square layout and thick walls constructed from coral rock, shells, and lime. Built in seventeen eighty-seven, the structure features three prominent watchtowers…
Al Fahidi Heritage Trail
This walk guides you through the labyrinth of narrow, wind-towered lanes in Dubai’s oldest residential neighborhood. You'll visit quiet courtyard houses, local art galleries, and heritage museums that reveal what life looked like before the modern boom.
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1. Dubai Museum
2. Arabian Tea House Restaurant & Cafe - Al Fahidi, Dubai
The Arabian Tea House is defined by its quiet, open-air courtyard where turquoise benches and white rattan chairs sit beneath the canopy of an old tree. Located within the Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood, the restaurant occupies a stone…
3. The Majlis Gallery
The Majlis Gallery is housed in a traditional wind-tower structure in the Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood, identifiable by its open-air central courtyard and the henna tree growing within it. It opened in nineteen eighty-nine as the…
4. Coffee Museum
The Coffee Museum occupies a traditional building in the Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood, characterized by its regional architecture and a quiet, cozy interior where the scent of roasting beans persists. This is the first museum in the…
5. Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding
The Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding is housed in a traditional wind tower house within the Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood. You can identify the structure by the tall, four-sided wind towers, or barjeels, that rise…
6. DAR AL KHAT AL ARABI
Dar Al Khat Al Arabi, or the Arabic Calligraphy House, sits within the Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood, an area where the traditional wind towers and narrow limestone alleyways preserve a version of Dubai that existed long before the…
7. Coins Museum
The Coins Museum occupies a traditional building constructed from coral, stone, plaster, sandalwood, and palm wood within the Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood. While many structures in this area reflect older residential designs, this…
8. XVA Gallery
XVA Gallery occupies an old-style Arabic building within the Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood, defined by its interior courtyards shaded by trees. Founded in two thousand three by Mona Hauser, the gallery functions as an art space,…