As you are now on the Bur Dubai side of the creek you cannot fail to notice the imposing minaret of the Grand Mosque that reaches into the clear blue sky and is viewable from just about everywhere!

Located close to the AL Fahidi Fort and Museum complex, the Grand Mosque of Dubai was restructured in 1997 in the traditional Islamic style. There has been a Mosque on the site since 1900 and throughout the intervening years it has always been an important centre of religious and cultural life for the peoples of Dubai.

The Grand Mosque minaret, the tallest in Dubai at 70 metres, towers over the surrounding area and is one of Dubai's most photographed landmarks. The roof of the Mosque is made up of nine large and forty five small domes making this a very impressive building indeed.

The Mosque can accomodate some 1200 worshippers although Non Muslims are not permitted inside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Believed to be Dubai's oldest building the Al-Fahidi Fort is well worth a visit. Hop off at stop 3 to visit the fort, which is also home to the Dubai museum. Built in 1787 your Big Bus Dubai tour ticket includes a free pass into the museum.

The Fort itself has walls built from coral and shell rubble from the sea cemented together with lime that made it an incredibly tough prospect to overrun when in Dubai's past warlike neighbouring tribes sought to do just that.

The fort that once defended Dubai has been many things over the years including a ruler’s residence and a government centre. At one time it served as a jail for wrongdoers!

Once inside Dubai museum, you enter into a fully air-conditioned underground exhibition centre where you will learn some of the Fort's history. Browse through a collection of old maps of the Gulf and the Emirates, together with aerial photographs showing Dubai's considerable urban expansion between 1960 and 1980. There is also a multi-media presentation that records Dubai’s development from the early pearl divers right through to the discovery of oil in the late 1960s. 

The museum also houses an eclectic collection of artefacts that depict  the social and economic life of Dubai's residents long before oil was discovered and includes objects such as pottery, stone and metallic items, engravings and skeletons discovered during digs in the Emirate of Dubai.  

There is an impressive display of weaponry on show including hanjars (curved daggers) as well as swords, bows, arrows, spears, shields of shagreen, axes and pistols.

Traditional Arab musical instruments are also exhibited, so be sure to see the displays of drums, flutes, lyres, goatskin bagpipes and other locally made instruments used on festive occasions.
In the architecture section you will also find a model of a wind tower room , along with diagrams and photographs showing different types of wind towers from the older areas of Dubai city. 

 

 

 

Join on us on our fabulous Arabian Treasures walk through the streets of merchants and markets of gold. This fully guided walk is absolutely free with your Big Bus ticket and lasts about an hour. It includes a traditional Abra boat ride across the busy Dubai Creek – the life blood of the city – and visits the mysterious markets where merchants have traded for centuries. Smell the aroma of the fragrant Spice Souk before you actually enter it! Explore the world famous Gold Souk where, with luck and a bit of haggling, you may pick up a bargain or two! This exciting walk will show you the hidden treasures and mysteries that Dubai has to offer. The magic is yours for the taking, let Big Bus conjure it up for you! 

 

 

 

                                                                                                   Visit the Gold Market on your free walking tour

 

 

 

The Bastakia Quarter is one of Dubai’s most picturesque heritage sites. Persian merchants built this area in the late 19th century after being attracted to the region by favourable trading tarifs. It actually takes it name from the town in southern Iran called Bastak.

The area has many narrow alleys providing great atmosphere of a bygone era. Many of the restored buildings feature “wind-towers”, an early but effective form of air-conditioning. Although many of the buildings are private homes, some are open to the public including the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding; Ostra - Gallery which features contemporary art and sculpture; Basta Art Café – a very popular courtyard café; XVA – a small guesthouse and art gallery and the Majlis Gallery – which exhibits the work of local and international artists.

 

 

 

Windtowers, much in evidence in the Bastakia quarter.