Showing 1-7 of 7 results
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Al-Ahmadiya School
Sheikh Mohammed bin Ahmed bin Dalmouk established Al-Ahmadiya, Dubai's first school, in 1912, and his father Sheikh Ahmed owned the traditional house adjoining it. Semiformal schools such as these were set up by sheikhs and wealthy merchants to teach the Holy Quran, grammar, Arabic calligraphy, mathematics, literature and astronomy, and while most students paid a couple of rupees to attend, the sheikhs paid for the poor students. We love the simplicity of the architecture and the exquisite detail - check out the intricate carving within the arches of the courtyard inside and the decorative gypsum panels near the entrance outside.
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Ali Bin Abi Talib Mosque
This simple yet striking mosque in the textile area of Bur Dubai Souq is notable for its sensuous, bulbous domes and gently tapering minaret. Its outline is best appreciated at night from Baniyas Rd in Deira, on the opposite side of the Creek, when the mosque and neighbouring wind-towers are beautifully lit up - it makes a postcard-perfect shot.
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Bastakiya Quarter
With its labyrinthine lanes lined with traditional wind-tower architecture, the old Bastakiya quarter on the waterfront east of Bur Dubai Souq is a magical place to explore.
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Grand Mosque
This mosque, with the tallest minaret in town, might appear to be as old as the Dubai Museum, but it was actually built in the 1990s. The multi-domed mosque maintains the style of the original Grand Mosque, which dated from 1900 and was knocked down to make way for another mosque in 1960, and its sand-coloured walls and wooden shutters blend in perfectly with the surrounding old quarter of Bur Dubai.
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Iranian Mosque
Shiite mosques are noteworthy for their exquisite faïence (green-and-blue-coloured and glazed) tile work covering the façade and main dome. A stunning Dubai example is the Iranian Mosque in Satwa - and the Iranian Hospital, adjacent and opposite, carries this same type of tile work.
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Jumeirah Mosque
The splendid, intricately detailed architecture (stunningly lit at night) and the opportunity to have a look inside (normally non-Muslims can't enter mosques here) makes Jumeirah Mosque well worth visiting.
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Majlis Ghorfat Um-Al-Sheef
It is unusual to find a traditional building still standing so far from the Creek, but this one, south of Jumeirah Beach Park, has been well restored and is worth a visit. The two-storey structure was built in 1955 and was attended in the evenings by Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed al-Maktoum. Here he would listen to his people's complaints, grievances and ideas.
Showing 1-7 of 7 results
