Bastakiya

In fact, if you want to enjoy what Dubai used to be like, you must go to Al Bastakiya in Bur Dubai. Located right in the middle of this vibrant metropolis, the Bastakiya neighborhood is often considered the soul of Dubai!

Wonderful place , love this side of Dubai

I don't realize the distance and time passby after walking from one end to another. Sales man keep saying ' ni hao' hello and 'woo Ai ni' I love you. Don't forgot to negotiate the price if you are willing to add some home displays : D

Pretty NICE walk at night. FYI. 1 dirham boat need to pay cash but 2 dirham boat you can usr the tram sliver or gold card tap in tap out.

The preserved historical quarter of Dubai is a must see. Discovering narrow alleyways and quaint restaurants and galleries provides an entirely unique perspective of Dubai.

Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood is a historic district in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The construction of Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood dates back to the 1890s. In its prime, the locality was capable of 60 housing units, most of which were separated by narrow, winding lanes. The town of Al Bastakiya was primarily built by the affluent Persian Merchants drawn to Dubai by the rich trade opportunities and incentives offered by the Emirati government, the district was named after the southern Iranian town of Bastak.

In the 1980s half of the Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood village was destroyed to make way for the development of a new office complex. The remaining houses were mostly used as warehouses or accommodation for foreign laborers. In 1989, the Dubai Municipality directed that the remaining parts of Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood were to be demolished. Rayner Otter, a British architect, came to the area and made extensive renovation in the house where he was staying. Rayner started a campaign to preserve the area and wrote a letter to Prince Charles, who was scheduled to visit Dubai that year. On his arrival, Prince Charles asked to visit Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood and explored the whole area with Rayner Otter. During his visit the Prince suggested that Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood should be preserved and the demolition was canceled.

In 2005, a project was initiated by the Dubai Municipality to restore the localities of old buildings and lanes.

Places in Al Bastakiya
Al Bastakiya consist of several places which includes:

Mawaheb Gallery
Mawaheb meaning in Arabic is an art studio.

Arabian Tea House Café
The café is designed keeping in view the old heritage of Dubai people. It present the traditional Arabic food.

XVA Gallery
Established in 2003, XVA Gallery is one of the leading galleries in the Middle East that specialise in contemporary art from the Arab world, Iran and the Subcontinent. Our exhibitions focus on works by the region's foremost artists as well as those emerging onto the scene.

Sheikh Muhammad Center for Cultural Understanding
It is a non-profit organization. The purpose of creating this organization was to establish a relationship of culture between the people of Dubai.

Coffee Museum
Main article: Dubai Coffee Museum
The Museum consist of two floors. On ground floor different roasting and brewing style are demonstrated live. On the second floor there are history books area relates to coffee.

Make Art Café
This art café is opened in November 2015, the MAKE Art Café runs its operations from the courtyard of a charming heritage villa in one of the most attractive heritage areas in the UAE.

This is a very nice spot to visit either alone or when you have visitors, you can always enjoy the old style of how the houses were built in Dubai. The access to the water, give it additional depth of dimension of how to enjoy the place tons of places like the textile, soak the herbs and spices you can enjoy yourself and have a good shopping there. Many places to dine in as well there mini coffee shops, and the walks are very nice overall as usual in Dubai, the place is extremely safe, clean and top.

It is a historical place. The old dubai, it is near creek area which crosses towards old souq. The boats charge 2 AED per person.

Amazing place, you can understand how was the old Dubai, how Emirates formed in a new way, there living style, old culture, old houses material , boats etc
UAE
Old Dubai
Historical place