DUBAI CREEK HARBOUR

At Dubai Creek Harbour, you will experience more of what really matters. More laughs shared with friends. More memories made. A thriving community to live, work, play, and capture moments to behold and cherish. A home where every view is a view to live for.

The first recorded reference to Dubai dates back to 1587, when the Venetian pearl merchant Gaspero Balbi visited the area and wrote of Dubai’s pearling industry. However, the earliest known description of Dubai Creek is found in an 1822 report by a British Royal Navy officer. The creek was likely the actual raison d’être of Dubai’s creation and early development as a trading port; the start point for which could perhaps be taken as 1833, when some 800 members of the Bani Yas tribe, led by Sheikh Maktoum bin Buti Al-Falasi, settled in the Bur Dubai area, at the mouth of the creek.

The creek, a safe, natural harbour with the potential to become a thriving port centred on pearl diving, fishing and trade, was the obvious choice for the early settlers. Indeed, fishing, another main "industry" at the time, also thrived along the creek, whose warm and shallow waters supported a diverse and rich marine life. For about a century, although it didn't allow the entry of large ships due to its limited depth, the creek has remained the only port in the city and the most important element in establishing the commercial position of Dubai.

In the second half of the 20th the importance of the creek as commercial hub imposed a series of improvements to allow larger vessels to transit, as well as to facilitate the loading and unloading of goods. In 1955, a plan was prepared to develop the creek: the plan involved the dredging of shallow areas, the building of breakwater, and the transformation of its beach into a quay suitable for loading and unloading of cargo. The creek was first dredged in 1961 to permit 7 feet (2.1 m) draft vessels to cross through the creek at all times; and dredged again in the 1960s and 1970s to offer anchorage for local and coastal shipping up to 500 tons.

In the early days, crossing from one side of the creek to the other either involved a long journey by land around the end of the waterway, or a ride in an abra, small wooden boat, powered by oar. Abras (today equipped with diesel engines) are still used as a ferry passenger back and forth between Deira, Shindagha and Bur Dubai. Alternative methods of crossing the creek have developed as the city expanded (bridges, tunnel, metro...).

Notwithstanding the impressive growth of Modern Dubai for tens of kilometres along the seashore, the creek has remained the very "heart" of the city. Along the creek and the seashore are still found the traditional boat-building areas where large wooden boats are built, restored and maintained by skilled workers and naval entrepreneurs. As in the past, today there is still plenty of activity ongoing on and along the creek, even though no longer solely focused on commerce, as tourism had taken an important role in the city's continuing development: a variety of vessels weave their way up and down the creek, offering the visitors a sense of how vital an element this small stretch of water has been in the history of Dubai.

Three distinct residential areas emerged as the population of Dubai expanded: Deira, which was the main commercial district, Bur Dubai, and Shindagha, a thin strip of land separating the creek from the sea. The latter became the principal residential area, and the place where the city rulers lived.

In Bur Dubai, the waterfront has mostly preserved its ancient skyline characterized by the distinctive wind-towers of Bastakia neighbourhood, protected thanks to the concerted effort of the government. Besides Bastakia, the historic core of Dubai counts a number of historic buildings along and nearby the creek. Among them, the Faheidi Fort (restored and transformed into a modern museum), schools, and mosques throughout the quarter of Deira, and the reconstructed houses in the neighbourhood of Shindagha. The traditional souqs of Deira and Bur Dubai have also been carefully restored and continue to thrive and play an important role in the city's economic life. In their animated covered alleys might still be found the shops bearing the names of ancient merchants' families from the Emirate and neighbouring countries that contributed to the development of modern Dubai. Gold, silk & spice trade, covered souqs, traditional houses with their unique wind-towers (Barjeels), and wooden boats constitute a unique urban environment further enhanced by the presence of the creek.

The site includes the first 4,5 km of the Creek, from the original mouth to the first bridge built to connect the two banks, including both the quay and the piers of the harbour where hundreds of wooden boats continue to moor and download goods according to a century-old tradition. Within the property limits are the most preserved areas of the three historic districts (Shindagha, Bastakia and Deira) with the main traditional souqs and the Faheidi Fort.