Dubai Museum & Al Fahidi Fort, Dubai - Timings, Entry Fee, History & Artifacts

At a distance of 8 km from Dubai International Airport, Dubai Museum is a museum situated in the historic Al Fahidi Neighborhood in Bur Dubai. It is the main museum in Dubai and among the prime places to visit as part of Dubai Packages.

The Dubai Museum is housed in the Al Fahidi Fort, a stunning desert fort and architectural marvel built-in 1787 to defend Dubai Creek. It is the oldest building in the Emirate. As per the history, the fort has served as a residence for the ruling family, a seat of government, garrison, and prison. This fort was renovated during the reign of the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum. The museum was opened by the Ruler of Dubai in 1971, with the aim of presenting the traditional way of life in the Emirate of Dubai. In 1995, another underground museum was established and added to the old fort.

Al Fahidi Fort is square-shaped with towers occupying three of its corners. It was built of coral rock and mortar in several phases. Just off the southern wall lies a reconstruction of the old city walls. Next to them stands a tall dhow (traditional boat) in the middle of a large courtyard that covers the underground galleries. The courtyard is home to several traditional boats and a palm-leaf house with an Emirati wind-tower. The entrance has a fascinating exhibition of old maps of the Emirates and Dubai, showing the mammoth expansion that hit the region after the oil boom. There is a mock souk (market) gallery with life-size dioramas depicting shopkeepers and craftspeople at work, enhanced by light and sound effects and grainy documentary films.

Other galleries illustrate the different environments of urban and rural lives in Dubai, whether they are marine, coastal, desert, mountain or agricultural life. It includes a small but fascinating pearl-diving exhibit where you can marvel at the fact that divers wore merely nose clips and leather gloves while descending to extraordinary depths. Also, the museum consists of the monuments wing, which displays antique monuments such as pottery, weapons, tombs, buildings and urban communities. It also has the astronomy and natural phenomena wing along with the folklore wing, the weapons, and the Old Dubai fortification wing. The final galleries present archaeological finds from ancient settlements and tombs at Jumeirah, Hatta, Al Qusais and other local sites that reveal that the area has been settled for at least 4000 years.

Timings: 8. 30 AM - 8. 30 PM from Saturday - Thursday & 2. 30 PM - 8. 30 PM on Friday

Entry: AED. 3 for Adults & AED. 1 for Children (under 6 years)