Khor Dubai

In the dwindling chance Dubai Creek is inscribed, I will seek to plot out the best use of your time over 2 days. After visiting "Khor Dubai" I have to say, it certainly can be an enjoyable place to visit. Though for a World Heritage Traveller, I suspect the UAE's recent update to their tentative list might take up more of your time. 

Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood

This is the best neighborhood to walk around the narrow streets and stop for food or coffee at XVA Gallery or at the Arabian Tea House Restaurant & Cafe. Al Fahidi is the best preserved district in or around Dubai Creek that was mostly saved from complete demolition. I suppose if you want to see the difference between what is new and what is mostly old (late 19th, early 20th century), the OLD Al Fahidi district sits adjacent to the NEW Al Seef Promenade. Since Al Seef was completed in 2017 and has by some been labelled a "historical fraud" you can easily compare the historical district with its nearby imitation. The buildings in Al Seef are deliberately aged and the old wind towers tend to be taller and larger than the ones in the Al Fahidi district. I will not trash this 2017 development, because I would then be a hypocrite for having stayed in a hotel there (which was quiet comfortable and affordable). However, I will simply say Al Seef will hold little interest to most of our …

Does something like ‘Old Dubai’ still exist? Dubai only developed independently from Abu Dhabi from 1833 onwards. The origin of the city lies at Khor Dubai, the saltwater creek that flows through the city. From its small-scale port, pearl fishermen departed to dive off the coast and trade was driven with Asia and East Africa. The multicultural trading city with its skyscrapers that we now know dates from the seventies of the 20th century at the earliest.

On my last day in the Gulf region I spent a few hot hours looking for the old core of Dubai. A WHS proposal for this zone has already been met with a ‘Rejection’ advice twice, leaving the international advisors in despair. The course of the creek through Dubai has often artificially been changed, extra land has been won and old neighbourhoods have been demolished. Getting it registered is a hopeless mission according to the advising committee, but hopes have been kept alive by the WHC which overruled ICOMOS to Deferral (2014) and Referral (2017) respectively. And the Emirates will not give up.

I made a list of the named locations in both evaluation documents, and tried to find them on the ground using google maps and maps.me. This mission ended in a lot of searching for the remnants of old neighbourhoods like Al Fahidi and Bastakia, and the Souk al Kabeer. The 'largest Hindu temple of Dubai' must be in this area as well - but where? I did not manage to …

I visited this tentative WHS in January 2015. Khor Dubai or Dubai Creek is a natural seawater inlet of the Arabian Gulf located in the heart of Dubai.

It is 14 km long and varies from 100 to 500 m wide and ends at the Ras Al-Khor wildlife sanctuary (photo). The creek divides the city into two parts, namely Bur Dubai and Deira, and has played a major role in the economic development of the region throughout history.

The Ras Al-Khor wildlife sanctuary is home to hundreds of pink flamingoes and many other bird species. It lies at the interface between the Arabian Gulf and the Al Awir desert and is a Ramsar coastal wetland

of global importance and a Birdlife Important Bird Area. The peaceful panoramic view from the hides with the Dubai Skyscraper skyline in the distance is worth seeing.

The historical importance of the Dubai creek is hard to grasp the closer you get to the noisy urban hotspot of Dubai apart from the wooden boats (dhows) which nowadays are powered by diesel engines and their berthing spots. Abras are smaller wooden boats powered by oar. Today these are equipped with diesel engines too and are still used to ferry passengers back and forth between Deira, Shindagha and Bur Dubai as well as for sightseeing harbour cruises with stops at the Gold Souk and the Dubai Heritage Village.

Needless to say, I very much enjoyed the Ras Al Khor wildlife sanctuary which was a welcome peaceful place …