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:: Bastakiya

Once a quiet fishing village on the southern shores of the Persian Gulf, today Dubai is a forest of glass and steel, filled with modern architectural wonders like the new Atlantis Resort and the artificial islands of Palm Jumeirah. The Dubai of today is composed of luxury hotels, innovatively designed skyscrapers, state-of-the-art infrastructure, a burgeoning academic academic community, and family entertainment centers, all working together through integrated economic and urban planning. The dizzying pace of growth and change makes one wonder how the city came to be. How did people manage to survive here, in a desert climate, without modern technology? What was life like in the village of Dubai?

The best way to understand a city is to get to know its history and find out how its modern culture evolved. In Dubai, the Bastakiya District offers you a picture of the city as it was in the ages of desert winds and hanging oil lamps. This is the most charming part of Dubai, where you step back in time to experience the original Bedouin culture of the old village. Filled with historic buildings, galleries, museums and lovely courtyard houses, Bastakiya is the best place for visitors to get to know about the history and culture of Dubai, while also learning to appreciate the transformation of a village into a city and then into the future-facing metropolis it is today.

It�s ideal to allocate a full day to explore this part of Dubai. The Bastakiya District is just a small part of Dubai, but it is a mazelike area, composed of a labyrinth of small lanes threading among traditional merchant houses, galleries and cafes, almost all of which were originally established by the textile and pearl merchants of the 19th century village. These traders moved to Dubai from the Bastak region of Iran, hence the name Bastakiya.

Perhaps you can begin your day with an ethnic breakfast at the Sheikh Mohammed centre for Cultural Understanding. This is a typical Emirati (meaning of the United Arab Emirates) building with a lovely courtyard, decorated beautifully with hanging lamps, ornamental grilles and wooden lattice. The upper storey of this building will show you how natural air conditioning worked in the olden days through wind towers. This indigenous system of cooling is sure to astonish you when you experience it firsthand.

Next you might proceed to the Bastakiya Nights restaurant to admire another classic Emirati structure. The rooftop of this restaurant offers glorious views of the Dubai Creek, the waterway that cuts through the heart of the city and serves as a central landmark. Don�t forget to ask the staff to show you around the well-decorated rooms. After dining, take a walk down the lane to the nearby white Grand Mosque, a splendid architectural piece with carved doors and impressive ornamental grilles.

From here, you can walk to the Old City Wall and see its remnants. This wall was once the sole defense protecting Bur Dubai and its important monuments, the Al Fahidi Fort and the old Grand Mosque, from invaders. To the left of the Wall are many charming art galleries displaying Emirati, Iranian and Middle Eastern art. Theses galleries are mostly housed in wind tower houses with beautiful courtyards that are delightful to explore. You can even find art house film screenings in the XVA Caf� and Art Gallery, a modern art gallery with numerous exhibition rooms. The Ave Gallery, owned by the well-known Iranian artist Fereydoun Ave, and the Majlis Gallery, Dubai�s oldest art gallery, are two renown establishments where you can find beautiful traditional handicrafts, ceramic and jewelry to take back home as souvenirs.

Conclude your Bastakiya excursion with a Basta Special drink at Basta Art caf�, another wonderful courtyard house. Savor this cooling mint and lime drink in the cooling breezes of the caf�s Emirati house before proceeding back to your hotel, feeling like you could get to enjoy the old ways of Dubai!

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Bastakiya	Single traveller in Dubai
Few transit hours at the Dubai Aiport