A trip down memory lane

Small lanes, overcrowded roads and minimal parking space in Bur Dubai are enough to drive anyone crazy. My mission: to reach Shaikh Saeed Al Maktoum House by the creek.

I let out a sigh of relief as soon as I reached the Heritage Village in the Shindagha area and made my way towards the car park.

The security man, standing by the driveway, asked me to walk through a small path to reach the main entrance after parking.

Built in 1896 as the residence of the ruling family, the house is named after Shaikh Saeed Al Maktoum, who ruled Dubai from 1912 to 1958.

It has been open to the public since 1996.

Architectural grandeur

The distinctive architecture reflects 19th-century Islamic and Arabian designs — with courtyards, majlis, spacious rooms and arched doorways.

The walls are made of corals from the Gulf and treated with plaster and lime.

The location was chosen because it offered panoramic views of the creek and the city, said Abdullah Mohammad Bin Hassim Al Mutairi, director of the house.

“Shaikh Saeed could see the boats that moved in and out of the city [coming] from places such as Basra, Iran and Pakistan,'' he said.

Al Mutairi's office is located in the courtyard and boasts a traditional Arabic-style seating.

While I sat enjoying the rich coffee that he insisted I drink, he told me about the history of the house, pearl diving and how Dubai became a trading hub.

“Dubai used to be like a small village,'' he said.

“When Shaikh Saeed ruled, he attracted merchants from Mombasa, Iran, Karachi and many other places. It quickly became a trade centre and you could find [almost] anything — herbal medicines, clothes, food, gold and other materials.''

These items were sold in separate souqs, so that a customer looking for something particular knew exactly where to head.

“There is an Arabic saying, [which, when translated] in English [reads like]: Hunger never touched another door since then,'' Al Mutairi said.

This, he emphasised, was even before oil was discovered here.

“Trading is an old profession in Dubai and pearl trading became most crucial — the city [became famous for it],'' he said.

As he took me on a tour of the house, he pointed at old photographs of pearl divers — some showed divers dressed from head to toe in protective gear to prevent jellyfish stings.

He also showed me real pearls of different types.

The way it was

The house is divided into several wings, including Bedouin, social, marine life, currency and stamp and postal history.

The Al Maktoum wing is the most important of all.
I stopped to glance at old photos of the ruling family, including pictures of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, as a child.

For all those who are intrigued by Arabian history, the house also boasts a collection of paintings and art objects from various periods.

The old stamps and coins on display attract tourists from all over the world, who come to take a closer look at each item and understand the history of the UAE.

Every now and then, Al Mutairi would stop and talk to the tourists — inquiring where they were from, giving them bits of useful information and discussing various artefacts.

It seemed easy to spend a couple of hours discovering the different parts of the house while listening to tales of bygone days.

After Shaikh Rashid became the ruler in 1958, Dubai continued to develop and this was possible because of his genuine love for Dubai, Mutairi said.

Anyone who feels there is not much to learn about the history of the UAE, will surely be surprised in just one visit to the house.

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