The city's main historical museum charts Dubai's turbo-evolution from fishing and pearling village to global center of commerce, finance and tourism. It has an atmospheric setting in the compact Al Fahidi Fort, built around 1800 and considered Dubai's oldest remaining structure.
Fortified by three towers, Al Fahidi Fort served as the residence of the local rulers until 1896 and went through stints as a prison and a garrison before becoming a museum in 1971. A sturdy teak door festooned with brass spikes gives way to the courtyard dotted with bronze cannons, traditional boats and an areesha (a palm-frond hut that was the kind of summer home most locals lived in until the middle of the 20th century).
The museum is currently closed for long-term renovations.
