Al Fahidi / Bur Dubai, on the Creek · Dubai

Al Fahidi Historic District & the Creek souks

The coral-and-gypsum quarter behind Bur Dubai's waterfront is the oldest surviving piece of the city, built in the late nineteenth century and restored rather than rebuilt. Crossing the Creek by abra to the Deira souks costs one dirham and is the best-value thing you will do in Dubai.

A wooden abra crossing Dubai Creek towards the Bur Dubai bank

Why go

Nineteenth-century wind-tower architecture, restored in situ
Abra across the Creek for AED 1, running all day
Spice Souk and Gold Souk on the Deira bank
Cultural meals at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding

Walking Al Fahidi

The lanes are deliberately narrow and the wind towers above them are pre-electric air conditioning: they catch whatever breeze is moving and drop it into the rooms below. The quarter now holds small museums, courtyard cafés and the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding, which runs sit-down meals where the whole point is that you ask the awkward questions about religion, dress and local life.

Al Fahidi Fort at the edge of the district, built around 1787, houses the Dubai Museum and is the oldest building in the city.

The abra and the souks

Wooden abras run continuously from Bur Dubai Souk station across to Deira Old Souk. There is no ticket office and no timetable — you sit down, the boat leaves when it is full, and you hand a single dirham to the driver mid-crossing. The whole thing takes five minutes.

On the Deira bank the Spice Souk comes first, then the Gold Souk a few streets north. Gold is sold by weight at a rate posted daily, so the negotiation is over the making charge rather than the metal. In the Spice Souk, prices for saffron and frankincense are quoted high to tourists as a matter of routine and settle at roughly half after a polite back-and-forth.

Al Fahidi Historic District & the Creek souks, answered

How much is the abra across Dubai Creek?

One dirham, paid in cash to the driver once the boat is moving. There is no ticket and no card machine, so carry a coin.

Should I buy gold in the Gold Souk?

The metal price is fixed and posted daily, so nobody can overcharge you for the gold itself. What varies is the making charge, and that is negotiable. Ask for the piece to be weighed in front of you and ask for the certificate.

Is Old Dubai safe to walk at night?

Yes. It is busy, well lit and heavily policed, and the souks are at their best after dark once the afternoon heat has gone.