Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood
Maze of coral-and-gypsum courtyard houses topped by wind towers built by Persian merchants in the late 1800s.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood follows why Persian merchants from Bastak sailed to this stretch of Dubai Creek in the 1890s after Sheikh Maktoum bin Hasher Al Maktoum offered them a tax-free deal, and what they built once they arrived: wind towers, or barjeel, that pull the breeze down into coral-and-gypsum courtyard houses without electricity. You'll hear how the number of towers on a house signaled a family's wealth, and how the quarter later fell into disrepair before a 1995 restoration brought it back. It traces a neighborhood built by pearl and spice traders, one rooftop at a time.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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