Majlis Ghorfat Um-al-Sheef

It is unusual to find a traditional building still standing so far from the Creek, but this one has been well restored and is worth a quick stop. The two-storey structure was built in 1955 as a summer residence of the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed al-Maktoum. Made of gypsum and coral rock with a palm frond roof and a wind tower, it provided a cool retreat from the heat. The palm tree garden features a traditional falaj irrigation system. The actual majlis (meeting room) upstairs is decorated with cushions, rugs, a coffee pot, pottery and food platters, and is pretty close to the way it would have looked in Sheikh Rashid’s day.