Cross the creek by abra into the old Deira trading quarter: the 1957 municipality building, the spice lanes, Dubai's first school and first public library, and the Gold Souk.
Best time: October-April; in summer (May-September) Dubai is extremely hot and humid, so walk early morning or after sunset and use the indoor stops.
Cross the creek from Bur Dubai by abra (AED 1). 10 min
Wooden abras were Dubai's first public transport and are still government-run water taxis across the creek between Bur Dubai and Deira, used by commuters as well as visitors.
Free museum in the 1957 municipality building. 25 min
The 1957 building that housed Dubai Municipality until 1964, in the old Deira souk by the creek; it documents the city's early administration, public projects and residents'…
Dubai's oldest known formal school, founded in 1912 by pearl merchant Sheikh Ahmed bin Dalmouk; alumni include founders of the Al Futtaim and Al Ghurair businesses, and it…
Dubai's first public library, opened by Sheikh Rashid in 1963 and renovated in 2019; a working branch of Dubai Public Libraries with 100,000+ books in several languages, a…
380+ jewellery and gold shops; finish here. 40 min
More than 380 retailers, mostly jewellers, in a market that grew from a handful of creekside merchants in the early 1900s and boomed with Indian and Iranian traders from the…
