Dubai

On a hot dusty afternoon, we parked the jeep in a flurry of sand in front of a steel and glass bank.
Even in areas of downtown Dubai, skyscrapers soar out of the desert like hi-tech islands in a sea of
sand. With little in the way of landscaping or pavements linking one multi-national highrise to
another, we squelched through the sand to our destination. No one walks much in Dubai. It’s too hot,
and anyway, the roads are excellent. Nevertheless, that afternoon we plunged on foot down narrow
alleys only just wide enough to permit the passage of a single donkey into Bastakiya, the heart of old
Dubai.

What’s left of Dubai’s heritage? Precious little, you might think. But determined sightseers (and I’m
one) can still find ways to experience the rhythms of old Arabia — a goal that is a great deal more
addictive and subtle than the usual business, beach and shopping pursuits. Bastakiya was once an
extensive enclave of square courtyard houses in the Bur Dubai area of the city on the bank of Dubai
Creek. What remains of the old coral-built homes originally owned by merchants who traded in
spices, incense, gold and textiles is still suffused with an ethereal, riveting ambience. As recently as
the 1950’s, a visitor arriving at Dubai by sea described the city as a forest of skyscrapers, so numerous
were the graceful windtowers of Bastakiya. Elegant and elegiac they still look today, crowning
flatroofed homes of faded splendour.

Rising some 15 metres above the rooftops, windtowers work by trapping the breezes that stray into
vents which face in four directions. The vents channel the moving air down into the building from
where it is circulated through the living areas. As in so many of the Gulf’s traditional seashore towns,
the houses of Bastakiya were built from blocks of coral. In Dubai, the mortar used is called sarooj, a
mixture of red clay, manure and water that washes the walls with a peachy glow. Date palms provided
the beams, and heavy carved wooden doors still bar the way from the street. These homes do not
divulge much to the outside world. Their windows open onto tree shaded courtyards that allow
privacy, security and thermal insulation. Incised stucco panels, pierced window screens, crenellations
and columns topped with lotus-shaped capitals are decorative features which also contribute to the
basic structure of the house.

Trudging along the twisting, sandy lanes between the windtowered houses, we reached the Majlis
Gallery, a sensitively restored example of the old architectural style. The former merchant’s home
now houses some of the finest examples of Dubai’s arts and crafts. Visiting the gallery also provides
an ideal opportunity to experience the interior of a traditional windtowered house — with its high
ceilings and cool, narrow rooms. The width of a room was restricted by the mangrove poles used as
ceiling beams none of which, it seems could have been longer than about 3.5 metres. Traditionally,
there would be a male majlis (reception room) as well as a female majlis with separate entrances. In
some of the larger mercantile homes, another public majlis, situated near the main door, would be used
to extend hospitality to visiting traders.

Not for nothing was Dubai once called the City of Merchants. Like so many other ports of the Gulf, it
operated as a highly successful entrepot for thousands of years, importing and exporting goods as far
afield as China in the same type of magnificent wooden dhows that are still constructed along the
coastline. The region itself has been blessed with three raw materials that have brought continued
prosperity to the area. In antiquity, it was copper, then pearls and now oil.

Meanwhile the local coastal people subsist, as non-mercantile classes always have, on the basics of
life — boat building, fishing and harvesting dates. Their rural counterparts, the Bedouin, herded
camels, sheep and goats, and still do. The camels are often bred nowadays for racing — with untold
urban wealth up for prize money. The goats may be barbequed under the stars for tourists on a desert
safari. These days the sand dunes echo to the roar of jeeps on ‘wadi-bashing’ expeditions or the swish
of the latest craze — sand skiing.

Cutting a soft, gleaming swathe through Dubai is The Creek, the highway of a civilisation built on
trade. It is one of the few safe anchorages along the region’s southern coast and was a traditional
haven for the dhows that plied the waters of the Persian Gulf and beyond. From one of the metal
bridges that now span The Creek, one can watch the dhow building trade continuing as it has gone for
centuries. Hundreds of these sturdy wooden boats add colour to the Dhow Wharfage. As recently as
the 1970’s, dhows carried two-thirds of Dubai’s import/export business. Today, the dhows transport
only a fraction of the Emirate’s trade but the sight of the Arabs dressed in their flowing dishdasha
robes is a tangible reminder of the past. Only the goods being loaded have changed, it seems. Gone
are the pearls and, of course, the slaves. Nowadays one dodges around electrical goods and building
materials on the wharfs. In family-owned boatyards, dhows are still built in the time-honoured way,
with keels of teak and ribs and flanks of acacia wood.

The Creek was the nexus of the pearling expeditions on which Dubai’s early fame was built. Now it’s
gold that lures visitors to the souks — the traditional market places. From the Dhow Wharfage, we
dived into the alleys of the Gold Souk. During the early part of the century, fortunes were made
through the astute trading of gold from Dubai to the Asian subcontinent, and to this day, many of the
souk’s customers are from that region. In glittering shop after glittering shop, three genres of
jewellery are marketed. The first type is aimed at Asians, who tend to buy real gold. The second
caters to the European bargain hunter and the third offers traditional Bedouin-style jewellery.
Unfortunately, virtually none of the latter is antique because Bedouin custom dictates that jewellery
which was part of a woman’s dowry must be melted down upon her death. In any case, genuine
Bedouin jewellery was crafted in silver, the taste for gold being relatively recent.

In the Spice Souk, gloriously rich aromas drift from open sacks — frankincense from Oman, henna for
cosmetic purposes, and a host of others intended for both culinary and medicinal uses. Further down a
little alley roofed with palm fronds to deflect the heat was the Perfume Souk. Interestingly, it’s the
menfolk who congregate inside these stores, sitting around on stools as they discuss which variation of
the classic Arab fragrance called oudh they prefer. Enticing flasks, some encircled with sterling silver
or gold, can be filled with a perfume custom-created from traditional attars, essences and oils just for
you. I recalled the story of Cleopatra sailing up the Nile to meet Mark Anthony, the perfumed sails of
her barge billowing forth like an ode to love. If you haven’t done so already, then it wouldn’t be hard
to part with your last dirham in the antique souks. We found Khanjars (curved daggers in elaborately
carved sheaths) and splendid, studded wooden bridal chests. There were also exquisite accoutrements
from the pearling days of yore to be had — semi precious stones used for weighing the pearls against
and intricately worked boxes from India in which to grade and store them.

Back in downtown Dubai, the AL Fahidi Fort is located plumb in the middle¶ of office blocks and
traffic. Built about a century ago, the structure was originally used as an observation platform from
which the landward approaches to the town could be perused. Now the fort is a museum housing a
fine collection of objects from the everyday life of pre-oil Dubai. Along with¶ the knives, scales and
scissors used by the pearl divers of old, we discovered fascinating artifacts of copper, alabaster and
pottery (three to four thousand years old) that have been excavated in the region. Flanked by two
cannon, the AL Fahidi Fort’s magnificent studded door was brought from Sheikh Saeed’s house at
Shindagah. From its position at the mouth of The Creek, the 100 year old restored house provided a
superb vantage point from which vessels entering the port could be closely monitored. Cooled by sea
breezes cunningly directed into the house through four fabulous windtowers, the Sheikh’s house must
have been extremely pleasant to live in.

And how refreshing to find that, beneath the city’s modern facade, the spirit of old Dubai tenaciously
lives on!

Juliet Highet Muhibah May 1998

QUESTIONS
"What unexpected detail is presented in the first sentence?","That there would be so much sand in a
city","That the town would be hot and dusty","That sand would flurry","That a jeep would park in
front of a glass bank","3"
"What is unusual about the use of “squelched”?","It usually applies to wet conditions","It usually
applies to cold climates","It is not usually appropriate for pavement","There is usually landscaping in
the city","3"
"The alleys were","less than one metre wide","about one metre wide","about two metres wide","about
three metres wide","3"
"What is referred to as the “rhythms of old Arabia”?","the sights and sounds of historic Dubai","the
music played in the streets of Dubai","the sound of the wind in the streets","the noise of walking in the
narrow lanes","5"
"How are the “windtower” houses cooled?","by catching the wind and directing it down into the
house","by airconditioners ","by breezes flowing around the living areas","by thermal insulation","7"
"Which statement about “windtower” houses is not confirmed by the passage? ","they have a view of
the sea","they are very private","they are made of coral and clay","they have an ornate
architecture","7"
"Which one of these is a feature of the Majlis Gallery? ","It had a display of hand-made goods","it had
rooms no longer than 3.5 metres","It had a room that was once used as a hospital","It had ceiling
beams supported by mangrove poles","9"
"The term “wooden dhows” applies to","boats","warehouses","large crates for exporting
goods","structures erected along the coast","11"
"Dubai is described as an “entrepot”. This means Dubai is","a port specialising in trade","a region
rich in raw materials","a large city","a port in the Gulf","11"
"Most “local coastal” people","are not merchants","herd camels","breed camels for racing","lead
wealthy lives","13"
"What is the best definition of “The Creek”?","a harbour for import and export","a broad highway and
important route into Dubai","another name for the Persian Gulf","a civilisation built on trade","15"
"Some of Dubai’s lucrative activities have died out. Which one of these is still successful for the
merchants?","trade in gold","exports of pearls","carrying trading goods by Dhow","the manufacture of
electrical goods","17"
"What is a souk?","a market with many storekeepers","a building roofed with palm fronds","a
shop","a classic Arab fragrance","17"
"Why is antique Bedouin jewellery very rare?","because Bedouins melt down old jewellery","because
it is now only made for tourists","because gold is the fashion now","because the genuine articles were
crafted in silver","17"
"What do you think the author means by the term “dirham”?","a unit of money","a kind of Arab
clothing","antique jewellery","a straight-bladed dagger","19"
"Which of the following is not true about the Al-Fahidi Fort? ","it was used to watch for danger from
the sea","it no longer has its original door","it is a museum of life in early Dubai","it is in the very
centre of the modern city","21"
"Sheikh Saeed’s house","gives good views of the entrance to the port","is flanked by two cannon","is
cooled by windtowers","was restored a hundred years ago","21"
"‘plunged’ (line 6) means","rushed suddenly","plugged","squeezed","rode","3"
"‘suffused’ (line 18) means","spread throughout","spoiled","painted","changed","5"
"‘divulge’ (line 31) means","reveal","hide","export","display","7"
"‘trudging’ (line 37) means","walking heavily","driving","skipping","wandering","9"
"‘tangible’ (line 73) means ","physically present","terrible","unusual","unexpected","15"

TRUE OR FALSE
No-one walks much in Dubai because the alleys are too narrow F
Dubai has a mixture of old and new architecture T
The early houses were built to face the street F
In the early days Dubai traded in copper, pearls and oil F
The Al Fahidi fort is now a museum T

MEANINGS
"Precious little","The writer uses a two-word phrase to me “very little”. Can you find it?"
"suffused","Find a word that means full of a quality. E.g. “The movie was _______ with sadness.”"
"pursuits","Find a word that means activities or interests."
"ethereal","The writer uses an adjective to suggest how the old houses of Dubai have a delicate,
unworldly beauty. Can you find it?"
"ambience","Find a word that refers to the atmosphere of a place."¥
"antiquity","What word in the paragraph above means “ancient times”?"
"entrepot","Can you find a word that the writer uses to mean a commercial centre for import and
export, and for collection and distribution?"
"blessed with","Find a two-word phrase in the paragraph that would fill the gaps in this sentence: “He
is ______ _______ a very fine singing voice.” It means “fortunate to have”."
"prosperity","What word above means success and wealth?"¥
"astute","If you describe someone as ______, you think they show an understanding of behaviour and
situations, and are skilful at using this knowledge to their own advantage. Can you find the word?"
"virtually","What word in the paragraph means “almost”?"
"dictates","If one thing _______ another, the first thing causes or influences the second thing. E.g.
“Circumstances _______ that they played a defensive rather than attacking game.”"
"lures","Find a word that means to attract or entice someone."
"genuine","Find a word that means “real”, “not faked”."
"caters to","Find a two-word phrase that means to provide what people want."¥