Why to visit Dubai Museum

This is the city's oldest existing building, housed in the Al Fahidi Fort, and a must-see for a flavour of old Dubai. The museum is divided into sections that focus on various elements of life and living in Dubai. The Al Fahidi Fort Gallery, accessible via a spiral staircase in the citadel's south-western tower, houses relics dating from before the discovery of oil in 1960. The museum's full-scale wings, which feature numerous remnants of trade and commerce in ancient Dubai, as well as video material shown in the backdrop, give you the impression that you're in a real souq (market) in ancient Dubai.

Following the souq, one will come across a model mosque and a desert that bore witness to the Bedouins' way of life. The seafarer diorama in the Dubai Museum is a must-see, covering everything from the process of manufacturing a dhow to the diverse marine life found beneath the Arabian Gulf. The Al Qusais Archaeological Site, which depicts various eras of Dubai's archaeological history, is the museum's largest diorama. Relics from Jumeirah, Al Quasis, and other sites date from 2000 to 1000 B.C., revealing the Arab world's rich past. Your final visit will be at a gift shop, where you'll find a wide range of gift goods and souvenirs at surprisingly low costs.

The Dubai Museum is easily accessible from Dubai Airport, and it will take you just 8 minutes to get there. You may take the metro up to Burjuman Station from Terminal 3 of the airport. A connected metro will take you up to Al Fahidi station from there. It takes roughly 9 minutes to walk up to the Dubai Museum from the station.

Special Tip

The museum's entrance costs are AED 3 (INR 58) for adults and AED 1 (INR 20) for children (per person under the age of 6). The museum is also open from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Thursdays. Visitors must keep their mobile phones in silent mode. For taking cameras inside the museum premises one has to take prior permission of the museum authority.

By Atharva Yeshwardhan