Although the early history of the area is not very well documented, archeological discoveries suggests that, small fishing communities lived along the coast of the Arabian Gulf on the site of modern Dubai as long as four thousand years ago. It is also believed that the natural sheltered harbor afforded by the Dubai Creek was a busy port of call on the ancient trade route between Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley. By the late 1870’s, Dubai was often referred to as the principal port on the Gulf coast and, by the turn of the century, was reputed to have had the largest souks in Arabia.

Pearling which was the mainstay of the city’s prosperity for many years, succumbed to the development of the cultured pearl in the 1940’s. However, Dubai’s enterprising merchants bounced back, developing a thriving trade in gold and other commodities. Much of this history is carefully preserved and at Al Fahidi Fort in The Bastakiya which now houses the Dubai Museum with numerous exhibits that illustrate the cities past way of life. At the Museum you will see that life in Dubai was harsh in the old days.

Inland, nomadic Bedouins with their camel herds roamed the desert. In a simple existence, farmers carefully tended date palms and occasionally vegetables, wherever a trace of water could be found or scratched a living on the arid mountainsides herding flocks of hardy sheep & goats.

Along the coast, the people lived by fishing, pearl diving, and other traditional occupations including dhow building, the latter two being major factors in Dubai’s rise to prominence as a trading center.

The old district of Bastakiya with its narrow lanes and tall wind towers provides an insight of old Dubai, it is also the largest concentration of traditional courtyard houses in the region. The traditional facades of these buildings have been restored to their original state, with wooden windows, decorative gypsum panels and screens. Originally many of the buildings were built beside the creek and provided early visitors the main panorama to the old city

Sahary Gate is located in one of these fascinating old buildings and is just a short walk from Al Fahidi Fort, which was renovated in 1993 for use as museum. The Fort was originally built around 1799, and once guarded the landward approaches to the town.

Modern Dubai, however, traces its origins to the 1830’s. At that time, the small fishing village on the Shindagha peninsula at the mouth of the Creek was settled by a branch of the Bani Yas tribe, originally from the Liwa oasis in the south of the UAE, led by the Maktoum family who still rule Dubai today.