Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood: Dubai's Quiet Soul

Al Fahidi is the part of Dubai that existed before the oil money arrived, and it has been preserved well enough that walking through its narrow lanes gives you a real sense of what this creek-side trading town once was. The neighbourhood's most distinctive feature is the wind towers — square barjeel towers that rise above the rooflines and funnel breezes down into rooms below, an ancient air conditioning system that worked surprisingly well in the Gulf heat. The buildings are made of coral stone and gypsum, their outer walls painted a pale sand colour that glows in morning light. The Dubai Museum sits inside the old Al Fahidi Fort, one of the oldest surviving buildings in the city. It is worth an hour of your time for context before exploring the neighbourhood. Galleries and coffee houses have moved into restored buildings throughout the quarter, making it a pleasant place to sit with a glass of karak chai and do nothing in particular. The abra dock is a short walk away, where traditional wooden ferries cross the Creek to Deira for about one dirham — arguably the best value boat ride on earth.