My breakfast at the Arabian Tea House Restaurant and Cafe was followed by a short photo walk inside the Bastakiya quarter. It is a tiny but most engaging neighborhood in old Dubai. The labyrinth alleys are lined with restored merchant houses with tall wind towers, restaurants and cafes, art galleries, souvenir and herb shop, mosque, and a soon to open coffee museum. Bastakiya is a charming step into Dubai's past.
What caught my attention the most was the Wall of Old Dubai. The Bur Dubai wall was constructed in 1800 AD from gypsum and coral and serves as a defense wall of the old city.
The Calligraphy House
Visiting Bastakiya will give you a completely different perspective of what Dubai was like far from the glittering tall buildings and highly commercialized areas that we have now.
Sikka art fair is also being held in Bastakiya every year, it is designed to feature UAE contemporary art practices and initiatives. Sikka draws its names from the alleyways between the historic houses of Dubai aka Bastakiya, that serves as a metaphor for budding artists to develop their creativity and seek for their professional paths by participating in the art fair.
These wind towers or wind catchers are cultural icons of the city of Dubai. The old houses are equipped with wind towers to funnel air inside the house especially during summer, they are renovated and preserved and to this day, even some of the new buildings are designed to have wind towers for cultural display.
If you are in for some shopping while on the walking tour, there is a spice store, textile, and souvenirs store, just don't break the bank, save some for your entrance fee to Dubai Museum and Abra ride in the creek.
What caught my attention the most was the Wall of Old Dubai. The Bur Dubai wall was constructed in 1800 AD from gypsum and coral and serves as a defense wall of the old city.
The Calligraphy House
Visiting Bastakiya will give you a completely different perspective of what Dubai was like far from the glittering tall buildings and highly commercialized areas that we have now.
Sikka art fair is also being held in Bastakiya every year, it is designed to feature UAE contemporary art practices and initiatives. Sikka draws its names from the alleyways between the historic houses of Dubai aka Bastakiya, that serves as a metaphor for budding artists to develop their creativity and seek for their professional paths by participating in the art fair.
These wind towers or wind catchers are cultural icons of the city of Dubai. The old houses are equipped with wind towers to funnel air inside the house especially during summer, they are renovated and preserved and to this day, even some of the new buildings are designed to have wind towers for cultural display.
If you are in for some shopping while on the walking tour, there is a spice store, textile, and souvenirs store, just don't break the bank, save some for your entrance fee to Dubai Museum and Abra ride in the creek.
Tags
About Dubai
All things Dubai
Bastakiya
Dubai
Old Dubai
Places to go in Dubai
places to see in Dubai
Places to see in UAE
UAE
Seeing your photos made me miss the place, it's been sometime now since we last walked around there :-)
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